As the last days of summer elude us and we delve into fall, sometimes it’s nice to take advantage of an unseasonably warm day. You can’t just let it pass you by – you have to make the most of it! There are a few things you can do to fully enjoy an unexpected stretch of the sun’s rays. You could open up all the windows in the house and let the warm breeze in. Maybe take your kids to the park for a picnic or an afternoon game of Frisbee. Or even the simplest of things, you could enjoy a delicious cold treat. It’s getting to the point where tea, cocoa, and other hot beverages will become commonplace, so the days where you can sit down with a bowl of ice cream or a popsicle are numbered.
The Tovolo Freezer Jewel Popsicle Molds (Wrapables, $9.95) are a perfect warm weather accomplice. Not only are popsicles a fun little treat, but this mold is awesome because it allows you to create six frozen ring pops. Sure, ring pops are a little messier than traditional popsicles, but they’re a thousand times more enjoyable. There’s just something about the convenience of a treat that fits snugly on your hand. Anyways, since the molds are of the ring pop nature, each pop is shaped like a gem. Yeah, it’s a touch cheesy, but I like it (and I know you do too). Each pop has an insulated sleeve, so once you take the set out of the freezer, they won’t immediately melt. Also, the bottom tray helps prevent spills and such while your pops are setting up in the freezer.
I know it seems silly to make your own popsicles when you could just go out to the store and get some, but it’s just not the same. I mean, you could go the health route and say that making your own popsicles with fruit juice is better for you than those high fructose corn syrup laden pops, but I think it’s just the act itself of making them on your own. You can make them any way you want. You have the power! What more could you ask for?
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 6.5″ x 4.75″
-Set of 6
-Makes frozen ring pops
-Insulated sleeves
-Made of plastic
Never underestimate the power of a good drinking game. Most quality drinking games are built on a simple set of principles, presumably because a drunk person isn’t going to remember anything all that complicated. Because playing the same old drinking games at parties can get a bit old, people tend to turn just about anything they can into a drinking game. Usually it’s the simple stuff that tends to be the tried and true stuff at parties (Flip Cup) and the more complicated games get cast aside (Kings). Sometimes a courageous person might suggest making a board game a little more interesting by raising the stakes with a bit of booze. This can be a fantastic idea, but again, drunk people have a tough time remembering rules.
Now, the Battleships Drinking Game (Drinkstuff, £14.98) takes a classic board game and makes it very party friendly. Instead of having to add drinks to Battleship and remembering what rules you drunkenly decided on, the whole point of this game is to avoid getting tanked – both on and off the board. Each “ship” is really a shot glass with a ship on the side. There are 12 slots in which you will position your four “ships” in an effort to be the last one standing. The rules are simple – it operates just like a standard game of Battleship. You try to sink your opponent’s ships by calling out coordinates, and then your opponent does the same. Once one person’s ships are all sank, the game is over.
See, this game is great because you don’t have to learn anything new. Basically, if you know how to play Battleship, then you’re set. And who doesn’t know how to play Battleship? It’s something that’s pretty much burned into everyone’s brains. I just wish that there were more “ships” to work with, like a standard Battleship game. That would make things pretty interesting.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 225mm x 180mm x 435mm (board extended)
95mm x 180mm x 225mm (board closed)
40mm diameter (shot glasses)
-Includes plastic Battleship board, 8 Battleship shot glasses, and game instructions
-Two player drinking game
-Twist on traditional Battleship game
-Great for parties
-Not available for delivery in the United States or Canada
It’s hard to pack light. I mean, you want to be ready for any occasion, but you don’t want to pack like you’re moving in. The thing that most people end up skimping on isn’t clothing, but little toiletries and such. They think these things don’t matter because you can always go out and buy them wherever you go. And those little shops on that exotic island you’ve traveled to count on this, and they rake you over the coals for a tiny tube of toothpaste. So you try to bring only the most important stuff, but soon you’ve run out of room and you’ve gotta draw the line somewhere.
With the USB Travel Shaver (Things You Never Knew Existed, $22.98), you can leave your bulky electric shaver at home. Not only is this electric shaver compact for easy transport, but it doesn’t even need a power cord. All you have to do to charge this baby up is plug it into the USB port on your computer. Sure, some people travel without computers, but the majority of us are technologically tethered to one. And if you happen to leave yours at home, most resorts (or friend’s houses) have a spare computer that you could jack into for enough time to get a decent shave. I mean, think about the exorbitant amount of money you would spend on a set of disposable razor blades or, even worse, a new electric shaver while on vacation.
See, what would happen to me is, I would manage to remember my electric shaver. No problem. And then I would go to use it, and I would realize that the battery was dead. No problem. After searching through my travel bag for the charger cord, I would remember that it was sitting on bathroom counter. A problem.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 4″ x 2″ x .5″
-Includes shaver, cleaning brush, and additional mesh grid
-Floating double head system
-LED indicator
-Built in USB arm
I’m a big fan of board games. I know they’re not for everyone and that they have this reputation for being boring, but I simply don’t agree. I’m not saying that I would play them all day, every day, until the end of time, but I think a board game a day isn’t so bad. I think it all depends on what game you’re playing and who you’re playing it with. Sure, if the people you’re trying to play Monopoly with absolutely hate the game, it’s not going to be much fun. But if you’re sitting down to a rousing round of Boggle with a master word sleuth, then it’s on for the rest of the night.
So you have to take a second look at the Super Mario Chess Set (ThinkGeek, $39.99) because it’s not some stuffy pretentious version of chess. This chess board trumps a regular old game of chess because the pieces are custom. I know, there are a lot of custom chess pieces out there, but have you seen a collection of 32 hand-painted pieces bearing an uncanny resemblance to Super Mario characters? I think not. This game would appeal to any child, or gamers’ child at heart, and yet is still a fully functional chess set. Now, you could just keep the set tucked away so it can accrue value (and dust) over time. Or, you could actually play it. And let me tell you, you want to play this game. How could you resist a Mario vs Bowser game of chess?
This game would give you some serious geek street cred. Just imagine you’re on your webcam, trying to hit it off with some cyber hottie, and she spots this chess set in the background. You’re golden. Instant second web date.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 18.5″ square board; tallest piece is 2.5″
-Includes 32 hand painted pieces, metal collectors box, game board, and instructions
-Chess and Super Mario mash up
-Mario vs Bowser
-Ages 7 and up
Now, I’m not a camper, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t appreciate handy items that may assist campers. Pretty much anything that can help you survive in an emergent situation is good in my book, regardless of whether or not you’re ever going to actually use it. Of course, the gadgets that you do actually get to use on a day-to-day basis are ranked higher than the ones you don’t, but I’m not here to quibble. I’m just trying to say that I, like most people, enjoy a good multi-purpose item.
Most people make the mistake of thinking that in order to be appealing, an object has to be overly complicated. The Light Cap (Firebox, $24.95) is a perfect example of how untrue that is. I mean, it’s a water bottle with a light on top – doesn’t really get more simple than that. There aren’t really any bells and whistles, besides a handy retaining ring to clip your bottle onto your backpack and flat surfaces on the sides of the bottle so you can easily lay it down. Ok, so this water bottle is just a water bottle, right? The one important upgrade on this bottle is the solar panel integrated into its lid. I do love a cleverly place solar panel because it means that I can go about my day and just magically have energy stored for later use. In this case, the solar panel can produce up to 12 hours of light (without emitting heat) and has a small light sensor to make sure that you’re not accidentally wasting your energy throughout the day. There are also two lights integrated in the bottle: the brighter white light and a power saving red light. You could use the red light as a night light, and then have the option to switch to white light when you really need to see in the dark.
You could see how this could come in useful when you’re camping, right? You can hike around all day (if that’s your thing) and then have a lantern for gathering sticks and such in the evening. Did I mention that this fountain of free energy is housed in a virtually unbreakable water bottle that can hold approximately a liter of liquid? If you’ve got this thing, you’re pretty much set. Well, you might want to look into food and shelter, but other than that, pretty much set.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 8 1/4″ x 3 3/4″ x 3 3/4″
-Capacity: 32oz
-Weight: 312g (empty)
-Two color LEDs (red or white)
-Provides up to 12 hours of light without producing heat
-Integrated light sensor prevents accidental battery discharge
-Completely sealed high output solar panel with clear protective lens
-Strong integrated retaining ring to clip bottle for carrying
-Volume measure on side of bottle
-Flat surfaces molded onto two side of bottle to allow you to lay it down
-Virtually unbreakable
