I’m not terribly skilled at home repairs, but that hasn’t stopped me from finagling my way through a home improvement project. Most of the time it’s not a big deal because whatever I’m fixing is fairly benign to begin with. However, sometimes I start a project that seems fairly easy and quickly evolves into a huge, somewhat dangerous undertaking. I’m not saying that I’m gonna stop doing these little pet projects because, 1) it saves me money, and 2) I really should know how to fix things around the house without having to call my dad 24/7. One might argue it’s a matter of pride.
If you’re like me and you’re gonna put yourself in situations with the potential of bodily harm, you might want to invest in a pair of Dual LED Safety Glasses (ThinkGeek, $19.99). I’m not saying this is all you’ll need to protect yourself from injury, but it’s a good start. While they look like normal safety glasses (albeit a lot trendier than the ones you donned in shop class), they actually exceed the ANSI Z87+ high impact standards. Translation: safety just got safetier. In addition to being safer and considerably more fashionable than most safety glasses, this scratch-resistant pair is also outfitted with an LED light on each side of the frame. With 99.9% protection from harmful UV rays and an optically correct viewing area of 180 degrees, these glasses are sure to help you get any DIY job done without a trip to the emergency room.
The LEDs have a 48 hour battery run time, which has got to last as long as the job you’re doing. If not, it’s time to stop. Seriously, put down the hammer. Take a break. People don’t even play Wii for that long without stopping.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Safety glasses with fully adjustable/removable LED lights
-Includes glasses, carrying case, and breakaway cord
-180 optically correct viewing area
-Two LED lights
-99.9% UV protection
-48 hour battery run time
-Scratch resistant
-Exceeds high impact standards
-Uses two CR2032 batteries (included)
I’m doing my best to be more eco-friendly, but sometimes it gets a little frustrating because I don’t know what to do. I mean, I already do most of the things that people suggest as easy ways to reduce my carbon footprint, so where am I supposed to go from here? I was at the bank today and there was a commercial talking about how turning off the water while brushing your teeth saves 80 million gallons of water per day (figure may be slightly exaggerated). Great! Except I’ve been doing that for years. It’s like saying that you can lose weight with little to no effort if you just stop drinking soda – but I don’t drink soda, so what about me?
I already try to turn off extraneous lighting when it’s not in use, but one place I don’t like to skimp is on outdoor lighting. I hate coming home to a pitch dark house and not being able to see my path to the door, but I also hate killing the planet. Luckily, the Solar Lighted Walkway Tiles (Hammacher Schlemmer, $99.95) doesn’t make me choose between the two. Sold as a set of four tiles, each one features a solar panel protected by tempered glass. This solar panel powers four inlaid LEDs, which are rated for 20,000 hours of lighting. The tiles themselves are actually made of PVC, but designed to look like flatted hardwood so they’re 100% waterproof and won’t rot or fade. Because they interlock on any side, you can lay the modular tiles out in any pattern you wish, connected or otherwise.
So instead of leaving a light on all night because you don’t know when your son will be getting home from a friend’s house or if your husband is going to be working late, you can just put a few of these tiles out. Not to mention, your yard will look pretty snazzy and everybody will applaud your eco-activism. I don’t really see any downside here.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 11″ sq x 1″ each
-Weight: 1.5 lbs
-Set of four tiles
-Modular tiles interlock on any side
-Solar panel protected by tempered glass
-Four inlaid LEDs on each tile
-LEDs are rated for 20,000 hours
-100% waterproof
-Made of PVC fashioned to look like slatted hardwood
Lately I’ve been really trying to reduce my environmental impact. It’s pretty tough though, considering that I’m more than a bit gadget obsessed and have so many electronics it could only be classified as an arsenal of But the point is, I’m making an effort. I’ve said before that it only takes a small gesture to make an impact and I’m holding strong to that. It’s just like dieting: it’s all about portion size. So instead of playing video games for three hours a night, I’ll only play for two and read for the extra hour, thus saving energy and expanding my brain power (an added bonus).
It’s always easier to do a good deed when it’s also fun, which is the ethos of the Global Warming Candle (Perpetual Kid, $10.99). Shaped like your generic 60 watt, this bulb-shaped object is actually a candle. Get it, because they both give off light? I thought it was cute. Anyways, this candle has a metal base that screws into a light socket (just like a regular light bulb), allowing it to act as the base. The candle is made of 100 grams of paraffin wax, which means that it has a burning time of approximately five hours. So it would appear that you’re creating light as usual, but in reality you’re saving energy!
I’m not saying you should use candles instead of light bulbs all the time. For one thing, this isn’t the 1800s, so let’s not pretend like we don’t electricity. Also, it’s not exactly safe to leave a burning candle unattended at all hours, but I’m hoping you already knew them. And the last glaringly obvious but necessary point here is that candles do not give off as much light as a 60 watt light bulb. Crazy, right?
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 4″ x 2″
-Screws into socket like normal light bulb
-Creates light while saving energy
-5 hour burning time
-100 g of paraffin wax technology.
Rainy days are anything but cheerful. In fact, they can be downright depressing. Blame it on the gloomy storm clouds or the nasty worm smell in the air, but there’s just no disputing the sheer magnitude of blah-ness that inevitably accompanies a rainy day. It’s days like this that make it hard to get out of bed in the morning, and if you can manage that, good luck trying to have a productive day. You can try to fight it with cute galoshes or a rain slicker so yellow that Curious George follows you around all day, but that’s not enough. You need something stronger.
Dark clouds and angry raindrops are no match for the Lumadot LED Umbrella (ThinkGeek, $29.99). On first glance, it looks just like an ordinary umbrella that’ll keep you dry on your way from point A to point B, but it’s so much more than that. The canopy of this black umbrella is outfitted with fiber optic light dots as well as a light in the handle. With three different light modes to choose from, you can perk up your gloomy day with blinking or solid lights (or just go with basic black, if you’re boring like that). And the light in the handle illuminates the ground in front of you so even the klutziest of people (me) won’t have to worry about eating the asphalt.
How could you possibly be down when armed with a light-up umbrella? Seriously, it’s impossible.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 32.5″ long (41″ opened diameter)
-Black umbrella glows with fiber optic light dots
-Three modes: off, blinking lights, solid lights
-Light in handle illuminates ground in front of you
-On/off switch for light in handle
-Requires 3 AAA batteries (not included)
Ah, summer. The time of year when you can cast aside all your concerns and just waste away the day. Well, unless of course you have a day job that prohibits you from doing so, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t soak up the sun on your coveted weekends. While I do enjoy spending some QT in the sun, I’m not one for extreme outdoor sports. I’m not really one for the outdoors in general, but I tend to make an exception in terms of glorious weather. You won’t find me playing a game of touch football or soccer, and you’ll just barely find me setting up a net for a game of badminton or volleyball. No, my interests lie in lawn sports such as cornhole, ladderball, croquet, and perhaps even the occasional game of bocce ball.
What’s better than a traditional bocce ball set? The Lighted Bocce Ball Set (Hammacher Schlemmer, $99.95), naturally! There’s nothing worse than starting a game of bocce ball, having it run late, and then be forced to call it off because you lack the sufficient outdoor lighting power to continue. I can’t tell you how many times this has happened to me. Fortunately, this set makes it easy to play in the dark because each ball includes an LED that allows it to be seen from up to 100 feet away. Not only that, each of these eight bocce balls can be switched from lighted to flashing LEDs, or used interchangeably. The on/off switch is located inside each ball so it’s not like rough play will cause the light to extinguish unexpectedly. This balls in this bocce set are the official size for International Bocce Federation play and weigh only two-thirds of a competition ball, making the game accessible for just about anyone.
I would love to cut out of the office early and start a pick-up bocce ball game. Then again, it is about 90 degrees outside right now. Hmm, perhaps I’ll stay here and get some work done instead. Bummer.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 4 1/4″ (official size for International Bocce Federation play)
-Set of 8 balls (2 each of red, blue, yellow, and green)
-Each ball includes LED light and 3 sets of batteries
-Light can be seen from up to 100′ away
-Choose from lighted or flashing LEDs
-LEDs turned on/off using switch located inside ball
-Stores in convenient nylon case
-Measuring string for scoring
-Hard plastic construction
