While perusing news articles across the web the other day, I stumbled across an interesting story out of Lincoln, Nebraska. A man named William Logan, a modern day MacGyver if you will, conceived quite the elaborate scheme involving a backpack, a vacuum hose, and one “unsuspecting” laundromat.
Armed with his vacuum cleaner, Logan, 40, strolled into his local laundromat. With nobody looking, he cracked open the washing machine’s coin slot, plugged in his vacuum, and began to suck up the money inside. If you’re thinking to yourself, “Gee, wouldn’t that be a very obvious way of stealing money?” The answer is yes. Yes, it would. For those unfamiliar with vacuums, they tend to make a noise when they are being used; typically a loud, “vwooooshing” sound. Clearly, Logan was unfamiliar with this notion. As if the “hey-look-at-me-being-very-suspicious-over-here noise” of the vacuum wasn’t enough of a giveaway, he absentmindedly performed this act of unbridled stupidity in front of a security camera.
Needless to say, William Logan, who already has (not one, not two, but) three prior theft convictions, was arrested yet again for “suspicion of theft.” No information on what charges the vacuum cleaner is facing.
“Hey, do you think you can possibly make me a funny video for the website? Just like thirty seconds or so?”
Why not? I thought. How hard could a thirty second video possibly be, right? Enter: the clapping monkey, my neat-freak mother, and a stubborn Roomba. I soon found out how incredibly wrong I was.
When my boss, Jeff, first asked me to do the small project, I was excited. It would serve as a nice break from the typical humdrum routine of a regular workday. Jeff described to me the basic concept of the video. “Sounds easy enough,” I told him. “I’d be glad to do it.” I called my uncle David, a film student at Emerson college, and asked for his help since he has both a nice camera and editing software on his computer. Thinking he would be even half as excited about it as I was really showed some naivety on my part. “Are you serious? A clapping monkey?” he asked me, incredulous to the offer. “I direct films, Mark. Motion pictures. Why should I lower myself to some cheesy side-project like this?” “I’ll give you fifty bucks,” I told him. “Be over in a few.”
With my uncle now aboard and all the props in my possession, I was ready to go. We needed a slightly open area with a hardwood floor. Hey, my living room would be perfect! I went upstairs and moved the couch and coffee table to supply the necessary space we would need to film. I then ripped open the package of glitter and dumped it on the floor, ready to spell out Total Vac. “Is your mom going to be cool with this?’” asked my uncle. “Yeah, definitely,” I replied. Cool she was not…
I heard the car pull into the driveway and the front door open. It hadn’t hit me until she was walking up the stairs that maybe, just maybe, to avoid potentially killing my mother of a heart attack, I should have ran the idea by her first. I looked to the top step and saw my mom frozen there, completely emaciated and flush. Now my mom prides herself on the cleanliness of her house. Her overall mood is directly correlated with how tidy our home is. So you can imagine her face when she walked into her precious living room and saw the couch turned sideways, the coffee table pushed into the corner, about a pound of glitter dumped onto her floor, and film equipment scattered everywhere. Dropping both her shopping bags and her jaw down to the floor with a heavy thud, she said “What. In. God’s. Name…” Being a typical guy, I tried to downplay the whole thing to quickly extinguish the glowing flames in her eyes. “Mom, it’s like…not a big deal.” Oh, wrong move, Mark.
“See, told you she’d be cool with it,” I told my uncle after the brutal thirty minute verbal lashing we received on the importance of 1. a clean home, 2. asking permission to do things like this, and for some reason 3. how it wouldn’t hurt for me to cook dinner for the family every once in a while (I didn’t even dare ask how this was relevant to the mess in the living room). “Alright, let’s film this thing and clean up before she comes back with more things to yell about,” said my uncle David.
Once the words “Total Vac” were spelled out in glitter, we placed the spastic clapping monkey on the Roomba vacuum. “OK so it should just suck up the words in order right when I turn it on,” I said, assuming it would in fact be that easy. What I did not take into account was the unwritten law of the universe that states; “Mark Bruno must always be wrong roughly 100% of the time.” This ubiquitous law came into effect here. With the lights blazing down on the scene and the film rolling, I pushed the “Clean” button on the monkey-attired vacuum. Flying out of the frame and heading for the kitchen, the Roomba decided right then and there that the pile of glitter was not its first priority. “Ummm…” I said to my uncle who stared blankly back at me. “Shall we try that again?”
Take two: rolling directly past the glitter and knocking the monkey off the top of it, the vacuum spot-cleaned the area underneath my couch. Thanks, I guess.
Take three: four nice figure eights by the flight of stairs.
Take ten: nah.
Take seventeen: not even close, but at least the kitchen floor was clean.
“Give me this thing,” said my uncle, losing his patience. “We’re going to do this in five takes. Aim it right at the words and let it sweep across once. Once it gets out of frame, grab it and I’ll stop the camera,” David said with a stern and urgent tone. “Then, turn it back and face it the other way. I’ll hit record again and we’ll repeat this about three or four more times. Ready?!” he yelled. “ACTION, DAMN IT!”
Thankfully, his method worked quite nicely for us. After a total of almost three hours had passed, and our blood pressures were through the roof, we finally finished shooting. “First, don’t ever ask me to do anything like this again. Ever. Second, tell your boss I will have this thing edited and ready by tomorrow afternoon. Third, give me my fifty bucks.” “Sure thing,” I said. “Any way you would want to stay and help me clean the living room?” I asked him. I got my answer to the question in the form of his car peeling out of my driveway.
So there you have it; A thirty-eight second video clip of a clapping monkey riding a Roomba vacuum sweeping up the words “Total Vac.” And to think, it only took one frustrated mother, one stressed out uncle, and one short-fused employee. Please enjoy our video. Enjoy it enough for all of us, because there’s no way we will be able to after all of that.
The following message is from ProTeam in regards to Proteam LineVacer, LV-100:
This Product Safety Notice is directed to the owners, distributors, dealers and service providers of ProTeam LineVacer vacuums manufactured prior to May 2010.
ISSUE: A potentially unsafe condition exists with respect to affected ProTeam LineVacer vacuums due to the absence of a protective motor shroud designed to limit access to the motor and wiring while these units are energized.
WARNING! DISCONNECT FROM POWER SUPPLY BEFORE INSPECTING OR SERVICING VAC. Accessing the motor with the unit energized could result in an electric shock hazard.
ACTION: Immediately inspect the Serial No. of your LineVacer Vac(s) to determine if it was manufactured prior to May 2010. The Serial No. of affected vacs can be found on a tag located at the right-hand side, lower portion of the vacuum. If the Serial No. is below 06-018071, and if the Vac has not already been retrofitted with a motor shroud, please contact ProTeam Customer Service at 1-866-888-2168 or at customerservice.proteam@emerson.com to request a free shroud installation kit, or if you have questions regarding this notice.
If the LinVacer Vac(s) is no longer in your possession, please forward a copy of this Notice to the owner of record or provide us the contact information for the present owner so we can forward the notice to them.
There are many vacuum cleaners on the market that can get the job done but when you want the Bentley of all vacuum cleaner and SEBO vacuum bags should be your choice. Most SEBO models come with a whopping 1300 watt motor and are able to eliminates almost 100% of airborne particles. SEBO has been in business since 1978 and they have continued to show excellence and the ability to move forward and provide a superior product. They were founded by a group of German engineers and has become one of the larget commercial grade upright vacuum manufacturers on the globe. SEBO vacuum cleaners have a three step filter process allowing for very little to not pass through it’s internal systems. SEOB’s styling is also very unique in the sense that it has a touch of modern and retro styling into all their vacuum cleaners. SEBO has quickly grown into a household name in the vacuum industry. SEBO continues to be a strong market leader and one of the top players in the vacuum world.
There are probably many of you out there that are looking for a small portable vacuum that doesn’t take up a great deal of room or use up half of your closet, especially if you live in a smaller apartment in the city where space is very limited.
This new Dyson bag less cordless vacuum is perfect for almost any size home. Small, compact and very powerful. Not too mention that Dyson’s styling and ergonomics are some of the most innovative styling concepts the vacuum industry has seen in a very long time. The Dyson DC 16 cordless hand vacuum is built with the root cyclone method of suction which has become know as an industry standard with Dyson. It is a lightweight tool and easy to clean. Dyson has become one of the industry leaders in Vacuums for continuously providing a top notch product with amazing styling and functionality.
For all of you pet owners out there who have flea problems in your home right now don’t worry there is hope. Before you decide to bomb the house with chemicals and pesticides try simply to just get on a schedule with your household vacuum cleaner.
Studies have show that just vacuuming triggers such a trauma that you could get rid of close to 90% of your flea problem just from running the vacuum. But it will require some work on your end. Just grabbing the vacuum and pushing it around here and there will not get rid of those little buggers. You will have to move all furniture and vacuum under neath couches and chairs along with the actual couches themselves. It will be important that you do this a few times a day until they are fully gone. You will have to get on a schedule in order to fully remove them all. If doing this for a full week doesn’t get rid of them then resort to the chemical and carpet cleaners. If all else fail flood them out.
Dyson has came into the vacuum industry with full force. Dyson is backed by some of the best engineers and designers in the industry and they have become the vacuum of choice for many households. The rotating ball located in the center of the bottom of the vacuum give users the most comforatbale control for the ultimate user experience. With the flick of a wrist you can turn the vacuum with the sharpest of angles without jeapordizing efficiency. The bagless feature will suck up everything but your car keys. Dyson vacuums will put a smile on your face when you begin to use this piece of machinery. the designing alone on it is of museum quality and is perfect for almost any surface whether that be carpet or wooden floor.it weights 16 pounds and have a five year warrantyon all parts and labor.
If you starting running into a situation where your vacuum just doesn’t have the strength that it used to there are a few things you can do to really check if it is the vacuum itself or just a component or part of the vacuum. Don’t be scared to pull out some tools and check it yourself, it could save a few hundred dollars buying a new vacuum. A few years back I had a vacuum that was only a few years old that could even pick up a grain of sand and after investigation I found a clogged hose, cleaned it out after that the vacuum was able to pick up golf balls.
Things to check:
1. Filter: Often times it is just time to replace the filter in your vacuum. If you notice that when you run the vacuum it gets kind of stinky in your home or office chances are that filter has more dust and crud built up in it than a treasure chest. When you remove it make sure to have a trash near by because a great deal of debree will fall from it and try to do this out doors if at all possible because it will release some dust into the air. this dust could be very old.
2. Tubing: Tubing on vacuum cleaners is relatively narrow in diameter so it will be crucial to check as much tubing as your handiness will allow for. If you are at all handy or even know how to unscrew a phillips head screw try removing some of the tubing anywhere where there are tight bends because it is very possible over time you could have a build of dust, hair, thumb tacks whatever it is thats on the floor. If you have a pet there could be a great deal of hair stuck in the tubing.
3. Other: If the two options above yield no results than take into account the age of your vacuum and what you have put it through. if you have been vacuuming your workshop with it for the last 5 years than it might just be on the way out but if you recently bought and it hasn’t touched too much more than a nice plush carpet than dig up your owners warranty because you might just need a replacement vacuum.
Nowadays folks are trying to be more consciencous about the environment. Buying a vacuum cleaner definitely can be eco-friendly. Instead of getting a new vacuum, consider a used one or fixing your old one.
The best vacuums to buy from an eco-friendly standpoint? If you want to reduce your carbon footprint (i.e. reduce your use of plastics), try to find a vacuum with a metal casing. It will be heavier, but can be recycled for scrap when its lifespan is finished. Tristar is one brand that makes metal canister vacuums. Be aware, however, that they still use a lot of PVC in the units, and they outgas a very strong odour for quite some time after you bring them home.
If you are concerned about allergens, purchase a vacuum with HEPA filters and/or bags. Reduce your need for frequent vacuuming by removing all shoes and outer footwear at your doors when you come inside. This will make a huge difference in the amount of dust you track through your home. Try vacuuming less-trafficked areas less frequently. Many of my former clients could get away with once-monthly vacuuming in areas like bedrooms. This won’t work for you if allergens are a problem, however.
Allergies are something most everyone needs to aware of. During a recent search, found some information that should be of interest to everyone.
How to choose a good hepa vacuum cleaner. Vacuum leaners compared, rated and reviewed. The best vacuum cleaners for allergy sufferers. o allergy sufferer should be without a good quality hepa vacuum cleaner. We have written, researched and published great deal about indoor air quality and vacuum cleaners over recent years. This is a guide to everything we have written on the subject and the questions we are asked most often about vacuum cleaners. Some of what we have written about vacuum cleaners we consider to be more worthy of your reading than others. The articles we think are best we have designated with a graphic light bulb as “best read” for vacuums.
