The iPod Battery Unplugged Blog

Milliamp’s BBB Review

Billy — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 05:47:52 +0000

I had to get a chuckle after reading the BBB Review milliamp.com did on their blog the other day. It’s actually a great piece – very balanced and informative about the Better Business Bureau. You can read about it here if you haven’t caught it already. Seems that the method that the BBB used to rank companies is quite complex, and helps if you actually have complaints to get a good grade (assuming, of course, you fix the issues you had with the company you submitted a complaint about).

Milliamp has a good record with the BBB – an A right now, as you can see here:

milliamp.com's BBB review feedback

That grade can change over time, but if the company does a good job compared to it’s competition, that grade can go up.

Billy

The Healthiest Drinks in the World

Billy — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 20:09:58 +0000

When I was researching the calorie counts of different foods on my iPhone, I found out something pretty interesting. Much of the hidden calories in your diet come from beverages, especially alcohol. Of course, dieting doesn’t mean that you have to give up all of the beverages that you love completely, but it is important to keep in mind which drinks are better for you in the long run.
At the very top of the list in healthy beverages is, of course, green tea. This is a drink full of antioxidants that will help prevent a number of diseases. You may also be interested to find that coffee has recently tied with green tea for a healthy daily beverage, and since it is so popular in the US, coffee is where the majority of Americans get their antioxidants. Soymilk is another incredibly healthy beverage to consider. This is a drink that can help you stop your cravings when dieting, and it will also protect against osteoporosis. In fact, one of the great benefits to drinking soy milk is that it will lower your risk for heart disease because it contains soy protein and soluble fiber. If you’re not a big fan of soymilk, try it blended in a smoothie!

Jalbum Gets Social

Jane — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 14:53:46 +0000

Jalbum is a creative photo sharing website that gives you different skins to customize your photo album so that you can share with family and friends. Even better, Jalbum has truly tapped into the social networking aspect of the Internet by offering widgets to make your photo albums more functional. As an example, you can add a widget for comments, a button to share with other people, or even widgets for statistics to see how many people have visited your album. Perhaps the commenting would be one of the best features because it makes it more similar to Facebook where people you know can tell you exactly how they feel about your latest vacation pictures.
When you are on Jalbum, make sure that you don’t neglect exploring the whole community of pictures because you will be able to see interesting snapshots from all around the world that you may have never seen before! If you are a blogger, you also have the opportunity to display your album in your blog using your best Jalbum skin so that all of your pictures are visible in the sidebar to your readers. That is definitely a wonderful form of personalization, especially since a picture is worth 1000 words.

What Would You Do to Be Famous?

Dawn — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:00:29 +0000

If you have taken the time to check out Twitter and YouTube on your iPhone, you may have realized by now that so many people are doing ridiculous stunts to become famous. The truth of the matter is that the quest for fame is often out of hand, with the example of the self-mutilation done by the self-proclaimed “Lizardman”. This is an individual who literally changed the way that he looked to become famous, whether or not you agree with his tactics.
This man focused on body modification, where he sharpened his teeth, got green scales tattooed all over his person, and he even split his tongue. He also tattooed his lips green and had subdermal implants done above his eyes to look like bridges and scales. To take it even further, the Lizardman also hopes to get a tail attached because he wants to complete his ensemble and quest for fame. This is definitely something that has gotten him noticed, but has it also made it difficult or impossible for him to fit into normal society? Unfortunately, it may be more than difficult to remove full-bodied scale tattoos when you are in your 60s, which may not have been something that the Lizardman considered beforehand…

Eat Well Wherever You Are

Billy — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:53:05 +0000

One of the biggest temptations is going to a number of different summer activities and totally blowing your diet. That is precisely why I decided to look up some helpful tips on my iPhone with its great new screen from milliamp.com for eating well when out and about for the summertime! First of all, if you happen to be on a road trip with only gas stations in sight, instead of picking up a Slurpee and chips, which could total 500 calories, it is much better to go for an energy bar that has both protein and fiber. There are quite a few energy bars in gas stations at around 200 calories that will keep you satisfied.
If you happen to be at a baseball game and are tempted by a large beer and a pretzel, that could run you more than 600 calories and still leave you feeling hungry. Cracker Jacks would be a much better choice since they are made from nuts and whole grain popcorn, so if you have a half a box of Cracker Jacks with a light beer, that would only be roughly 320 calories. Even though it’s not necessarily fun to count your calories, you will be thanking yourself in swimsuit season!

Adventure Travel at Its Best

Sean — Mon, 24 May 2010 16:06:29 +0000

Yes, you have probably had a number of fun vacations in a Holiday Inn or what have you, but have you become adventurous in your travel yet? If not, you may want to try some of these top adventure travel destinations, which I found courtesy of my iPhone.

• First off, Costa Rica is one of the best choices for adventure travel because it is full of rainforests and seashores. You can go backpacking, white water rafting, fishing, or even surfing, just to name a few activities available to you.
• Next, you may want to try New Zealand. New Zealand recently became famous because of The Lord of the Rings films shot there several years ago, and it is a beautiful backdrop for epic adventures, especially if you are a fan of the movie.
• South Africa is another fantastic choice as a newly popular destination for adventure travel. You can check out beautiful rivers, huge waterfalls, exotic wildlife, and a truly diverse region that has many different attractions for tourists to see. Whether you are interested in forests, gorgeous beaches, or planes, South Africa will have all of that to offer you and more.

What are you waiting for?

The Office Doesn’t Have to Be Your Health Enemy

Nina — Tue, 11 May 2010 14:41:09 +0000

So many people have a difficult time losing weight and staying healthy simply because of their daily activities at their office. I found an interesting article on my iPhone talking about some of the simple tips that you can use to make sure that you are practicing optimal health, even when you are at work from 8 to 5.
First of all, the best thing that ladies out there can do for themselves is to wear flats instead of heels so that you can move around. This will give you the opportunity to take the stairs, park farther away, and get up and walk around to stretch your legs. It’s also a fantastic idea to have healthy snacks on hand around your office so that you can keep your metabolism boosted and your energy levels high throughout the day. Last of all, consider splitting up your coffee drinking, which will give you increased levels of energy, a number of health benefits due to the antioxidant content, and it will also boost your metabolism so that you are burning calories even while sitting at your desk. This is just proof that working in an office doesn’t mean that you have to be unhealthy or at risk for gaining weight!

Can You Set Boundaries?

Jane — Wed, 05 May 2010 13:48:37 +0000

Oftentimes, you can’t avoid those sticky situations in your friendships and relationships where you may put your foot in your mouth. This is why I looked up some important advice on my iPhone to find out how to best set boundaries and preserve your existing relationships. One interesting situation that you may encounter is an acquaintance asking to use your Chapstick or drink from your drink. The best way to avoid this too-close-for-comfort situation is to put it back on yourself and say that you don’t want to spread your germs to her since you are not feeling well.
In other situations where a coworker or friend may ask you to help with a project that you don’t have time for, all you have to do is explain that you are very busy, although you would love to help. Otherwise, if a friend asks you to borrow money, that may present another uncomfortable situation. You may want to gently explain to your friend that you’re not broke, but you don’t have the extra money to lend. In these types of circumstances, honesty is always the best policy, but make sure that you set boundaries so that you feel comfortable in the decisions that you have made.

Get Ready for Swimsuit Season

Dawn — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:07:15 +0000

If you are still trying to kick those last few pounds before swimsuit season, I looked up some helpful online tips on my iPhone to get everyone started. Of course, it’s very important to regularly eat healthy because it prevents a number of diseases, but often times, it can be quite difficult to get started on changing your diet. Many experts say that it is best to start by setting small goals so that you can gradually change your habits and lose weight.
Start out by altering your eating habits and your eating environment so that you start to eat healthier foods. One of the best ways to do this is through meal planning, where you will make set menus for several days so that you don’t have to worry about being tempted by unhealthy fast food when you are starving. When you start to make your healthy food, make double recipes so that you can freeze half of the recipe to have for another busy day. When you go to the grocery store, make sure that you are choosing the healthiest convenient foods, instead of simply a bag of chips. Last of all, grab fruit and baby carrots to have on hand to snack on when you are starving and tempted to eat something unhealthy!

What Do Rock Stars Do With Their Spare Time?

Billy — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 13:28:29 +0000

If you have ever wondered how rock stars are actually spending their spare time when they aren’t recording hit songs or going to a number of parties, I found out some pretty interesting information on my iPhone this morning. I will normally check out all of the headlines on my iPhone, and from this information, I found out that Rod Stewart likes to spend his spare time collecting model trains. Along those lines, Phil Collins also has an obsession with the Alamo, which the site of the famous historic battle in what is now Texas.
Maynard James Keenan, who is the hard front man of Tool, also spends his spare time making wine. This seems to be quite a gentle habit for such a heavy rock star, but he now has a collection of more than 6000 bottles and owns a wine cellar in northern Arizona. If anyone out there is wondering where Alice Cooper has gone, he is now spending his time on a golf course wearing matching golf clothing. This is an interesting change for such a heavy rocker that was used to metal and chains since he is now wearing plaid and polo shirts as he spends his time on the golf course.