Have you ever found yourself out and about, wishing you could sit down only there were no available seating surfaces? Most of us would just tough it out or make do with the options available. I once sat on a freezing cold curb in Chicago for a solid three hours because it seemed better than standing. True story.
If you simply must have a chair at a moment’s notice and you don’t want to actually cart around a chair with you at all times, then the Pocket Chair (Things You Never Knew Existed, $9.98) is for you. In case you can’t already tell by the name, it’s a chair…that fits in your pocket! Now, don’t get your hopes up; it’s not like you’re gonna be able to fit a La-Z-Boy in your pocket. Is it a pathetic excuse for a chair? Yeah. Is it a million times better than not having a pathetic excuse for a chair? You bet. As long as you don’t expect to be sitting on a cloud, you’ll be fine.
This chair allegedly supports up to 250 pounds. Who wants to test that out?
3 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 9.25″ x 6.25″ folded
-Capacity: Up to 250lbs
-Chair that fits in your pocket
-Includes chair and carrying case
-Study lightweight steel
-Stitched nylon canvas seat
I don’t mean to brag, but I am a fantastic packer. I can pack 10 days worth of clothes into a small suitcase that could pass for carry-on (very important these days, what with baggage fees being so outrageous). As amazing a packer as I am, even I sometimes fall victim to the perils of overpacking. The funny thing is, I tend to overpack when I’m just staying for the weekend versus a long trip. I don’t know what it is, but the shorter the trip the more likely I am to jam 17 shirts into my bag before debating whether to bring my entire movie collection.
I feel the worst overpacking happens when going to the beach because you actually might need all of the things you’ve packed. Sunscreen? Necessary. Sunglasses? Necessary. Book? Necessary. Music? Necessary. Towel? Ultra necessary. Too bad that your towel takes up the most space or else you’d totally be able to get by with just one small beach bag, right? The Pocket Towel (Latest Buy, $22.95) makes packing for the beach easy with a magical towel that is small enough to fit in your pocket. Inside its handy little pouch is a nearly full-size bath towel made of ultrafine microfibre that can absorb three times its weight in water! You could probably fit at least two dozen of these super absorbent pocket towels into the same space as a regular beach towel. Plus, instead of putting a soggy towel back into your bag just so it can soak everything else inside, you can simply fold it and put it back in its storage pouch.
A towel like this might also be helpful when you find yourself caught in a torrential downpour (like the ones we’ve been experiencing lately) without an umbrella or poncho.
4 out 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 3.5″ x 3.5″ x 2.2″ (folded); 48″ x 24″ (unfolded)
-Weight: 3.9oz
-Full size towel in convenient travel form
-Absorbs 3 times its weight in water
-Neoprene storage pouch included
-Available in blue, green, or red
-Made of ultrafine woven microfibre
With all this Harry Potter hoopla going on, I’ve got to admit that I’ve thought about how cool it would be to have wizardly abilities. I mean, with the flick of a wrist and a carefully worded phase, I could totally make magic happen. My favorite of all the Harry Potter spells has got to be “Wingardium Leviosa” because while it might not be the most practical of spells, it’s certainly the awesomest. Who wouldn’t want to able to levitate objects on a whim?
Now you can harness the power of levitation without the knowledge of wizardry with the Levitron Revolution (Vat19, $99.95). Before you get too carried away, you should know that you can only levitate objects weighing 12 ounces or less. That being said, how freaking cool! The device uses EZ Float Technology, which basically means that you place your object du jour on the small floating disc and it’ll float. What’s more is that it’ll even compensate for additional weight, as long the total weight doesn’t exceed the 12 ounce maximum. The floating disc itself is magnetized so that once it aligns itself with the four LED lights in the base station, the constant magnetism will allow the disc (and any object placed atop it) to float.
Ron, who cares if you’re not as good at spells as Hermione – now you can levitate objects all on your own!
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 4″ x 4″ x 0.75″ (base station); 2″ diameter (floating disc)
-Levitate and slowly rotate collectibles
-EX Float Technology
-Levitates objects weighing up to 12 ounces
-4 LED lights guide alignment
-Base station compensates for weight changes
-Ages 14+
Do you have a dog? I don’t, at least I haven’t had one for quite a few years. Pets can be a lot of fun, dogs in particular because they’re so lovable in an incredibly interactive kind of ways that cats are not. The downside to owning a dog is the cleanup. Sure, with cats you have to deal with a litterbox which isn’t any picnic either, but with dogs you actually have to stand around waiting for them to poop so you can pick it up. It’s just a touch humbling, isn’t it?
Unless you’re one of those law-breaking jerks who doesn’t pick up after your dog, you probably make sure you have a nice stash of plastic bags before you and your dog take a stroll around the block. What if, instead of slowing killing the environment with your ever-abundant plastic bag stockpile, you used a biodegradable bag like the Flushable Doodie Bags (ThinkGeek, $8.99) to pick up your dog’s business? These bags are made strong enough to withstand a stroll with your pup, yet fragile enough to dissolve in water. Safe for most septic and sewer systems, you can flush your dog’s fecal matter in the toilet – bag and all! The bags themselves are made of Polyvinyl Alcohol film that melts away when flushed, so they’re as safe to flush as wet wipes. If you’re not cool with flushing your dog’s deposits every time they go for a walk, these bags will also dissipate quickly in landfills (much faster than a standard plastic bag).
These bags probably won’t help you feel less ridiculous picking up your dog’s doodie, but at least you know you’ll be helping the environment. Isn’t that all that matters?
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Biodegradable dog doo bags
-Includes 3 pocket sized packs of 20 bags each (60 bags total)
-Bags dissolve in water
-Safe for most septic and sewer systems
-Works even with low flow toilets and older plumbing
-Bags also dissolve quickly in landfills
I did laundry yesterday for the first time in what must have been weeks. Since I had exhausted my extensive wardrobe, I was pretty keen on getting my clothes washed as quickly as possible. In fact, I was so focused on getting everything into the washing machine that I neglected to check my pockets. Now I’m the proud owner of many ink-stained ensembles.
If you make the Inkless Metal Beta Pen (Vat19, $27.95) your writing implement of choice, then you’ll never have to worry about something like that. This pen doesn’t look like a pen nor does it really act like one since it’s inkless, but its markings are permanent and it writes on just about any normal writing surface. Using a special alloy metal tip, small amounts of metal resembling pencil marks are deposited on the page as you write. Because the implement is solid, there’s no ink to leak or run out. It also means that the tip never dulls, marks never smudge, and refills are a thing of the past. You can sharpen the tip if you like by rubbing it with sandpaper, but it doesn’t really need it.
I’ve seen the future. It’s this pen.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 6.25″ x 0.375″ diameter
-Special alloy metal tip
-Anodized aluminum barrel
-No refills necessary
-No dulling, smudging, or leaking
-No sharpening required
-Available in silver or black
-Warning: tip contains small amounts of lead; not suitable for children
