If you think the worst part about smoking is the big C, then you’re wrong. I mean, of course cancer is terrible and all sorts of deadly, but basically everyone who smokes seems to be ok with that. There are warning labels on every pack of cigarettes that details just how detrimental they are to your health, yet that doesn’t seem to be enough of a deterrent. No matter what, a lot of people are gonna smoke. It doesn’t matter that they could die, hell it doesn’t even matter that they (along with everything they own) will constantly smell like an ashtray. So instead of wasting time harassing them about quitting, maybe we should pool our resources into making sure that at least our “non-smoking” air is clean.
One surefire way to stay smoke-free is to eliminate cigarette smoke from the air, which is actually a whole lot easier than it sounds with the Smokeless Car Ashtray (Things You Never Knew Existed, $12.98). A small contraption that fits in the cup holder of your car, this ashtray pulls smoke into a receptacle using a small, low noise fan. Once inside, it passes through an absorbent activated carbon filter. This ensures that neither you or your passengers are surrounded by the usual a cloud of smoke emanating from a lit cigarette. The ashtray has a spot for you to rest your cigarette when you’re not smoking, which is especially useful when it’s near freezing temperatures outside and you have to crack the window just so you can get your nicotine fix. The fan runs off a 12V car adapter or two AAA batteries if you need it to be more portable.
Seriously, I know smoking is bad for you and some of you out there might say that I’m an enabler for trying to help smokers out. While I see your point, I also think that just because people are gonna do what they want to do. That’s why we make protective gear like helmets and pads for dangerous activities, instead of banning them.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 6″ x 3.25″
-Fits in car cup holder
-Small fan pulls smoke into ashtray
-Smoke passes through activated carbon filters
-Uses 12V car adapter
-Also uses 2 AAA batteries (not included) for portable convenience
-Made of plastic
Sometimes I feel like I have the attention span of a gnat. I’ll be watching TV, get up and make a cup of tea, only to wander back into the kitchen hours later and see the cup of tea on the counter. There’s nothing worse than coming back to a once steaming hot beverage and realizing that it’s ice cold. Well, maybe there are some things that are worse, but this is pretty high up there. I know I could always pop that baby back in the microwave, but that’s not the point. I mean, who knows what else was going on in my kitchen in my absence? Do I really want to take the chance that my tea could have been compromised? I think not, my friends.
I have consulted with that powers-that-be, and the result is the Put A Lid On It (Perpetual Kid, $5.99). In an effort to prevent your hot beverages from experiencing hypothermia, this silicone topper fits over the tops of cups, jars, and even cans to seal in the heat. So not only will your beverage stay molten lava hot (just the way you like it), but it’ll also help prevent spills. And we all know that that’s a feature after my own heart right there. If for some reason you don’t care about preserving hot molecules, then maybe you’ll be interested to know that this lid can also confine odors and keep contents fresh. That’s right, this guy is all about multitasking.
Yeah, I know what you guys are gonna say. You’re gonna go on and on about how this is basically Tupperware and how you already have a ton of it. That may be all well and good, but you know what? You’re never gonna stop buying Tupperware. It doesn’t matter how much you already have because you’re always gonna need/want more. You might as well buy a case of these babies.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 4″ diameter
-Works with cups, jars, and cans
-Seals in heat
-Lifts with ease
-Keeps contents fresh
-Confines odors
-Made of silicone
I’m what some might call a lazy person. I certainly exhibit certain sloth-like characteristics, such as perpetual lounging and a general disregard for most high energy activities. I happen to think that there’s at least a little bit of a lazy person in all of us. If you want to get technical, pretty much any scientific advances that make our life easier also serve to make us lazier. I mean, who’s gonna get up to change the channel on the TV when they could use a remote control instead? Unless the remote was broken (and even then, a long stick could work wonders), everyone I know is staying firmly planted to the couch cushion.
The Instant Switch (ThinkGeek, $24.95) is a like a remote, except it works with your lamps instead of your TV or stereo. Ok, so it sounds like any other light switch you have in your house, right? Wrong. This switch is portable and can control lamps up to 60 feet away. All you have to do is plug your lamp into the wall via a special plug, and you can use the remote switch to control it. I know I have a ton of light plugged into outlets that I wish I could control with a light switch, but I’m way too poor/stubborn/lazy to consult an electrician. And why bother, when I don’t even need any tools to install this switch instead?
True story: Right now I have an eight foot extension cord running through my living room in order to plug my lamp into the outlet controlled by one the light switch in the room. Doesn’t this way seem so much easier?
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Remote control light switch
-Controls lamps up to 60 feet away
-Features dimmer control and on/off switch
-Includes optional pop in/out wall bracket
-No tools installation
When is a door not a door? When it’s ajar. Alright, so that riddle is a little silly, but the idea of something seeming like one thing when it’s really something else is intriguing, no? Well, at least I think so. Not only do I love double-duty gadgets (who doesn’t?), but also ones that have a bit of a surprise hidden up their sleeve. I think it’s because I like a lot of artsy objects, so for them serve a functional purpose as well is just fantastic.
Where interactive meets functionality, the Cubix Lamp (Nerd Seven, $74.95) is both a piece of art and a light source neatly packaged as one. Made of oak wood, the lamp is shaped much like a Jenga stack and features 11 twistable square layers. Each of these layers rotates on a common single axis, allowing for many different artistic interpretations. You can completely close the tower, thus eliminating almost all of the light source, or open its multiple layers to create a balance of light and shadow.
The only real downside to this lamp is that, when closed, people are gonna walk in and be psyched to play Jenga. So either you’ll have to go out and pick up an actual Jenga set or be prepared for some seriously pissed off Jenga lovers. If I were you, I’d go with the first option.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 8.6″ x 3.4″ x 3.4″
-11 rotating square layers replace lampshade
-Rotates on a common single axis
-Creates balance of light and shadow
-On/off switch
-Uses 60W light bulb (not included)
-Made of oak wood
I really need to get a lamp for my nightstand. I’m always knocking things over in the middle of the night and live in a constant fear that I’m going to dump a glass of water on my iPhone. Irrational? Maybe, but it’s a lot more likely than you might think when you factor my spazz antics in with a pitch black room. I could keep complaining about how I need a bedside lamp, but I know I’m never going to buy one. There’s only so much available room on my nightstand and I’m not going waste any of it on something as silly as a lamp. That precious space is reserved for more important things, like my phone, alarm clock, and a glass of water (of course). The thing is, without a bedside lamp, I’m fumbling around in the middle of the night for a quick sip of water and I end up drenched in H2O goodness. Not exactly what I was going for, you know?
Thankfully, someone out there is having these same issues and they decided to do something about it. Did they buy a lamp? Of course not, that would have been ridiculous! No, they decided to invest in something far more sophisticated: the LiteCup (Convenient Gadgets & Gifts, $12.95). Not only does this cup boast an impressive no-spill feature, but it also lights up. Now, I know some of you are thinking that you’d never use something like that. You’d be so very, very wrong. Think about how nice it would be to have cup that you could sip anywhere on the lid without spilling on yourself – you could even drink from it lying down and you’d still stay dry! And how nifty would be it to have a cup with an LED that automatically emits a soft glow when it is immersed in complete darkness and turns itself off when the morning comes? Pretty nifty, I’d say.
I didn’t think I’d appreciate the light feature on this cup. I mean, I was totally down with the no-spill aspect – one sip and I was hooked (I even turned this baby over and shook it, and no water leaked out). But a blue light glowing right next to my face in an otherwise dark oasis? It just wasn’t for me. Except I slept next to this cup last night, blue light glowing all night, and it didn’t bother me one bit. In fact, it was pretty damn awesome.
5 out of 5 illuminated stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 5.5″ x 3″
-No spill cup
-Can sip from anywhere on lid
-LED light emits soft blue hue
-Activate automatic LED light by turning small knob on base
-Lasts up to 3 months of normal use
-On/off switch
-Wash before using
-Available with white or blue top
-Detach litebase before washing
-Dishwasher safe
