READER RATINGS

Overrated: cellphones, texting, BlackBerrys, iPhones, etc.

Look to your right or left. There is a marvelous new piece of technology right there -- it’s called a live human being. When you talk with them, you can see their mouths move and watch their eyes show signs of warmth or emotion. And (usually) there are no monthly fees!

Terry Dunn

Santa Monica

Overrated: Buying gas at Costco.

You’ve seen the lines, 10, sometimes 15 cars deep to get to the Costco pump. But are the savings really worth more than 30 minutes of your life -- what with either idling your car or stopping and starting every seven minutes. Not.

Scott Schalin

Sherman Oaks

Underrated: Ugly Roll Sushi [11128 Palms Blvd., L.A., (310) 837-8500].

This place is an oxymoron: The Ugly Combo (definitely not ugly) is only $6.95 for two big sushi rolls (you have nine types of sushi to choose from), plus two shrimp tempura and several veggies tempura.

Susan Black-Feinstein

Mar Vista

Overrated: Pinkberry.

After hearing all the hype, I stopped by one of their stores to try their frozen yogurt about a year ago. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. The yogurt was bland and icy, which gave it a gritty texture. What’s so addicting about it?

My favorite frozen yogurt is at Sierra Cup in Monrovia. Smooth, creamy and not too sweet.

Christopher Grisanti

Monrovia