As we all (yes, ALL) try to do better by Mother Earth in general, and particularly today on Earth Day, and try to ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’ wherever possible, it seems that the ‘Reduce’ part often gets lost in a sea of packaging that we do manage to Reuse and eventually Recycle. An article at Care2 discusses some of the chemistry behind all of those plastics and how they might impact us.
I have two business trips that are coming up this month. Until I discovered TripIt, my standard way to track itineraries was to search through my email reservations 12 hours before departure. TripIt keeps your schedule organized by reading email travel confirmations that you forward to a special TripIt email address. These show flight and hotel information which TripIt extracts. Then it creates an itinerary organized by trip. You can (optionally) share trips with others so you’ll know which friends are traveling to the same location at the same time as you. The iPhone application is free and automatically synchronizes…
These three pillows are not only quirky conversation starters – they’re also made from Eco-Felt – aka 100% recycled plastic bottles – and feature hand cut lettering. The covers can be removed so if a guest has a crash of another kind on them you can easily launder. Cost is $55 with $10 shipping. According to web site Strange Deals if you wack your kids with one of these pillows they’ll restart their homework. Etsy
Are you always searching the house for a flashlight? Try these Battery Snaps. The LED light is illuminated by your 9V battery. When the battery loses power – simply unsnap the light and attach to another 9V. There’s not indication of how long you can expect the light to glow – and this tiny Snap seems pretty easy to lose but for $4.99 they’re intriguing. Available in black, pink, white and yellow. Battery Snaps – $3.79
If you’re like me, you’ve got GOBS of eBooks, likely in more than one format, all over the place. I’ve got tons of books in MS Reader format (now THERE’S a blast from the past that most of us would like to forget), eReader format, MobiPocket format, etc. Some of the books that I have are ones that I’d really like the read again and again; but now that I’ve got a Kindle, I’m kindle screwed when it comes to my library of well over 300 titles.
Last year role-playing game fans worldwide mourned the loss of Dungeons and Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax. Gygax developed the popular table-top gaming system along with Dave Arneson, and today we learn that Arneson has died this week.
The weather is beginning to break, baseball season has started, and NASCAR is getting into full swing. What better time to start thinking about cookouts and libations. With DIY mania in full swing as the weather warms up, at least that’s what my wife tells me as I work on project #49.3 on her “to-do list”, what better way to test your skills than making your own beer. For those of you brave enough to attempt making your own brew, I have just the site for you. The folks over at Mr. Beer offer 5 different kits that range from…
Here’s a cool idea that I can see a use for in my house. Every morning when I get the kids up for school they’re asking for breakfast food and often that includes some begging for bacon (their favorite). Now I know it’s not that healthy – so I try to limit it to only a couple times a month. Lately I’ve been avoiding making it at all because the mess and cleanup is such a hassle. Will finally! Looks like someone took the concept that was only recently applied to ketchup and applied it to bacon! Instead of messy…
I had really high hopes for the eReader (beta) for BlackBerry which I have been testing on my BlackBerry Bold. At first glance the layout is decent and I had no trouble scrolling around and reading the text. The smaller display screen isn’t going to give paper books or the larger screen Kindle a run for their money any time soon – but I was hopeful that I’d at least have a decent backup book reader for when I didn’t have a paper book or the Kindle. Unfortunately ignoring the eReader’s many annoyances – starting with the price of books…
To be fair, I guess Grandcentral ,when they advertised “one number for life”, didn’t specify whose life. After waiting impatiently nearly two weeks for my Grandcentral account to upgrade to Google Voice – I was a bit surprised to wake up to an email advising me that if I wanted to keep my old Grandcentral number that I’d have to forgo any SMS forwarding features (the MAJOR new feature of Google Voice). Say what? I thought I had my Grandcentral number “for life”?
This quirky shaped mug looks normal when empty but when filled gives the appearance of an upside down beer bottle. This might just be the perfect quirky party gift. Yes, it’s surely a bit pricy for a single glass but considering that it’s hand-blown and precisely crafted and, according to their web site – unexpectedly classy. What’s next – brown paper bag mug shaped mug? Hopside Down Beer Glass – $19.99
I’m one of those people who can’t make a straight cut for anything. These laser guided scissors are affordable (only $15) and guarantee that you’ll at least have a straight line to follow. Useful for cutting all types of things where you may not want to use a ruler and make a mark to draw your own line. The blade is about 3.5″ long and the laser runs on 2 included LR44 batteries. Perfect gift for the professional gift wrapper who has everything! Laser Guided Scissors
Interested in doing your part to improve the environment. Who’s with me on switching to reusable toilet paper? Cloth toilet paper is not much different from the concept of re-usable diapers. It’s more economical, uses less paper and — no more late night trips to the store when you run out of paper! Biggest downside? Who wants to wash this in their washing machine? Soft Cloth Toilet Wipes Details: * Two-layer construction for soft strength. * Basic wipes are one layer of soft flannel and one layer of knit terry. * Premium wipes are one layer of soft flannel and…
Judging from the quantity of Twitter questions asking for purchasing advice on the “BlackBerry Storm vs iPhone” – it looks like plenty of people still are undecided between both these devices. While I typically have a one sentence response of “If you want email buy a BlackBerry otherwise buy an iPhone” – I realize that the analysis isn’t always so cut and dry. There’s the touchy issue of AT&T’s signal quality, the ability to capture video, ease of on-screen keyboard use, integration with iTunes. James at JKOnTheRun has done an excellent job with comparing and contrasting the iPhone and Storm….
No, it’s not a new computer game, but the cuteness overload while checking out this koala’s bucket was so great that I had to share. I’m unsure this email’s original source, but mom just passed it on to me. You might want some coffee to go with this sweet… It has been so hot in South Australia for over a week…40+ degrees Celsius (104 degree Fahrenheit) everyday, very dry also. A guy at work lives at Maude. His wife sent him these photos of a little Koala which just walked into the back porch looking for a bit of heat…
Here’s a fun party gift for those summer gatherings at the lake. Make no mistake this isn’t a real life vest, the fabric is quilted and not suitable for flotation and therefore not approved for use on small children or pets. It will hold your wine bottle quite nicely so buckle in a bottle and present it to your hostess. Sure to be the hot topic of the party. Fits standard wine bottles 11-1/2″ x 5-1/2″. Life Vest Wine Bottle Cover
I’d like to think my kids are neat enough to create some of the pretty images shown on the Food Face Plate sample images. I think however that they’d go way overboard and have food smeared completely covering the plate, themselves and the floor – in other words it would be just like any other dinner at the Schulz house. File this one under “why didn’t I think of it”. Hmm – I wonder if the school would accept this as my daughter’s science fair project…
This Donkey Cigarette Dispenser must be seen to be believed. Holding about 25 cigarettes this charming guy holds a surprise dispenser for the smoking aficionado. Press down on the Donkey’s ears and out comes a cigarette. Watch the video to see from where the smokes will appear. This just could be the ultimate “stop smoking now” tool. Donkey Cigarette Dispenser – $7.95
One of the cooler things that we’ve spotted while here in Vegas was Michael Kaplan and his Segway iBOT. I’ve seen plenty of “regular” Segways, but until yesterday had never seen the wheelchair version – other than in blog posts. After talking to Michael for just a bit, I was impressed by how positively the Segway iBOT has affected his life. How so? On top of being able to climb stairs with ease, he can also raise the seat to the height he was before – 5’8″ and look people in the eye…something I regularly take for granted from my…
These Will Return signs are found just about everywhere. They’re favorites of small businesses who need to tell their customers that they’re in the back using the bathroom they’ve stepped out for a quick errand but will return. Here’s an actual clock that is disguised as one of those Will Return signs. Set the time 15 minutes ahead and watch visitors go crazy as they wait for your return. Great for times when you’re minding the store alone and need to use the toilet. Unsure about your return time? The Will Return clock keeps updating the time so you’re never…