Similar to the 5.11 cop shirt you have reviewed on Cool Tools, the 5.11 pants are the best tactical (read cargo) pants I own. When you have cool tools you need some way to carry them! Used by the FBI and many other law enforcement agencies, I find that these pants wear well and look great. I've purchased mine at Brigade Quartermasters, US Calvary and Galls.

-- Charles Kinnear

Tactical 5.11 Pants
$40
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by 5.11 Tactical Series

Every household garage and homestead needs a hand truck. It's amazing how often you'll use it once you have one. Makes heavy and awkward things seem less so. I've hauled all kinds of weird stuff. Big tires can work outside in the yard, too. And you'll be a hero next time a friend needs to move. "Be sure to bring your hand truck," they say.

The truck I settled on is a light weight yet tough nylon model made by Harper, but I don't think the make matters much. (There is a similar one from Gleason.) Since it weighs only 22 pounds it's easy to toss in the trunk, yet it will handle weights greater than I can move (600 pounds). It has big fat balloon tires, stair glides (to ease going up or down stairs), and is just about indestructible. Given that it will outlive me, it's a bargain at $60.

You can get a cheap new metal one for $20. Since they are hard to kill, a hand truck is a great candidate for buying used.

-- KK

Harper Tuff Hand-Truck
Model #PGCSK16
$60
Available from Ace Hardware

Manufactured by Harper Trucks

Gleason Poly/Nylon Hand Truck
$40
Available from Home Depot

$22 Cheapie
Available from Amazon

Nolo Self-help books are written by lawyers. They give clear, no nonsense instructions on how to deal with all sorts of issues, from getting your greencard, incorporating, writing your own will or trust to buying a house. I've used Nolo's books to do two out of that list so far, and am very happy with the results. No lawyer needed! Forms are included on CD-rom, as is excellent website support. Best of all, the books clearly state if and when you should consult a real lawyer. These are tools written by lawyers who are fed up with overcharging customers and making law inaccessible through complex language. Most solutions are common sense, and Nolo tells you how to do it without breaking the bank (or the law).

-- Wouter

I've used these as well, and recommend them. In addition to their admirable paperback books, Nolo Press also offers many of its best-selling titles, like the ones below, in an e-book (PDF) format, so that you can instantly download it if you are in a hurry. Some very specific topics, like Trademark Basics for Naming Your Small Business, are only offered in PDF booklet format. Nolo's free web articles are also extremely helpful. In fact their website is the first place I head when I need an orientation in legal matters.

-- KK

Nolo Press

I have constant need for scientific papers, and articles from obscure scholarly journals, or old newspaper clippings. A few years ago I would have trekked to the nearest university library whenever I required a journal article, to search through the stacks of bound volumes, haul them to the copy room and then xerox my findings. Now I stay at my desk and search through JSTOR, an online depository of the full text of most major scholarly and scientific journals, and download a PDF file of the same paper within minutes. Few academic books are available this way so far, but a surprising amount of the periodic portion of the digital library is now online.

This vast store of knowledge is found on the Invisible Web -- that part of the WWW that hides behind passwords and subscription fees, and is beyond the grasp of Google (although Google Scholar is working on this). This part of the web holds the databases that professionals and librarians pay to search, and includes the scholarly and scientific journals I crave, as well as marketing and business information, digitized magazines and newspapers, and several hundred of specialized databases built up over the years by fees -- but formerly only available to users at high prices. Very little of this material is available on the free web yet.

There are several ways to get to this stuff as an individual. 1) You can call a public librarian to do the occasional search. 2) You can purchase a subscription to a database vendor for personal access, or 3) You can use a digital library card for web access from your home via your local library system. For most of us, #3 is the way to go.

While coverage varies tremendously by region, it is very much worth your time trying your library system. Local library systems increasingly permit ordinary citizens access into for-pay databases. Our local system, the San Francisco Public Library, offers close to 100 databases remotely (and for free) to library card holders. The only downside for many systems is that you need to be a resident.

In most states, you can get a library card from a public library outside of your county of residence -- as long as you can prove state residence (true for the San Francisco Public Library). Often you will have to go the actual state library in person to pick up your card, but once in hand, you can access the library from the web. Fanatical researchers are known to have a wallet full of library cards from numerous public library systems within their respective states. Some states, Ohio and Michigan being two of the better known, have statewide consortiums of private, corporate and public libraries, which allows you access to the combined services and databases licensing power of them all.

If your local library system does not provide free online access to digital content databases, the cheapest way to get into these expensive databases is to pay for a library card from the New York Public Library. The NYPL offers membership to non-residents of New York, a privilege which also enables you to remotely access its online databases. For a $100 annual membership fee, non-residents will get a card that provides remote access to about 85 of its 300 online databases, although this card sadly does not include the JSTOR database of scientific journals. (New York residents can get the same card for free and obtain the same level of access.)

Another advantage of your digital library card to the NYPL (and others): They offer a rapidly increasing list of good e-books, audio books, and videos available for legal downloading. There's nothing like getting a squeaky-clean free copy of a best-selling "book-on-tape" to port to your mp3 player (but not iPods yet).

The New York Public Library is not the only major library to offer memberships to non-residents. If you live anywhere in California, I recommend getting a library card to the San Francisco Public Library, which is free, and which does give you access to the coveted JSTOR online journals. Only downside: you need to show up at the library in person to get your card.

This then illuminates the great bargain of the New York Public Library membership: you can apply for it online without ever setting foot in New York City, or State. When it ordinarily costs $3-5 to download a single article behind the pay-wall, the hundred dollars is a bargain on a larger research project. Again, you don't have to live in New York to get a card for the NYPL, or to show up to pick it up. You can simply apply online and receive your card through the mail. You do have to show up at the San Francisco Public Library to get theirs. Best is to inquire at your local, state or metro library.

I have a card for both the NYPL and the SFPL so I can access both from my home office. Just last night I was able to delve deep into scholarly journals to answer some questions that nothing on the Google-web could offer.

-- KK (with help from Michele McGinnis)

New York Public Library Card
$100 (non-residents)
Databases available from home

San Francisco Public Library Card
Free to residents
Databases availablefrom home

I'm preparing a tool kit for my college-bound daughter and I wanted a cordless screwdriver that was small, tough, and long-lasting in dormant battery mode. Something she could quickly grab, hold securely, and be sure it would still be charged despite not being used or plugged in for months on end. I found the ideal tool in the Skil iXO. It uses the new generation of tiny Lithium-ion batteries which reduces its overall size to nearly fitting into my palm.

Once I started using it, I bought one for myself. I throw it in the desk drawer where my other simple household hand tools live. It's held its charge with gratifying dependability. (Skil claims it will hold its charge for 18 months to 2 years of non-use; I haven't had mine that long.) It's not that powerful, but good enough for around-the-house chores. Occasionally I need it because it can squeeze into places my larger cordless driver can't.

Its eager readiness, and tiny size, make it the driver I reach for first.

-- KK

Skil iXO Cordless Palm Sized Screwdriver
$40
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Skil

The same drill is sold under the Bosch name in Europe.

This is a great tool for touching up paint in your home. There is nothing to clean up at all. Simply unscrew the cap, paint the area that needs to be touched up, and replace the cap. A real time saver.

-- Phil Slight

Qwikie
3 for $16
Available from Builder Depot

Manufactured by Qwikie

You've probably heard about the Sawstop table saw -- the one that instantly brakes itself to prevent its spinning blade from cutting flesh. I bought one last month, and finally got it all set up. It saws like a charm! I couldn't be happier with it's performance. In particular, dust collection is very good, the hand cranks are a dream (smooth and repeatable), and ripping or cross cutting a 2x6 board had no discernable reduction in RPM. The cuts were smoother than what I get from my surface planer, and that was with the stock blade that came with the saw. I've used a number of other table saws, and the Sawstop was relatively easy to make all the adjustments, and is very repeatable.

As for the safety features, I've haven't put the brake to the test. Like the air bag in your car, the Sawstop system includes an extensive startup and continuous self test while idle and running. And like your air bag it's very costly to "test." You get only one emergency stop per blade and brake. Besides $70 for a new brake, it's another $50-100 for a new blade. It's pretty high tech. The brake is a special aluminum block and electronic assembly with a fusible (i.e. burnable) wire holding the spring loaded brake block assembly in position. When the electronics "fires" after detecting contact with human flesh, the fusible wire is burned through by a high electric current "pulse". When the wire burns through, the spring loaded aluminum block is shoved into the spinning blade. The blade cuts deeply into the block, and the block absorbs the considerable momentum energy of the blade, arbor, belt and motor. The result is that the blade and block get hot enough near the teeth of the blade to unsolder or weaken the teeth on the blade. In short the blade is ruined 50% of the time according to one web site I found that had tested the unit. Once the emergency brake has been fired you need to replace the whole brake assembly (like the air bag), which includes the brake, spring, retaining fusible wire, firing electronics including capacitor, and brake frame assembly. Replacement only takes a couple of minutes. Despite the cost, it is still better than paying for a new finger. Two friends have lost 2.5 fingers collectively from table saws. And both were experienced woodworkers.

A hot dog proxy for a finger gets only a nick when pushed into a turning saw blade

The Sawstop has other safety features, too. The riving knife and blade guard are both first rate, much better than others I've used (the guard is small, low profile, and narrow, making narrow rips easier with the guard in place). Both are very easy to swap in and out. Lastly, the start/stop switch is a large paddle, perfectly placed for shutting off with a twist of the knee while you hold that thin strip tight against the fence, to prevent the smooth cut from being ruined while you fumble for the off button. So, so far, it is great.

I've never had a close call on a saw yet, but as I age, I know the extra insurance of having the Sawstop system might save a finger or two.

-- Ben Bishop

Sawstop Cabinet Saw
$2,800
Available from Sawstop

The source for all your nursery, grounds-keeping, and landscaping needs. Pages and pages of every variety of rakes, rows of shovels, more carts than you knew, sprinklers, clippers, pruners, and so on. These tools are aimed at pros, but creative and diligent amateurs will find plenty of interest here.

-- KK

Right:
Toolite Shovel, $58
Super Pole Saw, $146

These and more at A. M. Leonard

I have been sampling speech recognition tools for a long time (e.g., earlier Dragon versions, Microsoft Office add-ins) and they have always come up short. They required extensive training time, they were sensitive to background noise, they were only 80% accurate; for at least one reason (frequently several) they were not ready for prime time use. Nuance's Dragon 8 changes that. I was blown away by the speed and accuracy of the transcription. I am using a 1GHz laptop with 512MB of memory - not a screamer - and it can keep up with me just fine. (Hint: don't wait for it to catch up word by word, just keep talking; it analyzes context.)

The initial setup (including preliminary training) takes less than an hour - and that includes an analysis of your email and documents to better understand your writing style. I have been amazed at the things it picks up out of that analysis.

I had Dragon 8 installed for only a week when I used it to process large volumes of dictation (I was reading what others had hand written). One of the participants observed me dictating material and assumed I was using a $4,000 setup because of the speed and accuracy.

When you first use it, be sure to take the time to correct the early "misunderstandings" using Dragon itself (although you can use the mouse and keyboard concurrently with Dragon). Making corrections with Dragon adds to its learning -- and the speed with which it picks up nuance (no pun intended) is amazing. The command syntax is fairly good and can be customized. For example, saying the word "select" followed by a word or phrase will result in the selection of that word or phrase. "Cap That", "Bold That", "Cut That", are all valid commands at that point. It's fairly sophisticated and only sometimes confuses words for commands.

The preferred and professional versions come with software support for a number of digital recorders (so you can send your recorded dictations through to be transcribed) but since the training is voice specific it would likely require additional training for interviews with others to be successful.

The Preferred edition is the best choice for general use - it comes with a good headset/microphone and is available from Amazon for $120, with rebate.

Amazing!

-- Durwin Sharp

Dragon Naturally Speaking 8
Preferred Edition
$170
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Nuance

They call it "urban exploration." Cruising through abandoned factories, tunnels, sewage systems, bridges, and even "live" structures still in use. Why? Because they are beautiful, mysterious, exciting, and not open to everyone. Others simply enjoy "abandonments, decay and industrial mayhem."

This book is packed solid with great practical advice on how to explore this unexplored realm. Every page has something I didn't know about gaining access, staying safe, and discovering new paths in the urban wilds. While this activity is generally considered illegal, the respect for the buildings, and the owners, nurtured in this guide is impressive.

There's a related DVD in the same spirit which contains no advice at all. Rather it's an ode to urban archeology and the love of forgotten buildings.

-- KK

Access All Areas: A User's Guide to the Art of Urban Exploration
Ninjalicious
2005, 242 pages
$20
Available from Amazon

Echoes of Forgotten Places
Produced by Scribble Media
2005, 63 min.
$18, DVD
Available from Amazon

Still from Echoes of Forgotten Places

Sample book excerpts:

Sometimes you'll want to head through a room, hallway or stairwell that's off-limits and monitored by a camera. In many cases the best way past such a camera is to calmly walk past the camera. Certainly, this will work more often than snipping the wires, cycling the video feed or any other elaborate spy stunts.

*

Directions left by past tunnelers can be quite useful, though they should be taken with a grain of salt. People make mistakes.

*

While I'm a big advocate of properly researching a place to get the inside scoop on how to act like you're supposed to be there, sometimes it's also necessary, or at least fun, to fly by the seat of your pants. In such cases, you may suddenly find yourself questioned by someone, or needing to speak with someone in order to get through a particular barrier, without having any real idea what might be a plausible reason for you to be there.

In such a case, I recommend just stalling for a time and letting the person you're talking to supply your excuse for you. People hate uncomfortable silences and confusing situations and will often rush to supply the information they're looking for themselves. Good stalling phrases include: "I hope you can help me"; "I'm not sure exactly what the procedure is here"; "Do I need to show you some ID?"; "I didn't even know I was going to have to speak to anyone about this" or something of that sort. After you say one of these lines, wait for a response. People generally want to believe that the people around them are rational, so they'll more or less tell you the most rational reason they can conceive of for your presence -- "Are you here for the class?"; "You must be looking for Mark"; "Are you one of today's volunteers?"; "I guess you're looking for the way to the observation level"; etc. You don't have to come up with a good reason -- you just have to agree to the one they devise for you. Once you perfect the skill of stalling without seeming like you're stalling, this will work for you quite often.

*

In most cases, your focus shouldn't be on defeating motion detectors, but on spotting them and avoiding them. If you constantly keep an eye out for motion detectors at all times and in all locations, you'll gradually get a sense of where they're installed, and learn that you have to be especially careful near doorways, roof hatches, outside exits, the tops and bottoms of stairwells and similar locations. And you'll get familiar with the slightly more out-of-the-way routes that can be used to avoid them.

*

Many explorers go out of their way to visit abandoned buildings during the day, both to avoid potential problems with flashlights and camera flashes at night and also because buildings tend to look and photograph a lot better in natural light. As an additional bonus, exploring during daylight hours makes you less likely to step into a hole you didn't notice. The main advantage of exploring at night is that darkness, when properly used, can provide a good deal of concealment while you're trying to get into a building, or while you're climbing about on its roof. Exploring an abandoned building at night can also be very pleasantly creepy.

*

Ventilation shafts really can be used to move from room to room, and in large ones crawling on your knees and elbows is not normally a necessity.

*

When we visit abandoned buildings, our senses are so heightened by the idea of having earned a glimpse of something unique and forbidden that we intensely savour the splendour and wonder of the place. But cities are full of beautiful, neglected, charming and authentic places and these aren't all inside abandoned buildings -- not by a long shot. Some of the city's most surprising and impressive places are courthouses, theatres, libraries, museums, stadia, office buildings, hospitals, transit stations and similar buildings that are still more or less open for business. Just about any interesting old building is worth a look and so are a lot of newer ones. Go in and find their secrets. Climb every ladder. Open every door. Summit every rooftop, etc.

*

In my experience, the absolute optimal time for infiltrating an office tower or similar place of business is between 4pm and 6pm on a Friday night. Between 4pm and 6pm, all the employees are taking off, but the cleaning crews and evening security patrol haven't yet been around. And Friday afternoon is by far the most laid back time at virtually any business.

*

Crossover floors, whatever their signs may warn, should be unlocked in compliance with fire codes. They're good routes out of stairwells.

*

Looking unsuspicious is a big part of using elevators for exploration. If you're on the ground floor and you want to go down, or it you're near the top of the building and you want to go up, it may be in your best interest to push the wrong button, just in case a guard or employee joins you. You can change your mind and your direction once the elevator arrives, providing it's empty. If you're sharing an elevator with others, if you worry that others might get on part way through your ride or if you simply worry that you're looking suspicious, you may want to send out similar miscues about what floors you're visiting when you hop onto the elevator. If you seek the roof of a 50-story building, hit 36. If you have the elevator to yourself when you arrive at 36, hit 47, and walk up from there. (If you look and feel confident, you needn't take these sort of precautions -- these tips apply only when you feel out of place or out of your league.)

The Volvo 240 series of cars is quite possibly one of the best used car deals for the cooltools crowd. They were made from 1975 until 1993 -- so there are plenty of them to go around. In fact, Volvo wanted to stop making the cars three years before they actually stop producing them -- the community demand was so great they just didn't stop!

240s are roomy (especially in wagon form), reasonably fuel efficient (20 - 30 mpg), durable (engines with 200,000+ miles are not blinked at), solid (steel construction), safe (one of the many cars that built the Volvo=Safe reputation), comfy (lumbar support, heated seats, et cetera), simple to work on (thanks to a roomy engine bay), excellent community support (comprehensive FAQ & online forums), excellent parts support (online junkyard parts galore, and you can still get parts at dealerships), good in the winter (with proper snow tires) and best of all, cheap! A 240 in good condition can be had for anywhere from free (it needs a little work and it's so old and has so many miles... who'd want it?) to $2,000+ for a well looked after example. (The 240's latter siblings, the 740 and 940, are both fine cars as well - based on the same mechanicals as the 240)

I've had two previous Vovlo 240s and love my current 1990 240 wagon. I purchased it with 225,000 miles already on the odometer for a trip to Alaska. It may be a 16 year old car, but it brings a smile to my face.

-- Zach Zaletel

1985, 150,000 miles, $1,000
Available from Cars For Sale

User forums
Brick Board,
SweedSpeed,
TurboBricks,

Online parts shops
FCP Groton,
eEuroparts,
VLVworld,
RPR Company, Inc.

Filson's gear is made in Washington state and is superior to almost all of the winter/outdoor gear I've used. They are a bit spendy but spectacularly well made, and they wear like iron. I imagine my Filson Mackinaw will be handed down to my daughter and then to her children before its usefulness has departed. The woolen gear is quiet in the woods, keeps you warm even if damp or wet, and smells just fine to boot. Thumbs up.

-- Tex

Filson's Mackinaw Cruiser
$265
Available from Filson

What makes a ladder really useful are individually adjustable legs. I've had adjustable legs on my ladders for 30 years. You can bolt them almost any ladder. (Ours is a 12-footer straight convertible into a 6 ft stepladder.) They let you level the bottom end of the ladder on uneven ground. Mine will handle 18 inches of difference.

There are several brands, many of which will only fit certain ladders. Most of those only accommodate three inches of difference, which is not enough. Also, the levelers you want are like this kind from McMasters, which are infinitely adjustable; most accessory levelers I've seen have a selection of set incremental positions that are, of course, not quite right most of the time.

Mine make their variable adjustment by means of a stack of tightly-fitting washers on the extension tubes. A spring holds them free when you squeeze the stack. Let go and the washers jam tight permitting no slack at all. They are very easy to adjust without tools. I think that there must have been a problem with liability lawsuits, otherwise the things would be in every hardware store. But even a ninny couldn't mess them up. A guard protects the washers stack. They've never slipped or failed me in any way for 36 years.

The kind here costs less in real money than mine did in 1970 when I paid $20. I literally use mine every time we use the ladder here, at the chicken farm. They can also give you another 15" or anything in between when leaning the ladder on something. You'll love 'em.

-- J. Baldwin

Ladder Levelers
#7948T75
$81 per pair
Available from McMaster-Carr

After a year of experience using Phil and Ted's E3 stroller, with two-kid kit, we think it's simply amazing.

The handling on the E3 stroller is superb. Unlike side-by-side strollers, the width on the E3 is no problem, and the front wheel pivots so you never have any trouble negotiating the tightest areas. Medium sized real tires mean it's no trouble to move over uneven terrain (dirt paths are easy). Construction is excellent, and the whole unit moves with the smoothness and solidity of a well made machine.

It's not the lightest stroller you can buy, but we bought the travel bag accessory and have checked it on multiple airplane flights with no trouble at all. Folds well enough to fit in the back of our car when we take day trips as well.

Of the various ways you can set-up the stroller (see their website) we've had, by far, the most experience with it setup for two seated kids. My wife was concerned that the back seat would be a tough sell on for the kids, but our 3 year old seems to prefer it, which was a surprise.

At $380 for the basic unit, we thought hard about spending that much money on a stroller. But to this day, we remark on how GOOD that purchase looks in retrospect. We use it daily -- well worth the extra money in our view.

-- Brian Fleming

Phil and Ted's E3 Buggy, with Doubles kit
$490
Available from Let's Go Strolling

List of retail and online stores

Manufactured by Phil and Ted's

It's a small joke, but it works. A graphic artist embedded herself at the legendary radio show This American Life and created a comic book (all pictures) on how to make great narrative radio (no pictures). Well, at least how to make radio like This American Life makes it, which in my opinion is the best radio being made. There's less on recording techniques and more on how radio narratives work (or don't). It's not about news radio, nor talk radio, but story radio. In this respect, this slim, 32-page comic book will help anyone telling stories, and also make you a better radio listener, too.

-- KK

Radio: An Illustrated Guide
Jessica Abel and Ira Glass
1999, 32 pages
$4
Available from Amazon

Is it worth it to pay the premium price for organic produce? I have found this wallet guide (folded paper) a handy reference in the supermarket to help answer that question. It identifies 12 fruits and vegetables that are high in pesticides when conventionally grown so I buy the organic versions instead. When I feel like saving a buck, I can check it to find 12 that are typically lower in pesticides. This list is in my wallet along with the Seafood Watch, reviewed earlier. You too can keep the green in your wallet as well as in your diet.

-- V. Seribo

Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce
Free PDF, produced by Environmental Working Group
View the longer list of 43 fruits and vegetables here

I am convinced that the single most effective tool you can have on hand for an ABC disaster (Atomic, Biological, or Chemical) is a good face mask. The danger of nuclear radiation is primarily from fallout, which drifts as air-born particles. Same for many chemical spills; their poison also drifts on microscopic airborne droplets. And the biological toxins we most fear also travel in the air as particles. A face mask covering nose and mouth can reduce (not eliminate) the risk of inhaling these particles.

But face masks are useless unless worn, and are not worn (for long) if uncomfortable. I've been trying out various inexpensive masks that I could wear for many hours without going crazy. I found the Cool Max to be the only respirator I could keep on for long periods. The Cool Max are cheap N95 units (workshop, not surgical quality) that fold out and fit on the face with two elastic straps. The enlarged surface area eases breathing, and removes that suffocating sensation I usually get from wearing respirators. I could talk, drive, and work outside in the garden for hours without much discomfort. These masks are cheap enough that I have stocked a supply for our household (you'll need more than one).

Recently I attended a meeting for the world's avian flu experts and asked them how effective a face mask like Cool Max would be in an avian flu epidemic. (I had already learned that touching hands transmits more viruses between people than does sneezing; so it makes no sense to wear a mask without wearing gloves.) About half of the flu researchers believed a mask would not do anything at all (viruses are smaller than the filter pores), and the other half said that of course it would help since the viruses ride along on larger particles. When I asked them how many of them would personally have their families wear one in a flu pandemic, they almost all said they would. Although the efficacy of masks with viruses is unproven, there is no harm in using them, as long as you don't believe it guarantees anything.

My research came down to this: Better than hoarding Tamiflu, sequestering some face masks and disposable gloves is the cheapest, easiest and most productive thing you can do to prepare for a flu epidemic beforehand. Fancier, more sophisticated face masks would probably be more effective if you kept them clean and were willing to wear them. But I find it cumbersome to walk around with a gas mask. These Cool Max respirators will at least be worn for the durations needed, and will reduce your risk of inhaling ABC particles.

And, oh, they work really great keeping dust out, too!

-- KK

Cool Max Respirator
$5 /2 masks
Avaiable from ACE Hardware

Disclosure by manufacture on their respirator and avian flu (PDF) from Aero Technologies

I'm into very low maintenance "pets." I've got my autonomous brine shrimp and have been looking for other critters I can keep and then abandon on a two-week vacation without external care or worry. I was given two tarantulas that fit the bill.

Tarantulas are big, beautiful, active and fascinating. I feed mine crickets. Since they sit on my desk basking in the warmth of the computers and electronic adapters, they've grown quite large. They burrow, cling, and pounce. Every once in a while they crawl out of their skins and molt. They are far more entertaining than I imagined. That's not too hard because I knew nothing about such creatures.

This wonderful book cured my ignorance. It is the best and most complete of the few volumes on the subject, and far more organized than any of the many web sites. It got me going by answering most of my newbie questions, and hasn't exhausted my spider curiosity since. Like many insects, tarantulas have lives that need books to explain and that can mesmerize readers for hours. This guide serves up natural history and practical how-to instructions for keeping these wonderful arachnids in your home.

-- KK

The Tarantula Keeper's Guide
Stanley A. Schultz, Marguerite J. Schultz
1998, 208 pages
$10
Available from Amazon

Sample excerpts:

Picking up the tarantula

*
How can the right kind be selected? Remember, these creatures don't live for only a few months like hamsters. They will live for years, perhaps for decades. Once purchased, it could be yours for a major portion of your life.

*
Not So Deadly Tarantulas
Virtually every reference is anecdotal with no firm medical evidence or authoritative species identification. There are also allegations that some South American species are dangerously venomous (e.g., one or more Phrixotrichus species); but again, there is little factual evidence, merely unverified anecdotal attempts to impress the gullible tourist with giant spider stories.

Too many people have cried wolf too many times. To say that these authors are skeptical is a vast understatement. With the exception of those listed above, none of the species commonly sold in pet shops are dangerous, and most make safe, reliable pets for the novice. The experienced aficionado may wish to acquire some of the rarer varieties, but is urged to take precautions when handling them until their identity is confirmed and verifiable evidence of the effects of their venom is obtainable. Other than that, neither the enthusiast, roommates, the spouse, nor the mother need worry.
*

The fresh exuvium [shed skin] of Brachypelma emilia. How much of the anatomy can you identify?

Never have the wrong size bungee cord ever again. Python Cut-to-Fit Bungee Cord enables you to make custom-length bungee cords in less than a minute. I'm a big mountain biker. I use the Python Bungees in a variety of ways ... securing bike bags, pumps, ice chests and other gear in the back of my trunk as well as further securing bikes on my roof top Thule racks and 4-bike Hitch rack. In the past, I'd buy a bag of bungee cords and have to spend time linking them together to get the required length. The hooks were metal and the little end piece would come off and I'd be left with a sharp edge. With the Python Bungee I can determine the length I need then make one for that purpose. Plus the hooks are plastic and not sharp.

The Python Bungee Kit comes with 72 inches of super-strength UV resistant bungee cord tubing; six custom-contoured high-impact hooks that won't scratch or rust; six plugs for securing the hooks, and one custom cutting tool. The Python Kit makes up to three bungee cords. The tubing in the kit is 6 feet long and it stretches 3 times is length. So you could use the tubing to make one cord that stretches 18 feet.

You can also order tubing by the foot ($0.50 per foot) up to 300 feet, for that extra long need.

-- Kim Merrill

Python Cut-to-Fit Bungee Cord Kit
$11
Available from Python Bungee

The Little Gorilla is like the Little Giant Ladder sold on TV. Both are pretty nifty 4-in-1 ladders. You get: 1) Standard extendable A-frame ladder, 2) Adjustable for uneven terrain such as having one side on a stairway, 3) Flat extension ladder to lean against a wall, 4) Divided into two smaller A-frames which can support a scaffold or 2x12 plank between them.

The Little Giant is very expensive ($300 plus), while the Little Gorilla (different company) is much cheaper -- $99 (I bought one recently on sale for $89). The Little Gorilla Ladder does all the Little Giant does but better. It is light weight -- 29 pounds; anyone in normal physical condition can lift it. It is strong -- 300 pound rated steps, stronger than most ladders. And it is small -- when folded for storage, only 43 inches long. It fits easily in a car or in a closet. I can carry it around the house without bumping into walls or precious decorative objects.

Although it is advertised as a 13-foot multi-position ladder, the maximum length of the Little Gorilla is actually 11 feet. There are larger sizes of the Gorilla but they are bigger than I need, heavier and cost more. The Little Gorilla is best.

-- Jim Teter

Little Gorilla 13 ft. Multi Position Aluminum Ladder
$99
Available from Home Depot

Manufactured by Gorilla Ladder Company

A simple superior tool about the size of a stubby pencil that punches a tiny depression in metal. It's used to start a hole, or mark a point. But unlike standard punches, which you need to hit with a hammer -- whose impact usually misaligns the spot you intended to punch -- this one gets its punch from a tiny internal spring that flexes as you press the tip down. You simply press the punch where you want a dent and there it is exactly. A classic.

-- KK

We in the rescue trade also use these pretty routinely to safely remove the glass in automobiles. They work particularly well on the glass in the side and rear windows and leave all of the little glass bits intact in the window frame until you gently remove them with gloved hands. The bits then go where you want (generally) and not on your patient. I assume that keeping one in your car would let you punch out your own windows in case of emergency. Just remeber that it is key to use the device on the lower corner of a window or the glass can shatter and go everywhere.

-- J. James Bono

Auto Center Punch
$4
Available from Amazon

This mail order supply carries more Cool Tool items than anywhere I've seen. I've also found more items here that I would like to try for Cool Tools than anywhere else. The outfit sells clever stuff, most of it not ridiculous prestige and life-style crap, but honest attempts to be useful. Like its competitor Think Geek, X-treme Geek favors products that are high tech, slightly unusual, maybe hackable, and certainly ingenious. However X-treme has a wider range of stuff than Think Geek. I really enjoy browsing their large-format, paper catalog.

-- KK

Sample items:

Flexible shaft screwdriver, $9

Bionic wrench, $30

Sardine can survival kit, $13

X-treme Geek catalog