Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Beautiful Gift Baskets For Valentine's Day

A gift basket makes a great gift for Valentine's Day. Gift baskets can be designed for any relationship, from the completely innocent to the passionate and naughty. They make a great gifts for saying "I love you," and can be delivered or covertly left on a doorstep or desktop. Gift baskets can be filled with products like candy, stuffed toys, small trinkets, and jewelry. The best part is, they can be designed for specific interests and communicate exactly what you are trying to tell someone.

Most people would assume that a gift basket for Valentine's Day would be a gift just for a woman. But the baskets can be designed for just about anyone. If you are trying to think of a great teacher's gift for Valentine's Day, consider putting some Valentine's chocolate, a coffee mug, and notepads in a basket. If you want a romantic gift basket for the man in your life, how about some sports videos or magazines, specialty foods, and home-made coupons for special treats all wrapped up in a lovely basket? And for the kids, gift baskets are a great way of exciting them with a variety of things like toys and candy.

With the variety of products available, just about any theme can be used to create a great basket. Just keep in mind that on Valentine's Day gift giving is about the recipient, not the sender. You may think an idea is great, but it is important to design your basket so that the person you are giving the basket to will love it. Consider things like food allergies, pet peeves, and things you know they like and dislike. Maybe that bag of chocolate is great for one person, but probably will not be appreciated from someone that is on a diet.

Lastly, if you will be celebrating the special day with the one you love, and an evening of romance is in-store, consider that type of gift basket. It can be as wild or as tame as you would like. You can fill the basket with books, videos, lotions and oils, and other suggestive items so your special someone will know that the night ahead will be filled with romance and fun. Dress up the basket with ribbons and bows, scatter some chocolate inside, and include a bottle of champagne. Gift baskets are a great way to say I love you to just about anyone this Valentine's Day.

http://www.GrenvilleStation.com delivers beautiful and inexpensive gift baskets across Canada. Whether you need Valentine's Day Gifts in Toronto or a Mother's Day Gifts in Canada, your gift will be a memorable alternative to flowers.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Samsung LN46A550 46" LCD HDTV + $200 NFL Gear GC $1049.94 Free Shipping

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Samsung LN46A550 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV Review

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Samsung LN46A550 LCD HDTV : Detailed Info, Features.


Editorial Reviews


Manufacturer's Description--March 24, 2008

Samsung's 550 Series is a perfect way to step up to Full HD 1080p resolution. A fast 5 ms response rate produces smooth-motion scenes for sports and action movies, and a dynamic contrast ratio of 30,000:1 makes for deep blacks and crisp lines (15,000:1 in 32-inch and 37-inch models). Superb connectivity and networking with a USB port and 3 HDMI 1.3 ports with Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) means these HDTVs play well with all of your other electronics. Easily enjoy MPEG and JPEG files stored on external devices by connecting through the side-mounted USB 2.0, turn your LCD into a full-scale home viewing gallery, or connect your MP3 player for a dynamic audio experience.
Key Features
* New -- 30,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio: up from 15,000:1 on 2007 models (15,000 on 32-inch and 37-inch models)
* New -- Fast 5ms response time: down from 8ms on 2007 models thanks to a new high-speed liquid crystal

Features

  • Full HD 1080p Resolution
  • Wide Color Enhancer
  • 3 HDMI Inputs
  • USB 2.0
  • HDMI-CDC
Customer Reviews

Incredible Value and Performance
The Samsung LN46A550 was at the top of our list for quite some time while we researched the quality and value of Flat Panel LCDs that were in the 42 - 46 inch range. While other TVs may have done slightly better in terms of price, the quality of Samsung televisions have surpassed even Sony in recent years as they consistently rank as one of the top brands. This TV is no different.

We were not in need of all the bells and whistles that are advertised on the later models of the Samsungs, such as the 120Hz refresh rate. This feature may smooth out intense sports action but as the human eye can only process a 60Hz refresh rate, the 120Hz will often tire your eyes out after viewing too long (this is why looking at an LCD monitor for a computer too long tires your eyes out).

As for its performance, we could not be happier. The Dark Night on Blu-ray played via a PS3 hooked up with HDMI 6FT / 2M Super High Resolution Male to Male Cable by Eforcity looked absolutely stunning. The 1080p resolution on this TV is incredible. People may complain about artifacts and pixelation while watching TV but that issue (which I have experienced) is not the TV itself. The fact that it can play Blu-ray movies at full 1080p resolution flawlessly indicates that the problem lies with the video source. The free HD channels I get as a Time Warner subscriber in NYC look amazing, but they do get a bit pixely sometimes during intense camera movement and action. This is also added to by the fact that even channels that are supposedly broadcasting in HD are using compression techniques that lower the quality on the subscriber's end. Unfortunately there is nothing to be done about it but wait for HD to become the standard. Everything still looks great and I do not regret this purchase in the slightest. Even the sound quality surprised me (it may not be 5.1 surround but it was better than I expected after reading people's reviews here).

Excellent TV
This TV is great, Ive had it for a month and a half with no problems whatsoever. The color/tone was perfect straight out of the box for me. It is also extremely quiet and doesnt give off any heat (I have it in a very small room and the temperature in there and the rest of the house is the same). I also really like the matte finish of the screen. This tv sits directly across the room from a window where the glare was tterrible with a normal tv but it is significantly reduced with this one. That is one way this tv is actually better than the A650, which has a glossy reflective screen.

I use it for over-the-air HD tv which looks great (if you have a strong signal on your antenna) and blu-ray movies, but the thing i use it for most is my Playstation 3. These two were made for eachother! The games look stunning even though most of them are only 720p. This TV doesnt have the 120Hz refresh rate like the A650 (which Ive seen because my parents have the A650). The 120hz refresh rate is nice for nature programs, animated movies, and sports but I actually do not like it for live action movies and tv shows. I feel like it looks like you're on the film set, which sounds good, but it really makes it look fake to me for some reason. Videogames currently only output at 60Hz so the 120Hz refresh rate makes no difference for them.

Overall I am extremely happy with this TV and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a nice HDtv, especially if your budget is a little tight.

Great hdtv
Great tv for a reasonable price. Excellent picture quality. We have a surround sound system and it truly is like being at the movies.



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Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Electronic Textbooks - Efficient Replacements for Traditional College Textbooks

In the last few years, college campus bookstores have continuously put students under pressure, selling curricular textbooks at prices that exceed the financial possibilities of the average student, already burdened by high tuition costs and additional expenses for one’s education. According to recent studies, a required new course textbook can cost between $100 and $200 in the campus bookstore, students rarely finding better offers in other specialized offline resources. Forced to spend a small fortune in order to gather a minimum number of curricular textbooks, students nationwide suffer pronounced gaps in their budgets during each school year. Although they clearly realize that they are being ripped off, most students continue to spend exaggerated sums of money on new college textbooks available for purchase in college campus bookstores; others look for cheaper alternatives in used bookstores or on the Internet, while some decide to borrow their needed textbooks from colleagues.

According to a recent study conducted by CALPIRG – the California Public Interest Research Group in 59 superior educational facilities across the country, college textbook prices have increased at four times the rate of inflation over the last few years. As very few parties are currently trying to find efficient solutions to the problem, the phenomenon continues to grow and is expected to become even more acute in the near future. Considering the fact that the average cost of college textbooks is estimated at $900 a year per student, study materials substantially add to the already high cost of a higher education.

The high costs of today’s college textbooks represent a problem with many different aspects. The primary reason why college textbook prices have rocketed over the last few years is poor competition on the market. As long as college bookstores continue to hold the monopoly over the specialized market, the costs of new college textbooks are expected to grow further. Although at present there are many competitive resources that offer both new and used textbooks for more affordable prices than those established by campus bookstores, they currently cover a small segment of the market and don’t pose a serious threat to college campus bookstores.

The unaffordable prices of most curricular college textbooks are primarily the consequence of frequent and often unneeded updates and reviews, but also high production costs, according to textbook publishers. Thus, an effective solution to the problem would be to completely eliminate the costs of ink and paper by replacing traditional college textbooks with electronic study materials. In electronic format, the college textbooks of tomorrow will not only be substantially cheaper, but will also include interactive content, thus stimulating students’ imagination and raising their interest for learning.

Digital college textbooks are expected to offer major educational advantages, as they will comprise many different tools into a single volume. Unlike traditional textbooks, such study materials will introduce videos, simulations and various interactive games which will help students better understand the topics discussed in class. The next generation of e-books will open new educational perspectives, creating a new, innovative model for teaching. By corroborating affordability with great educational value, the electronic college textbooks of tomorrow will open many new horizons for students in superior educational facilities worldwide.

So if you want to find out more about textbooks and especially about college textbooks, follow these links, you will also find information for the Dutch versions - studieboeken.