As I mentioned yesterday, I have a couple of pets. Specifically, two cats (dogs aren’t really conducive to small living spaces). And while I’m pretty sure they’re not doing a whole lot in my absence, I know they’re not angels all of the time. I can’t do a whole lot about it when I’m at work though, so when I get home I have to make sure that I’m all about the discipline. While a stern word or two usually does the trick, sometimes I have to break out the big guns. Water guns, that is. The only downside to squirting a cat with water is that it doesn’t always deter them. I could squirt one of my cats repeatedly with a water gun, but all I’ll end up with is an oblivious animal and a wet floor.
So I guess you could say that I’m on the market for a new solution, hence the Pet Zoom Sonic Pet Trainer (Walter Drake, $14.99). Instead of yelling at my cats until my voice is hoarse, I could just use this device because at least one of them is actually effective. Can you guess which one? The device functions by emitting a high frequency tone when a button is pressed. This tone can only be heard by your dog or cat, kind of like a dog whistle, and it’s super annoying. Effective up to 20 feet away, you can use the device the next time your cat is walking all over your kitchen counter or your dog is chewing on the edge of the coffee table.
As with any training tool, if you abuse its power it ceases to be effective. So please don’t misuse this device because your animals will seek revenge. True story.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 4.5″ x 2″ x 1″
-Discourages bad habits in pets
-Emits high frequency tone to reinforce verbal commands
-Effective up to 20 ft away
-Uses one 9V battery (not included)
-Lightweight
-Safe and effective
Is your child always getting into your toolbox, trying to create an unstoppable machine that puts all her other toys to shame? Or maybe he just wants to give the Terminators and Transformers a run for their money in the technology department? Either way, it sounds like you’ve got a feisty little inventor on your hands and you better get started feeding their creative impulses, or they might turn against you. True story.
Your little genius would really benefit from the empowering feeling of creation associated with the DIY Three Working Robots (ThinkGeek, $39.99). Before all you parents out there start to worry, the construction skills needed for building these robots are super easy: none. No tools are required because all the parts snap into place. With three types of robot bodies to choose from and a separate circuit for each, you and your smarty-pants child can build three different robots. Each robot has a unique attribute, whether it’s object detection via infrared rays, an alarm bot with light sensitivity, or easy operation via TV remote. The real bummer here is that the kit only comes with one robot base, so you’re limited to building one robot at a time.
Sure, it kinda blows that you can’t build a unified robot army, but it’s probably a safety issue. I mean, if Skynet can become self-aware, it’s only a matter of time before your personal robot army rises up against you. And if you thought Terminators were scary, just imagine a mutiny consisting of miniature robotic insects. Absolutely frightening.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Build 3 types of robots
-Includes 3 different robot bodies and circuits with 1 root base
-Detects objects using infrared rays, light sensitive alarm bot, or operates with TV remote
-No soldering required as all parts snap together
-Only one robot can be built at a time
-For ages 8 and up
How many times have you been on your way out the door, only to realize that you can’t find your keys? This doesn’t usually happen to me (I’m pretty good about keeping track of my personal items), but I’m almost always accompanied by someone who is constantly losing everything. Remember my friend that I told you about, the one who I bought a whistle key finder for only to learn that he couldn’t whistle? Well he’s not the only person in my life who needs more than a little help holding on to their personal possessions. I have another friend, we’ll call him Enrique, that loses his keys just about every day. He loses his keys so often that he has multiple spare sets on hand. He loses those too.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel though: the Remote Key Finder (Convenient Gadgets & Gifts, $22.95) may be able to help him. Like most other key finders, you attach the receiver to your keys (or any other device you’re prone to misplacing) in hopes that it will aid you in its location. This key finder uses a transmitter to activate an 85 decibel alarm on the receiver when pressed. In case you don’t know, that’s pretty loud. As in, if you’re standing right next to it, you might jump out of your skin a little bit. What makes this transmitter different from the others is that it operates using a unique digital signature, so you can use multiple devices without interference. Also, the transmitter works through walls and floors, with a range of up to 75 feet.
Before you start complaining that this key finder doesn’t work, you should know that you’ll need to press and hold the transmitter button in order to activate the receiver – one quick press of the button isn’t going to cut it here. And while I did test to make sure it transmits through doors and walls (it’s crazy, but true), I didn’t fully test its 75 foot range. Mostly because my apartment isn’t that big.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 1.75″ x 1.5″ x .25″
-Includes transmitter, receiver, and double sided tape
-Transmitter activates 85 decibel alarm in receiver
-Up to 75 ft range
-Works through walls and floors
-Unique digital signature allows for multiple device usage without interference
It’s certainly not the worst part about being sick, but no one likes getting their temperature taken when they’re feeling under the weather. I mean, you’re tired, you’re achy, you’re cranky, and someone has the nerve to stick a prophetic swizzle stick down your throat (or worse, elsewhere). As adults, we pretty much accept getting our temperature taken as the first step to figuring out how serious our level of sickness is, but kids usually don’t feel that way. How are you supposed to explain to a baby that this thermometer is actually going to be used for good?
The answer is, you’re not. Instead, why not just pop the Vicks Pacifier Thermometer (Amazon, $12.81) in your infant’s mouth and they’ll be none the wiser. The idea here is that they’re going to suck on a pacifier anyways, so why not just add in the thermometer element? You get to tell if your little baby is running a fever and he/she won’t even have to know about it. A great idea in theory, but babies are a little more complicated than that. The thermometer only works if your little one is willing to hold it in its mouth for the allotted time for an accurate reading, which is two minutes. Some babies accept the pacifier just fine, but there have been complaints by parents about being unable to keep the pacifier in their child’s mouth for that long and the nipple being too large to be comfortable. If your prodigy is accepting of the pacifier though, it’ll be a heck of a lot easier to take their temperature with this thing versus whipping out the rectal thermometer. I guess the only way to know if it’ll work for your family is to try it!
If only that hand to the forehead test was any real indication of fever, we wouldn’t have these kinds of issues.
3 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-2 minute readings
-Professional accuracy within 0.2 degrees F
-Memory recall
-One piece construction
Ladies, do you feel like your man isn’t as attentive as he used to be? He used to take you out for romantic candlelit dinners at expensive restaurants for no reason at all, and now you can’t even get him to take you to Taco Bell for your anniversary! And that’s really saying something because there isn’t a man out there who can resist Taco Bell. Guys, it isn’t about the amount of money spent or the extravagance of the gifts, but about doing something nice for the special lady in your life. And if you really want to score some brownie points, make it something that she wouldn’t normally expect. Instead of taking her out to dinner (because any schmo can do that), why not make her dinner at home? Or maybe you could let her pick the movie instead of forcing her to watch NASCAR. And next time you’re tempted to buy her something shiny from the jewelry store, try thinking outside the box for once.
If you did, surely the first thing you’d come up with would be the Toilet Seat Night Light (Taylor Gifts, $19.98). I mean, what woman wouldn’t like a light up toilet? Isn’t the number one complaint from women that their partner always leaves the toilet seat up, causing them to almost fall in the bowl? Personally, I don’t understand why women can’t seem to see that the lid is up before they sit, but that’s just me. This is a gift that’s personal, one that shows that you really care about her and her tailbone. Using a sensor, the light is activated when someone approaches and automatically turns itself off when they leave. As if that wasn’t awesome enough, the light glows green when the toilet seat is down (signaling it’s safe to sit) and red when it’s up (proceed with caution).
I’m telling you, your girl is gonna love it. I’d bet good money that none of her friends have anything like it.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 3″ x 1″ x 3.5″
-Uses sensors to turn light on upon approach
-Light glows green when seat is down
-Light glows red if seat is up
-Mounted to toilet
-Made of plastic
