Oh man, am I tired today! I don’t think I slept at all last night, due to some noisy neighbors who decided to do home improvements into the wee hours of the morning. I can’t fault them for trying to finish the job they started that afternoon, but when it starts to cut into my shuteye, that’s when I get a bit peeved. Not enough to actually get out of bed and tell them to stop, but still pretty miffed. Have you ever tried to sleep through an annoying sound? It gets to be all you can hear. And even if it does miraculously stop, you get paranoid and start to think you hear it even when it’s completely silent. It’s enough to mess with anyone’s head (and sleep cycle).
For the sake of your sanity, just put on your SleepPhones Headphones (ThinkGeek, $39.99) already! I mean, if you could easily drown out the annoyances of your surroundings, why wouldn’t you want to? Featuring an ultra-comfy soft headband that can double as a sleep mask, these headphones plug right into your mp3 player, iPod, radio, etc. Unlike with ear buds or standard headphones, you can sleep contentedly because you won’t even feel them through the headband.
These headphones work well for ignoring people at work too. Just don’t tell your boss I said that.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Comfortable headphones for bedtime
-Plugs into any standard media player
-Soft headband can double as a sleep mask
-Drowns out unwanted noise while you sleep
Ok, so I know that it’s a million degrees out (seriously, I was just out there and it’s hot as shit) and you guys probably don’t want to hear about winter items. Um, but I’m gonna talk about one anyways. Deal with it.
I’ve seen products like the Headphone Beanie (Convenient Gadgets & Gifts, $16.95) before, offering a musical experience and a roasty toasty noggin. That being said, this one trumps them all. Let’s just begin with the obvious – is the hat comfortable? My average-sized head says yes. As its one size fits all, you might find it slightly less agreeable if you have a Sputnik-size head. The fabric is super soft and it only comes in black, which works well for either trying to look emo or robbing a bank. Another essential facet of this hat is that the headphones do in fact come out for washing. Please, do us all a favor and wash this hat if you’re gonna wear it 24/7 – no one wants to smell old head sweat. The headphone cord runs down the back of the hat so it’s not gonna get in your way and is compatible with any device that uses a 3.5mm audio output. The icing on the cake? Not only is this the best version of this product that I’ve seen/worn, but it’s also the cheapest. Can’t beat that.
Note: if you normally wear earbuds, this is gonna take some getting used to. For starters, you’re gonna have to crank up the volume because unlike those potentially eardrum damaging earbuds, these headphones are placed on the outside of your ears. You know, where they won’t ruin your hearing.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Black beanie with built in headphones
-Works with any 3.5mm audio device
-1.2m wire easily reaches all pocket gadgets
-Removable speaker for washing
-One size fits all
-Comfortable and warm
-Made of 100% cotton
I know you’re not supposed to illegally download music, but sometimes it’s just way too easy. I’m not saying that I do it (because that would be wrong), I’m just saying that a lot of my friends do. And since they’re already doing it, why can’t I benefit from it, right? What’s a little song sharing between friends? That’s how artists get their music heard, by other people sharing it with their friends. So really, I’m just doing my part to help out the music business.
The thing that sucks about sharing music, legal or otherwise, is that it’s such a pain in the ass. If I have a song on my iPod, I can’t just give it to you. The only way for you to access it is to hook your iPod up to my computer with my iTunes. And let’s just hope that you’ve altered your iPod’s settings before jacking in or you can kiss all your music goodbye. What a lovely little feature that is – thank you, Apple. Luckily, the Easy iPod Media Sharer (Hammacher Schlemmer, $99.95) can save you a lot of time and effort when it comes to music sharing. All you have to do is hook up both your iPods to the media sharer. That’s it. Seriously. A fully charged media sharer yields up to an hour and a half of transfer sharing, although I don’t know who needs that much time because it doesn’t take that much time to transfer files. A three-minute songs takes about five seconds while a 30-minute video is transferred in three minutes. And as a bonus, the media sharer will even charge your iPods while they’re connected so you won’t lose any juice.
The only thing that sucks about this little gadget is that it’s not compatible with the iPhone or iPod Touch. As in, will not work. What’s up with that? Is the technology between this one Apple product and two other incredibly similar Apple product so different that it’s not compatible? That’s just laziness. Believe me, I know lazy when I see it.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 3/4″ x 2 1/4″ x 3 1/2″
-Easily transfers media between two iPods
-Includes AC adapter to recharge device in 4 hours
-iPods are recharged when connected
-Provides up to 1 1/2 hours of operation during transfers
-Not compatible with iPhone or iPod Touch
There’s a whole mess of literature out there that talks about how important it is to properly prepare for the birth of your child. I’ll venture to guess that a lot of you already know the obvious guidelines for the mother-to-be: eat healthy, no smoking/drinking, exercise, etc. Then there’s the whole nesting side of preparations, making sure that you’ve baby-proofed the house and set up the baby’s room (he’s sure to complain if the decor isn’t high quality). So you’d think that you have all your bases covered, right? Well, what about all that time little Eugene or little Helga spends gestating in the penthouse suite of the Holiday Womb?
The Prenatal Musical System (ThinkGeek, $99.99) is the most advanced and complete method of delivering auditory sounds to your unborn child. I mean, you must have heard how much knowledge fetuses can retain while in the womb, so it seems like a no-brainer that you should start educating them early. Now, I’m not saying that you’ll play them some Hooked On Phonics and they’ll come out spouting off full sentences, but it’s not like it could hurt, right? Also, what about music? It’s supposed to soothe babies and babies are thought to recall songs they heard while gestating. Using a four speaker surround sound system, this contraption safely delivers sound to your unborn child in an optimally balanced and effective way, no matter where the baby is hanging out your belly. There are built-in side pockets to house the device’s audio controller as well as your personal MP3 player, you can host a hands-free concert while your baby listens to some tunes. The unit is lightweight and elasticized with a streamlined design, providing new mommies comfort and support while accommodating their growing belly.
My only word of caution would be to make your musical selections carefully. I mean, if you play death metal to your stomach for nine months, the results could be a little scary.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Provides gentle but effective support
-Convenient side pockets
-Hands free experience
-High quality sound
-Continually adjusts volume to optimal fetal levels
-4 speaker surround sound from 2 separate stereo speaker sets
-Fully charged battery lasts approximately 5 hours
-Washable fabric
-Made of lightweight, elasticized fabric
Wowza, there’s only 11 days left until Christmas! I really hope you’ve started your Christmas shopping, or at the very least starting thinking of gift ideas because time is just going to fly by from now on. Unless you’re a child under the age of 10, then it will pass slower than molasses in January. Now, I know we talked about maybe different kinds of gifts for the varying types of people in your life. One such type is that of the terrible gift giver. Year after year, this person gives you the worst gifts humanly possible. You would just as soon receive nothing than have to figure out what you’re going to do with a talking yard gnome or yet another ugly Christmas sweater. What’s even worse than getting a bad gift? Getting a bad gift from someone that you bought an extremely awesome gift. Not only did you spend precious time and money on these gifts, but you really thought about what your recipient wanted for Christmas. Whereas they just scrounged around the “Half Off” bin, thus explaining your gift last year of footie pajamas. It’s time to take a stand against thoughtless gift giving!
I’m all about making sure the gift suits the person receiving it, but sometimes you’ve got to go all out to teach someone a lesson. The Christmas Yule Log DVD (Walter Drake, $14.99) is sure to get your point across this holiday season. Sure, on the surface there’s nothing wrong with a good ole fireplace on TV, but let’s delve a little deeper. What does this gift say about the recipient? That they love fireplaces? That they’re too poor/cheap to afford an actual fireplace? Do they think a fireplace DVD is the perfect cost-effective way to heat their home?may surface during the 80 minute DVD, but chances are you’ll all be too busy listening to the 29 Christmas songs to address them.
Now, I’m not advocating buying someone a present with the hopes that they’ll hate it. That’s not the point at all. What I’m saying is, why waste time worrying about what to get someone who clearly isn’t doing the same? Who knows, you might even get lucky and find someone who absolutely loves video fireplaces. Like a woodstove salesman.
5 out of 5 faux fire stars.
Specs:
-Duration: 80 minutes
-Plays 29 songs These questions and many, many others
