The other night I was watching TV and I decided that I wanted a beer. So I went into the kitchen and opened one up, but about halfway through it I just wasn’t feeling it. I was kinda stuck though because while I didn’t really want to finish it, I also wasn’t going to waste a perfectly good beer by pouring it down the drain. I mean, it’s not like I could just stick it in the fridge and drink it later – or could I?
If I had a set of the Beer Saver Reusable Silicone Bottle Caps (Kegworks, $11.95), I wouldn’t have had to gulp down the rest of that beer. Instead, I could have just popped one of the six multi-colored silicone caps onto the top of my beer and saved it for another day. These reusable caps are both stretchy and durable as well as dishwasher safe, so your beer will never again be drank just to keep it from going bad. Seriously, is that any way to treat your favorite bit o’ hops?
Homebrewers will no doubt appreciate these caps, if only for their ability to keep sterilized bottle from being contaminated in between brewing sessions. That, and they look cool.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Keep beer fresh
-Set of 6 multi colored caps
-Fits most standard beer bottles
-Reusable
-Durable and stretchy
-Dishwasher safe
-Made of food safe silicone
When cooking, it seems there’s nothing worse than ruining the food in question. Whether you’ve cooked it too long, added too much spice, or even some mysterious catastrophe that ends with your food becoming inedible. What most people don’t think about as a very real possibility is ruining their cookware during a kitchen mishap. Sure, it’s annoying to have to start a dish all over from scratch after putting a lot of time and effort into it, but it’s nowhere near as maddening as accidentally destroying a $50 pot because you’ve scraped the nonstick coating completely off the bottom. True story.
The best way to avoid rendering your cookware unusable is to stock your kitchen with plenty of non-scratch utensils. Or, you could just invest in the Spoon Tongs (Vat19, $10.95) and call it a day. This gadget has the ability to easily switch between a spoon and tongs, allowing you to grab, scoop, and serve all with the same utensil. Heat resistant up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, you can be sure that it won’t melt into your dish and since it’s made from plastic and silicone it’s safe for all types of cookware. The spring-loaded handle locks for comfortable storage. Heck, it’s even dishwasher safe!
The only caveat here is that the spoon isn’t suitable for water or thin sauces, so you will have to keep at least one traditional spoon on hand. I know, CRAZY.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 12″ x 3″ x 1″
-Switch between spoon and tongs easily
-Perfect for grabbing, scooping, and serving
-Heat resistant to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
-Safe on all cookware surfaces
-Spring loaded handle
-Locks for easy storage
-Dishwasher safe
-Made of silicone and plastic
It seems like the weather is taking a turn for the better, with sunshine radiating from the sky today. But I’m not fooled by Mother Nature’s early April Fool’s prank – I know it’s just gonna snow or something equally terrible next week. So take advantage of the warm weather while you can, just be smart enough to prepare yourself for yet another snowpocalypse.
The iHat Wireless Transmitter Cap (Things You Never Knew Existed, $39.98) will keep your head and ears toasty warm during the next inevitable coldfront. With the coziness of a beanie and the gadgetry of headphones, this cap means business. The cherry on the tippy top of this mountainous ice cream sundae is that the speak system within the cap is wireless. That’s right, no wires hanging down to get caught on anything and everything. Simply plug your iPod or mp3 player in the transmitter, clip said transmitter to your person or belongings, and start listening to some tunes. The transmitter has a range of up to 40 feet, so you could even leave the transmitter on your desk and not lose a signal when you got up to fix yourself a snack in the next room.
I know it’s supposed to be wicked nice tomorrow, like 70ish degrees, but I think the winter chill still has its icy grip on us. You just wait.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Listen to music wirelessly through built in stereo speakers in cap
-Transmitter connects to iPod or mp3 player and clips to pocket or belt
-Range of 30 to 40 feet
-Uses 4 AAA batteries (not included)
-Unisex cap is one size fits most
-Made of 100% polyester
It seems like I can never find a flashlight when I need one. It’s frustrating because I know I have a flashlight, somewhere. In fact, I’m pretty sure I have at least a dozen flashlights scattered around the house, but I can’t seem to keep track of them. I think the problem here is that there’s nothing that exciting about a flashlight, no real bells and whistles to stop me from leaving it under the couch or in the recessed ceiling. Both of those things actually happened, by the way.
How do you amp up a flashlight’s appeal? Easy, just make it interactive! With the Harry Potter Voice-Activated Wand Flashlight (ThinkGeek, $15.99), you can choose from an exact replica of either Harry or Hermione’s magic wand. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to defeat He Who Must Not Be Named with it, but you can cast a spell or two! Using your own personally recorded voice commands, you can make this wand flashlight turn on and off. You can stick with the formal “Lumos” and “Nox” commands or you can pick any command of your choosing. Now, that’s a flashlight I won’t want to let out of my sight!
You can choose the wand, or you can let the wand choose you.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 11″ long
-Record your own voice command
-Turns on or off when proper spell is spoken
-Match spoken commands to recorded commands
-”Lumos” to activate; “Nox” to deactivate
-Pick sound commands of your own choosing
-Available in Harry or Hermione styles
-Uses 3 AAA batteries (not included)
I’m pretty bad when it comes to procrastination, in the sense that I’m too good at it. One of the ways I make up for my inability to get started on anything is that I eat lunch at my desk. That way, I can get multi-task and hopefully get enough work done to justify the amount of food I’ve managed to drop between the keys on my keyboard (it’s a lot). Plus, it makes the boss think that I’m really dedicated, like I can’t tear myself away from my desk for even a few minutes to grab a bite to eat. Pretty clever, right?
Unfortunately, I can never seem to remember to bring utensils. Have you tried eating soup without a spoon? It’s impossible, which is why the Dine Ink Utensil Set (Perpetual Kid, $8.99) is a must for any desk jockey. A simple set of cutlery (fork, spoon, knife) is attached to the top of three pens via a converted pen cap. So not only do you always have a way to eat your lunch, but you can further impress the boss by stopping mid bite, grabbing the top off your pen/fork, and jotting down some notes.
This product was a just a concept for quite some time, so I’m super excited that someone finally saw the genius of combing food and writing utensils. Workaholics need to eat, too!
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Set of 3
-Includes fork, spoon, and knife
-Utensils double as functional pens
