I had to get up earlier than usual today and let me tell you, it was rough. I wanted to hit that snooze button over and over until about noon, but instead I forced my sleepy self out of bed. The problem was that because I didn’t lay in bed forever and take the time to properly wake up (which would have made me late for my appointment), I was groggy for most of the morning. It seems like I have to choose between on time or awake, and that just isn’t going to work for me.
Get the best of both worlds with the Twist Equation Alarm Clock (ThinkGeek, $14.99), a gadget that not only wakes you up but also makes sure your brain doesn’t hit the snooze button. Picture this: you’re having a crazy dream when your alarm suddenly goes off. Normally, you’d hit the snooze button while you tried to make sense of the dream and before long, you’d be running late. Why not use an alarm without a snooze button? Well, then you’d probably just turn it off and go back to sleep. With this alarm clock, you have to solve a spontaneous math equation in order to turn it off, thus activating your brain’s thought process and making it much harder to fall back asleep afterward. Once the alarm goes off, the digital screen that usually shows the hours turns into an operational sign (plus or minus) and the digital screen that usually shows the minutes turns into a different number. You have to toggle the numerical wheels on either side of the operational sign in order to create an equation that makes sense or else the alarm won’t turn off. By the time you finish, you’ll be ready to start the day. Genius!
I don’t even like math and I think this is a good idea. And that’s saying something.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 5″ x 2.25″ x 2.25″
-Solve equation to turn off alarm
-Rotate function wheel to display time, alarm, or date
-12 or 24 hour format
-Requires 3 AAA batteries (not included)
I’m pretty sure I have the tiniest bladder in the world. I must get up to go to the bathroom at least four or five times a night. The worst thing about getting up in the middle of the night, besides being ripped from your sleep and cozy bed, is that you have to stagger to the bathroom in complete darkness. Some people are lucky enough to have a bathroom right inside their bedroom, but even that won’t keep you from stubbing your toe or, worse yet, failing to notice a lifted toilet seat.
Who needs to turn on a light when you have the Glow in the Dark Loo Roll (Firebox, £4.12)? You can pee in obscurity by the glow of the toilet paper roll because it uses energy from a sufficient light source during the day to power itself at night. Now, I’m not saying it’ll be like you have a couple of floodlights in your bathroom, but it should be enough to make out the toilet bowl and any other immediate obstacles.
Great Scott!
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 9cm diameter
-Glows in the dark
-No batteries required
-Glows thru contact with sufficient light source during the day
-Illuminates immediate area only
Summer after summer, you pull out the grill for a BBQ. Every year it’s the same thing – burgers, hot dogs, maybe some chicken or steak. I mean, who doesn’t love a good cookout? That’s not to say that it couldn’t use a little bit of spicing up…
The BBQ Branding Iron (Nerd Seven, $14.95) lets you personalize your grilled delights with ease. With 52 changeable letters to choose from (as well as extra vowels), you can write just about anything – whether you’re creating a special meal for a loved one, trying to dissuade your brother from eating the last burger, or simply marking doneness. You get two lines of letters with nine letters per line, secured by end locks on each side, to create a phrase to remember to mark your meal.
Just promise me you won’t resort to human branding – it’s not cool and it’ll get you locked up in Rikers. Don’t believe me? Read this: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/821857/kristina_caban_burns_exlover_samir.html
3 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 18″ x 3.5″ x 1″
-Brand all your BBQ creations
-Includes 52 changeable letters
-Extra vowels
-Two lines of letters/9 letters per line
-Two end locks to secure letters
-Handle with care
-Hand wash
Do you fancy yourself a world traveler? If so, do you have the evidence to prove it? Sure, a few photos here and there are nice, but you probably don’t want to drag those mementos out every time you tell the tales of your adventures. What you really need is a solid way to keep track of your travels.
The My Scratch Map (Firebox UK, £14.99) is a complete map of the world that allows you to scratch off the countries you’ve visited like some sort of travel lottery ticket. The prize? Bragging rights. You can easily keep track of all the places you’ve been and formulate future travels. It comes with a protective storage tube, but if I were you I’d proudly display it right over the mantle.
The United States isn’t broken down state by state (it’s only countries, remember), but you could always take a guess as to where the states you visited are and scratch accordingly. Good luck with those middle states!
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 53cm x 89cm
-Scratch off countries that you’ve visited
-Supplied in protective tube
-For ages 8 and up
I vant to suck your bloooood! Or keep your drink cold, whichever works out better for you. The problem with a lot of novelty ice cube trays is that, while a fun idea, you would never use them in a million years. I mean, do I really need cat-shaped ice cubes? No. Do I want them? No. But flash a tray full of frozen fangs my way and I’m interested.
Obviously a Halloween favorite, the Cold Blooded Ice Cube Tray (Convenient Gadgets & Gifts, $8.95) works for many occasions. Have you noticed how vampires are all the rage these days? Why not tap into that and have a vampire party? And in case you were thinking that idea only appeals to kids, you need to check out True Blood. This ice tray makes five frozen fangs at a time, so if you’re going the party route I would suggest buying more than one to make it easier on yourself (Convenient Gadgets & Gifts even offers a discount on multiple ice tray purchases).
Not into theme parties? How about scaring the pants off your roommate the next time he fixes himself a drink, only to find a set of fangs floating in it?
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Makes 5 sets of fangs
