My Experience Copying a Key: Minute Key vs KeyMe vs Key Hero

I needed to make a copy of a house key so I looked for a local place to get it done. I saw there were some self-serve kiosk options so I decided to try it out since I figured it would be pretty easy.

Minute Key:
First I tried Minute Key which was located in a Walmart. I started here because they seemed to have a lot of locations and I thought I might be able to use a promo code and maybe even get a free key.

So I find the machine in the Walmart and the screen is messed up. It was blurry so you couldn't read it. I tried to use it anyway but it ended up getting stuck halfway through the process. My key was stuck in the machine and nothing was working to cancel it.

I called over customer service but they were not much help. After about 5 minutes it was able to cancel and release the key so that was a relief, but overall bad experience and I was not able to make a copy of the key.

KeyMe:
There was a Menards nearby and I saw they have a kiosk called KeyMe so I decided to try it out. This one seemed to work ok, the only problem was it said my key was uncommon so they would have to ship it to me. This was really disappointing because my key was as basic as they get.

I needed the key that day so I was not going to wait around for it to be shipped. So far 0 for 2.

Key Hero:
I decided to try one more, a kiosk called Key Hero which was in Home Depot. I go to the machine to start and immediately it says I need to call over an employee to do it. Again very disappointing. The whole point of the kiosk is so you can do it yourself and you don't have to find someone to do it for you.

After about 5 minutes I was able to get someone to help. I gave them the key and they were able to copy it. It was not that quick but they got it done. Also it was confirmed that it was a common key so I'm not sure why the other machine at Menards said it wasn't.

Conclusion:
After trying Minute Key, KeyMe, and Key Hero, I was let down by all of them. I'm surprised that this seems to be such a difficult task. Maybe I just had some bad luck with the machines, but overall the experience was difficult and I had to go to 3 different stores just to make 1 copy of a basic house key.

If you are looking to make a duplicate of a key, you can try them out if you want to, but you might be better off just asking someone at the local hardware store to make a copy for you.

The Undateables - Show Recommendation

The Undateables is a documentary style show about people with disabilities and their search for finding love. These individuals usually have a condition that makes it difficult for them to find dates or get into relationships so this show helps them by matching them with others who may be compatible.

I am a fan of these kinds of shows, for example “Love on the Spectrum” and “Born This Way” so I was definitely look forward to watching The Undateables because it is very similar. The show is based in the UK and is currently available for streaming on Discovery+.

There are 11 seasons, each with about 5 episodes. I just finished the series and I loved it! There is a wide variety of participants and they very likable and memorable. It's great when there is a good match and they really hit it off and develop a long term relationship. I like how they also feature many of the cast members over several episodes and seasons as they continue their quest for love.

After finishing the series and looking for updates on what there are up to now, I was pleased to see many of them are still in relationships with the people they met on the show. Overall I highly recommend The Undateables. I hope they continue to make more seasons! 

TI-83 Missing Pixels Line - How To Fix?

It's hard to believe I've had my TI-83 calculator for about 25 years and I still use it quite often. It has been super reliable until today when I turned it on, I noticed it was missing a vertical line of pixels. It was low on battery so I figured that might be the issue.

I opened up the battery case and noticed there was some corrosion on one of the batteries. I took them out and cleaned it up as well as I could. Then I put in the new batteries. Unfortunately it still had the missing line.

So I did some research and found a video here showing how to do a display test on the calculator.

Here are the basic steps:

Press MODE

Press ALPHA

Press S

Press Enter

Press ON

Press Enter to cycle through the screen tests. 

Press ON a few more times to get back to the home screen.

 

I'm not sure if this will work for all screen issues, but somehow it worked for me and it fixed the missing line of pixels.

 

There are some tutorials out there instructing to open up the calculator to fix the internal components, but they looks pretty technical. If you are having screen issues, I recommend trying this method first to see if it fixes the problem. 

Beauty and the Geek Australia 2022 Review (No Spoilers)

Beauty and the Geek is one of my all time favorite shows. I've watched all the seasons from the US version as well as many of the international versions such as Beauty and the Geek Australia. The show had been off air for a while but then the Australian version came back last year and this year. 

Last year's season was amazing. It had everything you could ask for in a show from great casting to humor, to emotion. It's one of those feel good shows were even though it is a competition, everyone is supportive of each other. 

Having loved last season, of course I was looking forward to this new season, but also thinking that it would be pretty hard to top last year. So how did it turn out? I'm happy to report that it was very much on par with the same elements that made the previous season so great!

This season we have Sophie Monk back as host which is great because she is perfect for the show. There are also 10 new Beauties and 10 new Geeks. Each week they have challenges and one couple leaves the competition.

The challenges are usually pretty fun and have a theme that often involves dressing up in some sort of style. I thought this season's challenges were easier than last year, but there were definitely some difficult challenges this year as well. 

At the end of each episode, the two lowest scoring couple face an elimination quiz. My one critique of the show would be the format where it is first to buzz in. Many times couples would buzz in before the question was finished and then would get the point. I think it would be better if they each wrote down answers and then showed them. This way it would be a little more based on knowledge rather than first to buzz in. 

There is also the geek makeovers which is always one of the most exciting parts of the show. It's fun to see what a difference a new haircut and style can do to help them build confidence. 

Overall I thought they did a great job on casting. The thing that makes this show stand out is how kind and loving the contestants are to each other. The pairs support each other, but they also support other couples. Even in the short time of filming the show, you can see how strong the friendships become. This season there were even several romantic connections. 

Like last year, there were plenty of emotional moments throughout the show. I'm usually not too emotional but I cried several times throughout the series especially in the finale. 

If you have enjoyed any previous seasons of Beauty and the Geek, definitely check out this season. Even if you haven't seen it before, check it out if you can because it is a great show!

State Farm Review - Some gripes on this insurance company

I have had State Farm insurance for my car as well as my home for several years. Overall it has been ok and I think the costs have been reasonable which is why I have stayed with them, but I do have some issues with them as well.  

One thing that bothers me is they change my policy limits without permission. Every time they send the renewal, they bump up the coverage limits. I have asked them about this in the past and they said they do it automatically from what I remember, to cover things like inflation. That is fine, but it should be an option, not automatic. I don't want my coverage changed so every year they change it and every year I have to tell them to put it back how it was. 

Coverage information is hard to find. I just looked all over the website and it seems there is no way to see the actual coverage details. They tell you your coverage amounts, but it seems if you want to know the details or declarations of what is actually covered you have to request that they send it to you by mail. I have a copy of this from when they first sent it, but I would like to be able to see it online or at least be able to download a digital copy. This should not be that hard. 

Also when viewing your coverage on the website, some of the basic information is missing for descriptions of things like “Loss Assessment”, “Damage of Property to Others”, “Medical Payments to Others”. When you click on them to learn more about what it means, it just says “Sorry a description has not been created for that.” These are just the basic items and there are not that many of them. Someone needs to get on this.

Lastly, and this is just nitpicking, but every year they send me a bunch of address stickers with my name and address on them. It was ok the first time, but they keep sending them. I don't need hundreds of stickers with my name and address on them. It's a nice gesture, but there should be an opt out for something like this as well.

I know some of these may be minor issues, but they are things that could be easily fixed and would greatly improve the customer experience. Hopefully they can address some of these issues soon.

Kasa EC60 Camera Review - Testing the popular security camera by TP-Link

Recently I decided to look into getting an indoor security camera for my home. I wanted something that would be able to detect motion, have recording ability, and connect to wifi to view the live stream from your phone. I also wanted something simple and affordable. After doing a good amount of research I decided to get the Kasa EC60 Spot camera by TP-Link.

There is plenty of information out there about the specs so I will focus this review on my experience with the camera.

Set Up:
For set up, you first download the Kasa Smart app which allows you to connect the camera with your phone and access all the features. Then you plug in the camera and follow all the steps in the app such as making an account and connecting it to your wifi.

I noticed when plugging in the power adapter to the camera it did sound kind of “crunchy” which was not very assuring, but the camera powered up just fine. It did make some clicking noises while setting up which appear to be normal as I noticed it does this when switching to IR night vision mode. The setup process was ok and after a few minutes it was up and running.

Camera:
The camera quality is acceptable. It's 1080p HD and has the option to go with a lower resolution if you want to use less storage space and have faster transfer of data. When you first view the camera in the app the screen is small, but you can maximize it to full screen. I think it would be better if it just defaulted to the full screen right away as it is pretty small on the first screen.

You are able to view the live feed from your phone which is great for checking in on what is going on when you are away. It also has the option to record if you add a micro SD card. I purchased a 32gb micro SD card to use with it, but so far I have not felt the need to install it.

Features:
The app lets you take screen caps of the feed if you give it access to your pictures on your phone. It can also record audio and has a speaker you can use to talk through it if you give the app access to your microphone. I'm pretty cautious with security so I did not use any of these features but they are there if you want it.

One thing I like is it has the option to easily turn the camera on or off using your phone. I did notice however that the camera stays warm even when it is turned off which I found to be odd. I did some research and I don't think it records or live streams when it is off but it's hard to be 100% trusting of things like this so I would recommend covering the lens physically or facing it away when you don't want it recording just to be on the safe side.

The motion detection seems to work pretty good and you can have it send a notification to your phone when it detects movement which is a good security feature.

The infrared night vision also works very well. I turned off all the lights and tested it out and you can see everything pretty clearly. It's pretty amazing how it can do that.

There are plenty of other settings to play around with so you can really customize it to fit your needs.

Conclusion:
Overall I am satisfied with the camera and think it is a pretty good deal for $25. If you are looking for an affordable security camera that can record, stream, and detect motion, I would recommend the Kasa EC60 cam.

Menards Rebate Experience - Claiming the 11% Rebate

Menards is known for their 11% off promotion where you can get 11% off your purchase in the form of a rebate. It seems like a good promotion at first, but it can be a bit deceptive and definitely takes some work to actually claim it. Here is my experience with this rebate promotion.

I usually don't make huge purchases at Menards, but I did save up a few receipts over the past few months so I figured I would try claiming the rebate. My receipts only totaled to about $5 credit but it is better than nothing so why not send it in.

On the receipts it does say you have to mail it in by a certain date. I had some that were older than the date mentioned but I decided to send them all in just in case.

To get the rebate form you have to go to the Menards website and enter in your information and then print out the form. Then you have to mail the form and your rebate receipts to the address they provide. It's not too hard but it does take some time and work, not to mention the cost of the envelope and postage.

So I mailed it in and then waited. After a few weeks I got the rebate in the mail. It looks like a postcard folded, and inside is has your rebate amount with a barcode. The credit can be used for purchases in store so it is not like a check that can be cashed. I was able to use the credit on my next purchase at Menards by handing it to the cashier at checkout.

Overall the experience was ok, but I still think the promotion is misleading. For example when they are running the 11% off promotion all the prices are shown as if you are getting 11% off. This is false. You are still paying the full price. If you save your rebates and mail them in, you can get a store credit on your next purchase. Overall I still like the store, but I think they should be more straightforward about this promotion.