[Update: This tool has been unrecommended given several negative responses from commenters who have had difficulty getting the product to work on both Android and iOS, and have had little or no response from the manufacturer. Several readers have commented about alternatives and a review is forthcoming.--OH]

The WakeMate is a wristband that tracks movements in your sleep and when paired with an iPhone, Android, or Blackberry app serves as an intelligent alarm that wakes you at an optimum time in your sleep cycle based on actigraphy, a method of monitoring sleep through tracking movement.

To use the device you wear the wristband, sync it via Bluetooth on your iPhone, Android, or Blackberry phone, open the WakeMate app, and set the alarm to a certain time which provides you with a 20-minute waking window. For example, I set my alarm within the WakeMate app to 6:42 AM, and that means it will wake me between 6:22 AM and 6:42 AM.

The band uses your phone as the alarm that goes off at the predicted optimum time based on movements in your sleep, in effect waking you when you aren't about to dive into deep sleep but instead are coming out of it.

In addition to waking you at optimum times, the application also provides useful analytics detailing how long you slept, how long it took you to sleep, and how many times you awoke, and uses this information to produce a sleep score on a scale from 1-100 (I average about a 71, and this goes up and down based on the hours of sleep I got).

I bought WakeMate after reading about actigraphy and sleep tracking. I've used it since February 8. So far, with few exceptions, I've noticed that I wake up feeling more refreshed than I did before using it. Most importantly I like how easy and comfortable it is to use. For example, although this might be obvious, if I sleep any less than 5 hours, my sleep score significantly decreases. And if I sleep over 6 it keeps going up until I get about 10 hours of sleep. Outside of using it as an alarm, the ability to quantify the quality and quantity of sleep has more than likely contributed to the quality of my rest.

I am responsible for over a dozen miles of 4 and 5 strand barbwire fence. A good reliable wire cutter is a godsend, and this is it. It's ingenious and simple. The key part is the lock mechanism. It's a sliding lock. You hold it "jaws-down," press the grips and it locks. You are now free to place it in a slash or slot pocket on typical painter's/carpenter's pants. When you need it you pull it out, hold it "jaws-up," and it unlocks. Ready for use. No more "sprung" pliers or vise-grips stuck in rear pockets impossible to pull out while you have only one hand free!

The Vado HD by Creative Labs is an incredible gadget to have. With dimensions similar to an iPhone, the Vado’s an HD camcorder that is easy to slip into a pocket and take anywhere, always ready to take high-res videos wherever I go. I do carry an iPhone, too, though I rarely use it for video, as the quality is decidedly less than stellar. The Vado records twice the amount of video as its main competitor, the Flip MinoHD, for about the same price. And the Vado’s screen is 2 inches where the Flip’s is only 1.5.

With a slightly rubberized plastic housing the Vado feels grippy. It’s light, but the build is solid. Upon pressing the power switch, it’s ready to record video in less than a second and a half. The interface is simple, too. After powering the unit on, just press the button in the center of the control pad to start recording, and once again to stop.

The unit comes with 8GB of on-board flash memory, storing approximately 2 hours of 720p footage. Grabbing videos off the Vado is a breeze, too: just pop out the built-in USB dongle concealed in the bottom of the unit, plug it into a PC or Mac, and drag the files across. Video is recorded in H.264, and there is software preloaded on the unit itself that you can run directly off the camcorder when it is plugged into your computer to view, edit and create movies.

Creative Labs also offers some decent accessories, such as a waterproof pouch that will let you record up to 15 feet underwater, spare batteries and an external battery charger. They also include a silicon sleeve, which gives a little extra grip for the hands or some extra bounce if it’s dropped.

The only minor complaints I have are that the rocker buttons in the main keypad are a tad too sensitive, and the lack of optical zoom is disappointing. I’ve always messed around with helmet cams and such for filming road biking, mountain biking and snowboarding, and the Vado HD has me very excited about the upcoming snow season.

I haven't enjoyed using a camera this much in years, and I take pictures for a living. Smaller than a digital SLR but larger than an ultracompact point and shoot, Canon's G10 is portable yet substantial enough to hold steady. I've had other point and shoots in the past, but this is the first that's given me the right combination of intuitive exposure control and ease of use, so that I actually make the effort to grab it and use it every day. The big bright LCD allows me to forgo the optical viewfinder entirely (something I never imagined I'd do), and the exposure-indicating display is similar enough to those found on the analog cameras I used years ago, with the bonus of its histogram preview. Setting shutter speed and aperture manually makes sense as it would on a full-size DSLR. With the G10 I don't have to be bothered to choose a lens to mount on the front of the camera before stepping out of the house, so I do step out of the house with it, daily. And yet when I'm pushing pixels later on, I'm not disappointed by files that are sub-par.

Traditional camera lovers tend to enjoy the subtly classic design of the G10, reminiscent of the Contax G2 35mm rangefinder, and those same photographers might also enjoy the Panasonic LX3, with its wide Leica lens and sleek body, which is more compact than the G10 and a close competitor. l prefer the G10, partly because its greater telephoto capabilities allow me to take snapshots of unfamiliar birds while out hiking, so that I can identify them later. And it is $200 cheaper than the LX3.

Image quality from its 14.7 Megapixel CCD sensor is impressive, particularly in daylight settings. Movie quality is very good (640x480 px. @ 30 fps), though zooming capability while shooting would be a welcome enhancement. The macro feature is outstanding. Full manual controls are available, as are RAW files, necessary for getting the most out of any digital camera. The G10's predecessor, the G9, is also a worthwhile buy (check eBay, since the G9's no longer on the market), though the pending doom of obsolescence is one step nearer.

I have about 125 feet of mostly-uphill driveway. Before purchasing this salt and sand spreader, I found the only way to do a decent deicing job was the shovel method, which requires many trips up and down the driveway or dragging a bucket along. Though a truck-mounted automatic unit might be easier, for the money, this analog spreader is the best tool I have seen. You just fill the hopper and jiggle the handle up and down as you walk, spreading a nice even layer of sand, salt or mix. The spreader can hold up to 22 pounds, so one load should be plenty for the average driveway or walkway. Much faster than a shovel, easy to use and and unlike other manual spreaders I've tried, there are few moving parts to break. Should last a good 10 years, given decent care. Being made of plastic, the most important thing is to keep it out of direct sun. They're listed on Amazon for around $160, but I picked mine up at a surplus/salvage store for under $20 and have found them online for around $30.

The Remington Shortcut is a clipper designed for self-administered haircuts. A curved clipper head makes it almost impossible to over-cut small or large regions, and the clipper's unconventional hairbrush-like shape makes it easy to reach the most awkward spots on your head. Before getting the Shortcut, I'd tried cutting my own hair several times and always had disasters. On my first attempt with the Shortcut, I got about the same results I'm used to from a pro, which rather astounded me. It seems almost impossible to mess up. Using the Shortcut takes me five to ten minutes, which I usually fit in just before showering for obvious reasons. The cutter can be set from "skinhead" to "George Clooney" and you can easily mix lengths on the sides and top for effect. Once you get used to five minute haircuts on-demand they're rather addictive. Going to the barber for a typical male haircut now seems as silly -- and time wasting -- as traveling across town for a shave. Every time I use the Shortcut I save about $20 and at least an hour and a half of my time -- a good return on my initial investment.

I always thought lap desks were for the bed-bound, until the Levenger Surf desk arrived on my doorstep, an early birthday gift from Levenger's founder, Steve Leveen. The Surf Desk is a super-light desk made of the same materials used in surfboards, and as hip-looking as something one might see in Malibu. I'll admit I was a bit puzzled by the thing at first and I never imagined a lap-desk would be a useful tool, but I now use the darn thing every day! It's perfect for working with a laptop and my notes while slouching on a couch, or relaxing outside on a deck chair. In my office, I often set it atop an open file drawer as an impromptu credenza to hold paper sprawls during big projects. When I am not using it, the Surf Desk parks conveniently in a corner or propped up in my closet (though I use it so much it is hardly ever there). The folks at Levenger joke about "alternative desking," but I think the term gets at what makes the Surf Desk so interesting: it gives vastly more flexibility in choosing how -- and where -- to work. I haven't taken mine away from home yet, but the Surf Desk is so light and convenient (and presumably water proof), I'd think anyone who wanted a travel desk in their SUV, van or the like would enjoy this one. And solo surfers take note: pull out a surf desk at your local espresso bar and you are sure to draw a crowd, especially if you are close to the beach!

This fleece sleeping bag liner looks like a really long hooded sweatshirt, except it has a drawstring base. You can tuck your feet in and close it up, but then wear it to get out of your bag at night to go pee or whatever. I got mine to combine with my Bivanorak bivvy bag to make a lightweight sleeping system, but it also does double duty as a garment that's very nice for sitting around and just keeping warm around camp. I've used it up in the mountains at about 8,500 feet with the temp down to about 38 F. It's light and packs up very small (mine is 9x15 and maybe 2 lbs), and is available with a stuff sack.

Most importantly, they will custom make one for you if, say, you are very tall (I'm 6'10" and 260 lbs). You can also choose from a few fabric thicknesses and add a pocket pouch. I opted for the thickest weight fabric with the pocket pouch, which has a zippered mesh compartment. Great service, too. The maker got my special order to me in 4 days.

After extensive comparisons of the surprisingly small number of inexpensive, quality options for listening to my digitized music on my hi-fi audio system, I went with Roku's very reasonably-priced SoundBridge M1001 network music player. The latest SoundBridge model uses wired Ethernet or Wi-Fi (including WEP or WPA security) to stream music from my hard drive to my stereo. While my stereo set-up is far from audiophile, it still sounds a lot better than my laptop or plug-in speakers.

Following months of ripping the thousands of CDs in my collection, I now have more gigabytes of music on my laptop than even the largest iPod can hold, so plugging an mp3 player into my stereo wasn't an option. I also find it too much trouble to tote the computer from my desk to the other room where my stereo sits to connect it with an audio cable. Plus, then I can't use the computer while it sits tethered up on the shelf next to the receiver.

As a universal jukebox, the SoundBridge gives me convenient access to all my digitized music. It also offers built in search for the countless Internet radio stations out there, which expands my music choices nearly infinitely. The device itself is small and very attractive, and installation was mostly easy. SoundBridge found my home wireless network and connected instantly as soon as I entered the password. The manual is clearly written, and I was able to learn the device's menus and functions pretty quickly. I refuse to use iTunes because it is a system hog on my Windows machine. I rely on WinAmp instead, but the Firefly Media Server (offered by Roku as a free download) works fine, as will the media server built into Windows Media Player. Both server options (and the others detailed on Roku's site) quickly read the tags on my audio files and provide a seamless browsing and searching opportunity, with support for all the playlists I have created, too. Just to be clear, the SoundBridge does NOT connect to a computer's soundcard, so it can't be used to stream the sound from a DVD being played, for example.

All of the set-up and navigation is done with a small infrared remote control that comes with the SoundBridge device. While shaped nicely for my hand, the remote is actually the least impressive element of the system. I find it a bit flimsy and the squishy buttons give little tactile (or aural) feedback, so I may eventually replace it with a universal remote. That said, I am immensely happy with the system, and I'm free to listen to music but still use my laptop wherever and whenever I want.

Referring to the Mini Phone Recorder and the request for web-based recording solutions, I've been using Grand Central and Free Conference Call to record calls for a few months now. Both are free services, with Free Conference Call giving you the option to record calls between many many callers (up to 96 callers at the same time!). It works great, like FreeConference.com, and registration is open to all. However, I really prefer Grand Central (owned by Google). The service's main benefit is that you can route multiple numbers through one line. But it's rather easy to record calls; you simply press 4, either from the moment you pick up or at specific times for parts. The call archives to your Grand Central Inbox, and you have the option of forwarding it on via email and also downloading it as an mp3. I prefer Grand Central because they provide you with an actual number people can call you at, and allow calls to that number to be forwarded to any other phones you have. This is especially useful in business situations or when you need to give out a number online. I mostly give the number to friends and family so that when they need to find me they just call that number and it will ring the places where I mostly am (home, cell phone, etc.), but I also use it when dealing with merchants who ask for a phone number so as to not give away a personal number. The added appeal of Grand Central is that you get email and/or SMS notifications whenever you have voicemail messages in the unlikely event that you miss the call. There's also a "webcall" feature that allows you to initiate a call from the Grand Central web site and display that number (instead of your home/cell/work line) as caller ID to the person you are calling. The only downside is Grand Central is in beta and invite only last time I checked, but you can go online and request a number, and they'll usually get you one in a few days.

-- Ed Fonseca

When I requested a number from Grand Central, I received one the very next day. Once you're in, you can invite 10 friends. I sent it to a few writer/journalist colleagues. Documenting interviews via cell phone on the fly is a truly remarkable development for any reporter, especially those used to being tethered to a desk with an old-fashioned phone tap. From the interviewee's perspective, you always know when you're being recorded because a voice prompt interrupts the call each time the interviewer presses 4. Grand Central has plenty of jazzy features -- centralizing all your numbers alone is the main selling point -- but eliminating the gray area of what's on and off the record ranks high on my list. Also, just a reminder, the laws about recording on the phone vary by state in the US.

-- Steven Leckart

RadioTime

We started investing in fancy, mirror-polished All-Clad cookware a few years ago, but keeping them "stainless" was impossible -- until a sample of this powder came bundled with a sauce pan we bought last year. Where regular dish soap and newfangled all-purpose sprays like 409 had virtually no effect on de-greasing our gunked up gear, this old-fashioned cleanser consistently works miracles, especially on the teapot that's always in the line of fire during splatter-heavy stove-top sessions. You just sprinkle a couple of tablespoons onto a wet pan/pot, add a little water and make a slurry with a soft wet rag. With minimal elbow grease, we restored an unsightly jelly roll sheet pan to near original condition. A couple other advertised uses I've yet to try: chrome bathroom fixtures, tile grouting, porcelain and stainless steel sinks, and removing rust and discoloration from car bumpers. It's available at most grocery stores. It's inexpensive and, thankfully, doesn't smell harsh. It contains oxalic acid, though, so you definitely want to wash up thoroughly afterwards.

Going with an ultralight pack like this is the easiest way to start reducing weight. This simple nylon sack pack weighs 4 ounces. There is no frame. You make a frame by first loading your tent in the bottom. You place your folded sleeping pad so it rests against your back and that gives structure to the pack. If you use folding tent poles, they are inserted inside the folds of the pad to give more structure. On top of the tent goes your sleeping bag. Then you add a couple of zip lock bags on top of that for your food and other belongings. I put my water containers in the outside flap. Then you simply roll the top a few turns and fix it with the velcro straps. There are no zippers, no heavy belts or straps, no compartments, pouches or other extras.

Most people are hooked on features. But, do you really need a separate compartment for your compass and a special web pocket for your water and a map case and three main compartments? I only need one compartment in my pack. Place your things in a few plastic bags. When you want something, pull out the bag you need. It is a relief, actually, to give up on all those compartments, pockets, zippers, thick padded straps, carbon frame and pounds of extras.

When you go the ultralight route your total pack weight will be less than 10 pounds and at that weight, you don't need hiking boots either. They were designed for the olden days when packs were 40 plus pounds. Ultralight trail running shoes are a pleasure to wear.

Take a look at some of the features of some of the best selling, traditional weekend packs: carbon fiber frame, 4 pockets plus main compartment, dual-density padded shoulder straps, load lifter straps, cranial cavity (to make room for your head!), front bungee, tool loops, twin side water bottle pockets, removable lid doubles as a lumbar pack, interchangeable hip belt with fit zone, adjustable sternum strap with integrated whistle. Total weight: 6 pounds 9 ounces. That is 7 ounces less than my pack when it is fully loaded for a two-day trip!

Just for Copper is a solderless bonding agent that permits the bonding of copper-to-copper and copper-to-brass without the use of solder or heat. This comes in especially handy when you have a joint located where you are not comfortable using a torch. Dry-fit your pipes, mark the joints, sand inside & out, apply a proper amount of compound, press together, twist, and you are finished. Works like a charm, even on those joints you couldn't get to hold solder.

I was surprised by this product. I've plumbed several houses, a volunteer crew leader with Habitat for Humanity, and so on. You name it, I've done a little of everything. My nephew and I were running new copper for his second bath and there was a joint that wouldn't take solder. He went to the local True Value for a compression fitting and the clerk suggested he try this bond. He brought it back and it worked. We then put in a new outdoor faucet for my mother. We were concerned with using a torch in an area that was cramped and had electric lines running through it. Using this bond took care of that concern and it worked great. Of course, the product isn't fool proof (i.e. human error), so here are some tips on how to use it.

I travel a lot and often forget to pack my eye mask because it's so flimsy. The back section of this snug, warm beanie is split so that you can turn it around and use it as an eye shield that provides greater eye coverage without the fuss of uncomfortable elastic bands at the back. There is a small pocket in the rim for stashing things, like a couple of sleeping pills for a long flight. And there is also a drawcord in the rim that you can pull tight to make the beanie into a small bag.

I suppose you could modify a beanie with a (nose)slit, but I am not the most adept seamster. Arguably, if I could find a tight knit beanie I would be willing to try and mod it, but this one has been the best find in my opinion, because of its fit as much as its additional features.

I can be quite persnickety about beanies. I have two other beanies -- one is Polarfleece(r) that I only use for camping because it has a fold-over brim that isn't exactly fashion-forward. The other is a surf-brand beanie I bought easily 10 years ago, which features a tight knit and snug fit. I ardently looked for a replacement for at least three years before I found this very comfortable Patagonia beanie. The Patagonia beanie fulfills both roles I need a beanie for: camping (Iwore it recently at a mountain biking race in the Vermont backwoods), as well as urban wear (I wore it last week in cool weather in downtown San Diego).

I really like the tight-knit fabric and can nap/sleep fitfully while traveling. I have used it flying from California to Carolina and then again up to NYC and Vermont, but I fly trans-Atlantically at least once a year and am really looking forward to using this beanie on one of my longer 16-hour trips.

Ceilings are notoriously tough to paint evenly - it's difficult to get every last little bit covered and easy to miss spots because you can only see it when the light catches it just right. This paint insures you get it right the first time: it goes on pink, but dries white. As long as the ceiling's solid pink when you're done, you know you've done a great job!

We had an old, dirty ceiling, which my wife attempted to paint using a mini-roller. It didn't look right, and I figured it was messed up anyway, so I tried to touch it up and even out the texture. I was left with a ceiling that was technically white, but looked like military camouflage when morning light would hit it at an angle. So, with numerous assurances from the Home Depot paint guy, I bought a gallon of Glidden's paint for our 180 square foot ceiling.

Though my dining room ceiling initially looked like it was soaked in Pepto-Bismol, it dried a glorious, flat, even white overnight. It goes on like any paint (I was using a very deep-nap roller, as I had to go over that heavy texture) and it covers nice, just like regular latex paint. The most difficult aspect of using this paint is overcoming the feeling in the back of your mind that the folks at the Glidden factory have duped you into painting your home pink.

This grooming rake is excellent for removing dead undercoat from dogs. It's basically a series of curved metal "fingers" with blades on the inside. The fingers gather the hair as you pull the rake through the dog's fur. The blades allow it to cut through matted hair and they're rounded to keep the dog from being cut. This model has 18 fingers or teeth, making it especially good for larger breeds.

My wife discovered it at a local grooming shop. They used the brush on our dog for six months before we finally decided to purchase one. We have a 110 lb Golden Retriever and our floors are usually covered in a generous layer of dog hair. We've tried other grooming brushes, but this rake easily removed 10 times as much hair.

Bonus: it's fun to use and the dog seems to enjoy it, although he's not picky about which brush we use.

The Sock Pro is a little rubber disc perforated in the center to allow the toes of a pair of socks to be slipped through its center. The perforations hold the socks together through laundry and drying, and they keep socks paired in the dresser drawer. I've been using these thingies about a year and half and they really save me time and annoyance at the laundromat. For those with families, you can buy them in different colors and assign one color to each family member. It takes some effort to drag heavier socks through the hoops, but I have been able to use them with Thor-Lo maximum padding running socks and they work fine.

I've seen many quick and dirty photo editing programs via web browser, but this Flash-based editor definitely takes the cake. Hands down, the ease of use is the best part. As you work, little windows pop up with explanations, but I've never needed them because of the usability. For a professional photographer or someone looking to get into the nitty gritty of what's outlined in the Pro Digital Photographer's Handbook, the program would be mostly unpractical for regular use, but it's certainly beneficial as an emergency tool (getting stuck at someone else's computer, etc.) or doing stuff on the fly. It's obviously not a replacement for Photoshop, but if you're a consumer who can't afford Photoshop or you just want to fool around, this is a great, really intuitive option.

It has the standard rotate, crop and resize functions, as well as exposure control and color settings. The color settings are basic. You can adjust hue, saturation and contrast in a variety of ways. Although the adjustment is somewhat crude -- and it's unlikely you'll be able to use this interface to 'save' a bad photo the way you might be able to in Photoshop -- you'll definitely be able to make a good photo "pop."

What amazes me about Picnik is the exposure control. It has brightness and contrast settings, but I wasn't impressed until I saw the "advanced" option, which displays a histogram. What's most impressive is that you can set the shadow (black point) and highlights (white point) separately! In Photoshop this is called "Levels" (often considered the most popular exposure adjustment tool). There are a few drawbacks with Picnik's exposure control. The histogram isn't all that accurate, and it's a little rough when setting your white and black points. All-in-all, it's probably not that practical as a visual guide, but just the ability to set white and black points at all is what impresses me as a photographer.

Picnik also has a bunch of "creative tools" (essentially "filters" in Photoshop). What's great is the ability to adjust most of these effects. Most online programs allow you only to simply set a photo to B&W or Sepia tone. This program allows for adjustments so that you can gradually set a color hue, or go crazy. You can determine the amount of the effect to add, and have more control over the look of your photo. Some of these filters add some really glamorous effects, everything from vignette to soften (reminiscent of high school glamour shots in the 80s). And the "coming soon" buttons obviously suggest additional filters are on the way.

One of the biggest selling points is how it integrates Picasa and Flickr. You can search and download photos from any public Flickr account seamlessly, and Picnik also allows you to email photos to sites like Photobucket, TypePad and even Walmart (Walmart's own online photo editing software is nothing compared to Picnik). Moreover, close Picnik and come back the next day: your image is cached. Picnik sends a cookie to your browser, so when you return, you can pick up right where you left off. And the best, albeit most basic, function to me is the ability simply to save the image to your computer. In an age of proprietary everything, having the option to upload a photo, edit it, then just save it to your computer is golden.

The main cons here are that it seems you can only upload one photo at a time (which may just be part of the beta), and there's no selection "lasso" tool (as in Photoshop). If a particular area of the photo is out of wack, maybe the left side is too dark, there is no way to select just that side for editing. Another feature Picnik could add would be a method for viewing thumbnails or maybe running a slideshow and allowing you to tag images.

Overall, though, for a free service that's quite new, this is really impressive and a lot of fun.

-- Jeremy Rue

Picnik Photo Editor
Free!
Available from Picnik, Inc.

This neat little box hides all those computer and phone cords and doubles as a power outlet. Inside are 10 outlets and the box comes with a clever method for keeping things very organized: metal ties that are affixed to the inside. You just coil each cord, wrap a tie around it (twisting the end like you would with a sandwich bag), and stack each cord on top of one another. Unplugging is a cinch: simply find the cord you want, undo the ties and pull out the plug. I own two -- one at home and one at the office. You can keep it under your desk or on top (I have my monitor on it), and the front accessibility means you can plug/unplug items (i.e. cell phone) quickly and easily without having a mess of wires on your desk. With everything plugged in I've never had any trouble closing the lid. I once tried making something like this out of laminated wood (to match my desk). It cost about $200, didn't look as nice and wasn't nearly as convenient.

[ This may be a worthy product, but we have removed the review for this product because we belatedly learned the reviewer is married to the inventor. The reviewer wrote to us later that he didn't think it would look good if he mentioned that his wife made the product so he misled us on where he got the product. We now find it hard to trust him on the rest of the review. An impartial review (negative or positive) is wanted. -- KK]

SmudgeGuard
(sizes xxs - l)
$5
Available from and manufactured by SmudgeGuard

These ski boot clip-ons are much easier to walk in than your average solid, rigid plastic ski boot base. Each one weighs a pound, and they have a thick, semi-flexible layer of rubber that gives you traction much like a pair of hiking boots (they actually grip on snow and ice much better than my Sorrels). The sole also cushions your foot as you step down, and another bonus is that they protect your ski boots from wear.


They are a bit tricky to put on. You flip a lever to attach and remove them to your ski boots. I find the lever works fine for removal, but when it comes to attaching I can't always get it right. It's not a huge deal, but something to know. I considered wearing sneakers and stashing them somewhere or putting them in a pack, but the Walk-EZ are a better solution: they come with a neat wire combination lock. When I get to the slopes, I just fold 'em up, lock 'em to the ski racks at the resort and pick 'em up at the end of the day. Now that I've used these, I wouldn't walk up to the ski lift without them. I looked high and low for something I could use to walk the half mile from my house to the ski run and struck out until my local outdoor shop gave these to me to try out. They make it a much more comfortable journey, and I will absolutely buy a pair of my own when I give them back to my local store.

For years I wondered why no one had built or designed a way to drain out all of the liquid out of a can of tuna. Then, lo and behold, I found one. This stainless steel can colander is relatively inexpensive and built with a high grade of stainless steel, so it is practically bullet proof and almost impossible to bend. This colander also works on any normal-sized can, but its real magic is its ability to completely drain the liquid out of a can to prevent wet and soggy tuna. Progressive also makes a plastic colander but I wouldn't recommend it. The stainless steel model isn't much more expensive and it will last you your lifetime.

-- Dennis Emge

You can flip the colander over and use it on regular cans of things like corn or beans or whatever to drain off the liquid. Its cool.

-- Johanna Bocian

This portable laptop desk is the most comfortable way I've found to use a laptop in bed. It's a bit pricey compared to the homemade stuff you can find online, but less expensive than similar products like the LapGenie and Laidback, which can go for up to $150. The LapDawg, which is lighter than the Laidback, is also made of wood, which makes it human friendly and gives it a warm touch. It's very simple to put together and fits my 17" notebook perfectly.

The InsTand Laptop Stand is a great travel desk but can't do what the LapDawg does best: allow you to recline. Interacting with your laptop at a comfortable typing angle, right in front of you without feeling the weight and heat you would otherwise feel on your lap is very refreshing. The LapDawg is not the perfect travel solution, but if you have a big enough bag, it doesn't take up too much space and it weighs less than two pounds. Being able to lie flat on my back and use a laptop comfortably is worth making room.

Sno Seal waterproofs leather products. The beeswax formula is long lasting, doesn't harm or weaken leather like animal fat waterproofing products do, and still allows the leather to breath. Easily applied by heating your leather boots with a hair dryer and simply rubbing Sno-Seal into the leather.

I haven't seen or used another product as good. I've been using it for the last tens years on the four pairs of prospector Gortex/leather boots that I've owned. Because of the Sno-Seal I wear out the soles (multiple times) before the leather shows any kind of deterioration.

A 3 1/2 oz. (100g) tub of the stuff will last me two years for one pair of boots, reapplying every three to four months, depending on use.

I'm delighted with this relatively inexpensive underwater digital camera. Good for submarining 10 feet deep, it's perfect for snorkeling, kayaking, canoeing, and water sports. If you are serious about underwater photography at scuba depths, this is not for you. This camera is more comparable to those one-time plastic-housed underwater film cameras we've used in the past. But being digital it has many advantages over those. First, you can see what you got (or missed) immediately. Second, you can fit several hundreds of shots in a session instead of film's 27 frames. Thirdly, you can quickly upload, share, manipulate, or print what you capture.

It's important to maintain low expectations when you photograph underwater. The light is dim, everything is in constant motion, including you, and it's hard to see the camera with a mask on. All the more reason you need to take lots of shots. The teeny-tiny flash on this camera is not enough to overcome some of those limitations. But as you can see from these photos I took on a recent trip to the Mayan Coast in Mexico, this $300 camera does a serviceable job.

The camera is quiet small and slim; it fits into a shirt pocket. Its unobtrusive waterproof seals seemed to work fine, much to my amazement. One downside is the non-standard Olympus memory card it uses; I'd rather recycle the many standard SD cards I already have. Since it has a very impressive 7.1 megapixels and a 3x optical zoom (very nice) this camera could, in theory, be used as your all-around digital camera on dry land (and it is sold that way), but I found its very sluggish refresh rate (perhaps due to the large memory card I was using) and very tiny controls to be annoying. But deep in the wet realm these annoyances are tolerable in exchange for an easy and reliable way to take underwater pictures, and as a camera I don't mind taking on a kayak or surfboard, or a dunk in the lake.

You can buy sophisticated and bulky underwater housing for some popular digital cameras like the Canon Powershots and Nikon Coolpix, but these cases -- while allowing you to go deeper -- can cost nearly as much as the Olympus 720. (Pentax makes the Optio W20, a similar camera, rated at only 5 feet deep, but using SD cards, which I have not tried, but others like.) For me this tiny clam is the cheapest way to digitally photograph underwater at shallow depths.

I've had my OneSuite phone account for a few years and I use it to call friends in China (2.2 cents a minute) and Europe, quite conveniently. Onesuite is a prepaid "phone card" without the card. You get a PIN based on your phone number so it's easy to remember. You add funds to your account via the website. I like the feature that allows you to add "frequently called from" phone numbers to your account so you don't have to enter your PIN when calling.

There are several advantages OneSuite has over Internet calling systems such as Skype. With OneSuite you can use a regular phone, including a payphone -- you don't have to be connected to a computer. In all the times I've used OneSuite I've never experienced the distracting delays during the conversation which I have experienced with Skype and some other calling services (where you don't hear the what the other person says until 1-2 seconds after they've said it. OneSuite claims it does not use Internet telephony so I guess that's why.

Just as important, some, though not all, of OneSuite rates are often cheaper. I haven't checked all of them but the two I looked at -- China-Beijing and India-Hyderabad -- are cheaper with OneSuite. Italy is cheaper to mobile phones but slightly more to land lines.

There's no per-call surcharge and the per-minute rates are generally quite low. Your account "expires" after six months of non-use (where use includes adding funds). But you actually don't lose your funds when it expires--you just need to add $10 and you'll have your previous funds reactivated. (There's no excuse to let it expire, though, as you can make domestic long-distance calls with the service too--2.5 cents/minute.)

It's best calling from the U.S. to other countries, but they're starting to add additional countries you can call from. They also offer voicemail and other services which I haven't tried, but just the long-distance service is worth it for me. Basically, the prices are comparable and often cheaper than Skype, and you don't have the worry about the reliability of Internet telephony (and don't need a computer on the calling end).

I've spent years looking for a clock radio alarm that I wouldn't hate, either because of poor design, lousy tuning, awful audio, or too much wood-grain. I finally found it in the Boston Acoustics Recepter Alarm Radio. This beauty is exquisite. Great sound. Every control is perfectly intuitive: knob-twist digital tuning and clock setting with built-in acceleration. The thing I like about the alarm-off button on this radio is that it's all by itself, right above the best-tuning-knob-ever. (Whether in a car or an aircraft, nothing beats a twist-knob digital tuner....) I've never had a problem threading my fingers through the various water bottles and night-table crap to stab the button, first try. It's even made with a tacitly pleasant more-rubbery plastic for good finger traction. The snooze button is an example of what makes the device so sweet. It's just the right size, well proportioned without being a Huge Snooze Bar. And get this: you tap it once and you have ten minutes of snooze. Tapping it again within three seconds adds five minutes. Each successive tap adds five minutes up to a total of 60. Then, once it's in snooze mode, it becomes a count-down timer! Hit the button and you see how much time you have left!

It is a gorgeous utility package. Ever buy something you like so much you want to buy another, and then another? I like waking up in the morning just to look at this little clock. Picks up NPR from the fringes too and the audio quality is shockingly good for its small size. There's nothing I would change about this little appliance.

Addressing envelopes by hand is a drag, but sending them through the printer often involves manual feeding hassle and jamming. When I found the Dymo Labelwriter 400, my envelope-labeling problems were over: this baby will pop out an address label in (literally) one second (or sixty a minute, if you want), using a 300 DPI thermal-printing process. The unit plugs into your computer via USB and shows up as a printer; the included software adds barcodes automatically, and allows you to store addresses in an address book for even quicker future printing. The printed material is monochrome black-on-white, and you need to use the use rolls of thermal-printable labels instead of ordinary paper labels, but the Dymo is fast as hell and turns out crisp-looking labels in no time. You can get the labels in all kind of different sizes for different uses, and it's easy to swap rolls in and out. It works great to print out labels to put on folders and boxes too.

You can even print postage, stamp by stamp or a roll at a time, by swapping in the appropriate blank-stamp label roll and pre-paying over the Web.

I've got one Labelwriter at the office and one at home, and I use both of them just about every day.

I was recently traveling in Norway, and found that the construction workers were almost all wearing these unique pants made by Blaklader. I found a pair in a hardware store, and have barely taken them off since. They have ingenious pockets, bombproof construction, and are completely unique from anything else I've ever seen. The pants are like wearing a toolchest wrapped around you. All the front and rear pockets have bellows. The big pouch pockets pull out and essentially replace a toolbelt. They have a great set of cargo pockets that are attached to the waist belt that can be tucked into the front pockets when you aren't using them. They can at least replace a set of nail bags. The pants have hammer loops, and knife pockets and a cell phone pocket and chisel pockets and pencil pockets. They've got a ruler pocket, and as best as I can tell a calculator pocket (mine fits perfectly). The knee reinforcements have a gap in the bottom where you can insert a set of kneepads too (which they make in two different thicknesses).

They make my Carhartt pants seem so *useless.* They are reasonably priced too. I brought back extra pairs as gifts to a couple of friends of mine in the construction industry and they are really happy with them. The pair of Blakladers I purchased were the Heavy Duty Work Pants, in two tone khaki and black. I think they are #1680 in the catalog. They are almost a little too heavy, and I'll probably order a pair of the cotton ones #1630 later this week from their distributor in Minnesota. Indeed they aren't exactly fashionable. While Carhartt pants can be worn around town, these are a little too much for casual wear. It's workwear for sure. I'm planning on giving mine a coat of waterproofing and trying them at the ski area where I volunteer in the winter.

I'm in research mode, interviewing experts for my book. I had been using an Olympus mini-cassette recorder, and wasn't too unhappy with it, but a few years ago professional journalists convinced me to try out a solid-state digital recorder. I settled on an early Olympus Digital Recorder and it's been pure delight. There are many more models to choose from now. Each is solid state and essentially a small capacity MP3 player with a built in microphone.

The advantages over the mini-cassette: 1) Ultra-tiny and light, it's truly pocket size, only as long as your finger, but twice as fat. It's only weight seems to be the two AA batteries. 2) Digital sound; the built-in mike is fantastically keen and sharp. I usually don't need the lavaliere mike I used to use with the analog machine. 3) No tapes. I can get up to five hours in this little thing; other versions can get 11 hours. 4) Easy download. After each session I merely plug it into the USB port and it dumps the recording to my hard disk. (Has a nice MacOSX version!). 5) Best part, the files are easily scannable, and bookmarked on my computer. I find I can more readily zip back and forth through an interview to find the parts I want, rather than have the whole affair transcribed. 6) But if I want to, the files are easily transmitted to transcribers via email or the web. No more packaging up tapes. 7) Lastly, the audio files can be easily posted for general archival purposes on the web or elsewhere.

Downsides: Olumpus does not record in MP3 but its own compressed format. It's more compressed than MP3 and so files are easier to email, but you have to convert them if you want to share them openly.

I carry mine in my bag, next to a Radio Shack itsy bitsy lav mike for extra sound quality in noisy rooms.

There are many Olympus models, some as low as $32, but those don't have a USB plug -- they are listen only. The cheapest one that has a USB outlet to move the digital files is, I believe, the 960PC for $80. But this model does not work with the Mac for some strange reason. The least expensive Olympus model I found that will work with the Mac is the DS-2, which goes for about $100.

None of these models remain in production long.

Here's a cool tool that I stumbled upon. It's called ZYB (quite uninformative name, but typical web 2.0 lingo I guess). It's a free backup service for your mobile phone. Quite impressive what you can do on that site -- back up contacts, etc. and actually it's a bit strange that they even can get the backup to work over the mobile's GPRS connection. I've used it for a month now and I'm impressed that it's even possible to make a backup of your mobile that way. I don't know how they do it or why it hasn't been done before!

For recreational orienteering, or survival, all you need is an inexpensive analog compass. For sea navigation, and for trail making, surveying, wildlife monitoring, or anything else where consistently exactitude is require, this scope is probably what you want. Waterproofed, and illuminated at night with fiber optics, these compasses can supplement GPS finders.

-- KK

Traditional compass designs for hikers are unreliable and hard to use. A magnetized needle wobbles on a primitive bearing, and its accuracy is affected by local mineral deposits. Enhancements of this basic design are still unsatisfactory; for instance, you may find yourself peering into a hinged mirror, trying to focus simultaneously on the wobbling needle in front of you, and a distant object reflected in the mirror, upside-down.

After much searching I found that marine supply companies seem to make the most advanced compasses. I bought a KVH Datascope for about $300. It is designed as a monocular; you look through the unit, which provides 5x magnification, crosshairs, and a digital readout superimposed, accurate to +/- half a degree. This is a sighting compass, meaning that you sight a distant object in the direction in which you wish to travel, walk toward that object, taking another sighting, and so on. The fact that the compass is still accurate if you don't hold it level (it has a 20 degree tolerance) is a big plus; traditional compasses are useless unless you manage to hold them almost precisely level.

Calibration of the compass is very simple, after which you dial in the deviation of magnetic north from true north in your area. (This information is available on any topo map.) Supposedly the compass is smart enough to compensate for local deposits of ferrous metal, power lines, etc. All I know is that I was finally able to locate the small metal pegs marking the corners of my 40 acres in the middle of nowhere. A professional surveyor's compass had not enabled me to do this.

The Datascope requires three button-type batteries, and must be recalibrated each time you change the batteries, because each new set of batteries has slightly different magnetic characteristics. My first set has lasted two years so far. The compass comes in a nice padded carrying case, includes a digital clock, is supposedly "totally waterproof," and weighs 11 ounces. If you're tempted to buy one, check Google; I found online prices varying by as much as $150.

-- Charles Platt

I come from a long line of women whose lives were one long austerity measure, and I understand a lot of the basic principles for getting by with a smile: save cash, spend downtime increasing household efficiency, make your own stuff, and hang tight.

But it can be hard to change any habit, including habits about how we spend money. It's easy to slip into a rut of buying the same stuff all the time at the grocery store without noticing weekly price fluctuations. Using the Handy Adder is an effective and weirdly fun way to reconnect your attention with every item and not get hosed or miss big price increases. It's the grocery store version of Be Here Now.

Onward, Mighty Bargain Hunters!

My wife swears by this very Swiffer-like mop. It is basically a stick which you use to shove a towel around the floor with. The towels can then go in the wash.

The nice thing is that is uses very little liquid, so it can be used on laminates with (reasonable) safety. But the massive wave of towel seem to pick up debris quite well, and changing out your towel is far, far faster than with other replaceable head mops.

The previous Lumix digital camera I raved about earlier is no longer being manufactured, so this improved Lumix digital camera is the one I now use and recommend. At least for the next few months.

The main advantage the Lumix has over other ever-better digital cameras is their high powered optical ultra zooms. This one has a 10X zoom, which gives it telephoto capabilities in a camera that can hide in my shirt or pants pocket. It is the equivalent of having a 35mm - 350 mm zoom lens for free! It performs this magic using a clever prism system inside. And like the previous Lumixes it applies very capable image stabilization to pictures so they are very sharp even in low light. It sports a fast Leica lens for additional ease in taking pictures anywhere without flash (my preference). I am furthered endeared to this new model because it has instant power-up. Its screen is on and ready to shoot the moment I turn it on. The rest of the features are now pretty standard in digital point-and-shoots.

This small camera fits in the palm of my hand and does just about everything my old 35mm Nikons with five heavy lenses did, much faster and better. (I carried two SLR bodies and five lenses around every day all day for almost 8 years.) I also prefer it to the high end digital SRL Nikons and Canons now popular with pros. The Lumix TZ1 does not capture RAW files, but most non-professionals won't need that. While it does macro closeups well, it could really use a wide-angle option, but that's the only thing I miss.
Compared to $1,000 for a digital SLR, this baby is about $320. I carry mine everywhere with me in my jacket or pants, and the quality of my images is better than what I got from my 35mm Nikons because I can shoot in lower light, further, with less blur. I would have died for this miniature high quality camera when I was shooting every day in Asia decades ago.

I should also mention that with a 1 gig memory card in it, it can capture up to 20 minutes of okay (848 x 480) video -- with zoom!

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 is the best general purpose digital camera to get at the moment.

After trying a dozen pedometers, I discovered the rugged, well designed Timex 5E021.

The display is large enough to read easily, and the construction is sturdy. The belt clip never slips off. It clips securely to a belt or even the elastic band of a pair of athletic shorts.

Every other pedometer I tried had serious design flaws. Battery doors fell off, belt clips broke, and buttons were positioned so it was easy to accidentally reset the units. Many of the other pedometers I tried were overly sensitive to belt position. If the pedometer was too far to the front or back of my waist, the step-count and distance would be off by as much as a third. By contrast, the Timex is easy to position (right over the hip bone) and is always accurate. The reset button is positioned so it will not reset accidentally.

The number is 1-800-Free 411, and it's pretty self-explanatory. It's free directory information. Works on cells and land lines. The other day I was about to call a store, and my sister shouted 1-800 Free411 at me as I pulled down her driveway. I dialed it on my cell phone, and gave the name, town, and city. Somewhere in there they air a 12 second commercial, but then they give you your requested number, and even repeat it twice. I haven't experimented yet, but you MAY even be able to circumvent the commercial by pressing "2" on your keypad.

Cell phone companies in MOST parts of the world only charge you for calls you place; incoming calls are free (as they SHOULD be), so I'm annoyed enough when I return to the USA. If I can find a way to keep large corporations from taking more $$ outta my hide, I do it. When cell phone companies charge you up to $2.50 for a directory information request, I'll listen to 12 seconds of blather instead.

I'm remodeling my house. I got a low bid from a drywall guy -- only catch was I had to buy and haul all the drywall, which turned out to include 4'x12' sheets for the ceiling -- 7 of them! I only had one guy helping me. The 4'x12's were about 100lbs each, not to mention totally awkward and cumbersome to maneuver. The total haul was over 2500lbs. A dude at the store recommended the Stanley Panel Carry -- about 8 bucks there, but 6 on Amazon. Anyway, this seemingly simple and obvious tool made luggin' all that drywall a manageable process -- the 12 footers in particular, since they are only 5/8" thick and wobble enough to break if you torque them too much whilst lugging. I saved about 1,000 bucks on the drywall bid, made easy by an investment of $16 for two Panel Carrys. Very cool tool.

I started a major remodel of our home last year and was being driven crazy by all of the interior and exterior measurements that had to be made. Most of them required more than one person and my wife wasn't exactly happy to go along. That doesn't include the measurements that were simply hard to make (too high, too far, etc.)

That's when I ran across the Stanley laser "measuring tape." Inexpensive ultrasonic versions of this have been around for a while,
unfortunately they're generally inaccurate and in a tight space it's never completely clear what's being measured. Professional laser tapes have been around for a while also, but at $400+ a pop weren't exactly in my budget. The Stanley comes in about $100 and is every bit as accurate as the pro models.

Put the rear of the device against the wall (or starting point), point the laser dot at the point you're measuring to, punch a button, and presto distances up to 100' measured instantly and accurate within 1/4". Awesome!!!

I finished all of my measurements in 30 minutes. My time alone was worth the cost of the tool.

I hate touchpads on laptop computers. What to do when traveling? The obvious answer is a travel mouse, yet I seldom see people using them. My preferred model has a Xerox brand name stamped on it, probably because it was a promotional giveaway; I bought it on eBay for $5. Since it is optical, I can use it on any surface, even the fabric of an airplane seat beside my leg. It has a spring-loaded pulley in the center of its cord, so you don't have to extend more wire than strictly necessary. Because it was so cheap, I don't worry about damaging it. Because it's so small and light, I don't notice it in my computer bag.

I tried other travel mice but like this one best. Identical versions are on eBay (without the Xerox logo) for 99 cents plus shipping, or you can buy one with a JMTek brand name from Amazon for slightly more money.

For purely financial reasons, I'm going to talk about the original 1DS, not the newer model II.

This camera was introduced three-and-a-half years ago as a true SLR with a digital sensor the same size as a 35mm film frame, allowing legacy Canon lenses to retain their correct view angle. The CMOS sensor produces images that are notably "gentle," ideal for skin tones, and subtler than the typical colors of a CCD device. The disadvantages of the 1Ds are its price (originally it was $8,000), its bulk (it is built for durability), its frustratingly nonintuitive controls, and slight chromatic aberration when using wider lenses that were designed for the different performance characteristics of film. Now that the Model II is available, anyone who was reluctant to pay the price of a new Model I should be aware that they can be found on eBay for a mere $2,000. Rated at just over 11 megapixels, the picture quality is actually higher than the raw pixel count suggests, because the noise in the sensor is so unobtrusive. I have enlarged images up to 18" x 12" with virtually no noise visible, even in shadow areas after unsharp masking. When you push the sensitivity to the equivalent of ISO 1000, you do see some noise, but it resembles the pleasantly random distribution of film grain and is not streaky.

Tim Burton's stop-motion movie The Corpse Bride was shot frame-by-frame using modified Canon 1Ds cameras, which were chosen after their image quality was compared with all available alternatives, including motion-picture film. The very subtle tones in that movie are a tribute to Canon electronics.

I have seen many attempts to improve that humble tool, the wire stripper. This is the one that pleases me most. It clamps the wire, makes an incision into the insulation without cutting the copper underneath, and removes the insulation, all in a single action. The best part is that you don't have to hold the wire, because the tool grips it for you. You can use it with only one hand.

It looks clunky and over-elaborate but is absolutely functional. I enjoy all aspects of its design, even including the snick-snick sound of its clever mechanical linkage.

Although the one I own bears Radio Shack's "Kronus" brand name (available on their web site and in their stores) an identical version is available more cheaply from Grizzly Tools at the URL below.

Eric@brando.com recommends this item in an email consisting of just four words: "One push to stir."

Apparently Eric owns the web site that sells the Whirlwind Cup, but regardless of his vested interest in promoting the device, it surely deserves mention as a palliative treat for all those who suffer health problems such as repetitive strain injury induced by the onerous chore of stirring hot beverages.

More to the point, gadget.brando.com.hk has a wonderfully quirky inventory of implausible yet available items, ranging from a "USB Thumb Ionizer" to a stretchable hula-hoop. Is this a sign that the Chinese are encroaching on the traditionally Japanese business of developing very small, fanatically ingenious, frivolous gadgets that no one really needs, yet are somehow irresistible?

Gadget.brando.com.hk proudly proclaims, "We deliver joys to worldwide." Sounds good to me!

They also sell a 51-LED flashlight, leading me to tomorrow's recommendation.

While we wait for LED table lamps to emerge from the development phase and arrive at our local Wal-Marts, Hong Kong manufacturers have started selling ultra-high-output white LEDs direct to the consumer via eBay. These are the raw components, plus resistors for wiring them to a 12-volt car system, which is a popular application to create "undercar phantom glow" and other effects which will be familiar to those who have seen episodes of "Pimp My Ride" on cable.

The singularly named Light of Victory Led Store will send you, via airmail, 100 large size LEDs (1 cm diameter, 130,000 millicandles) for thirty-five bucks, including series resistors and air-mail postage. What a deal!

Of course you will have to do a little work at your end, drilling holes to mount the LEDs in a panel, and hooking them up to a power supply. The series resistors are not necessary if you buy a 3.5 AC adapter for house voltage, available for less than $10--check Froogle. Just remember to hook the shorter wire of each LED to your negative source, and the longer wire to your positive source. Each diode draws just 20 milliwatts, making them, I think, the most efficient known form of artificial light, already finding widespread use in flashlights, tail lights, and turn signals. Soon to be used for ambient indoor lighting in an RV near you?

I expect to be writing a build-your-own-LED-reading-lamp crafts project for Make magazine later this year. Meanwhile you can have fun playing with this almost magical device.

Finally, a really worthwhile use for cellular technology. Global Pet Finder is essentially LoJack for dogs in case they get lost. If your dog wanders out of the area, it will transmit its location every minute to your cell phone, PDA, or pager. You can also check your dog's location on their website. Alternatively, you can manually locate your dog by dialing "FOUND" from your cellphone.

One other really cool feature is a temperature sensor, which will cause the unit to transmit a warning if the air temperature gets dangerously high or low.

Removes lids of cans by side cutting the lid leaving it available for re-covering the can - super for pet foods. Leaves no sharp edge - cans are safe to handle. Leaves plastic lined aluminum tins available for nail, screw, storage containers - won't rust - lids can be secured with a strip of electrical tape across the top for secure storage.

My sister gave a MysticMaid cleaning cloth to me for a birthday present. Prejudging the gift (a towel?) I feigned a thanks and a fake smile. Then I tried it. I cleaned my glasses and then my monitor. Wow! I'd swear I got a new prescription.

One of the best uses I found for it, was cleaning up items for online auctions. I cleaned an older digital camera to a nearly brand new state. Cleans CDs and DVDs, too.

Machine washable.

This is the greatest tool for removing ticks from dogs or people. We have 3 dogs and walk daily in the Oakland, California hills. During tick season, most of the year, they each pick up a couple of ticks daily. Two of the dogs, Bear and Girl, have long hair, Joey has short hair, and the tick twister works well on all of them. It also removes ticks well from the "hairless apes" in the house. It's better than tweezers which grab skin and fur while leaving pieces of the tick behind, also there is no need to worry about poking your pet in the eye with sharp tweezers.

Sending my black shitzu out on a dark night from my country home can cause some stress. Not knowing where the little mutt has gone has me worrying if he has wandered off too far. Plus out in the country there are many predators that would consider the little dog as a snack. I found this pet blinker in a local feed store. It is the greatest thing I bought for my pet. The bright LEDs can be seen for a good distance and the low battery usage means a long time between changes. The blinker is very light and does not weigh down my little dog. All I have to do now at night is just follow the blinking light to know the location of my dog.

It was while training for a triathlon that I first heard about quick-tie shoelaces. When transitioning from biking to running you want to get your Nikes on fast. So I went to the running store and bought a pair of elastic laces with a spring-loaded plastic thingy like you find on a cinch sack. It worked well enough for my first race. But then a funny thing happened. I kept using the shoes for my regular runs and found I lost nothing in support and gained a few welcome moments each time I put on, or took off, my shoes. Why would I ever want to go back to regular laces?

Later I googled and found Speed Laces. They've taken the idea up a notch with low-friction eyelets you can screw into your shoe's eyelets, plus neater cinch mechanisms. I bought half a dozen and began retrofitting my family's running shoes.

"I don't want those things on my shoes!" said my wife. But she relented once I promised to put her old laces back if she wasn't won over. Now, she admits I was right. (I was careful to match the color of Speed Laces to her shoes.)

The company makes claims for better comfort and support, which may be true, but I find the time savings alone worth it. Plus I'm wearing running shoes more often around the house because they are nearly as easy to slip on as loafers.

Digital cameras improve at light-speed. The "best" is fleeting, so I can only tell you -- after researching and using many models -- what I am using myself right now.

First: In cameras, the smaller the better. I like to carry a camera with me at all times, so I've been using different pocket cameras, including the credit-car sized gems like the Exlim. Ever since their resolution and capacity reached the magical 5 megapixel threshold, you could use them for most assignments. But much to my surprise after using these super tiny and lightweight cameras for a few years, I've found that their very lightness is a liability. It is nearly impossible to keep them steady in low light without flash -- which seems to be my preferred setting. Too few of my shots indoors were sharp, too many blurry. A heavy camera has more momentum to absorb the ordinary wavers of your hands. I began to consider the superior optics and control offered by the popular (and much larger) digital single-lens-reflex (SLR), like the Canon Rebel and Nikon D series. These almost-professional cameras give you optical zoom lenses (important), some heft for steadiness, large files (including RAW
format), and fat sensors with abundant resolution (up to 8 megapixels). The downside: they were absolutely not pocketable. In fact they were gigantic compared to what I've been carrying around in my pants pockets. And they were not cheap. Close to $1,000 when all is said and done.

Several silicon valley billionaire gadget freaks turned me onto a hybrid camera they had discovered: the Lumix. Made by Panasonic (a name not usually associated with cameras) the Lumix seems to have a secret following. The mid-level model has the glass lens of a SLR, but at a smaller scale. Attached to a hand-sized 5-megapixel sensor is a very fast, extremely sharp zoom lens made by legendary optician Leica. The zoom is wonderfully telescopic, ranging 12X, all the way from the 35mm equivalent of 36 to an astounding 432 (!), yet clearly bright at 2.8 f/stop, which is perfect for low light without flash, and -- the key innovation here -- it employs image stabilization. The lens self corrects for vibrations. This means that I can shoot indoors and night with zoom extended (yes!) and get razor sharp shots. During daylight it is startling clear. Turns out that for real world use, sharpness is probably more important than megapixel size.

Lumix come in a number of models. I use the FZ-5, which is much smaller in size than the latest model, the FZ-30. The smaller FZ-5 does not do RAW files (the FZ-30 does), but I prefer its compact size and don't usually need the massive file sizes of RAW. I can't fit the Lumix into my pants pocket, but it will sit in my jacket pocket or any small bag I carry. The zoom is both macro and telescopic, an old SLR ability I am so happy to have back. Five meg resolution is plenty. It'll take a 1 gig memory card. The camera lights up fast. Navigation of controls is fine. And to top it off, this little wonder is comparatively cheap with a street price below $350 -- a third of what the Rebel would cost.

The brand new Sony R1 is also a hybrid camera similar to the Lumix, but at the high end. It has a humongous 10 megapixel sensor, and a great zoom, but no image stabilization. And it is a big heavy camera that costs $1,000. Sony and Canon also have new models similar to the FZ5 with 5 megapixels, 12X zoom, and image stabilizers, but the Li ion batteries in the Panasonic keep a charge better, and it is smaller/lighter than the others.

The Lumix FZ5 offers fabulous clarity, with an amazing zoom, in a tiny package, at a remarkably bargain price. It is my choice for anyone's first digital camera. And for next five minutes anyway, the Lumix has displaced my many other cameras (film and digital).

It's not that often you run across a piece of gear that can actually save your life. Whether you're backpacking, backcountry skiing, scuba diving, or flying in the wilderness, the McMurdo Fastfind Plus is a must-have in the event you find yourself in a serious emergency situation. Up here in Seattle every year hikers, mountain climbers, and backcountry skiers get lost and don't return. Whenever I read about them in the paper I kind of sigh and think of how easy it would've been to be rescued.

When a person activates the Fastfind Plus, it uses its integral GPS to provide a 406 MHz alert signal via the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite system. You see a visual indicator of GPS acquisition. Fastfind Plus also transmits on the International Aircraft Emergency Frequency of 121.5 MHz providing a homing signal for the Search And Rescue (SAR) services. With the combination of an integral GPS and satellite transmitter, Search and Rescue authorities can be notified of your emergency along with your pinpoint location within minutes, anywhere in the world.

The Fastfind only weighs 10 oz, which isn't bad considering that it can save your ass. For scuba divers, a waterproof aluminum canister is also available. I might mention that these devices are only to be used in the most dire, life-threatening emergency. It is a violation of Federal Law to misuse the device and is subject to a $250,000 fine.

In the past five years, a number of companies have started up that offer kits to convert your diesel vehicle to run off of vegetable oil. The main players in the U.S. are Greasecar, Greasel, Neoteric, and Frybrid. Of these companies, Frybrid is the most innovative and quality minded of the lot. Frybrid was the first to introduce a really efficient heat exchanger and a microprocessor controller that will automatically switch to vegetable oil when the system is hot enough and which will not let you forget to switch back to diesel. The components of the Frybrid system were designed to handle the most challenging conditions, so that they could be installed in a Mercedes or a Mack truck. When we converted a school bus (for our traveling circus!) to biodiesel our original Greasecar system had to be largely replaced by a Frybrid one. The Frybrid system was more expensive than the competitors, and seems overbuilt, but it is much better.

-- Forest Gregg

[A clarification: This conversion kit is made for using unprocessed straight vegetable oil (SVO; straight as in straight from the kitchen) which requires a separate tank. Most biodiesel is slightly processed vegetable oil, which does not require this kit. You just pump and drive. More on Biodiesel from this Primer] -- KK

Frybrid Kit
With 15 gallon tank
$1600
Available from
Frybrid

Everone knows the standard 1.6 gallon low-flush toilet does not work as advertised. The three different models we installed in our bathroom in as many years did not easily flush large turds. Finally a maniacal plumber who methodically reviews low-flush toilets on his website (O, the glory of the web!) pointed me to a 1.6 gallon toilet that really, really works: the Toto UltraMax. It has garnered unanimously great reviews online.

I can categorically say that if you have trouble with non-flushing 1.6 gallon toilets, than the Toto UltraMax will change your bathroom life. You can store that plunger away. Created by clever Japanese engineers who figured that if you could make a toilet that worked in space, why not one that worked at home? They rethought the standard design, and came up with the G-Max system. It inserts a vortex in the bow of the throne's bowl which satisfyingly sucks everything down in a split-second quiet whoosh. Shit be gone!

Even better, I found a site that would mail me the Toto UltraMax to my home via DHL (and with free shipping!) Two days later I had a very large box on our front porch, and a few hours later, a low-flush toilet running that has not clogged once since installation. (Previously we needed a plunger every third time).

I've been so happy.

When I was 11, my dad got me a soldering iron for Hanukkah. After my seventh burn, I started wondering if I was being punished for something. Enter the ColdHeat Pro - I can now solder stuff without scorching myself. It's cordless, light, and heats up quickly. I love it.

The Bonzai Expandable Flash Drive is a typical USB flash drive, except you can plug in a memory card in the back, meaning that it:

1) is infinitely upgradeable
2) (and here's the rub) can be used to rapidly copy photos/files from a camera, phone, mp3 player, or other flash device that uses an SD/MMC card, meaning that you don't have to travel with those pain-in-the-neck cables.
3) it's cheap: less then $10. Use a card you already have.

I keep one SD card in the Bonzai, and one in my camera. This way I always have a USB drive for my files, a spare card for my camera, and a way to get my photos onto a computer, at all times. I've seen a CompactFlash version (made by another company), if SD/MMC doesn't work for you. Obviously, though, that one was a bit bigger.

The Bonzai is small enough to fit in the coin pocket of my jeans, so I hardly realize it's there. In fact, it's gone through the washing machine at least once (with a card in it). I just let it dry it out, and it still worked like a charm. I love mine.

I like to cook outside. Besides the usual barbeque I like to stir fry -- which requires very high heat. I've found the the best, highest temperature outdoor stove. It's called the Patio Wok and it puts out 49000 btu's, more than sufficient for the requirements of the sustained high temps of stir fry.

While looking for a mere flexible plastic cutting board suitable for backpacking, I discovered Orikaso plastic-oragami campware. Made of flexible and durable plastic, pre-scored for folding with small plastic snaps, this proved to be a very useful, light, affordable and cool tool. It serves as cutting board, plate, bowl, pasta strainer, melitta-style coffee maker, and funnel. After three weeks of daily use in Iceland it'll never leave my kit again.

After living in a house with 3 animals for a while, I started to notice the usual hair balls scattered around. I needed a very light, powerful vacuum that could reach corners easily.

I tried a hand-held dustbuster type, but found that its incredibly small storage and lack of any useful way to hold debris inside was just a bad design. After investigating those "Shark" or small Oreck vacuums, I found their prices were much too high and their design didn't look very impressive either, so I passed.

I found my dream machine in the 2 Gallon Stinger Wet/Dry Vac for less than $30. What you get:
Lots of sucking power, very easy to dump out debris, lots of capacity, very light and easy to move around, gets into tight spaces, and much less expensive than those premium models! AND, it will pick up both dry and wet material, as the name implies!

This really is the perfect convenient vacuum for quick clean-ups. And at half to a third the price of those premium models, you can't go wrong.

The Russell Executive Mesh Chair is the Aeron for people on a budget. I've had to sit in many, many different kinds of chairs in my inglorious temping career, and this one is by far the best. Both the seat and the back are mesh, so the chair breathes. The ergonomic control, while not nearly as complete as the Aeron's, is still definitely superior to any chair I've found in the sub-$300 range. As with the Aeron (which goes for twice that amount, or about $600-650 new), the arms are attached to the back, not the seat - and they're easily removed. It's light but sturdy (steel frame) and pretty easy on the eyes (a little bit biomorphic). I've been using mine since late last year and it's vastly improved my relationship with my desk.

Best of all, it's only $230 new at discounters.

I have been doing a fair amount of research into a portable fridge for an vehicle expedition I am planning on doing from Baja to Alaska. The problem lies in the Peltier thermoelectric technology used in the new cheap coolers; they just don't make really cold temperatures.

To my knowledge there is nothing great in the sub $100 range, but there are excellent efficient cold fridges made for expeditions. These will actually freeze stuff. Unfortunately the cheapest is about $350. They are the ones with the sealed Danfoss compressors. These portable fridges/freezers are marketed by Waeco, ARB, and Engel and are all basically exactly the same products. You can pick which one you think has the better customer support; I can't say which that is yet. I would probably go with ARB, as they have a very high rep in the 4x4 community. But the Waeco USA site also has a 'factory reconditioned' section that is worth keeping an eye on for the right model.

-- Alexander Rose

$400
Engel

$500
Waeco Coolmatic Series

$750
ARB

I love bicycling, but it is tricky with kids 5-10: too old for bike seats, too young for tandems (which are also expensive). For $90 the Pathfinder Bike Trailer provides a way to bring the kids along, give them exercise, and be able to talk with them during the trip. Because I have three kids, we hook a Burley Trailer to the Pathfinder so someone can rest on long trips. Alternately the older one rides on a tandem with me or my wife. This device turns bicycling into a group activity and has instilled a lifetime love of bicycling in my kids.

In my search for a dependable household sewing machine I considered used classic models, and new fancy computer-guided gadgets, but in the end bought this no-frills boring machine from Brother. It's a great buy. This model is very compact (almost tiny), lightweight, and reliable. It doesn't take up much room so we can leave it out, always "on." It performs basic sewing chores plus other fancy stitches we've never used. Its handy removable lower "free arm" makes hemming cuffs a breeze. Best of all, at $70 new from discounters, it was cheaper than well-used heavy-duty models for sale on eBay. (I avoid garage sale machines because of a string of lemons we had that always needed tweaking, and because they are usually bulky.) This one just goes and goes, and weighs only 15 pounds. If there is a thriftier bargain for basic sewing machine, I'd like to know about it.

Disposable alkaline batteries are not perceived by most people to be rechargeable, and that's how the manufacturers like it. Until digital pulse-technology chargers came out a few years ago, it was NOT an option for most people. Alkaline battery walls are very thin, and the heat generated by simple brute-force recharging frequently split them open with a bang.

There are new chip-controlled chargers which will safely and effectively recharge "disposable" alkaline batteries. I have a Buddy-L Super Charger, one of the first designed this way. Bought it about 7 years ago, and I still use it to recharge all my alkaline batteries. Saves me a BUNDLE!

The newest of the new chargers claim to be able to charge Ni-Cad, NiMH, AND Alkaline in the same unit. (Don't know if this means mixed types at the same time.)

Robomaid is a low tech, very cheap version of Roomba cleaner. It doesn't clean rugs, but has done a great job on our wood, tile, and stone floors. The design is wonderful in its elegance: a powered ball propelling a sweeping "hat". Like Roomba it cleans along walls, under tables and desks, and in corners where it would be difficult to clean otherwise. It uses no intelligence, so it randomly changes direction, but is surprisingly thorough. Especially since I don't care how long it takes.

It has some lovable quirks: you need to block it from going down stairs (going down the stairs has not damaged it, but I worry). It does not find its way back to its recharger when done, so you need to locate it after it has cleaned. The electrostatic cleaning pads need replacing after 5-10 cleanings, and cost 30-40 cents each, so the cost per cleaning is 3 to 8 cents.

I got it for Christmas from friends who thought our pets would enjoy it. I had low expectations. Our pets ignored it after the first time, but it cleaned so well it has become a fixture around our house.

Although it will never replace a cordless drill in terms of speed of driving/removing screws, my trusty Snap-On ratcheting screwdriver requires no batteries and is far less cumbersome in both weight and size. And for a 1- or 2-screw job is actually faster.

This unit has a smooth-action, incredibly durable RATCHET action that will send the shaft merrily cranking in whichever direction you desire with a flick of the easily rotated ring. It can also be set in the fixed, non-ratcheting position. I have tried another ratchet screwdriver and found the action laughably rough with plenty of slop. The stainless shaft on the Snap-On is magnetized and bored out in the end to accept the standard hex-shaped bit tips. A durable plastic cap screws into the butt of the hollowed-out handle and has a gasket to keep the interchangeable bit tips that rest inside moisture- (and therefore rust-) free.

For taking your blood pressure at home, I recommend this excellent, beautifully engineered wrist sphygmomanometer. The great wizards at Panasonic have taken the cumbersome apparatus used to measure blood pressure, shrunk it into a little box and made it easy to use by anyone. That, to me, is wizardry.

You push the yellow button, the cuff squeezes your wrist and then deflates, showing your blood pressure in a nice, easy-to-read digital readout along with your heart rate. The whole unit measures 2.5" x 2" x 1"; and uses two AAA batteries. It costs $42 from Amazon*.

But will it deliver valid blood pressure measurements? Unequivocally, yes.

I took my little Panasonic into the Operating Room where I work and put it on the wrist of my patients, on the same arm on which I put my professional-grade anesthesia machine blood pressure cuff which, by the way, costs around $5,000. As soon as the anesthesia machine-value came up on my monitor screen, I pushed the little button on my Panasonic and then recorded both readings on a flow chart I'd created.

My conclusion after doing this informal study on six or seven patients was that the Panasonic is accurate, reliable and in fact better than the medical-grade equipment I use in two areas:

1) It's much easier to use: goes on in a couple seconds, as opposed to screwing around trying to get the blood pressure cuff and Velcro seal positioned just so, and then having to move the long rubber connecting tube to the anesthesia machine out of the way.
2) It's much faster: a reading from the Panasonic takes maybe 30 seconds from button push to obtaining a value; the anesthesia version takes 1-2 minutes.

I keep my little Panasonic in my fanny pack when I'm in the OR, as a backup, 'cause you just never know when your monitor's gonna crash.

Float over snow. Go slow, steady. Be thrifty. One of the least expensive pair of snowshoes you can get is the best. Unfashionably molded of single piece of unbreakable bomb-proof plastic these Denali are idiot-proof easy to get on and off, very lightweight, and small enough to fit into your carry-on luggage! Try that with fancy ones. A classic model by now, any bugs in the near-solid-state Denalis have long been worked out, so these economical shoes have a huge following. I find them far more comfortable than other snowshoes I've used for casual excursions. They have optional extenders for heavier weight or snow conditions.

I have a 13 month old who's been eating "solids" for about 7 months now and these excessive-heat sensitive spoons by Munchkin have made that a much easier adventure. The marketing blurb about the spoon is very accurate: "Heat sensor tip turns white when food is too hot! Suction base allows utensils to stand upright and avoid contact with germs. Flexible soft tip is gentle on baby's gums while handle is comfortable and easy to hold. Dishwasher safe."

In addition to the above, the spoons are longer than most of the others on the market which means you have better reach and better lines of attack when your little one tries to parry the incoming food.

"These pants are made for working, and that's just what they'll do," it says in the catalog, and that is no shit. These pants are vastly sturdier, longer-lasting, more comfortable and beautiful than jeans. They have pockets below the knee that accommodate their custom-fitted light-weight kneeling pads. Those pads alone are worth the $60 price. I never realized how often around the house, tractor, and woods, I found myself holding my body at an uncomfortable, back-stressing angle until I had these pants that made kneeling easy and restful. They have pull-out pouches for nails or screws that are reverse slashed so you can get into them with either hand. In a marvelous example of intelligent design, these hang outside--unless, if they're not full, you want to tuck them inside the regular front pockets. An array of other pockets can hold everything from a cell phone to a wrench. They're the ultimate cargo pants.

A word of caution: I had to send my first pair back because I was fantasizing about my waist size, using the size from my last pair of jeans. These pants are brutally honest, and they want to fit up around your belly button, which is a problem if you no longer have as much of a waist as you did when you were 23, but like to think you do. So don't suck it in. Stand like you will be when you're holding a chain saw and when in doubt, buy one size larger. You can always burn the tag.

For this and other extraordinarily desirable gear, go to my favorite wish book, the Duluth Trading Co. catalog.

You can never have too many fonts. Here are hundreds of wonderfully creative ones which you might need once in a lifetime -- and since they are free*, why not be bold?

In this latest incarnation of a survivalist magazine, the two strands of the self-reliance movement are mixed up here with the glee of cognitive dissonance. You've got your pure survivalists, who run away from things (the government, Y2K, society in general), and now you've also got the greens, who run to society (rural values, ecotopia). So in one issue you'll get articles on solar-powered yurts, making your own soap, and the best "combat flashlights" used to temporarily blind an assailant, or software for training your long-range rifle skills. In between is material on outfitting four-wheel drives, diving for legal abalone, AC inverters, building your own home and other matters of living close to the land away from the crowd.

You can get a free sample of the cool flosser I reviewed last issue by clicking here. I have no idea how long this offer will last.

A million sound bites have announced: every vote is gonna count this election year. If you haven't registered, well it's really damn easy these days. Online voter registration sites can register you online in a few states, or at least give you the printable forms for your area. Some sites will even address the envelope to your local precinct for you. So whether you be anarchist, communist, libertarian, consigned to one of the two parties, or just really apathetic (that would be me) getting your voice into the electoral process has never been easier.

This travel alarm clock features an antidote to one kind of stupidity.

Back in 1997, I traveled to Duluth, Minnesota for the Duluth Inline Skate Marathon, scheduled for very early in the morning. As a fail safe method to awake early, I set my five (!) Westclox Travel Alarm clocks that I'd used for years without any difficulty. I set them, as I always do, to go off at five minute intervals, and placed them at various places around the hotel room so I would have to get up to turn the five of them off. Except in Duluth, I forgot to move the Alarm button from "Off" to "On" on any of them. So all five alarms were set perfectly, but not turned on.

So, long story short, I missed the race. That's a long way to travel to spend a night in an Econolodge.

But the great part of the story is, I blamed myself for my failure, instead of the clock, and so kept on using it. Until earlier this year, when I needed a new one but couldn't find it online anymore. So, I started looking for a replacement. And I happened upon the Oregon Scientific one featured here.

The Nightfinder is a superior travel clock for one big reason: it shows you on the screen not only if the alarm is on, but also what time it's set to go off. When you're managing five of 'em simultaneously, or relying on a single one, that's important and very helpful.

It's also better for four smaller reasons: 1) you can adjust the settings up and down, instead of up only; 2) the nightlight/snooze mechanism is activated just by tapping the top, which rocks gently backward on a spring hinge; 3) it runs on a AAA battery, instead of one of those impossible-to-find-the-right-one watch batteries like the Westclox; 4) it's smaller and lighter than the Westclox.

Your source for incredibly strong rare earth magnets. They cling so forcefully they can hurt, and some are so tiny they are useful in ways you have never anticipated. Small super-magnets can be used like a bolt easily unlocked. I've had good service from this outfit.

I wear them walking in the rain, camp cooking in the rain, chopping mega-weeds in the rain, piloting a boat in the rain (or even just wind), and groping in underwater silt for hours cleaning up debris. The layering is thick enough for warmth but not too thick to affect touch and dexterity. Rubber-like dots on the working surface give traction even on our tugboat's stainless steel "destroyer wheel." It takes a while to rinse dirt out of SealSkinz, but that is their only flaw. Some suppliers have a gauntlet form that reaches almost to the elbow.

I don't smoke, so what am I doing with a butane lighter in my pocket? My life has no end of candles, lanterns, and fires to light, that's why. I had one of Brunton's "Stormproof" Helios lighters until it turned out to be worthless at altitude on a mountain, where making a fire might be important. Besides, the Helios opens so wide you can't reach it down into votive lights or fat candles or into the thick of kindling.

Solution: the Colibri Quantum Xtreme CX lighter. It's nice and narrow---fits anywhere. Its "Electro-Flame" ignition has proved fully reliable. And you can dial in the altitude you want it to light at; it changes the fuel/air mix to suit, good up to 15,000 feet. No other lighter does this.

It lists at $100. The lowest price I found was at eLighters, $80---available in black, white, pearl, and blue. REI has a gaudy orange model with what looks like a clear fuel container and maybe lighter weight, but full price: $100. The weight of my black one is 1.85 ounces.

I've tried using a few different dedicated ebook readers. They suck; they are much worse than paper books. But I do like using my Palm handheld as an ebook reader, especially at night in bed with the backlight on. I bought a Sony Clie T615C with a color 320 x 320 screen for about $75 used. I see they're going for less than $50 on eBay now. A great deal for a 16MB device.

The screen is about 2.5 x 2.5 inches and it's at least as legible as a computer screen, if not more. The pixels are very small and the characters are very sharp. This high resolution is key for reading -- the kind of screen that comes with the Treo 600, for example, is no good for long texts. Any Palm device will work, but standard low resolution (160x160) makes it more difficult to read. The Sonys and the Palm Tungsten have that satisfying high resolution (320x320).

The free Palm Reader allows bookmarking, searching, and note-taking. It's a great little app. Invisible until you need it. To turn the page, you just tap the screen (there are several other ways to turn the page).

The best place to buy ebooks for handhelds is from Palm Digital Media, which sells ebooks for Palm and Windows handhelds. Palm Digital has lots of the books I want, like Steven Johnson's Mind wide Open, and Bill Bryson's A Brief History of Nearly Everything. The prices are good, too. Mind Wide Open costs $13.49 here. It's $17.50 on Amazon in paper. Best of all, there's no waiting for the book to show up in the mail -- you get it the instant you pay for it. I've read a couple of dozen books this way, and have come to resent having to use real books, which now seem too heavy to have to hold up.

It's been a long time since we had a child at home. But our favorite pediatrician, Dr. Alan Greene, recommends the EarCheck Middle Ear Monitor, which uses sonar to check for ear infections, the number one reason kids need to see a doctor. Just slip the nose cone of the device into child's ear and press a button. The child hears a chirping noise but feels nothing--and you get a reading that indicates how well the eardrum is moving. A "Green" light means the eardrum is functioning well, and most likely your child does not have an ear infection. A "Red" reading suggests that there is fluid behind the eardrum, so a visit to the physician is needed. Further details on using the monitor can be found at Dr. Greene's Housecalls.

Radio Shack has a new line of AA and AAA batteries (they seem to actually have been developed by Rayovac) that recharge in 15 minutes when you use their IC3 charger. The fastest rate of chargers I'd seen before this was an hour, and those were difficult to find. This acceleration makes a HUGE difference - the charge time has now passed the threshold where, in many cases, you can still have a fresh set of batteries before you leave the house even when you've forgotten to charge them beforehand. I've tested these out a bit, and they do indeed charge in slightly less than 15 minutes using their IC3 charger, and they seem to work as well as any other NiMH batteries (which is to say, very well in high-drain electronics). In a pinch the IC3 batteries can be charged in a "regular" NiMH charger, but then they take as long as regular NiMH batteries, and likewise, charging regular NiMH batteries in the IC3 charger doesn't speed them up.