As Sandra gets ready to return her Kindle Fire after using it for 2 months, I was reflecting on the proposition of such a device and if the satisfies the expectation of a "tablet for all".

• The price was the biggest "feature"

A tablet device capable of web browsing, watching online video & checking email for $200? Yes, please!

• One month of Amazon Prime with the device is genius, but flawed

Right around Christmas, we would get free shipping on all our gifts, so it made having the Fire a great for just that month totally worth it to get the Prime benefits.

However, Prime for video primarily relies on streaming for video delivery, so we still had to go out of our way to pay for first run movies to download for offline use.

• The big hurdle to overcome is the platform

If you've ever touched an iPad, the flaws in the customized Android operating system are front-and-center.

• Battery life was dismal

Where Amazon really excelled was on the battery life for the Kindle ebook readers. Just wish they would have brought some of that know-how to the Fire.

We were charging the device each day, and would barely keep a charge for an extended usage period.

So, while I'm rooting for the Kindle Fire to become a market-mover for the tablet industry (and sales figures show it will be), I'm still expecting the device to live up to our high expectations for a tablet experience.

Thanks, Apple. You've ruined all other tablets for us, for now. ;)

(Full Disclosure: I'm an Apple stock holder and believe passionately about investing in great Product Design)

After 2 & 1/2 months of having the parts sitting around my apartment, I finally was able to buckle down and build a DIY immersion circulator for sous vide cooking.

Thankful, a friend who's an urgent care doc wanted to build one with me. At least I'd have treatment available if I burned or electrocuted myself. And I did do the former.

We bypassed one of the hardest parts, bending a J-curve into 1/4" acrylic, by having it done at TAP plastic. So, we started with cutting out holes for the electronics in a plastic box. Never having used a dremel before, this take some getting used to. They may not have been the most beautiful cuts, but they got the job done.

Next we stripped tons of wires and soldered connections to power, a relay, the temperature controller & the power switch.

I finally finished all the wiring at home later in the evening, but wasn't sure if a) all the connections were solid or b) I had even hooked them up right.

So the moment of truth came as I filled a bucket of water and submerged the heating elements, water pump & temp sensor for the first time.

I plugged it it, and watched as the temperature controller flashed to life! It cycled through its warm up routine and, magically, registered the water temp, a cool 56 degrees. The water pump was also running and circulating the water, as it should.

Like a proud parent watching his child take its first steps, my eyes were transfixed on the readout. I wondered How long would it take to warm up 1 degree? So, I sat there for what seemed like 5-7 minutes watching the temp climb by one tenth of a degree at a time.

When it hit 57.1 degrees, I turned it off and called it a success!

Now all I have left is to waterproof it and run it for 24 hours to see if it can get up to the programmed temp setting and hold that temp for a continuous period of time. Wish me luck!

After driving 6+ hours to LA from SF, our little reward was a great, modern Japanese meal, complete with super-fresh sushi, at Ikko in Orange County.

The highlights were the scallop mousse in a fried potato "cannoli" topped with a raw scallop and a chawamushi with uni and black truffle.

It's been a busy month.

I started a new job, the girlfriend was still traveling to Minnesota & we had the typical holiday "craziness" with buying presents and making travel plans.

We didn't consider we'd be home long enough throughout the week to warrant a Christmas tree, so we sadly passed on buying one this year.

But, lo, our wishes for a small tree of our own was magically granted.

It was simply sitting on the corner of our street a couple days ago with this sign: "Free. Merry Christmas."

I lugged it upstairs and quickly decorated it before the little woman came home last night.

Yay, it's a Christmas / Festivus / Hannukah miracle!