iRobot Braava 380t Review

After spending my fair share of time with the IROBOT BRAAVA 380T and the Neato XV-21Best Price at Amazon, one thing was certain: My apartment floors were free of debris, but they still needed a good scrubbing. Unfortunately, my growing reliance on robot vacuums rendered the thought of mopping more painful than ever. Between the unwieldy mop and big drippy bucket of soap and water, not to mention the physical act itself, I'd be overjoyed if I never had to mop again. Luckily, there's a 'bot for that.


The iRobot Braava 380t is like a big sibling to the iRobot Braava. The Braava 320 costs $100 less, but the 380t has a bigger battery with faster charging, room-to-room cleaning capabilities, a pause button, a quick clean mode, and a furniture-protecting bumper. You'll still need a vacuum for large debris, as well as the occasional helping hand for tough spills, but it's a great accessory for the neat freak who hates to clean.

Design and Setup
The Braava 380t looks a heck of a lot like the Braava 320, with the same two-tier shape and dimensions. It measures 9.6 by 8.5 by 3.1 inches (WDH) and weighs in at 4 pounds. It comes in shiny black plastic instead of white, with the same matte black plastic along the sides. There are just three simple function buttons on top of the device: Power, Mop, and Sweep, along with navigation system indicator lights underneath. There's also a handle on the back that allows you to pick up and transport the robot easily. The only way you'd really know that this is a different model, aside from color, is the rubber bumper on the front. While both Braava models work slowly and gently enough that I wouldn't worry about it scuffing even the most delicate furniture, the rubber bumper makes for added peace of Before you can start cleaning, first you must charge the robot. Stand it up on its back to access the charging port, plug it in, and wait for a solid blue light to appear on the Power button. It takes about four hours to reach a full charge, which should last for up to four hours of sweeping or two-and-a-half hours of mopping. A Turbo Charge Cradle is available for $59.99, which charges the Braava to full capacity in just two hours. It's easier to use, too, since you don't need to stand the device on its back.

Poulan Pro 967087101 48cc Backpack Blower Review

The POULAN PRO LEAF BLOWER 967087101 48cc Backpack Blower is a powerful tool for powerful jobs. Blowing at speeds of 200 mph makes you glad it’s a backpack and not a handheld blower. The variable speed throttle control means precision is easy. Poulan Pro has managed to make a product that is unmatched in its class. It’s obvious from just one look at this blower, reviewing it in detail is almost unnecessary.

Poulan Pro 967087101 Features in a Nutshell

48CC 2-stroke system.
200 mph/475 cfm.
Cruise control.
Heavy duty structure.
Adjustable speed throttle controls.


Power

The 48cc 2-stroke motor is sure to make quick work of any leaves, debris, or anything else you need out of the way. Fire it up, and you’ll unleash a hurricane. The variable speed throttle control that comes with the backpack blower allows you to adjust all the way up to the impressive 200 mph top speed, and all the way down to a more leisurely speed for more delicate jobs.

Ergonomics

You are probably tired of the difficulty of keeping a consistent speed with most variable speed throttle controls. With the cruise control that comes with this Poulan Pro model, that isn’t a problem. The backpack is light enough to be easily used for hours without discomfort.

Great Design

The design of this backpack blower is probably its greatest feature. It has downfalls, like any product does of course, but the benefits far outweigh the downsides of the design. Overall, one of the main downsides is most likely that the assembly may be a bit confusing, but once it is figured out, it is a matter of minutes before you are ready to go. Once you’ve got it assembled, you’ll notice that the heavy duty frame makes it feel sturdy, not cheap. The hose on the blower is screwed on and isn’t going to come off easily like most other designs that end up just frustrating you. The trigger response doesn’t need any words to describe it other than instant. Despite the heavy duty design, it’s still compact enough to be stored anywhere.

Versatility

Looking at the backpack blower, you might not expect that there are much more uses for it than just clearing lawns. It’s powerful enough that you can clear rocks and whatever you need moved with it! Additional uses for it can be drying your car or even clearing snow from your walkway. There really isn’t much you can’t do with it because of its commercial-grade power.

Choosing a camp light

SUNJACK CAMPLIGHT may be a backpacker's best friend, but for campsite and family use, you can't beat a good lantern. Most lights are under a pound, and thanks to LED bulbs inside, can last an entire trip and more. Most have a stable plastic base for sitting on a table when you're making dinner or playing cards, and a loop for hanging from the dome of a tent. If you're nostalgic for the days of old kerosene lanterns, you can even get one with a flickering mode.

Read on for our favorite sources of illumination that aren't campfires.

SUNJACK CAMPLIGHT strikes a nice balance between weight and power. At under 7 ounces, the lantern runs on two high-efficiency LEDs, one providing illumination under the frosted shade and the other powering a 50-lumen flashlight beam from the base. The light is splash resistant and comes in blue, grey, and white.

SUNJACK CAMPLIGHT is a tiny version bigger lantern, but serves just as well in most situations, especially where small groups are concerned. The clever design uses a soft silicone shade that can take some abuse while in your pack, a rubber loop that stays closed thanks to the magnet on top, and waterproof housing. In terms of techie features, it has a low-battery indictor and three brightness modes, including one that makes it flicker like a candle.

Why So Many Businesses Mess Up Employee Development

Employers who want to invest in employee development through a talent mobility program need to know each employee’s strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately, as the 2015 Talent Mobility Research Report by Lee Hecht Harrison found, only 42 percent of companies understand their employees’ unique skills and experience.

When they know what employees do well, they can better tailor their training. Strength-based employee development comes from the idea that some people are better at certain things than others and that really focusing on each employee’s unique strengths can create a strong and well-rounded team. Organizations are finding this style of development to be very effective.

“This is strictly a business decision”

When a company says “This is strictly a business decision,” explaining why they must outsource jobs, it’s worth reading the fine print and doing a bit of thinking about the numbers.

In this New York Times account of the closing of Carrier’s Indianapolis factoryand the transfer of its 1400 jobs to Mexican workers making about as much per day as the Indianapolis workers make per hour, Carrier’s parent company, United Technologies, explains that “the cuts are painful but are necessary for the long term competitive nature of the business.” But are they? The quote from United Technologies Chief Financial Officer Akhil Johri actually concludes “…and shareholder value creation.”

What does “shareholder value creation” actually mean? The article goes on to explain: “United Technologies faces pressure from investors hungry for earnings growth in an economy that’s only modestly growing at home, and falling in important overseas markets like China and the Middle East. Although the company’s stock has vastly outperformed benchmarks in the last few decades, the shares have badly trailed the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index over the most recent five years.

How to survive your first year creating a business.

Your first year is what you’re going to look back on with an incredible weight of emotion. Because in ten years’ time you’ll either be raising a glass to the success that your initial 12 months set you on, or drinking by yourself listening to Tom Waits and hating whatever it was that made you quit.

When you’re starting a new project, the first lifetime is the hardest. But that lifetime starts with one year, one single year that you’re going to struggle through and fight through, one single year that will make you want to throw in the towel every day.

So how do you survive your first year as a creative entrepreneur? It doesn’t matter how you’re starting out, whether you’re working on a book in your spare time, or diving head first into founding a company, or just starting to sell some hand-made products on Etsy. You’re going to face the same challenges and obstacles, and you’re going to need the same skills and toolkits.