All Narfed Up words and photography by Bryan Villarin

Review

Tortilla Jo’s in Anaheim doesn’t want money

In Business, Review on 26 July 2010 tagged Anaheim, California, Downtown Disney, restaurant, Tortilla Jo's with no comments

We will never attempt to dine at Tortilla Jo’s again.¹

Last Wednesday, I went to the House of Blues (Anaheim) for Scream It Like You Mean It featuring Silverstein and Emery. We got there a bit early to grab dinner before doors open.

We randomly chose Tortilla Jo’s.

There weren’t many customers, so we were seated quickly. The host gave us menus, someone else brought us chips and salsa, and…that’s it.

About 5-7 minutes later, the host that sat us asked, “Are you done looking at the menus?”

“Yes,” I replied.

He took them and walked away. There wasn’t an employee that offered us water or took our order. I counted at least twenty times where an employee or manager² walked by our table. Nobody acknowledged us.

After being there for 23 minutes, we left. (I know the photo shows 18 minutes, but we were there for about five minutes before I started my stopwatch.)

I didn’t want to say anything because of principle. We waited until after the concert for In-N-Out (La Mirada) on our way home — six hours later.

We will never attempt to dine at Tortilla Jo’s again.

Review: Sony MDR-7506 Studio Monitor Headphones

In Gadgets, Review on 5 May 2010 tagged headphones, Sony, Sony MDR-7506 with no comments

Since I don’t have a small bass amp for practicing by myself, I bought these headphones to plug into my Line 6 Bass PODxt Live. After using them for listening to my iPod, I haven’t used my Sennheiser CX300 Earphones.

Comfort

I could use them for several hours straight.

When using them for an hour while riding on the Metro Gold Line and Purple Line, the area covering the ear pads got warm and I broke a slight sweat. Air circulation helps.

The coiled cord minimized snagging when moving around.

Audio quality

I’ve listened to a dozen MP3 albums from my iPod with these headphones. I’m not sure if the bass is mixed low in the production/mastering process, but switching the EQ to bass booster gives the sound what it needs without being too much.

I’ve also played Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC) for “several” hours. The surround sound is amazing.

While setting up a few channels on my Line 6 Bass PODxt Live, I was pleased with its output. When it came down to plugging into my actual bass amp, my tone basically sounded the way I wanted.

Awareness

These aren’t noise cancelling headphones.

While riding public transportation, all sounds around me were ridiculously muffled. The only sounds that got through were the unusually piercing loudspeaker announcing each stop on the Gold Line.

Bulk

The cord is really long, so walking around with these headphones is a bit cumbersome.

Recommendation

I wouldn’t hesitate. Get it.

Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphone

Sony, Electronics, Too low to display

Don’t fear USPS First Class or Parcel Post

In Business, Life, Money, Review on 10 April 2010 tagged mailing, shipping, US Postal Service, USPS with no comments

I returned a pair of shoes to 6pm.com a few days ago. It hurt because of the return shipping cost, but at least they’re not sitting at home, unused.

I opted for USPS Parcel Post ($11.57) for the 3 pound, 15 ounce box, along with Delivery Confirmation for $0.80. The website estimated its arrival in 7 days.

Here are the tracking results:

• Acceptance, April 07, 2010, 2:29 pm, TEMPLE CITY, CA 91780
• Arrival at Unit, April 09, 2010, 8:51 am, SHEPHERDSVILLE, KY 40165
• Delivered, April 09, 2010, 9:15 am, SHEPHERDSVILLE, KY 40165

It traveled 2,100 miles and arrived at its destination in 1 day, 18 hours, and 46 minutes.

In comparison, USPS Priority Mail would’ve been $15.30, or $3.73 more than Parcel Post.

My point? If you’re mailing something that isn’t time sensitive, you don’t need USPS Priority Mail.

Side note: USPS offers free Priority Mail supplies. But, is the difference saved – when using First Class Mail or Parcel Post – negated when buying your own supplies? I suppose you would save money if you’re reusing boxes. Keep that in mind.

Review: Kingston Technology ValueRAM warranty replacement

In Computers, Review on 29 March 2010 tagged Kingston Technology, memory, RAM with no comments

One of my two Kingston ValueRAM 2GB sticks seemed to be causing blue screens in Windows XP. After running with one stick of memory for almost a month, I concluded the other was defective.¹

I requested RMA service with the cross ship option (just for kicks).

Time line:

• 3/22/2010 8:04 PM – Requested RMA number
• 3/26/2010 1:33 PM – RMA request processed
• 3/26/2010 4:34 PM – Memory shipped via UPS Ground from Anaheim
• 3/29/2010 11:40 AM – Memory delivered

Summary:

• It took three business days for my RMA request to be approved (the RMA page said it’d take two business days).
• Kingston Technology shipped my memory locally, so that only took one business day.
• I didn’t need proof of purchase/receipt since Kingston’s ValueRAM has a lifetime warranty.
• The new memory stick is a bit shorter.

Other than the extra day waiting for my RMA request, the whole process was painless. If I went with standard replacement, it’d take a few more days waiting for them to receive my defective memory. I didn’t mind the temporary hold on my credit card.

I think it’s safe to say that you can be confident when buying Kingston Technology system memory.

Mini-review: Pantone huey MEU101

In Photography, Review on 15 January 2010 tagged huey, monitor color calibrator, Pantone with 2 comments

For all of 2008 and most of 2009, I carried my DSLR everywhere I went. I photographed random stuff, people, concerts, and even a wedding. In October 2009¹, I booked two weddings.

That’s when I finally realized that my reputation was on the line. These photos had to be perfect.

A few weeks before the weddings, I finally bought a monitor color calibrator. Brian Auer showed me the Pantone huey MEU101 while Silas and I were hanging out at his place. At under $70, I was convinced.

The huey makes it really easy to calibrate your monitor — it only takes two minutes. You can set the small program to run silently in the background, compensating for room light changes at preset intervals. The base of the stand is 2.5 inches in diameter, and the device is 4 inches long with the width a bit wider than a pen.

Not too long after that, I ordered some of my own 4″ x 6″ prints. They matched up with what I saw on the monitor — very cool. I have no fear ordering 19¢ prints through Zenfolio/Mpix².

Get it.

Pantone huey MEU101

Pantone 2006, Electronics, $79.95

Disclaimer: I bought the Pantone huey MEU101 with my own money. While I’m not being paid for this review, I’m an Amazon.com Associate.