Articles by Judie Lipsett Stanford

The Year in Review with LEGO!

William & Kate’s first post-wedding kiss The Guardian UK’s Flickr stream has a gallery of curated photos commemorating the events of 2011 through vignettes made of LEGO blocks. Some of them are quite imaginative, and I suspect that you might enjoy them as much as I did …


The Oona Is One Versatile Smartphone Stand

One of the things that has always bothered me about using any phone other than one of the more popular current models is that accessories are not always easy to find. Sure, you can always find a few ugly cases and screen protectors for just about any model out there, but what about docks and automobile mounting solutions? Not everyone has an iPhone, but to see so many of the accessories that come out you’d think that wasn’t the case. For $29.99, you can solve that problem with the Oona (not to be confused with Ooma, heh). Take a look … I…


Meet the Mutewatch

Are you someone who is not ready to give up your wristwatch in favor of simply checking the time on your mobile phone? I don’t blame you if you aren’t; I’m not either. As a result I’m always looking at watches, considering ones I might wear and balancing function and geek factor against the watch’s looks. The Mutewatch is a design I recently found that looks cool, is simple enough to operate, and adds the function of timers and alarms. The use of “swiping” is cool to see on a watch, and for $259, it’s not too outrageous. via Meet…


Jawbone Offers Refunds to All UP Owners

Did you buy a Jawbone UP? I did, and I have been largely disappointed, but I haven’t completely given up on it. Evidently a lot of people are very unhappy with them, and amazingly enough Jawbone has stepped up and offered a full refund to all UP owners who want one, even those who don’t have their original packaging or receipt, as well as those who don’t necessarily want to return them. This arrived in registered UP users’ email today: UPDATE FROM THE CEO The UP™ No Questions Asked Guarantee To the UP Community:Earlier this year, we unveiled Jawbone’s vision…


The Amplicom Induction Neckloop (NL100) Review

photos by Kevin My mother has sensorineural hearing loss, and she has worn hearing aids in each ear ever since she was 36. My husband has hearing loss from working with loud machinery, and although he doesn’t wear hearing aids, he misses some tones and quiet speech is sometimes garbled. My friend Angie’s daughter caught a virus several years ago that wasn’t treated quickly enough; the result was that she went profoundly deaf in both ears and has since been fitted with two Cochlear Implants. My point is that hearing loss and forms of deafness are much more common than…


One More Tablet Gone; Can Microsoft Avoid the Same Fate?

image courtesy of BerryReporter  Clinton recently wrote an opinion piece entitled, “As RIM Writes Off The Playbook, The Pressure is on Microsoft to Make a Complete Windows 8 Tablet“, in which he says: This morning the Wall Street Journal reported that RIM is taking a $485 million charge for their lackluster tablet, the Playbook.  The charge comes by way of a markdown in the value of the massive inventor that RIM still has of the devices.  It is a brutal and costly reminder that if you kinda-sorta-maybe-woulda-shoulda your tablet strategy, the price can be steep.  Very steep. and The challenge facing Microsoft is that they are…


The Wall of Death Brings Motorcycle Thrills & Spills

photo by Lakshman When I stared dating my husband Kevin, he had a Harley Davidson Road King. After his divorce, he had started riding with his brother Mark, who is still a motorcycle aficionado. One of the things that they enjoyed doing together was attending road rallies around the country. They went to Sturgis, the Republic of Texas Rally in Austin, and who knows how many others. Of course they saw plenty of things that would border on NSFW while attending, but there is one thing that really made an impression: at the 2005 Austin ROT Rally, Kev saw a show…


Mobile Edge Has Got Your Back If You Are Worried About Privacy

Are you feeling a bit spooked by all the recent stories about how our mobile phones are transmitting our GPS data, who we are talking to, and other possibly sensitive information? Here is one solution that might help: buy a bag that has a wireless security shield.  What that means is that when your phone is placed in the pocket — even if it is turned on and otherwise fully functioning, no data, calls or GPS will be able to come or go. Wireless Security Shield™ In an effort to help provide ultimate security for your Bluetooth enabled Cell phone…


The SCOTTEVEST Women’s Lola Puffer Jacket Review

I have a new favorite jacket, and it’s not only warm, but it’s also a stunner; say hello to the SCOTTEVEST Lola Puffer jacket. Composed of a quilted 100% nylon shell and stuffed with 100% fluffy polyester, the Lola is soft, extremely warm (without being too heavy), and it cuts the wind on those mind-numbingly chilly days without making you feel sweaty if you are still wearing it after the afternoon warms things up. The Lola comes in three colors — Sparkle (which is a light grey), Rhapsody (a deep blue), and Fluff (a lovely white).All three jackets have a contrasting bright yellow fabric…


Mophie and Rocketfish (Best Buy) Issue External Battery Pack Recalls

Two recalls just crossed my inbox; these may be products that you all own, so please check: The first item is the Mophie iPod Touch Rechargeable External Battery Case (shown above); it’s being recalled due to a burn hazard. If you have one of these, check to see if your serial number  has the first five alphanumeric characters of TR113 through TR120. Cases that fall in between those numbers are affected by the recall. WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should…


Tiny Homes for People Who Know That Less Can Be More

When I lived in San Angelo, I had a home that was almost 3,000 square feet including the garage apartment. My daughter and I were the only two people living there, and on more than one occasion I remarked that the only rooms we really needed were the kitchen, our bedrooms, and my office – which also served as a den. When I moved to Eldorado, I finally had an opportunity to downsize. It takes a bit of discipline to weed through your belongings and live in a space that is more than half of what you were used to,…


February Will Bring the Launch of an All New 2013 Lexus GS

Some of you will recall our ‘Guess what I am and Win’ contest series which offered a prize package consisting of: 2 one-year Pandora One premium subscriptions 4 movie tickets a month for a year from MovieTickets.com A $250 OpenTable dining card The clues were: My screen width is wider than an iPad I can help you plan your dinner-and-a-movie night out. and I can read your SMS texts for you…and even respond, if you like. The answer, as EdifyHimDaily soon guessed, was the 2013 Lexus GS. Some of you might have wondered what the prize package had to do…


Does Holiday Food Waste Bother You?

photo courtesy of The New York Times via Green Options  When I was a kid, if I didn’t eat enough I was told that should think about all of the “starving children around the world” and clean my plate. Granted, my feelings at the time were along the lines of how happy I would be to box up my leftovers and ship them off, but my parents did have a point. Just because we live in a country where food is more readily available than in other parts of the world does not give us license to waste it; it’s…


Rolling Through the Bay is Scott Weaver’s Toothpick Masterpiece

Scott Weaver used 1000,000 toothpicks, about 30,000 hours and Elmer’s Glue to create a visually stunning 9′ tall masterpiece with five different “ping-pong tours” through the various San Francisco landmarks. I have used different brands of toothpicks depending on what I am building. I also have many friends and family members that collect toothpicks in their travels for me. For example, some of the trees in Golden Gate Park are made from toothpicks from Kenya, Morocco, Spain, West Germany and Italy. The heart inside the Palace of Fine Arts is made out of toothpicks people threw at our wedding. This…


Look Like a Tool with the Ear Shaped Case for iPhone

Friends, Romans, Countrymen; len me your … If you can’t stand being in a room without having all eyes on you — for any reason — then this may be the case for you.  Latest Buy is accepting pre-orders for this silicon rubber iPhone 4 case, and if you get one the puns and bad jokes are almost guaranteed to follow. $21.95, and it’s yours. Latest Buy’s Ear Shaped iPhone Case


Uncommon Goods’ Face Mug Is Truly One of the Coolest Mugs Ever!

There’s not much to say, other than that owning this ceramic mug would be an absolute pleasure. Imagine the envious looks you would get in the office if this were sitting on your desk; imagine the fun you could have if you left this mug sitting on the break room counter, only to came back 10 minutes later to find different things sitting in between its lips. A stapler? Why not. Some rubber bands? Okay. Hey — not my sandwich! You can get your Face Mug at Uncommon Goods for $18. Order me one too, while you’re at it ……


The SCOTTEVEST Women’s SeV Chloe Hoodie Review

SCOTTEVEST has long offered men’s hoodies, and although there were some styles that I liked more than others, there was no getting around the fact that they were and have always been cut for boxier bodies. Until now. Scott and Laura Jordan have just introduced the Women’s SeV Chloe Hoodie, which has obviously been made with a woman’s body in mind. What does that mean exactly? Well, for starters, there is a bit of tapering in the midsection; it’s not enough to squeeze you in two, and it’s not so much that it would make you look lumpy when carrying a few items in the…


Veterans Day Is Every Day with the ElementCase Patriot Case

If you have a favorite soldier or if you’re just feeling patriotic, Element Case has an iPhone 4 / 4S cover that will have you seeing stars! Take a look at their limited edition $124.99 red, white and blue Patriot Case that first went on sale on 11/11/11, Veteran’s Day; they’ve created a series of 200, and 10% of the proceeds will go to the non-profit “Disabled American Veterans.” They hope to raise $10,000 for the group, and with your help, they’ll do it!   ElementCase Patriot Case Learn more about the Disabled American Veterans at  www.DAV.org.  


We’ll Be Trying Partial Feeds for Two Weeks

Hey all, I wanted to give you a heads up that we are going to be experimenting with partial feeds for two weeks. Obviously if you usually come to the Gear Diary site to read our articles, you won’t notice anything different. Those who read us on RSS will notice a “(read more here…)”  tag at the bottom the now truncated posts. I don’t particularly like partial feeds, but I need to see if using them takes care of  some of the anomalies that I’ve been noticing. Thank you for your patience while we try to figure this out, and…


Beyzacase’s New iPad 2 “Downtown Series” Case Looks Organized and Streamlined

One of the things I don’t like about folio cases is that they can add a bunch of unnecessary bulk to an otherwise thin device. I mean, its great to be able to add ID or business cards along with other slips of paper into your folio, but such convenience usually comes with a thickness caveat. I spotted the new Beyzacases iPad 2 “Downtown Series” Case this morning, and thought it might be a good alternative to all of the more cumbersome folios we’ve seen. If these pictures have you thinking about gorgeous pebbled leather covering your iPad, then you are…


A Quick Peek at the Aligata Nude Beauty Medium Travel Bag

  It wasn’t too long ago that I reviewed the Aligata Nude Beauty Big Weekend Bag, and they have just sent their newest offering — the Nude Beauty Medium Travel Bag. I’ll have a full review up after I’ve had some time to actually USE the bag and change its color from the nearly white Nude Beauty to a natural honey patina. But in the meantime, I just had to tell you all about it because it is something that I know would be an appreciated holiday gift for your special someone … The interior sports a waterproof lining, a key fob,…