Articles by Judie Lipsett Stanford

BLOW Hookah Brings an Old Smoking Tradition into the 21st Century

Gear Bits

BLOW Hookah Brings an Old Smoking Tradition into the 21st Century

WARNING: The products discussed may contain or use nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical; in many cities and a few states, you must be 21 to purchase vaping products and/or products containing nicotine. Please familiarize yourself with and obey the law in your location. Did you know that, in a typical hookah smoking session, you inhale up to 180 times more smoke than you would in a single cigarette? That’s… Bad. In addition, traditional hookah smoke contains the same carcinogenic components as cigarette smoke. One could simply avoid hookahs entirely, or one could check out the 21st-century BLOW Hookah.

Poo-Pourri - Using Potty Humor to Sell a Great Product

News & Features

Poo-Pourri – Using Potty Humor to Sell a Great Product

While waiting for a Lenovo video to load, this hilarious Poo-Pourri ad popped up. Usually I click SKIP as soon as the option is available, but not this time. Maybe it’s the 5th grader still trapped inside of me, but this video made me laugh; even funnier is that it’s a product I know works as advertised. Don’t ask; just enjoy.

PWRglass Triples Google Glass Battery Life While Tripling Your Time in the Tool Shed

Gear Bits

PWRglass Triples Google Glass Battery Life While Tripling Your Time in the Tool Shed

Other than looking like a tool, the main thing I really worry about when wearing Glass is how to best manage battery life, because it doesn’t take long before the battery withers — especially when filming video. PWRglass is a prototype product that aims to triple the Glass battery’s life. It looks like a lanyard and empowers Glass. Worth it? PWRglass via Joe from Book of Joe

HTC One Max Android Phablet Unboxed and Examined

Reviews

HTC One Max Android Phablet Unboxed and Examined

I like my HTC One; it has turned out to be the best Android phone I’ve ever owned or used, but I do wish that it had a larger screen and a better camera. When I heard there was an HTC One Max coming out, I couldn’t help but be intrigued. Larger screen? Better Camera? Yes and no, but …

Help Bring the McDonald Observatory's Struve Telescope Model Home to Texas

Crowdfunding

Help Bring the McDonald Observatory’s Struve Telescope Model Home to Texas

The McDonald Observatory is a Texas landmark that evokes emotion in all who see it. To me, the bright white telescope domes nestled in the Davis Mountains represent inspiration, education, and — perhaps most importantly — exploration. An Indigogo campaign has been launched to celebrate the Observatory’s 75th anniversary; here is how you can be a part of it all.

evercontact

Gear Bits

Evercontact Flashback Mined My Contacts and Found Treasure

Most of your business contacts probably include their contact information in their email signatures. But unless you have an assistant, mining all of that incoming data and inserting it into your address book would be a huge chore; trying to glean that information from past years’ emails would seem incredibly daunting. But not if you use two magical products from Evercontact.

Contort Power Solves Two Powerful Travel Dilemmas

Gear Bits

Contort Power Solves Two Powerful Travel Dilemmas

It seems like all the hotels I’ve stayed at in the past few months have only had one free electrical outlet near the bed. That would be fine if I didn’t have a phone, iPad, and sometimes a laptop that all needed to be charged from the same plug. The $24.99 Contort Power from Quirky might just be my solution.

Cyclone Spiral Hot Dog Slicer for Frank Aficianados

Gear Bits

Cyclone Spiral Hot Dog Slicer for Frank Aficianados

Do you score your wieners before grilling them? I didn’t even realize that doing so was a “thing”, but it helps your dogs cook evenly while creating nooks that keep your garnishes from sliding off your frank and onto your shirt. That’s kind of cool, right? And it’s easy to do with the Cyclone Spiral Hotdog Slicer, $11.99 from Quirky.

Have You Been Wondering How to Remove Yourself from the Internet?

News & Features

Have You Been Wondering How to Remove Yourself from the Internet?

Maybe this whole NSA debacle has you feeling a bit over-exposed, or maybe you’ve decided that no good can come from having your information “out there”; whatever. Removing yourself from the internet is a daunting task, but Gizmodo has just published a guide that will at least get you started. Can you guess what will have to go first?

The Man Ring - Solid Titanium Tools You'll Always Have with You!

Gear Bits

The Man Ring – Solid Titanium Tools You’ll Always Have with You!

This is even better than a secret decoder ring! Five tools crafted into a man’s titanium ring with brass rivets for contrasting flair. Included are a bottle opener, a straight blade, a serrated blade, a saw, and a mustache comb! Don’t act like you don’t want one! You can get yours made to order for $385 from BooneRings on Etsy.

Trick Or Treat with Gear Diary and Win!

News & Features

Trick Or Treat with Gear Diary and Win!

Happy Halloween! Some of you may be heading out to go trick or treating this afternoon. Oothers may simply be hanging out and enjoying this last day of October. We thought we might do a bit of trick or treating ourselves here on Gear Diary; we’ve turned on our porch light, and we are ready to hand out some treats!

Where's George Makes Geo-Tracking Money Fun

Gear Bits

Where’s George Makes Geo-Tracking Money Fun

Have you ever received a dollar bill with a stamp that said “Track me at www.wheresgeorge.com“? One of the dollar bills that my stepdaughter got for losing a tooth had that stamp on it, so the first thing we did this morning was check to see what the site Where’s George was all about.

The Waterfield Staad Backpack Received and Examined

Gear Bits

The Waterfield Staad Backpack Received and Examined

The day the new Waterfield Staad backpack was announced, Dan and I placed our orders. Yesterday I received my Stout Staad in black on black; Dan had received his Stout in brown on black the day before. Does the Staad live up to our expectations? It’s too soon for a full review, but we thought you’d enjoy some initial impressions.