October 2007
E-Z Reacher
There are various incarnations of these grippers, but I've been using mine all the time for at least three years and it still looks new and works great. It's a rigid aluminum shaft with spring loaded rubber suction cup grabbers on one end and a squeeze handle at the other. Lets me grab things off high shelves and retrieve things dropped in inaccessible places, but it's especially great for repetitive tasks that require bending over, like gathering lots of small things off the ground (fallen walnuts; I hate stepping on them in my yard) or grabbing icky things. I use mine 2-3 times a week, mostly for those quick grabs or a put-back on a high shelf, but also for serial grabbing: I picked up two 5-gallon bucketfuls of squishy rotted peaches off my lawn recently -- no bending, no sticky fingers. When I was done I just used the hose to rinse it off. You can also yank down fruit from on high or pull down a thin branch that needs trimming. It's also gentle enough to pick up an egg if you're so inclined.
Other models made by other companies - even the more expensive reachers -- feel cheaply made, grab less firmly, and often use weaker spring steel. Some use less grabby suction cup ends and others simply have a hook-like grabber which wouldn't be of much use for me. I've seen landscape trash collectors using this model, so I feel that speaks to its strength and longevity. There are shorter E-Z Reachers available, but personally, I find I want as much reach as possible. They also make folding versions (good for those in wheelchairs) and locking versions (for those with less hand strength) and various combinations thereof. Replacement suction cups are available ($4), but I have never needed to replace them.
-- Barbara Dace
E-Z Reacher
$17
(40")
Available at Amazon
Manufactured by Arcoa Industries, Inc.
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Favorite (15)Apples to Apples
We've been playing this word-based card game for the last three years and it continues to be an enlightening ice breaker. There are two types of cards: nouns (red) and adjectives (green). Each player is given a small stack of nouns. The game begins when one player (the judge) draws an adjective. Each player then anonymously lays down one noun he/she believes the judge will associate with the adjective. Players can try to sway the decision, but ultimately, the judge's power is absolute. Some people are inherently literal, sarcastic, wishy-washy, optimistic, stubborn or dryly humorous. The challenge lies in figuring out what type(s) of judges surround you and what kind of judge you want to be. Discovering who's on the same wave length is always interesting. What's more "magical" -- a sunset, Thomas Edison, the Pyramids, surfing the net, or Barney the dinosaur? Subjectivity rules!
---- Steven Leckart
Apples to Apples
$25
Available from Amazon
Manufactured by Out of the Box
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Garmin Forerunner 305 & MotionBased Training
As an age-group triathlete, I wouldn't want to train without my Garmin Forerunner 305, a GPS "wristwatch" with an accompanying heart rate monitor (HRM). It's my training partner: holds me to the line, makes me get out and work out, and gives me the information I need to advance. Of particular interest to me are: mile splits on the run; average HR (heart rate) and maximum HR. Here's how it works: I strap the HRM around my chest and turn on the wrist unit. The GPS locks on to satellite positions. I press "start" and go! While I am moving during the workout, I am being tracked. If I stop, the tracking program "pauses;" thus, my actual results are only for while I am moving. It's a pretty significant piece of hardware, but of the research I did, and GPS/HRM units I've owned (Timex, Nike, Polar), at this time the Garmin 305 is the most appropriate to my needs. Both the HRM strap as well as the "watch" are comfortable. The unit is bulky, sure, but anyone who wears a watch to work out will grow accustomed to it. Best of all, the wireless communication is spot-on -- the watch picks up the transmitted heart rate much better than the Polar unit I previously used, for instance. And the ability to sync my GPS/HR data not only to my computer (Garmin has proprietary software) but also Garmin's MotionBased.com is crucial. After any workout, I upload the data to my MotionBased account, which charts all the data and allows me to review statistics. I simply plug a cord in to my computer's USB port, launch Safari (for Mac, you must use Safari) and upload the data to my MB Inbox. Then, I can add any notes/details/names of the training session. The kind of information Garmin and MotionBased training provides is much more comprehensive than the more subjective tracking I've done by creating my own workout logs on Google spreadsheets.
I can train the same exact route and know to the moment (time and heart rate) how I did in comparison to the last time; I can see the average and max temperatures and windspeed to see if climate may have affected my performance; I can record and share my workouts with friends, coaches, or other athletes, export routes to GoogleEarth or GoogleMaps and use the data to practice, rehearse mentally and visualize my upcoming events and races. I can also show my mom how cool she is for running with me! (At 57, she still keeps up a good 4 mile pace!). I started with the free MotionBased account. After I used it a few times, I knew I would want the extra features for a year to truly test the functionality and see if it was something I could use (so far it's been well worth the $48 annual fee). The differences between free and standard accounts include access to MotionBased's Analyzer, which allows you to pinpoint distance splits.
In 2001, after being 40 pounds overweight with no physical fitness program in place, I started triathalon training with an HRM and began tracking my run, swim, bike, and weight lifting workouts, and calibrating and tracking my outdoor activities (hiking, biking, running) with a Garmin Gecko 101 GPS that I bought from Target for $79.00. This gave me week-to-week comparisons for speed, time and distance, which I used to assess my training and interval workouts through the quarter. However, now I can get ALL of these training metrics together with one simple device. I initially bought the Forerunner 205, but returned it because I wanted the extra data: heart rate. My goal for next year is to race at a lower HR than in years past. After the last triathlon I raced in, I learned my HR was too high (race average: 173). I would like to get that down to the low 160s/mid 160s for the 5.5 hour race I am planning for next May. Using the Garmin Forerunner 305 and MotionBased really enhances all the training I do. It makes me look forward to capturing the results and pushes me for the next time, especially when I revisit a specific route.
-- Jason Womack
Garmin Forerunner 305
$166
Available from Amazon
Manufactured by Garmin
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Brother Sewing Machine
I own, use and occasionally drag around my LS-2125i sewing machine. Like the previous version of this machine reviewed and recommended in Cool Tools, it's light, small, cheap and reliable. I use it for occasional household work and mostly to make repairs to uniforms and sew on patches. It can do ten stitches and that's more than enough for me. Especially handy is the buttonholer. This little box, in combination with a beginner's sewing book, can help you do everything that you can imagine short of embroidery. It has held up most admirably considering how much I use it. I'm an old Red Cross disaster guy currently flying with the Civil Air Patrol. For some missions, CAP is the USAF Auxiliary and as a result, we have two uniform types: AF and corporate. If you're active and train moderately, you can be promoted and you also get all these dratted qualification badges. Tailors or cleaners charge around ten bucks a patch, and a uniform can have LOTS. My BDUs: ten patches each. My flight suits: only five. But it gets nuts. The unit has paid for itself by simply allowing me to avoid patch sew-on charges. All else is gravy.
-- Angus mac Lir
Brother LS-2125i
$80
Available from Amazon
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Yeti Sherpa Coolers
I have an ice chest fetish: every time I go into an Academy or a Bass Pro Shop, I always have to check out the coolers. I had yet to find a decent chest to keep drinks cold all weekend in the sun until a friend told me about Yeti Coolers (formally Icey-Tek), the heavy-duty coolers that hard-core fishermen use. They are marine grade and because the lid and the walls are about 2" thick with polyurethane foam insulation, ice can last at least 3 days, all weekend! I was so impressed I bought the 50 qt Sherpa and the Lunchmate, which holds about 18 canned beverages with ice. I have tried many non-powered coolers: Colemans, Igloos, generics, all sizes and shapes. I was most excited about a stainless steel Colemans, but mine fell apart. Unless these get stolen out of my truck, they will be the last coolers I ever own. The only con: expensive. However, you do save money on ice.
-- Jim Plank
Yeti Sherpa Cooler
$180
(50 qt.)
Available from Amazon
Manufactured by Yeti Coolers
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AlphaSmart Word Processor
The AlphaSmart is a very lightweight word processor with a four-line screen that runs for over 700 hours on a couple of AA batteries. It holds about 100 pages of text in 8 different files. Text can be easily uploaded to any word processing file. It turns on instantly and is extremely durable. I have used a previous incarnation (the AlphaSmart 3000) for years, and truly appreciate its ruggedness, ease of use, and non-distractibility. When I really just need to write and NOT be fooling around on the Internet, it turns on instantly, runs coolly and silently, and does not tempt me to edit when I should be writing (a computer is much easier for editing, since you can see a larger screen). Still, these have enough editing features to allow me to make important changes on the fly. These were originally designed as inexpensive word processors for schools. Since each of the eight files can be assigned to a different student with his own password, a number of different classes can use the same machines (there's a bunch of software available for teachers).
I wrote most of my last novel on mine, uploading to the computer every couple of days. I find it much more portable than my laptop, much less distracting, always ready. I wanted something cheap, lightweight, super-sturdy, entirely intuitive, and non-distracting. I didn't want something hot on my lap, didn't want to wait for it to boot up, didn't want to have to recharge batteries. My AlphaSmart 3000 weighs 2 pounds and I've dropped it more than twice with no problems. It's perfect for me. If I try to rough-draft on the computer, I'm daunted by the big blank "page" of the screen and fatally tempted to edit and format as I go. Or, when the going gets rough, tempted to play games or balance my checkbook or get online. My own character defects, of course, but I dare say not all my own. When I'm ready to upload to the computer, I attach a cable between the AlphaSmart and a USB port on my PC (it's Mac compatible, too) open an MS Word file (or, more usually, a MS Write file, which seems faster for some reason), and hit the "send" key. Then I can sit back and watch what's in the AlphaSmart file scroll onto the screen in a few minutes. Then I can edit my text, and I don't usually get distracted when I'm editing. You do have to upload each file separately, but that's not really a problem. I also bought a piece of software that I can use to download from a text file on the computer to the AlphaSmart, which is useful sometimes.
The version I use is the one that came out just before the Neo, their latest word processor. If I wanted another one, personally, I'd likely buy an older model on eBay rather than get a Neo, only because I can see they're adding more bells and whistles and I just don't want them. I should add that I do have a good laptop, but rarely use it; for one thing, I find it a nuisance and a worry to travel with, but it also has an annoying buzz. Writing is hard enough without having to be aware of the medium. When I start working on it, my AlphaSmart just sort of disappears. Without it, I'd draft in longhand. Lots of writers still do, you know.
-- Polly Robertus
AlphaSmart Word Processor
$220+
Available from and manufactured by Renaissance Learning, Inc.
Or eBay
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Wired Test
Since it debuted a few years ago, I've eagerly awaited the arrival of these product-packed issues of Wired. Tested, reviewed and rated are pretty much every gadget imaginable in every category imaginable (much of it very newly-released, too). Again, exclusively for Cool Tools readers, Wired's editor in chief Chris Anderson has graciously provided a pdf of the Fall issue (on newsstands today). What you get: 125 pages of solid content broken into specific sections and spreads, everything from A/V to office to kitchen to automotive to garden to gaming equipment and accessories. This means: flatscreens, laptops, lawnmowers, headphones, pocketcams, DV cams, blenders, cell phones, wine openers, strollers, and more, ranging from cheap to relatively affordable to the 'yeah right.' Items are rated on 10-pt. scale with "Editor's Picks" and specs-comparison "Scorecards" for the quick take away. Of course, the highs and lows for each and every product are detailed, warts and all, from the most minor annoyance to the biggest bonehead oversight. As a consumer, I value and crave the details. I read a ton of reviews prior to any purchase, especially those on Amazon and Epinions. There's still just something about glossy photos and thorough, thoughtful editing that makes a 'professional' guide like this virtually irreplaceable. File under: porn for consumers.
-- Steven Leckart
Wired Test
Available at Wired.com
Available for download (8MB PDF)
[DISCLOSURE: I contributed one short review to Fall Test; otherwise, I had absolutely no hand in its creation --sl]
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Ultimate MX Hauler Motorcycle Carrier
This hauler is one of the most efficient and stable methods I've seen to transport motorcycles under the 375lb load limit. It raises the bike, so there's no need to push your bike up a trailer ramp, which can be challenging depending on your strength. The lift has a hydraulic jack (the same style used to change your tire), which jacks up manually using the jack handle. The bike locks into the lift platform using a U-Bolt clamp on the footpegs, which is the exact center of weight in most bikes. My KTM Adventure weighs around 325lbs (depending on the level of the 7.4 gallon fuel tank) and even when cinched down on a ramp hauler, it tended to bounce around; this rig doesn't have that problem. A friend recommended it after I mentioned I had picked up a new 640 KTM and was looking at getting a bumper ramp style hauler, which I learned can be unstable. He noted that because my bike is pretty heavy, I'd be much better off using a hydraulic style hauler. He specifically recommended the Ultimate MX Hauler based on his pro MX friends' feedback. I love it. It's especially handy when dropping off the bike for repairs -- just strap it onto the back of my 4X4 van and I'm off. Fast, safe, solid and simple. The hitch attaches quite easily to your trailer hitch. You will need to purchase an adapter if the vehicle has a lift kit, but Ultimate makes adapters up to 8"; I'm using the 6" drop. Phoned the factory contact number, purchased it and the thing was on my doorstep the next day. I also found out they're working on a sport bike version with a 600lb limit.
-- Velemir Cicin
Ultimate MX Hauler Motorcyle Carrier
$360
Available from Ultimate MX Hauler
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Nudie the Rodeo Tailor
This photo-driven book documents the life and work of legendary tailor Nudie Cohn, whose eccentric pieces of wearable art were worn by countless country, rock and pop musicians, everyone from Elvis to Elton John. The free-for-all that is Japanese street fashion is undeniably more outlandish, but if you keep in mind how Nudie made everyone look like Liberace (even macho country boys in the conservative '50s!), his work becomes all the more inspiring. There are numerous, thicker retrospectives with glossy snapshots of flashy rodeo wear, but this is the only book that focuses entirely on Nudie. His story is so enticing I really wonder why no one's written a comprehensive, narrative non-fiction biography about him: after immigrating from Russia, he became an amateur boxer, spent time hitchhiking coast to coast and eventually started fashioning clothes and costumes out of his garage in the '40s. If you're a serious seamster or occasional stitch 'n bitcher, his embroidery will get your juices flowing. If you're a home crafter or tinkerer with big aspirations, here's another fine example of what's possible.
-- Steven Leckart
Nudie the Rodeo Tailor
Mary Lynn Cabrall & Jamie Lee Nudie
2004, 160 pages
$10+
Available from
Amazon Marketplace
Sample images:
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Lee Valley Jar Opener
I always used a spoon until I was given one of these lid poppers. I was skeptical, but I now find myself reaching for it without even thinking. It's an 8.5 by 5 cm piece of metal, bent in the middle and curved at each end to accommodate just about any size jar lid. It's very simple and straightforward. You simply place it on the top of the jar with either of the rolled sides caught just under the edge of the lid (which side of the opener depends on the lid size). Your fingers hold the piece in place, which acs as a lever, and the bend in the metal serves as the fulcrum. The downward pressure of the heel of your hand provides just enough force to release the vacuum without distorting the lid. I can happily report no more bent spoon handles, no more splatters, no more spills, just a nice "pop" sound when the vacuum has been broken; then I know I am home free. I have not tried the plastic JarPop, but I've had this steel one for at least 3 years and it has never bent in anyway, nor has it rusted.
-- Ellen Rocco
Lee Valley Jar Opener
$9
Available from Lee Valley
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TitleZ * RankForest
Amazon sales ranks have become a surrogate for measuring actual sales online. When Amazon says a book ranks 2,000 it means it is the 2,000 besting selling book that hour; it doesn't tell you how many were sold. In fact often a few copies sold can move a book's rank, depending on time of day, week, or the rest of the world of books. (Use this chart to make a rough correlation between rank and copies sold if you really need to know.) Nonetheless, because these ranks are public (unlike bookstore sales) and easy to grab, they have become a great way to anyone monitor how a book is selling. In the past it might take 6 months before sales of books were reported. Now authors and publishers with new books will check hourly to see if their rankings have been improved by a radio interview, or book review.
But you don't need to be the author or publisher to have an interest in how a book is selling. Trendspotters long ago discovered that books are good canaries of ideas, and that monitoring clusters of books give you a zeitgeist reading, very similar to Google's Hot Trends, which monitors search terms over time. Also keep in mind you can track other things on Amazon besides books: CDs, games, software. You just need Amazon's ID for each item.
While you can just check the Amazon page to see what a product's ranking is, what you really want is something that constantly tracks an item and compiles the data into graphs, charts, and spreadsheets. There are several websites that do this. I previously recommended JungleScan, the original Amazon tracker, for a free way to track Amazon rankings. The site was abandoned last year (although its owner says he will revive up "someday.")
TitleZ is a new free site (for now), It's been in beta for years. You can track many books for free, and get some handsome graphs of their ranking. The good thing is that TitleZ will instantly give you the back history of a book's ranking back to 2004. The downside of TitleZ is that you can't export the data, or do much else.
A TitleZ track of my 1994 book, above. Below is a comparison chart of my two books in print.
RankForest has many more features, and friendlier interface. Unfortunately, you can track only one book for free. And you don't get historical info; you have to register a book to track it. For more books, and more features you need to pay a monthly subscription, beginning at $3/month and up. Other goodies in the paid version include the option to add other online bookstore rankings, like Barnes and Noble, complex graphing options such as racing two books, alerts, and so on.
There are other trackers out there, some catering to publishers, but these two are the best for non-publisher types.
-- KK
Google's Hot Trends
--
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Zig Memory System Millennium Markers
An avid scrapbooker in our family vehemently recommended these acid-free pens about five years ago. Ever since, we've used them to label all of our albums and prints, both new and old. If you're going to take enough care to use an acid-free album or you plan to send your photos overseas for scanning, then you need one of these; otherwise, in time, the acid from, say, a standard ballpoint will cause degradation (yellowing, brittleness, etc.). The fine tip allows for small, really crisp penmanship (we use the 05 model which produces a .45mm line). They're advertised as fade proof, non-bleeding and waterproof. I can attest to the first two (we take great care to keep our stuff dry *knock wood*). One caveat: to avoid smudges, let the ink sit about 10-15 seconds before putting the photo back into an album.
-- Steven Leckart
$2
(various colors & thickness)
Available from Dick Blick
$16
(set of 8 varied colors in 05 size)
Available from Amazon
Manufactured by Kuretake
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Acid-Free Tissue Paper
DryPro Cast Cover
When my six year old daughter broke her arm, we figured our big lake vacation was going to be a real test of her patience. Then a friend told us about DryPro Cast covers. They're essentially a super-thick latex mitten (or 'crab claw') that covers the entire arm or leg. Air is sucked out via a one-way valve to give it a snug fit, like a rubber glove. The device comes with a detachable bulb pump, but we usually just sucked out the small amount of air needed by mouth. Our daughter used it not only while swimming and bathing, but for water-tubing, rope swinging, and general sprinkler fun. She was able to submerge the broken limb completely. The covers are not indestructible, but the only thing I was ever worried about, and warned her to be careful of, was cutting the cover on a sharp rock. I actually purchased a second cast cover in case my daughter tore the first one -- she didn't. And it completely saved the vacation. I'm guessing these will last most kids at least one bone-mending cycle.
-- Chris Crawford
DryPro Waterproof Cast Cover
$34+
(depends on size/type)
Available from Amazon
(x-small, full arm)
Also available in adult sizes from Amazon
(half leg)
Manufactured by Xero Products, LLC
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Uclue Answers
Google Answers was a great service I used and recommended. Sadly it was closed. Many of the free-lance researches from Google Answers moved to a new independently owned site, Uclue, that offers a similar service. You ask a question, announce a price you think an answer is worth, and if a top-notch researcher thinks your fee is fair, they will research your question. Questions can be quickies worth $5, or more complicated queries costing $200.
In my experience their answers are solid and reliable. You can always ask for clarifications. As with Google Answers, the results are public. That means it pays to search the site for previous similar questions. It also means that your answer won't be confidential. (Indeed. The answer to a question I commissioned on Uclue was Slashdotted.)
If you want advice, go to the free and free-wheeling Yahoo Answers. You'll get your money's worth. If you want help on a particular question that the exact right person can answer quickly, I think Ask Metafilter is by far the best guru (and it is free for members). But if what you need is some real research and serious sleuthing, the kind of answer that is not just sitting in someone's head, I believe your best bet will be Uclue.
Figure how long it might take you to answer your own question -- if you could at all -- and you'll see that Uclue answers are a real bargain.
-- KK
Ethical Wills
An ethical will is a good-bye letter that sums up your life's aims. You write this will in order to pass on your values instead of your valuables. It is not legally binding. It is not a living will, either, which is no more than an final care directive. An ethical will, instead, is closer to advice. It is a re-statement of the lessons you learned in life. It's an ancient practice; the earliest examples are 3,000 years old, and not uncommon among some Jewish communities. In the days of illiteracy, the deceased's will was read aloud for all concerned to hear. Why not annex one little last sermon for them since you had a captive audience at a moment when they are really paying attention? What began as a supplement to a legacy will is now enjoying a role of its own. As you age, you set down your values, stories and other intangibles you wish to pass onto others. This letter says the unsaid, clarifies the mind, stretches across generations. For many families, this missive may become the most valuable thing you leave behind.
You don't need this book, Ethical Wills, to figure out how to write one. Any style or form is fine; the more uniquely personal, the better. The book has collected some modern and traditional examples of ethical wills, which is what I found most useful. It lays out the reasons and steps to begin if you need encouragement. I've begun mine (it should be a work in progress) and have discovered that one of the best reasons to do it is for my own sake. Like journal-keeping, it's an act of self-discovery. Unlike diaries, the total effort may be as short as one sheet of paper. I find it motivational to contemplate this possibility: how wonderful would it be if I could read the ethical wills of each of my grandparents and their parents? I find few things as thrilling as passing on values that might be replicated for generations.
Neither this book, nor any of the other related books and websites that I've read, have mentioned an intriguing alternative to a written ethical will: a short video. Many people who are not comfortable writing would be comfortable talking. Video cameras are cheap; you could do some really powerful statements of your values and perspective that might speak to future generations. If you go this route, use a common format so there is a chance someone can view it a century from now.
When you die you'll leave behind a long trail of textual bits scattered over the world, but what you should leave is a distilled succinct package, a one-page, 5-minute testimony of you being you, so that if the rest of your recorded self should disappear, at least we'll know what you thought was important. And I can promise you this, you'll learn something doing it.
-- KK
Ethical Wills
Barry K. Baines
2006, 217 pages
$11
Available from Amazon
Sample excerpts:
Thirteen years ago, I first learned about an ancient tradition for passing on personal values, beliefs, blessings, and advice to future generations called an "ethical will." At a subconscious level, I must have remembered the custom, because when my father was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1990, I asked him to write a letter about the things that he valued. About a month before he died, my dad gave me two handwritten pages in which he spoke about the importance of being honest, getting a good education, helping people in need, and always remaining loyal to family. That letter -- his ethical will -- meant more to me than any material possession he could have bequeathed.
*
Ethical wills were particularly advantageous outlets for women, since society's rules usually precluded them from writing a legal will or dispensing property as they wished. Historians have found examples of ethical wills authored by women during the medieval period, usually in the form of letters or books written to their children.
*
This will was written in the earlier part of the twentieth century. It has a very interesting history. In the pocket of an old ragged coat belonging to one of the insane patients at a Chicago poorhouse, a will was found after his death. According to Barbara Boyd, in the Washington Law Reporter, the man had been a lawyer, and the will was written in a firm clear hand on a few scraps of paper. So unusual was it, that it was sent to another attorney; and so impressed was he with its contents, that he read it before the Chicago Bar Association and a resolutions was passed ordering it probated. It is now in the records of Cook County Illinois.
*
ITEM: To lovers, I devise their imaginary world, with whatever they may be need, as the stars of the sky, the red roses by the wall, the bloom of the hawthorn, the sweet strains of music, and aught else they may desire to figure to each other the lastingness and beauty of their love.
ITEM: To young men jointly, I devise and bequeath all boisterous inspiring sports of rivalry, and I give to them the disdain of weakness and undaunted confidence in their own strength. Though they are rude, I leave them to the powers to make lasting friendships, and of possessing companions, and to them exclusively I give all merry songs and brave choruses to sing with lusty voices.
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Universal Heritage
This chart rewards careful study. Inspect one timeline of the universe from the Big Bang to yesterday. It skips through this vast scale in 16 jumps, each period nested inside the preceding epic. Combined here is cosmic history, geological history, biological history and cultural history into one unified, universal snapshot of the Great Story.
-- KK
Universal Heritage Chart
27 x 39 inches
$13
(shipping not included)
Available from timelineposter.com
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ScanCafe
This service will digitize your old slides, negatives and photographic prints at high quality and at a very cheap price. I've been using them to scan my 30-year backlog of photographs and I have been delighted with the results. I've used other services to scan my old photos; ScanCafe is by far the best deal. Their prices are fantastic. To scan a slide is just 24 cents, a color negative 19 cents.
Here is how it works: You pack up your images and mail them to ScanCafe's headquarters in Northern California. They count them up, and repackage them before shipping the pieces to India. In India they are scanned, touched up, rotated and then privately posted to your account at their website. You then go through the images online and select which ones you'd like to keep. You are allowed to dismiss (and not pay for) up to 50% of the total for that order. You can reject images because you aren't happy with how they look online, or simply because you don't want the image. In the specific case of original photo negatives, there is no reliable way to communicate which image(s) you want on the strip, so ScanCafe will scan the entire strip of negatives. You'll have to reject the particular frames you don't want (but no more than 50% of the total order. Combine them with slides to keep your percentage down.)
After you've made your selection, Scan Cafe will send the originals back to the US and then from CA they will ship you a DVD/CD with your images and your originals. It takes 7-8 weeks door to door. The quality of scan is great for everything except huge billboard enlargements. The photos are scanned at 3000 dpi which gives a file about the quality of a 7 megapixel digital shot. You can scoop the final jpeg images into iPhoto or Flickr or Blurb books. They are rotated into correct up-down/sideways orientation by hand. They are clean and crisp. I have a Nikon scanner and these $0.19 scans are superior in quality. On the left is a ScanCafe scan cropped for detail, on the right is a Nikon scan. Note the increase dynamic range of the left one, as on the rock. (These two images have been uniformly reduced in resolution to fit on the web.)
So for $25 you can get 100 slides scanned. You'll need to pay for shipping your box to and fro via UPS, which might total $12, so larger orders amortize that cost. And then there's the 2 month wait. Clearly this is a tool for dealing with your archive and not a birthday present you need next week. If your photos have sat unused for 10 years a few additional weeks turnaround is not going to hurt. The 50% cut is also meant to encourage you to scan everything and sort later.
These cheap prices have encouraged me to revisit my earlier photo life, and in the spirit of the web, start sharing the treasure now hiding in the basement.
Some people are very concerned about sending their precious originals to India -- or anywhere for that matter. They should not be. ScanCafe has a very elaborate tracking and shipping system that would work even if you were shipping jewels. Their scanning facilities in Bangalore (description and photos here) are more organized than you are. I have more trust in this system than I would handing them over to any neighborhood scanner.
-- KK
ScanCafe
$0.19/neg, $0.24/slide
Strida Folding Bike
This folding bike (up in less than 5 seconds in my case) has won both design awards and race awards. I've used it for seven years to traverse New York City to commute an average of 2 miles one way -- in and out of Grand Central, the subways, buses, etc. A lot of folding bikes break down so that they're bulky and awkward. The Strida is long and narrow, and carries like a photographer's tripod (I can fold it while running down the platform at Grand Central). An easy way to visualize it is to picture three tubes in a triangle. Two points are hinged, and the third is a latch. When unlatched, the tubes fall together to look like a group of parallel tubes with a seat and wheels. Assembly is just forming the triangle, then click and go. This design is very clever, yet simple and robust.
The bike is unusual because there isn't much maintenance (tire pressure and brake adjustments only). Unlike the Brompton, the Strida is a single gear with (dry) belt drive, which means no shifter or greasy chain, no tension adjustments and no caught pant legs. Even though there is only one speed, I can still climb reasonable hills. The tires are mini fat tubes, so you can jump curbs and hit potholes without any problems. The bike has a very, very tight turning radius, and while riding, your posture is quite upright - like a boulevard bike, not humped over like a road bike - so you can see traffic while riding in a suit and tie. The construction is solid, not flimsy in the least. I stripped mine down for size: removing the luggage rack and fenders so that it would easily fit in the overhead rack on the train. No one has ever bothered me for a bike pass on the trains or buses. If you buy one, be prepared: people will stop you often to ask what it is. I once had two teenage girls run out of a restaurant (and hang up their cell phones) to stop me and ask what it is. For a brief moment, I actually felt trendy!
-- Bruce Hartleben
Strida Folding Bike
$500
Available from Areaware
Also available on eBay
Manufactured by Strida
For a 7-second folding demonstration, check out this short video -- sl
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KK Lifestream
This is not a cool tool. This is an advertisement for my blog. I call it my Lifestream because it channels into one super-blog all the streams of my writing and clicking that appear elsewhere.
In addition to Cool Tools, which is now almost 5 years old, I also review great documentaries at True Films, and user-modified technology at Street Use, and post notes from my research on what technology wants at The Technium. In recent weeks I've added a few more venues, one about trends and current topics (CT2), and another on self-knowledge (The Quantified Self). I also post regularly on GeekDad (nerdy things to do with kids), and on Long Now's blog monitoring long term perspectives.
That's a lot for me to keep track of, let alone anyone else. So I have gathered all those bloggy bits into one channel which you can find at KK*. Rather than hop around from blog to blog, you can read (and I can write) everything from one source. Everything I write, including personal stuff, will slip out this new portal. Like a lot of tool makers, I made this to ease my own work, but you may find it worthwhile too. One technical note: While KK Lifestream offers its own RSS feed, it doesn't have an archive. The permalink for each item rests in the particular blog each item belongs to.
If you are happy just reading Cool Tools as it is, either at the site or in RSS, then you can continue to get the unadulterated version. If you sign up, or visit, the KK Lifestream, you get everything that I write, but not everything that appears on my blogs. For instance, the only Cool Tools reviews that will appear in the KK Lifestream will be those that I personally write. Since I don't write that many (next week will be an exception), reading both Lifestream and Cool Tools won't produce much overlap.
I'm still trying to figure out how to keep this ecology of blogs robust and kill any bugs in this new unfinished system , so let me know (kk at kk dot org) how it is, or is not, working.
-- KK
Goog(le) 411
Directory assistance has always wanted to be free. Since it launched six months ago, Google's foray into phone-based information for business listings has become the easiest, quickest, most efficient free 411 I've used. I'm amazed more people don't have it programmed into their phones. Best part: there are no pre-roll ads. Another well-known option is 1-800-FREE411, but it can take 20 seconds before the "What city and state?" finally arrives. With GOOG-411, the same prompt is delivered in 4 seconds. Time is precious, but even more so if you're on a conservative plan with limited minutes. For that same reason (read: frugality), I'm less inclined to use SMS-based 411 or Google SMS. GOOG-411 also connects your call to the business for free, so there's no need to jot down or memorize any digits. Dialing "411" and paying $2 is like flipping through one of Ma Bell's analog phone books when you've got a connected laptop right in front of you -- an easily-remedied symptom of a bygone era.
-- Steven Leckart
1-800-GOOG-411
Available from Google
Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:
ZYB
Melnor Quick Connects
These plastic quick connects from Melnor are the go-betweens for the hose and whatever nozzle, sprinklers or other hose-end attachments you may have. They're especially good for quickly moving and attaching hoses from one faucet to another. I installed them on ALL my faucets (5) and hoses (perhaps 7) and external attachments (probably 10). I have used them for about a year and wonder how I ever got along without them. It takes less than a second (maybe 1/2 second) to attach or detach any hose or attachment. They are installed in pairs, a male and corresponding female connector, with the appropriate threaded fitting to attach to the faucet, hose or nozzle attachment, one on each side of the connection. You just firmly push the connector into its counterpart, and it easily pops into place -- firmly means it does need a little pressure, but even a small child could do it. To disconnect, you push the green collar about an eighth of an inch in the one direction it's capable of moving, and it pops off. (Similar devices have been in use in industry for a long time -- on compressed air lines, for example). No more screwing and unscrewing (no more scraped knuckles); no more leaks from incompletely tightened hoses; no more stuck connections because some gorilla (i.e. me) tried to stop a leak by tightening too hard.
One type is designed so that when you disconnect from it, an internal plug pops into place and stops water from coming out. The other type, for between a faucet and hose, does not have the shutoff. When you disconnect the hose from the faucet, water will still flow and the faucet can still be used. There are other brands and styles; some are even made of pricier brass, but I recommend you stick with one manufacturer because connectors are generally not interchangeable between brands. And these inexpensive plastic ones from Melnor are well made: I have (intentionally) very high water pressure (> 100 psi, sufficient to burst hoses) on my garden faucets, and I have had no leaks from these connectors.
-- Robert Ando
Melnor Quick Connects
$4
(Faucet Adaptor)
Available from ACE Hardware
$4
(Faucent End Connector)
Available from ACE Hardware
Or $7 from Amazon
(Gardena Starter Set)
Manufactured by Gardena
Distributed by Melnor, Inc.
NOTE:
Although I haven't specifically used the Melnor brand connectors before, I do not recommend plastic quick connects. They can break easily, don't hold up to the weather, etc. The problem I've had quick connects, plastic or metal, is if they get dirt inside the female part they can be nearly impossible operate. This situation can be impossible to avoid since they are outdoors all the time (at least in New Mexico). It usually requires the intervention of hand tools and/or including a good whack with a hammer. Plastic connectors don't like being whacked with a hammer. I have a small fortune invested in Camco connectors because they have rubber grips on them.
-- Gregory J. Smith
Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:
WorldCat
WorldCat is a publicly accessible online interface to the holdings of all types of libraries throughout the world: currently 57,000 libraries in 112 countries. Tell it what book you're looking for and your zip code or city, and it will pinpoint the nearest library that has the book. Same goes for magazines and journals, video and audio formats. The ability to locate an obscure book is invaluable; but it's also tremendously useful for anyone living in a region with more than one nearby library. California's Bay Area is blessed with an abundance of excellent public and academic library systems and a majority of them are represented in WorldCat, so in my case, it's a real time saver (I do a lot of sleuthing). The database was originally accessible only by taking a trip to the library, but in 2004, the nonprofit Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) built this interface. Beyond the core location service, WorldCat provides many other helpful services and resources, like citation exporting, list making, and text samples. I haven't explored these options much, but you can use it to build your own private or public indexes of titles and to search public lists created by other users. You can even read and write reviews of materials - yes, you can actually write in the library catalog! And if you decide you'd actually prefer to purchase the item, there are Amazon and WorldCat purchase links (a portion of every WorldCat sale goes toward supporting a local library of your choosing or to the OCLC). You'll need to create a WorldCat account to take advantage of these features, but account creation goes really quickly and it's free.
You can obtain WorldCat results in your preferred search engine by appending the term "WorldCat" to your search. Preceding your query with the phrase "find in a library" also works very well in Google and Yahoo. In my own experience, I've found these methods to work best in conjunction with titles or author names. WorldCat also offers a number of browser toolbar extensions and plug-ins to help facilitate searches. Alternatively, you can simply go directly to the WorldCat web site and use it like you would any individual library's catalog. Search on title/author/keyword/etc., browse by topic or other citation linkages. Item pages consist of basic bibliographic data formatted out like a of virtual catalog card, and below that you'll find a set of tabs with the holding libraries information, more detailed bibliographic data, subject links, editions and reviews. Finding the exact edition of a book can be a bit tricky, and so can finding an alternative edition that may be even closer to you, so the "Editions" tab is critical. Overall, OCLC does a pretty good job of rolling duplicate catalog entries together, but you do need to watch out for alternate spellings of titles.
The library links from the item page will take you to into the holding library's OPAC (online public access catalog). You might land on the item page for that work or you might find yourself at the main catalog page for that library. Responsibility for providing accurate "deep links" to item pages falls to the participating library. I have occasionally found that after following a link for a holding library, I end up at a catalog page that says something along the lines of "Your item would be here." At this point, I go ahead and re-enter my title in the library's search box on that page and more often than not the item does appear in the catalog. I'm not sure why this happens, but I suspect it may have something to do with links changing or out of date record numbers being used. This is, admittedly, very frustrating, but because the item usually does end up being in the catalog I continue to be a fan of WorldCat. It's really an excellent resource for all users of various types of libraries with broadly ranging information needs. And its main purpose of connecting patrons with materials housed in libraries near them is further supplemented by new and growing user-specific and community-based features. I couldn't get along without it. I also look forward to watching the project continue to evolve.
-- Camille Cloutier
WorldCat
Available at WorldCat.org
Provided by Online Computer Library Center [OCLC]
Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:
How to Conquer the New York Times Crossword Puzzle
I'm not a full on puzzlehead (yet). This little book has been a confidence booster with my burgeoning Sunday obsession. There are plenty of helpful vocabulary and practice puzzle books out there, but what this concise guide provides is insight: common Thursday gimmicks (ex; backwards spelling), the 300 most-used words broken down by category (ex; misc. 3-letter words: EER? ...e'er = a contraction of "ever"); the basics of puzzle construction (fyi, the answers generally come first); and top solver Reynaldo's step-by-step instructions on efficiently tackling over 60 puzzles of varying difficulty (ex; what to do in the event of a dead end; when to resort to educated guesses); plus, if you're still stuck, there are additional clues so you never feel hopeless. If you watched Wordplay, became intrigued with NYT editor Will Shortz and vowed to become a stopwatch-wielding diehard, but still haven't, the quick take-aways contained within this book will get you going.
-- Steven Leckart
How to Conquer the New York Times Crossword Puzzle
$10
Amy Reynaldo
2007, 208 pages
Available from Amazon
[Incidentally, if you can report positively or negatively on the Nintendo DS game NY Times Crosswords, please let us know -sl]
Sample Excerpts:
Some nouns that end with the ER can be interpreted another way, as a noun made by adding ER to a verb. For example [French flower] maybe the SEINE River, or something that flows in France, a flow-er. [River tower] might be TUG, as in something that tows larger vessels in a river.
*
Thursday is called "Gimmick Day" by some NYT crossword aficionados, because this is the day many of the trickiest, twistiest puzzles are published... One popular gimmick is the rebus puzzle, in which the solver must enter multiple letters in a single square, draw little pictures, or write a numeral or symbol in each rebus square...A 2005 Thursday puzzle included the abbreviations for the days of the week as rebuses: MON, TUE, WED, etc. Another Thursday crossword published in 2001 used the @ symbol to replace the letter pair AT throughout the grid. Many rebus puzzles dispense with the requirement for symmetrical placement of theme entries (it is often too difficult to construct a rebus puzzle with strict thematic symmetry).
*
Unusual sequences of letters can make the solver think, "That can't be right." If the crossings for [Stylish, square-jawed male model] gave you a *QTY** letter pattern, you might doubt that those letters were correct because that letter sequence isn't found in any English words. But the entry is actually two words: GQ TYPE, as in GQ magazine, formerly Gentleman's Quarterly.
*
Grid-making software streamlines the construction process. Perhaps the best-known program is Crossword Compiler, available for Windows at www.crossword-compiler.com. Crossdown, also for Windows, is available at www.crossdown.com. For Macintosh computers without Windows capability, the shareware program Cruciverbalist can be downloaded at members.aol.com/westpolesf/cruciv.html.
*
Crosswords are a meaning-rich game of language, but sometimes a clue strips away a word's meaning and focuses on its individual letters and sounds. [Fan sound] may be the SHORT A in the word fan rather than the roar of a crowd or the whirring of an appliance. [Castle feature?] can be SILENT T, and [Fiddle duet?] could be DEES (the letter D, doubled). This category of crossword entry is relatively new, and may include SOFT and HARD letters, SHORT or LONG vowels, SILENT letters, CAPITAL letters or the spelled-out names of letters.
--
Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:
Triple Leash Splitter
I am not a pro-dog walker but I might as well be. I have three cock-a-poos who need plenty of walk time -- sometimes up to four times a day. To reduce the hazard and thus my predictable fallout (literally) from one or more dogs suddenly changing direction, I use this inexpensive device. It's basically the same as the
-- Elizabeth McCorkle
Triple Leash Splitter
$9
Available from and manufactured by Strapworks
[When ordering, be sure to click and change the "2 Dog" tab to "3 Dog [Add $2.00]"; then click the "Update Price" tab above -- sl]
Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:
