While I am a fan of the Christmas season, I don’t usually go overboard with the decorations. Naturally, I have a tree and I hang stockings, but that’s about it. Although I might not be all about the holiday, my favorite Christmas adornment has to be the lights. I would love nothing more than to display an obnoxious amount of Christmas lights outside my place, but unfortunately I don’t have an outdoor power source. Stupid electricity!
With these Solar Powered Christmas Lights (Taylor Gifts, $19.98), it doesn’t matter if you have outlet nearby because you can put them anywhere! I mean, you’d probably want to hang them outside since they are powered by the sun’s rays, but I guess you could bring them inside after “charging” them for awhile (although that seems like a lot of work). This string of 50 lights runs off its solar charge, which lasts about eight hours, and automatically emits lights once in the dark. Another added bonus of solar lights? No overly inflated electricity bill!
Thank you, Mr. Sun.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
- -Dimensions: 26′ length
- -Solar powered lights
- -String of 50 lights
- -No outlet needed
- -Runs about 8 hours
{November 02, 2011}
BANG!
Picture this: you’re snuggled up in bed, deep under the covers, and you’re just about to go to sleep when you realize you forgot to turn off the light. Not a big deal, right? Of course you’re more than able to get up and flick the switch, but wouldn’t it be so much better to just stay in bed where it’s warm? While lights do not turn themselves off and The Clapper is long outdated, there is a better solution that leaving cuddletown.
As a much more exciting and lazier method, why not turn your lights out with the BANG! (Generate Design, $379.00)? This lighting set features a classically shaped lamp with a gun-shaped remote control, but the fun doesn’t stop there. Simply point the gun remote at the lamp and watch as the lamp lights up. To turn off the lamp it’s the same deal, with a twist – the lampshade suddenly knocks to the side as if actually shot and the light is extinguished. Shoot the lamp again to turn the light on and the lampshade slowly rises into upright position again.
It’s probably not a good idea to actually shoot your lamp with a real gun to turn it off. Sure, it’ll work the first time, but then you’ll be hard-pressed to turn it back on without serious resuscitation.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 18.5″ x 11.8″
-Remote range: 50′
-Desk lamp with gun shaped remote control
-Fire “gun” to turn light on and off
-Lampshade knock to side in “off” mode
-Lampshade rises up in “on” mode
-On/off switch located on power cord
-Light bulb sold separately
I love Halloween. In fact, it’s my favorite holiday. Some people are all about Christmas, but I think the novelty of the man with the bag wears off after you hit puberty whereas Halloween only gets better with age. When you’re young, you dress up to trick or treat and get candy; when you’re older, you dress up to drink adult beverages and win costume contests. Also, when you’re older you can afford to buy any candy you want so you don’t have to pick through all the cheapo stuff like circus peanuts to get to the real chocolatey treasures.
To maximize your Halloween’s success potential, it’s most important to have a totally boss costume. Second, you should decorate with such gusto that it looks as though Party City threw up all over your house. You can go scary or simply festive, but the 8-Bit LED Jack O’ Lantern (ThinkGeek, $9.99) works well with both motifs. A perfect pumpkin decoration, this one will last throughout the years because it’s made of durable EVA foam and is powered by AAA batteries. It’s lightweight and since there’s no cord, it can be hung just about anywhere. The LED lights flicker to mimic the look of an actual carved pumpkin, albeit carved much more precisely than you or I could probably manage. Basically, it’s the Christmas wreath of Halloween decor.
Remember, store bought costumes are the pits. Make it yourself!
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 11″ x 9.25″ x 1.125″
-Flickering LED lights
-Mimics carved pumpkin
-Requires 3 AAA batteries (not included)
-Made of durable EVA foam
It seems like I always need to look up just one more thing on my computer and most of the time, I think it’ll be a lot quicker if I don’t bother to turn on the light. That would be fine if I could actually type in the dark with any degree of accuracy, but I can’t. This doesn’t deter me though, as I will continue to misspell each word that I’m trying to type at least twice.
Wouldn’t it be so much easier to just turn on a light? Yup. Am I going to do it? Nope. That’s what the Mantis Multi-Purpose LED Light (Latest Buy, $35.95) is for. Yes, I know that it’s technically a light but it’s not an overhead light so it doesn’t count in my book. This clip-on light features 11 LED lights that can provide up to 30 hours of majestic glow for your keyboard. Also boasting two flip-out legs with rubberized end pieces to prevent slipping, the light can stand up to be used on just about any flat surface. Did you want to read a book whilst traveling without disturbing your neighbor’s sleep cycle? It’s not a problem because this portable light is battery operated for your convenience.
Yet another magical product for the lazy generation. Amen.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Clip on task lamp brightens workspace
-11 LEDs provide illumination
-Approximately 30 hours of light
-2 levels of brightness
-Clip allows light to rotate
-Rubberized end pieces prevent slipping
-Battery operated
-Portable
-2 flip out legs
I was driving home from a party the other night and I could barely see two feet in front of my car. As much as I would have loved to flip on my brights, I thought it might be just a touch irritating to the driver in front of me. Also, I’m not even sure it would have helped all the much, seeing as when I got home I saw that my headlights were covered with a cloudy film. I mean, it’s no wonder I couldn’t see that well.
In case you’re having the same issue and you think that all your car needs is a good wash, you’re wrong. Well, your car could probably use a good wash too, but that’s not going to help you see better at night. Short of completing replacing your headlight covers, you could try dousing them with Fast Brite (Taylor Gifts, $9.98) to get rid of the yellowing and cloudiness. Claiming to completely renew visibility and bring your headlights back to showroom quality, the product has some shortcomings. Seriously though, who actually thinks that an As Seen On TV product is going to change their life? If you do, you’s a big dummy. You’re supposed to use the lens polish to remove oxidation from the headlight and then the lens protectant to seal in the results, but I wouldn’t expect anything too spectacular. At best, you’ll get rid of some of that yellowing and even then I wouldn’t hold my breath.
If you’re willing to test this out, do yourself a favor and get it here instead of from the infomercial. At least then you won’t fall victim to their shipping and handling scam of $7.98 per order.
2 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Visibly brightens dull headlights
-Includes two 2oz bottles and a dual sided application sponge
-Wipe on lens polish to remove hazy oxidation
-Apply lens protectant to seal in results
