• Easy-to-use


• Precise temperature control


• Extra large backlit touch screen


• Filter change reminder and low battery indicator


• Compatible with heating and cooling plus heat pump systems

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The WIN100 is a Heating or Cooling Programmable Thermostat for Window Air Conditioners and Electric Space Heaters. It plugs into a normal household receptacle outlet. Electrical Rating is 120 volt 15 Amp. Accurate Temperature Control while Saving Energy. Weekdays and Weekends can be programmed differently. Our unique user-friendly Speed Dial ® allows a beginner to get expert results. The WIN100 is armchair programmable which means you can program it without it being plugged into the wall. Pre-set with a typical energy saving program the innovative WIN100 also offers easy reprogramming to fit any lifestyle.

ETL Approved
Energy Star Approved
Easy To Re-Program
4 Periods per Day
On-Screen Programming
Temporary Override
Vacation Hold
12 Hour Clock Only
Positive On/Off Switch
User Temperature Calibration
On-Screen Low Battery Indicator
Adjustable Cycle Rate
Fahrenheit or Celsius

• Separate programs for heating and cooling


• Setting range 45-degrees F to 90-degrees F


• For use with air conditioners and space heaters


• Energy Star Qualified


• Temporary temperature override

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Very Effective

Low price very effective in low humidity. Has a strong fan when not using the cooling feature. Timer works well. Has an oscillating feature a "sleep" mode and most importantly: a drain plug washable filter element and a plastic body that cannot rust like those made of sheet metal or tin.

It's been in the high 90s to the low 100's here in the San Fernando Valley in CA with low humidity and it's kept whatever room it is in cool enough to not have to turn on the AC.

It's no air conditioner but it's a low in cost [to purchase and to run]alternative you could even say was an "eco-friendly" way to stay comfortable in the summer. But then my friends had to talk me out of buying a wringer washing machine so my opinion is based on my personal preference for simplicity and old fashioned ways of doing things.

Take my review as you will. It does what it says it will. If you have frequent high humidity it won't be effective and the company tells you that so be forewarned. I find it to be a great buy and it runs quietly as well.More detail ...

The Best Filter!

Recieved the Hepa and charcoal filter quickly. A breeze to install into the Whirlpool Whispure 510. I would definitely buy these again.More detail ...

A cold blast from a mini-conditioner

Had new windows installed worked and looked great but the openings were smaller than expected. Wanted a window air conditioner for the living room. Found one at Amazon that would fit and the reviews were good. I wasn't prepared for how well it worked however. This little guy pumps out an amazing amount of cold air. I think the secret is it is an older unit that was made before the energy conserving engineers got a hold of it. Maybe I should feel bad that I am not helping the environment as much as I could but keeping me cool during a hot and humid August somehow made the guilt go away.



If you want the most bang for your buck buy this unit. If it can keep my living room cool it will turn a small bedroom into a meat locker no sweat.



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Lux Products 1500E Thermostat

Lux Products TX1500E Smart Temp Programmable Thermostat



After researching thermostats I replaced my builder-grade 1 week thermostats with a couple of Lux 1500E units. This was one of Consumer Reports' best buy models from last year (the other also a Lux). Additionally I liked Lux's programming dial which simplifies programming; with the dial there are fewer arcane button press combinations to deal with. Installation was simple and straightforward. The display on the 1500E is fairly large and has an electroluminescent back light that's activated by pressing any button. I'm farsighted but can read the display without my glasses. The 1500E is a 5-1-1 thermostat but also includes a "special" schedule that can used for vacation or holiday making this a 5-1-1-1 thermostat.



I found programming to be quick and simple and the unit works as advertised. I have one complaint and one quirk to mention. The complaint: The operating instructions aren't the best. In particular there is precious little explanation of the "swing" function or what the swing numbers actually mean. I sent an email to Lux and received a phone call the next day with a thorough explanation. Fantastic customer service!! For the record the swing setting numbers correlate to quarter degrees (the instructions should state this but don't). The default setting is 1 meaning the thermostat will cycle when the temperature deviates .25 degrees. Keeps the house temperature constant but heat or AC will constantly cycle. Setting the swing to 4 will cause heat or AC to turn on when temperature deviates 1 degree (4 X .25) from the set temperature. You can set the swing up to a value of 9 (2.25 degrees). Here's the quirk part: with my old thermostat if I set the temperature to 69 the heat would turn on when the displayed temperature dropped to 68 and turn off when the displayed temperature rose to 70. The 1500E with a swing setting of 4 doesn't work quite the same way. Even though displayed temp is 68 heat won't come on right away. It's almost as if the thermometer controlling the display isn't the same one controlling the thermostat itself. Either that or a swing setting of 4 is working differently than I'm expecting. Please note I do not find this a problem with the 1500E just a little odd. Also note: most instructions accompanying thermostats are lacking.



Overall I am very pleased with the Lux 1500E. It feels well built has a nice display and a competitive price. Add Lux's great customer support and I'd highly recommend it.



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It's not perfect but it's cheap and efficient.

A large brick and mortar store sells these exclusively at very low prices and Consumer Reports had many nice things to say about them so I bought three of them. Oh yes three.



I remember when air conditioners weighed minimally sixty pounds. These weigh about forty pounds and that makes them much easier to carry place on a window sill and move while positioning for the season.



They also draw slightly less than 15 amps and have a fuse breaker built into the plug which may or may not slightly mitigate tripped circuits or blown fuses in your home. It also starts with the compressor off for the first three minutes so the amperage draw isn't high enough to trip a circuit. This is particularly consumer-friendly engineering.



The remote control is very nice and actually quite helpful for the kids' rooms; I can change settings without trying to creep past them at night in case the rooms gets too cold or hot.



The units are quiet and do a very good job of colling down a room even a 16x10 south-facing second-floor room with three windows. There are two or three issues you need to accept.



One the energy efficient mode is probably very efficient but somewhat intrusive. It will cycle the fan off and be perfectly quiet then kick back on with air or cooled air as it needs it. In theory this is not a bad idea but if it cycles every two minutes it might keep you awake at night with noise/quiet/noise/quiet.



Two the condensation pan does not have outlet holes so you will be retaining a half-inch or so of water for the summer season. I do not like this at all and removing a unit from a window means understanding this and attempting to drain it in some clever way before bringing it indoors. There should be outlet holes period.



Three the screw-type air deflectors are sort of hit and miss with directional quality. In general no air conditioner manufacturer really does this right. The directional vents should be modeled after automobile air vents with focused airflow and very generous coverage arcs.



The units are very efficient (10.7) and inexpensive and Frigidaire will stand behind them for five years. I liked them enough to buy three and would probably buy them again. A final note the 8000 BTU version is too loud for a bedroom. I had to return it and get a 6000 BTU unit which was fine.



-Fred





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Clean efficiency in a white box

This is an excellent high-efficiency budget air conditioner for small to medium sized rooms. The fan speed is adjustable so that the unit can push cold air further into a room at higher speed.



I really like all the options available in the controls. You can have it run as long as you want or you can set it to run on an internal timer or according to an internal thermostat.



The on/off button is easy to use and the whole control panel responds well to presses. I don't feel ignored by this control panel.



In addition to setting the fan speed you can set the thermostat from 60 up to 90 or you can set the unit to run the fan only without cooling the air.



Also there is an energy efficient mode which turns off the cooling system when the thermostat reads the right temperature but the fan keeps running for 3 minutes to continue moving air over the inactive but still-cold compressor. Then at 10 minute intervals the fan turns on for another 3 minutes and continues like that until the temperature goes high enough to activate the compressor again.



There is Clean Air button that turns on a little electric air purifier in the unit. A good bonus for allergy sufferers which I keep on all the time.



There is a sleep button that works with the thermostat settings. When the sleep button is pressed the unit continues operating. 30 minutes later the thermostat is set 2 degrees higher. 30 minutes after that again it is set another 2 degrees higher so it is more efficient while you sleep. The unit will then operate with the thermostat at that higher level for 7 hours and then turn off sleep mode automatically returning to the original thermostat setting before the sleep button was pressed. I don't know anyone who sleeps a full 8 hours so the sleep mode can be deactivated with the press of the button.



The unit reminds you when to change the filter by turning on a light. The reusable filter can be rinsed clean and the button under the filter light can be pushed to reset the timer which runs for 250 hours of operation before lighting again.



There are two control features that I don't like so well.



First there is the mode selection button which controls which of the three modes you are in: "Cool" "Energy Saver" and "Fan Only". I would have preferred two buttons to go up or down the list instead of only down. It's a minor pet peeve for me.



Second I think the controls beep too loud when pressed and I don't think there is a way to adjust volume.



Another thing I dislike is how the timer can only be set in half-hour increments up to 10 hours and then 1 hour increments up to 24 hours. I would have liked to select smaller time slices like 10 minute intervals. That makes it a longer process to program the timer but gives me more control. However since I normally use the thermostat mode this is not really an issue for me anyway.



Be careful about putting furniture directly in front of the plug. The plug itself looks good and the cord comes out the bottom but the reset and test buttons are not placed deeply enough into the plug box so they can be accidentally pushed. This may turn off your unit and the instructions say not to use the test and reset buttons to control the operation of the unit.



The unit seems to generate an average amount of sound. It does not sound any louder or quieter than an average air conditioner.More detail ...

Out of the box and ready to use

In our current economy why heat up the big Oven and the kitchen

when this small but efficient oven can do everything the big stove

can only faster. I have learned to buy the small pizza's to fit cooked frozen pork roast to perfection bake potatoes and even made golden brown pies. I love it !



I use my Big Convection Kitchen Stove to store pots and pans and

who needs to spend money on electric bills to turn the self clean on when

the base of my 1.2 Liter turbo oven can go directly into the dishwasher or just wipes clean with a damp rag.



I "AIR FRY" potato steak fries crisp with a little cooking spray

in this wonderful machine. The only drawback would be that the manufacture failed to include a cooking chart . I had one left over from my Jet-stream oven or Flavor-wave oven that was mostly made of plastic parts. Both ovens worked well but I was always sending for costly replacement pieces. This OVEN being made of glass as heavy as a large mixing bowl should last for years.

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Awesome for starting seeds in the basement

I start seed in an unfinished basement every Spring. This mat really makes the difference in germination rate. Raising the temperature of the seed beds is essential for starting good stock for your garden.More detail ...

Great for cold spots!

This has saved my life. I live in a split-level house and my entry levels are always too cold while my upstairs are always too hot. Speedheat has saved me by allowing me to just heat one room at a time...and you don't have to rip up your floors to use it either! - just throw it under a rug plug it in and go!More detail ...

Total Waste of money

This is an excellent rice cooker if it was not the their top-of-the-line model at $400. Its well made in Japan and not in China like the cheaper models. However the high-end features are pure marketing crap which is consistent with the final outcome of the GABA Brown setting. After patiently waiting for almost 4 hours for the unit to make the rice it came out completely overcooked and mushy. I knew ahead of time from previous reviews that this would happen but I needed a starting point and so I chose to stick with instruction manual. I had to call out for Chinese instead. Fortunately their rice was much better.



When I called their customer service they didn't offer an apology but instead stated that I should use less water as "to my liking". Also I can find no evidence that alpha starch is better than beta starch or even if that was the case that high pressure cooking will indeed convert the starches in that manner. As I told the Zojirusi rep what has been stated by their marketing material on this model is probably the most overblown statement since they said that the Titanic was unsinkable. For this price I would have expected some kind of "Happy Ending" feature. Save your money and stick to the lower end models like the the NS-LAC05.Zojirushi NP-HTC Induction Heating Pressure Rice Cooker & Warmer - Color: Stainless Brown 10 cups / 1.8 litersMore detail ...

Insulate under the mat!

We are home gardeners and have tried many ways to provide bottom-heat for vegetable seed germination -- atop my always-on docked laptop was the most effective but the space was tiny. We bought a 20" x 20" heat mat and now have the right tool for the job. We set it up on a card table and found that it was not providing sufficient heat to the soil in the trays above. After an overnight on the mat the soil surface was less than 10 degrees above ambient temperature. The room where the seeds are was 60 degrees overnight and the soil surface in the trays was 68 degrees -- certainly not good enough for eggplant germination. I used an infrared thermometer (Raytek Minitemp MT6 here on Amazon) to check all temps. The exposed mat surface (no tray on top) was 82 degrees. I felt the surface on the underside of the card able and it was definitely warm indicating heat loss downward. I wanted all of the heat to go up into the soil so I cut a piece of rigid-foam insulation just slightly larger than the heat mat (22" x 22") and put it under the mat. Within 15 minutes the exposed surface of the mat was at 97 degrees and when I moved a tray to measure the temp of the mat beneath a tray it was at 115 degrees. 2 hours later the soil surface temperature was at 85 degrees. I am now confident the soil will get enough heat for proper germination and I will begin using the heat mat thermostat to regulate soil temps based on the particular seeds we're starting (search the Web for "vegetable seed germination temperatures" to find one of the many reference charts available). We can also regulate temperature by covering or uncovering the trays to change the rate of evaporative cooling. We are well aware that covered soil is more prone to damping off/seedling death which we now control with a spray of strong-brewed chamomile tea.



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What you see is what you get.

Product as expected but replacement is definitely not for the "do it yourself" and needs a professional service.

So buy only if you a savvy handyman.

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Super warm!

I had this on my amazon wishlist for Christmas and intended to get a couple more as gifts. The one I received is blue and it's almost the perfect size. A little longer by about 6 inches and it'd be absolutely perfect. I'm 5'3 and it covers from my waist down and around my toes(my feet are usually ice cubes so I try my best to keep them warm!). It's also easy to share for two across your laps.



It's fleece so it does seem to attract cat hair and fuzz balls. Though I will also say your cat will become your BFF they really love the warmth. On that particular front I ordered my Mom the sunbeam micro plush one in mushroom color all the same except for the fabric/color. The texture and feel of that one is a little nicer then this fleece but at the time I wishlisted it the fleece was 30 and the micro plush was 50 -- I found the micro plush on super sale at walmart just around christmas for 30. So that was just by chance that we had the ability to compare and see the true difference.



The dial I was concerned about because I usually have the electric blanket on our bed at 10(it goes from 1-10 10 being the warmest) to get it really toasty and I was thinking that out of low medium and hi on this that hi wouldnt be that hot. Well it is! It's wickedly hot! I usually just put it on that to warm it up and then switch it to low. I had thought I read on some reviews for this blanket that there was an auto-off for safety..I must have read wrong beause I left this on overnight by accident and it was still on and warm the next morning the cats seemed to enjoy it though!



Easily washed I threw it in the machine and even dried it on "warm" -- usually I let electric blankets air dry or tumble on no heat but according to the directions on the blanket its ok to use a warm dryer for a couple of minutes. It came out soft and super clean.



All in all both my mom and I are overjoyed with our blankets. We're both usually cold so it's really the most wonderful solution. I'm cold because I like to keep heat down and conserve energy so now I can be toasty without wasting away natural resources so I feel a little greener as well!More detail ...

Heat it up.

I had never had a heated blanket. However after the last House electricity bill I decided to rethink the way I was keeping myself warm throughout the winter. There were three options - fireplace (which would keep me warm in the front room) heater (which in turn would deplete my future kids college funds) or hibernation (dig a hole in the backyard and sleep through the winter which I actually almost chose). Of course there were other options such as equally as expensive electric surface heaters. Then I was cruising through Target and saw this electric blanket by Sunbeam (the slumber rest model in tan).



I bought a full even though I have a Queen size bed because the Queen version was $30 more expensive. However the full covers up the whole bed which is perfect for me. The cord is nice and long so it can stretch to wherever you need it. There are different ranges of heat from 'L' (low) 1-9 (which are different ranges of heat) and finally 'H' (hot as heck). I put it to the test and put it on 9 while I got ready for bed and climbed into my toasty tomb. I woke up about 3am sweating. My fault there. My suggestion is to either turn it much lower before you actually pass out or turn it off because I woke up with my sack on fire.



The only downside I've experienced so far throughout a few weeks with my new Linus blanky is that it leaves tremendous amounts of fuzz on my Egyptian sheets. It's annoying but not a deal breaker - like a hot girl that talks. Hey you deal with it.



RATING - BUY (if you're cold and don't want heater bills that are higher than Ricky Williams)More detail ...

Evening warmth when heater sets back

I bought this for my wife because she is diabetic. She is often cold when I'm not and every night the heater goes into setback. So when its colder in the evening she now throws this over her and has the warmth she needs until she wishes to go to bed. She is a night owl so its always being used. More detail ...

Your pet will LOVE this bed...

...



It's not often I find a product I like as much as this bed. If I could give it six stars I would.



Pet beds are often cold places because they are so close to the floor.

I had to look a long time to find a safe quality heated pet bed. And this one only uses 9 watts of electricity! That's practically nothing.



This bed provides a very gentle mild heat. You can turn it on and it will almost feel like it isn't on. But if you place your hand or forearm on it for a few minutes you will feel a gentle warmth where you skin is touching the bed. With a pet's fur this must be more than enough heat. Throw a blanket on the bed on particularly cold nights and you'll likely find your dog crawling between it and the bed.



Too many times I've found my dog shivering even on what I considered fairly warm nights. Still I didn't know how she'd react to one of these Petsafe Wellness beds. It turns out she likes this bed very much.



She used to want to sleep on the couch at night. I'm guessing this was because it is higher off the ground. But I haven't found her on the couch once since I gave her this bed. Every night I find her on the bed whether I've turned the heat on or not.



She even likes the vibration feature when I turn it on. It's a very gentle vibration that cycles on and off and she must find it soothing.



The bed is very well made. The cords on the controller are protected so that a dog or cat can't chew through them. The switches on the controller feel solid and sure. The fabrics and stitching on the bed appear to be of a very high quality. My dog's been using her bed for several months with no signs of wear.



This bed comes in three sizes. My dog is on the small size of medium and would fit on the medium sized bed but I bought the large so that she would have plenty of room to stretch out. This allows me to have one of her blankets on one side of the bed while the other remains uncovered. I find her lying in a variety of positions on all parts of the bed. That makes me glad I bought the large bed.



If you want your pet to always have a warm and comfortable place to sleep I highly recommend this bed. I've even bought an extra one in case the one she's using ever wears out.



(I don't own a cat but when I'm taking care of my brother's cat he'll try to monopolize the bed. Luckily it's big enough for him and my dog.)More detail ...

Nice and cozy

The blanket heats quickly and evenly. The fabric is nice on the touche.



The cable could have been a bit longer.More detail ...

Heating Pad

This heating pad does what it is intended to do and I like the fact it DOES NOT have an automatic shutoff.More detail ...

Buddy Warmer

My dog's new best friend! He used to sleep in a tiny little tight ball at night and now spralls out on his bed in comfort. My husband likes to turn the heat down at night and sleep under the covers but my dog doesn't stay under a blanket. I bought this bed warmer and put it in the plush bed I already had for my dog and he is very happy at night! You do have to remember to unplug it in the morning so it won't run all day. The one I had from last year finally died from being left on all the time day and night. If you unplug it during the day it seems to have a long life time and makes my dog very comfortable. More detail ...

Best in class rice cooker--long term use update

We purchased this rice cooker last week and have used it twice for brown rice. The rice came out better (and with less effort on our part) than any other cooking method we've ever used. It was in short the best brown rice we'd ever had anywhere.



We also tried out the warming function in which the machine keeps rice warm for up to 12 hours on normal warm mode--there's also an extended warm mode for up to 48 hours. After about 8 hours on warming mode the rice was virtually the same as when it had just been cooked.



The machine could not be easier to use. Build and material quality appear first rate. The rice pan is heavy duty--same for the non-stick coating. Very quiet in operation very easy to clean. All sorts of little details that suggest many cycles of refinement in the design. Aesthetics are delightfully Japanese. The stainless steel side and top panels appear as an afterthought designed to fit Western tastes.



One thing I haven't seen anyone else mention about Zojirushi rice cookers. On the last page in the owner's manual there's a footnote which suggests vaguely that this rice cooker may not function well at high altitude. Since I live in Santa Fe at 7000 feet I called Zojirushi USA and asked about this. They told me that their rice machines do not function well above 3000 feet and that I should return the machine I purchased. Well instead we tried it at better than double its supposed elevation limit and as mentioned above it worked perfectly--so it's hard to imagine that it might work MORE perfectly below 3000 feet. Suffice it to say that if you live in Denver Albuquerque or Santa Fe you can ignore Zojirushi's disclaimers about poor function at higher elevation.



All in all this is a superb product that combines the otherwise mutually exclusive benefits of perfect rice with set and forget automation. The folks at Zojirushi USA (aside from their apparent ignorance about cooking rice at altitude) are informative and friendly. We tend to buy the best kitchen equipment we can find just to avoid the hassles of unreliability. Accordingly we're difficult to please and this machine meets our (very high) standards.



LONG TERM USE UPDATE (January 2009):

This machine has continued to function flawlessly. Apparently Zojirushi induction rice cookers aren't well known in northern New Mexico since whenever we have a dinner party and rice is on the menu our guests are always intrigued by this thing and regularly end up buying one of their own.



One clarification: the cooking bowl is stainless steel as is the inside cooking bowl cover. Apparently these parts tend to be aluminum on the vast majority of computerized rice cookers even those from Zojirushi. The bowl is coated in some sort of very heavy duty anti-stick coating--after a year or two of use the coating still looks new--it hasn't started flaking off at all. I would guess that boiling water (which is basically what rice cookers do) isn't too hard on the coating and we're probably not poisoning ourselves the way we might be if we used non-stick pans (which we don't).



Reference my comments above about Zojirushi rice cookers working perfectly at high elevation (which was news even to Zojirushi) I've since heard that high elevation performance may be better with induction rice cookers than with computerized rice cookers with standard heating elements. Who knows. What is definite however is that as of this writing this machine has functioned perfectly at 7000 feet for almost two years.

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Works like a charm

I bought this heat mat to get my seeds started inside. Since my apartment is cold and seeds like heat I thought i'd give it a try. Three days after I planted my seeds I had a ton of sprouts. Nearly every seed germinated. If you need some extra warmth to get your seeds going definitly get one of these heat mats.



It didn't get too hot and I was able to keep it right on my countertop. My only problem was I should have had a light to put over my seedlings once they sprouted. It's very easy to use as you just plug it in and put your tray on top. The instructions are even written right on the mat itself.More detail ...

Works like a charm

I bought this heat mat to get my seeds started inside. Since my apartment is cold and seeds like heat I thought i'd give it a try. Three days after I planted my seeds I had a ton of sprouts. Nearly every seed germinated. If you need some extra warmth to get your seeds going definitly get one of these heat mats.



It didn't get too hot and I was able to keep it right on my countertop. My only problem was I should have had a light to put over my seedlings once they sprouted. It's very easy to use as you just plug it in and put your tray on top. The instructions are even written right on the mat itself.More detail ...

The small size spruce and sand colored pet Sleeper has comfortable therapeutic heat and orthopedic foam construction. Detachable chew resistant power cord with a safe 12 volt power adapter. Has a removable luxurious cover that's machine washable. Includes a pocket attachment for storing the power cord and adapter.More detail ...

Wilton Decorative Preferred heating core. Professional Aluminum Bakeware. Rated # 1 by Good housekeeping! Wilton's most popular bakeware. Superior construction and performance and design to last a lifetime.More detail ...

Zojirushi's newest Induction Heating System rice cooker and warmer incorporates induction heating and micro computer technology.The features are as follows: Superior induction heating (IH) technology; Healthy cooking options- brown rice GABA brown rice and germinated brown rice; Multi-menu cooking functions: white rice (regular softer or harder) mixed rice sushi rice porridge sweet rice and quick cooking; New easy to clean clear coated stainless steel exterior; black thick spherical inner cooking pan; detachable and washable inner lid; Easy-to-read LCD control panel for Clock and Timer functions; interchangeable melody and beep signerMore detail ...

Low voltage heating element for use with pet beds. Heating element maintains ambient temperatue of 102 degrees for optimum comfort. The pad has a 120V UL-listed 3-prong grounded plug and 6' PVC-coated chew resistant power cord for pet safety.More detail ...