A lot of people I know are way too attached to their animals. And by a lot of people, I of course mean myself. Now, I’m not that crazy pet owner who dresses up their animals for each holiday, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get them birthday or Christmas presents. That’s just good manners. My version of “too attached” is getting my pets something I think they’ll really enjoy. A castle for my goldfish, squeaky squirrel for my dog, and collapsible tunnel for my cat – surely these things are not considered excessive or strange? Occasionally though, I do have a moment of weakness and I purchase an item not for my pet’s enjoyment, but rather for my own.
In case you were having trouble picturing a toy more akin to my amusement than that of my trusty four legged companion, the Humunga Stache (Firebox UK, £9.95) will clear up any confusion. If ever there was a toy made more for the pet owner than the pet itself, this was it. In essence, it’s a fairly harmless dog toy: a rubber ball. There’s nothing simpler, yet more gratifying to a dog than a rubber ball. Granted, when you attach a giant mustache to one side of said ball, you change the playing field a bit. Maybe the ball doesn’t bounce as much as it used to, but it’s still a chewable, slobberable, lovable rubber ball. It just happens to look freaking hilarious when your dog has it in his mouth. Don’t think of it as a dressing up your dog, just picture your dog one step closer to that handlebar mustache he’s always wanted.
Nothing says class like a quality ’stache.
5 out of 5 barking stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 16.5cm x 9cm x 6.5cm
-Rubber ball with ’stache section molded onto it
-Fetch toy only; supervised play strongly advised
-Made from non toxic rubber
There’s nothing like coming home to a tasty dessert after a long day at the office. Sure, some people might be more interested in a strong drink, but I like to go with dessert. Why? Because I feel like one drink leads to another which leads to another and that leads to another…you get the point here. Pretty soon, you’re smashed on a weekday and you’re sleeping through your alarm the next morning. And since that means that your day is only going to get worse from that point on, you’ve basically set yourself up for an entire week of alcoholism. Whereas, if you chose dessert instead of booze, you might just show up to work a little bloated the next day.
If you’re going to go the dessert route, then might I suggest the Prepara Volcano 4-Piece Pop Set (Wrapables, $11.95)? It looks like standard popsicle mold set, but it’s tweaked just enough to make it a bit more appealing. For starters, you get four molds in the set, but they’re not all attached, so you can make one, two, three, or all four at a time. Also, the mold itself leaves a small reservoir that allows for additional toppings to be added later. So if you’re using it to make mini pudding pops, maybe you want to had some whipped cream and sprinkles in there. Or perhaps you made some fruit slushies and you want to garnish each with a maraschino cherry – the sky’s the limit. But best of all, there’s a built-in “Sippin’ Lip” that catches any potential runoff from your popsicle.
Now, if you can’t let go of your after work martini routine, then perhaps you can spice it up a bit. Maybe with an alcoholic slushie? I hear they’re the new Jello shots.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 4.75″ x 3″ x 2.75″
-Four molds
-Mold leaves reservoir for additional toppings
-Built in Sippin’ Lip
-Each mold holds approximately 3oz
-100% BOA free
-Made of plastic
I never used to understand why people needed to buy external USB hubs. I mean, in the past computers only had maybe two USB ports, but now four is pretty much the standard. And who’s so electronics heavy that they need more than four USB ports? Well, apparently I underestimated the general public, and myself, because those ports sure to fill up fast. Right now I’ve got a printer, wireless adapter, laptop cooler, and a thumb drive plugged into my laptop. I guess if I want to charge my iPhone, I’m pretty much screwed, right? Sure, I could unplug something else, but then it just becomes a hassle to figure out which thing is expendable. Plus, I never remember to plug it back in, which always comes back to bite me in the ass.
Ok, so now that we’ve assessed the need for a USB hub, how do you go about choosing one? You could go with something cutesy (I’ve seen flowerbeds), but I’m more function over fashion. The Stick ‘em Hub (Convenient Gadgets & Gifts, $15.95) not only provides you with four extra ports (three, if you want to get technical), but also offers a non-slip surface for your gadgets. In case you don’t think that that’s important, just imagine how great less cluttered your desk would be if you had someplace to stick your iPhone/iPod/electronic device while you were charging it. You’d know exactly where it was and you’d be able to access it easily. It would also make a great stand if you wanted to watch videos on your electronic device of choice while charging it. And it’s not a sticky surface so your fave electronics won’t be left with any residue. Best of all, you get extra USB ports out of the deal.
I can only imagine how many things I would plug into my computer if I had the option. I think I would just scour my entire house looking for USB adapters and their respective electronic devices, connecting and charging them at will. Yeah, I’m a dork.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-4 port USB hub and gadget holder
-Rubber holder keeps phone/MP3 player in place
-No sticky residue
-Charge and sync iPod or iPhone
-Fully compliant with USB 2.0 specification
-Backwards compatible with USB 1.1
-Maximum data transfer rate is 480 Mbps
-Connects up to 2 devices without a power adapter
-Individual port over current protection
-Plug and play compatible
-Available in green, pink, or black
We’d all like to pretend that it’s not going to happen, but pretty soon we’re just gonna have to face the facts: it’s starting to get cold. Sure, we’re still technically in the fall season, but the weather is going to rapidly shift from the chilly to freezing any day now. Then it’s only a matter of time before you look out your window in the morning and you see your car covered in a light dusting of snow. And it’s only going to get worse. For some of your unfortunate souls, you’ve already been hit with the winter beast known as snow. For others, there’s still time to prepare for its coming.
The Snow Windshield Screen (Things You Never Knew Existed, $8.98) is designed to help make your winter weather life easier. While a lot of people have garages, and some are even lucky enough to be able to store their car in them, there are a lot of us who just have to deal with the elements. Which means that whether there’s a snowstorm or a thin layer of hail, we’ve got to get up extra early to scrape it off our cars in the morning before heading out to work. With this screen, all you have to do is place it on your windshield and you’re protected from precipitation in all its glorious forms. Now, I should be more specific: you do have to put this screen on your car *before* the weather starts, or else it’s not going to do you any good. But if you can follow that little piece of advice, then you’ll be pretty freaking excited the next day when you just pull the cover off to showcase a completely clear windshield.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve showed up late to work because I forgot it snowed the night before or I went out to my car and wasn’t expecting it to be encased in a sheet of ice. If you can believe it, my boss never seemed to warm up to my weather related excused. Crazy, huh?
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 82″ x 28″
-Tuck ends in doors to secure
-Suctions to windshield
-Stores conveniently in pouch when not in use
-Made of durable PVC
I hate when you’re out with your friends and you’re talking about this awesome new song you just downloaded (legally, of course), but no one has any idea what you’re talking about. So you get this bright idea to whip out your iPod so they can hear it for themselves. No big deal, right? Well, I guess not really, but I could poke a few holes in this scenario. For one, who wants to put your crusty ear buds in their own ear? I mean, it might be different if they just happen to traveling with a pair of their own, but seriously, no one wants to swap ear wax just to listen to a song. And two, say your friends and you are so tight that they don’t even notice the amount of wax build-up on your ear buds, I’m not gonna judge you but what about if you have more than one friend who wants to listen to your spectacular music discovery? Do you really expect them to just sit around twiddling their thumbs while your “best friend” gets to go first? You’re basically starting a turf war, when all you wanted to do was broaden everyone’s musical horizons.
If only you had the Keychain Speaker Amp (ThinkGeek, $9.99), then none of this would even be an issue. See, this little device attaches to your keychain, so you’re pretty much always guaranteed to have it on you. How it works is by using any standard headphone input jack to connect to iPods, cell phones, and pretty much any other device you want to get music from. The genius of this tiny amp is that it blasts your music so that everyone around you can hear it. Now, I’m not talking about crazy loud Radio Raheem music amplification, but it’s more than enough to entertain you and your friends. Or you could just go the Radio Raheem route and walk around with a giant boombox on your shoulders blasting Public Enemy. Your choice.
“Let me tell you the story of ‘Right Hand, Left Hand.’ It’s a tale of good and evil. Hate: It was with this hand that Cane iced his brother. Love: These five fingers, they go straight to the soul of man. The right hand: the hand of love. The story of life is this: Static. One hand is always fighting the other hand; and the left hand is kicking much ass. I mean, it looks like the right hand, Love, is finished. But, hold on, stop the presses, the right hand is coming back. Yeah, he got the left hand on the ropes, now, that’s right. Ooh, it’s the devastating right and Hate is hurt, he’s down. Left-Hand Hate K.O.ed by Love.”
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Mini powered amp hangs from your keys
-Standard headphone input jack connects to iPods, cell phones, etc.
-USB charging cable for internal battery
