Dutch artist Theo Jansen creates “lifelike” kinetic structures using plastic tubes and lemonade bottles.

Not a product you can buy, not sure what practical use, not sure what else I can say, but I think it’s cool and hope you will too. So sit back and enjoy.   Watch the video after the jump.

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: Robot

Theo Jansen’s Kinetic Beasts originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 6, 2012 at 10:00 am.

“Just in time for Star Wars Episode 1 in 3D”  - Gogurt glow-in-the-dark yogurt lightsabers. I’m just hoping that it’s not actually the yoghrt that glows in the dark.  More money spinners for the never ending Lucas franchise. Check out the video after the jump.

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: Food related

Gogurt Slurp Saber – Buy you must? originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 30, 2012 at 8:00 am.

Who among us is a notebook / stationary junky? Let’s see a show of hands please… Me too. That’s why I was grinning from ear to ear when the mailman dropped off a box of samples from a company that I’d not heard of before: Daycraft. I suppose the reason why I’ve not heard of Daycraft is because they are based in Hong Kong and do not seem to have any distributors here in the US. That’s disapppointing because they are offering some quality notebooks that mix style with a dash of quirky.

Daycraft sent me 4 samples, but they offer many different types of notebooks, daily calenders and sketchbooks.

This is the Cookie Bookie notebook. It’s a 125mm x 125mm 144 page lined square notebook, that happens to look like a cheese cracker. Daycraft offers an Oreo and a waffle cookie notebook as well. I’m not sure about the other 2, but the cheese cracker version has padded / quilted covers that are soft to the touch. The pages are a an orange cheesy color to go along with the theme.

Their Signature Gutenberg notebook comes in 2 sizes and two colors. They sent me the smaller (108mm x 149mm) White version. The soft flexible covers are embossed with letters and numbers. There are 128 lined cream colored pages. This is a thin notebook with a ribbon book maker.

The Slab notebook looks like a peice of wood. It is 108mm x 157mm and has 360 lined cream colored pages. The semi-rigid covers and edges of the pages have been printed to look like wood grain.

Daycraft’s Animaland diaries are cute as a button. They are 106mm x 150mm and have 216 pages that include a dated section for each day of the year. At the beginning of each month, there is a cute drawing related to the theme of the the diary. There are several reference pages at the front of the book that list international holidays, gift ideas and nutrition information. Also included is a sheet of stickers.

My favorites of the samples sent are the Animaland diary and the Signature Gutenberg notebook. The quality is great.

I wish I could provide more info on the pricing of these notebooks, but they don’t appear to be available here the US. If you live outside the US, you have a better chance at finding them. You can visit Daycraft’s Where to Buy page for listings in Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Australia, Korea and more.

What is your favorite brand of notebook? Moleskine? Rhodia? Something else?

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: Gear Diary, Journal, notebook

Daycraft – Alternatives to Moleskine and Rhodia Notebooks originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 27, 2012 at 2:00 pm.

This is for the 5 people out there that are not completely sick of seeing new Angry Birds merchandise. Feast your eyes on these cute USB 2.0 8GB flash drives in the shapes of your favorite video game characters. They are priced at $19.99 from Staples.

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: Video Games

Oh look, more Angry Birds stuff… originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 24, 2012 at 2:30 pm.

It’s the beginning of a new year, which for a lot of people, means that it is time to start a new journal or diary. I’ve been wrestling with the decision of whether to stay traditional and keep my journal in a Moleskine, Rhodia or similar notebook, or go digital and use a diary app on my iPhone / iPad. Both formats have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. Is one way to better than the other? In this two part article, I’m going to try to answer that question for myself and maybe for you too. Part one covers traditional journals.

My journaling background

I’ve been an on again off again diary keeper since I was a kid. Back in the 70′s and 80′s when I was growing up, the only way to keep a record of your thoughts, memories and events was by writing them down on paper. I had several anything books as we used to call them… blank unlined hardback books meant to hold “anything”. I also had a couple classic lock and key type diaries that offered one page for each day of the year. I was even into 3×5 inch index cards way before they were cool. I used to keep a metal index card box labeled “Julie’s Secret Files”. Yep, I was a dork even back then… Nothing has changed folks

Childhood diary entries

The sad thing is that I can currently only find one of my childhood journals. I know the others are around here somewhere (hopefully). I just don’t know where. I sat down with that one diary this past weekend and reading it from cover to cover gave me quite a few laughs. 90% of it was filled with entries talking about how big of a pain my younger sister was and all my attempts to find and read her diary. Come on, that was very important stuff to a 13yr old! But mixed in with that silly stuff were a few nuggets that triggered long lost memories. Reading it made me wish I would have continued to keep a journal all these years. I especially wish I would have kept a journal this past year to record my cancer adventure.

Sticking with it…

Why haven’t I been able to keep a journal over the years when I’ve tried countless times? Lots of lame reasons that tend to run in a continuous loop as an internal dialog in my head:

What I write is complete drivel, so why write it down?
My hand writing is messy and I make too mistakes.
I don’t have time to write today, I’ll do it tomorrow.
My doodles are crude and pointless.
I haven’t written in months, so why start again?

I now have answers and comments to those questions and statements that are helping me make journaling a habit that I will stick with.

Q: What I write is complete drivel, so why write it down?
A: Yes, it probably is, but who cares. It’s your drivel and mixed in with it, will be valuable memories that you’ll be able to enjoy later.

S: My hand writing is messy and I make too mistakes.
C: You’re not being graded on your penmanship, so who cares.

S: I don’t have time to write today, I’ll do it tomorrow.
C: That’s fine. You don’t have to write every day, or even every week or month. Write when you feel like it.

S: My doodles are crude and pointless.
C: You’re not being graded on your artistic abilities, so who cares.

Q: I haven’t written in months, so why start again?
A: Why not? Don’t feel like a failure when you don’t write for long periods. Think of it as a break so you can store up memories to write about later.

Once I flipped the switch in my brain that makes me want to write things down all the time, I encountered a new problem and the reason for this article… It’s my struggle to choose between keeping a traditional paper journal or keeping a journal on my iPad. Analog vs. digital? That’s the big question. Let’s consider the analog journal…

Going with paper and pen

Analog journals come in all manner of sizes, shapes and colors. I have to admit that I’m a sucker for Moleskine, Rhodia, and similar notebooks. There is something very romantic about writing your thoughts in a bound book. It’s as if those thoughts are more important just because they are inscribed in a physical book. As you can see from the image above, I have quite a collection of empty notebooks to choose from. The stack on the Left includes a Quo Vadis Habana journal, several blank and lined Moleskines, a San Francisco Moleskine travel journal and a Rhodia webbie. On the Right are a bunch of a Field Notes notebooks and Moleskine Cahiers and Volants. On the bottom of that stack is a Wreck This Journal book by Keri Smith. It’s a journal with all kinds of prompts that are designed to help you be more creative and not worry about screwing up your journal. I found it to be a cool concept, but it a little too juvenile for my taste.

My favorite notebook is currently the 3.5 x 5.5 inch unlined Rhodia Pocket webbie in Orange. I love the soft almost padded feel of the cover and that I can write and draw with markers without too much fear that they will bleed through the page. I do wish that the webbies had white instead of the cream color. I like Moleskine notebooks too and prefer the Sketchbook Pocket version for the thicker paper. Markers and some inks bleed through the regular Moleskine notebook paper too easily.

I am also more than a little obsessed with finding accessories for my notebooks. Notebook covers, pen holders, bookmarks, pens, pencils, you name it…

What do you write in your journal?

There are a million different types of journals. Art journals, gratitude journals, dream journals, trip journals, workout journals, food journals etc. I’m usually pretty traditional when it comes to what I write in mine. I don’t use it as an appointment or to-do book. It tends to be a dated entry with a synopsis of my day. I might include a drawing if the mood strikes and I sometimes tape or glue ticket stubs or other small paper items pertaining to the day’s events.

I recently purchased a Polaroid Pogo Mobile Printer for the sole purpose of making 2 x 3 inch prints to add to my journal entries. Although the print quality isn’t spectacular, it’s good enough for this task. The printer itself is less than $40 and doesn’t require any ink cartridges. The only consumables are the special photo paper that is required for it. They also offer photo paper with a peel and stick backing, which makes adding pictures to your journal very easy. I have some on order

The big downside for me is that this little Bluetooth printer isn’t compatible with the iPhone. Apparently you can get it to work if you’re willing to jailbreak your phone and load a special Bluetooth app. But, at the moment there isn’t a way to jailbreak an iPhone 4S. As soon as there is, I’ll be doing it just so I can use it to print pics to the Pogo. The Pogo does work just fine with my iMac and also worked great with a Samsung Galaxy Nexus Android 4.0 phone.

Finding inspiration

I love seeing pictures of other people’s journal entries and will sometimes go on Flickr and do a search on the word “journal”. It’s a cool way to find ideas for my own entries.

For example, if you want to be inspired, go check out The Hike Guy’s journals of his 1700 mile trek along the Pacific Crest Trail. They are fantastic and make me want to get a backpack and set off for an adventure in the woods right now. Or maybe when it’s warmer… and I have an RV… with a satellite link.

There are also many journal related sites that I love to visit. Here are a few:

Notebook Stories
Journaling Saves
Recording Thoughts

Privacy

Keeping a journal on paper means that someone will probably find and read it long after you are gone, if not sooner. Some people might consider this a terrifying possibility. It’s something I really don’t worry about. If someone wants to read one of my journals, it’s probably going to bore them silly very quickly.

For those of you that do worry about the uninvited sneaking a peek at your innermost thoughts, does that make digital journals more attractive since it is easier to secure / hide them?

Some advantages of keeping a paper journal:

• Electricity or a connection to the internet is not required to write an entry
• Dropping a journal on the floor will not break it or cause it to lose entries
• A Moleskine will never crash or need a firmware upgrade
• Paper journals allow much more freedom and customization than their digital equivalent
• They cost much less than a smartphone, tablet or computer

What are some other advantages that you find with paper journals vs. digital journals?

If we’re going to talk about advantages, we have to talk about the disadvantages too.

Some disadvantages of keeping an analog journal:

• It’s easier for someone to find and read your journal when it’s a physical object like a book
• There’s no spellcheck for a Moleskine
• If you write an entry with sloppy penmanship, you’ll have to live with it
• It’s difficult to find a specific entry in a journal
• You can’t easily backup an analog journal like you can a digital journal

I actually have one way to take care of the last two disadvantages on that list.

Using Evernote to back up your journal

If you haven’t heard of Evernote, it’s a free (there’s a premium version too) note taking, web clipping, archiving tool that you can use on your desktop or your iPhone, Android and Blackberry devices.

It makes a great analog journal backup tool and search tool. Just snap a picture of your journal page and upload it to your Evernote account. You can create an Evernote notebook to store all your journal images. You can then sync your Evernote notebooks between your desktop and your phone, which means you’ll have a copy of your analog journal on your digital device. Cool right? It gets even better though…

You can search for words in the images you’ve uploaded to Evernote. Just type a word in the search box and Evernote will give you a list of all the entries where that word shows up. Even your hand written words are searchable. I’m not just talking printed words – even cursive! That makes it super easy to find a specific entry. It doesn’t work 100% of the time as in it sometimes will show you words that don’t match your search criteria, but it works well enough to be a super useful tool. Evernote is also an excellent companion to one of my favorite iOS journal apps. But more about that in part 2 of this series where I’ll talk about digital journaling.

In the mean time, I’d love to hear from you about your journal preferences. What is your favorite brand of notebook? Do you include drawings? Do you add photos? Write in code so people can’t read it?

Filed in categories: Articles, Featured Items, Miscellaneous

Tagged: Gear Diary, Journal

Starting a New Journal – Which Format Do you Use, Digital or Analog? originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 7, 2012 at 5:53 pm.

One of my friends had her email account hijacked recently.  The hijackers had obviously got hold of her password somehow and were sending out emails to her address book claiming she was stuck overseas and needed money sent to her. I’d read about this sort of thing  but never had it happen to myself or anyone close to me. I suspect that it would be quite easy for the less-knowledgeable and naive to not realize and send money and be taken for a ride, as it was certainly more “sophisticated” than the typical Nigerian scammer email.  I actually toyed with them for a while  (to the extent of trying to sending them to my mate Kon Stabel at the address of the local police station ) and the jackers were pretty “sneaky” about trying to get money out of me.

It was then I decided I should really do something about strengthening my own security around my accounts by turning on Google’s 2 step authentication which I’d read about but never got around to implementing.

Working in IT you’d think I’d know better; however, this got me thinking about all the information I have stored in my Google account. Access to my email alone would allow access to other sensitive information, which as a flow on from my emails gives them access to other websites indirectly. Password resets to the email address for other non-Google applications or sites could be performed, as well as the ability to gain access to applications that use your Google account as a “passthrough” login for that application. In addition if you’re part of the “Google-verse” (“luckily” my above friend had just a Hotmail email account ),  access to your Google account gives you access to email and all your other Google apps such as Google+, documents, photos, reader, YouTube, and other info. A bit scary really

Google 2 step authentication works on 2 things, something you know – your password – and something you have – your phone/tablet.

It’s easy to turn on from your Google Account Settings

Once you turn on 2 step authentication, whenever you login to your Google account you put in your normal password and the site will then ask you to enter your authentication code consisting of a 6 digit number.

 

Google Code Verification

This code can be delivered to you in a number of ways:

• SMS to a specified mobile number.

• Voicecall to a specified mobile or land line number.

• Google Authenticator app  for Android/iPod,iPhone,Ipad/Blackberry – This app  generates a real time, time-sensitive code for you to enter based on your account. The system is very similar to the more commercial- and business-related RSA tokens that many enterprise businesses use for their 2 step authentication. It will allow you to create codes for multiple Google accounts if you have them.

 

The Google Authenticator App for Android

So to log in, you need to know your password and also have your mobile phone to receive or generate your 6 digit code. So even if your password is compromised the would be thief still requires to get hold of your phone to finally hijack your account. Each code is only valid for around 30 secs.

You can apply this code to last up to 30 days, so you won’t get asked for a new verification code again for 30 days on that same machine. If you find yourself having to login to another new machine or onto an public/shared device, then you’ll have to input a verification code again.  On a public machine if you don’t use the 30 day option, the next time you logon to that machine you’ll have to reenter another verification code, something quite handy if you find yourself having to use internet cafes to access you Google account. Even keyloggers will only be able to grab your password, as your verification code you enter will only be valid for a short space of time.

 

Application Specific Code

Some devices and applications won’t let you enter the second security code so you need to create an Application Specific Password (e.g. Gmail login for Android). To enable these to access your Google account you generate a 16 digit alpha/numeric code that you use in place of your normal password. It appears to me that the code is a hash of your user name and what you name the application (e.g. “Gmail for Android Login”).  (As per below discussion it would appear it’s not a hash unless it’s time based as well.  Putting the same application name in gives different codes. Perhaps it is just random). You then use this code rather than your normal password to logon. You normally only have to use this password once, and you can always revoke the pass code if you need to for any reason.

If you’re out of mobile range or you don’t have your phone with you, Google can also supply you with a list of backup codes which you can print or store somewhere were you’d normally have access to it other than your phone.

As an exercise, sit down and work out what information and access would be available should Your Google account be hacked. While there’s a small amount of extra work involved with setting up 2-step verification as well as some extra “work” involved in logging into your Google account, the extra security you get is well worth the effort to protect your sensitive information.

Addendum: 4 Jan 2012  - I’ve just found that the Google Authenticator can also be used as a 2 factor authenticator  for  Lastpass password manager as well

Addendum: 7 Jan 2012 – A quick heads up about using the Authenticator on either multiple or on new devices.  If you turn on authentication and just follow the instructions on a single device  then when you want to add a new device ( which will happen with upgrades ) or add an additional device then you’ll actually have to turn off verification and recreate your account codes ( only your live ones, not the application specifics ) both on your old and new device.  The trick is that when you initially  turn it on take a screenshot of your bar code and/or the key it gives you and store in a safe place. Then you can just load GA onto your new device and rescan or manually input the account verifications when you create the account in the app.

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, Reviews

Tagged: Gmail, Google, Internet security, Security

Google 2 Step Authentication Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 2, 2012 at 8:00 am.

AEROSHOTS are portable inhalers that puff a 12-20mg dose of caffeine and B vitamins into your mouth with each application. The zero calorie powder is swallowed and does not go into your lungs and according to their information, it is not absorbed any quicker into your system than the caffeine in a soft drink or other energy drink. It’s just in a more convenient pocket sized form factor. Each AEROSHOT contains 100mgs of caffeine, which is equal to the amount of caffeine in a large cup of coffee. They are available now through the AEROSHOT website for $2.99 each.

Who among you would try something like this? I don’t even drink those 5hr energy drinks. When I need a pick-me-up, my “medicine” of choice is a diet coke, which has about 47mg of caffeine per 12oz. can.

Filed in categories: Health Related Gadgets, Miscellaneous, News

Tagged:

Would you inhale caffeine powder for an energy boost? originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 28, 2011 at 4:39 pm.

The Pillow Tie might look like a normal silk style neck tie, but it hides an inflatable cushion inside. Just pop open the valve, give it a few puffs of air and you’re all set to grab some shut eye while you’re supposed to be doing those year end budget reports. Pillow Ties are available in a wide assortment of colors and patterns for $19.95 each. If you like, you can even remove the cushion to turn it back into an ordinary tie.

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: Clothing

Happy Office Napping with the Inflatable Pillow Tie originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 28, 2011 at 3:00 pm.

“Best of the Web, Delivered: The Reddit Manual” [affiliate link] is a guide for readers who want to get the scoop on all coolest stuff on the internet before your friends do. This guide will help you learn to navigate Reddit, one of the most popular social news sites on the web.

There are a few hoops to jump through to get this guide, but it helps The Gadgeteer to earn some some affiliate fees that can help us to bring you more cool product reviews.

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged:

Snag a copy of “Best of the Web, Delivered: The Reddit Manual” originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 23, 2011 at 12:00 pm.

Ever feel like you need a quick nap during work or school?  The Ostrich Pillow from Kawamura Ganjavian architecure and design studio lets you nap in peace. Put your head in the “sand” and ignore that fast paced world around you.  Discrete it’s not however and breathing might be a problem

“OSTRICH offers a micro environment in which to take a warm and comfortable power nap at ease. It is neither a pillow nor a cushion, nor a bed, nor a garment, but a bit of each at the same time. Its soothing cave-like interior shelters and isolates our head and hands (mind, senses and body) for a few minutes, without needing to leave our desk.”

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: comfort pillow, Pillow

Ostrich Pillow – Had enough? Hide your head in the… originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 23, 2011 at 9:00 am.

Are you a frustrated journal writer that just can’t keep up with the habit? Maybe you have been keeping a journal all along and just didn’t realize it. If you’re an avid Facebook updater, you have probably shared a lot of information about your activities in text and images. Fonicle will take that content and create a free eBook for you in PDF format. You can even go one better and have a physical book made. A 100 page book with black and white photos will cost $20, if you want color photos, the price goes up to $45. Either option comes with free US shipping.

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: Facebook, Journal

Fonicle takes your Facebook entries from web to book originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 19, 2011 at 3:33 pm.

Sick of smartphone stands that are made for a specific phone only (like only an iPhone ) ? Sick of smartphone stands that don’t work once you put a cover or a case on to protect your baby?

The Oona is a collaboration by 3 guys out of the Bay Area that consists of a base, a stand and 2 suction cups.  This allows you to use it in a stand configuration (as above), as a suction-mount to mount onto a window or other smooth surface, and even as a tripod attachment. It will work on any phone, with or without case, up to about  225g (9oz) with a smooth back surface (even a Blackberry ).

Available direct from Oona for $29.95 plus postage.

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: Smartphone, Stand

The Oona Smartphone Stand – a Sticky Solution originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 17, 2011 at 12:00 pm.

NASA is offering up a pretty cool way to help the crew of the International Space Station stay connected with the terrestrial bound inhabitants of good ole Mother Earth by sending an electronic postcard.  The free postcards will arrive at the orbiting International Space Station, according to the NASA website, “Your well wishes will be sent on to the station crew.  You can send a little bit of Earth to humanity’s outpost in space.  Go ahead, make their day.”

Send your holiday wishes today via one of four available holiday electronic postcards on the NASA.gov site today!

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged:

Send an electronic holiday greeting card to the crew of the International Space Station originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 12, 2011 at 5:30 pm.

It’s not really a pencil and it’s not really a pen. The Beta Inkless Pen designed by Axel Weinbrecht, is a writing tool with a tiny metal tip made of lead that unlike regular lead pencils, will not wear down with use. It lays down a grey line that doesn’t smudge or erase and can be used in any temperature or weather. You can get one of your own for $27.95 at Jac Zagoory.

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: Writing Instruments

Writing instrument that never needs sharpened and never runs out of ink originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 11, 2011 at 11:45 am.

You are getting ready to travel to the deepest parts of space to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.  What is your ride of choice?  Unfortunately not the Starship Enterprise; we have to wait a few 100 years or so before that bad boy is ready to take to the start.  The astronauts will ride on the Orion Space Capsule, designed by NASA for the trip to the deepest regions of space. Besides safely making the trip to the stars, you also want to know that when you come home you will be able to safely make the trip back to earth and rejoin your family and friends.  So, the team at NASA is putting an 18,000 test version of the Orion Space Capsule through some testing, including dropping it into a test pool and testing the heat shield in some sea like conditions. (Yeh, the heat shield is on the bottom of capsule and needs to be both water-tight and able to survive sea-like conditions after returning through the extreme heat of re-entry into the atmosphere).  With more than 150 sensors on the test space capsule NASA is recording and analyzing enough data to ensure that the Orion Space Capsule will be ready to ferry our astronauts into space and back home again.  For more information check out the NASA website.

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: Space

Splash Down for the Orion: NASA Prepares For Manned Deep Space Exploration originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 8, 2011 at 3:00 pm.

“How To Build Your Own Hackintosh” [affiliate link] is an eBook for readers who would like a Mac computer but don’t want to spend the money for the hardware. This guide will help you learn to install OS X on a regular PC that would otherwise run Windows or Linux.

There are a few hoops to jump through to get this guide, but it helps The Gadgeteer to earn some some affiliate fees that can help us to bring you more cool product reviews.

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged:

Snag a copy of “How To Build Your Own Hackintosh” originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 7, 2011 at 1:30 pm.

Cycling and wine drinking are two activities that I never considered going hand in hand. Obviously I have been severely misinformed because the Bicycle Wine Rack from Oopsmark allows the wine drinking cyclist to transport their favorite bottle along for the ride. Wacky? Yes. But it’s made of leather, so you know people aren’t going to laugh and point when you ride by. They will be jealous and want one of their own. The Wine Rack is made of vegetable tanned leather and is available in 3 colors. It’s priced at $29.00 – $34.00 and fits 1″ bike frames and 3″ bottles. What do you think? Are you going to order one for your Schwinn?

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: Beverage, Bicycle

Gift idea for the cycling wine fan on your list originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 27, 2011 at 1:30 pm.

Q-Knots are are multi-purpose ties that can be used in place of rubber bands and twisty ties to keep your cords and other items easily managed.

Note: Click the images in this review to see a larger view.

Q-Knots are made of a flexible rubber foam material that smells like tires.

They come in 3 colors and 3 sizes.

They have a simple design that doesn’t require any instruction. To use them, you just pull the end through the loop and cinch tight. The grippy teeth keep the tie secured and prevent it from unwrapping.

They work great for cable management.

When you want to unwrap the tie, just pull on the loop and slide the tie back out. Easy.

Although they can stretch, they feel pretty sturdy and I’ve yet to tear one.

I had to chuckle when I read the instructions on the package. The #1 caution is Do not eat. 

I think I’m going to use them to keep my opened tubes of holiday wrapping paper from unrolling.

The package I was sent had 12 Q-Knots. Amazon sells a package of 25 for $8.99.

Q-Knots are a simple product that has been designed to do a simple job. Nuff said.

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, Reviews

Tagged: Organization

Q-Knot Multi-Purpose Reusable Ties Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 24, 2011 at 4:00 pm.

I’ve recently become a fan of Field Notes notebooks because they are small, made in the US and have a cool retro look that appeals to me. These notebooks are designed to be shoved in a pocket, which is convenient, but after while will probably cause the notebook to become bent or overly worn. Corter Leather is now offering a rustic styled sleeve that will hold one Field Notes notebook (and other thin 5.5 x 3.5 in notebooks) along with a pen or pencil. The handmade sleeves are available now and are priced at $56.

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: notebook

Protect your Field Notes Notebook with a Corter Sleeve originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 23, 2011 at 2:00 pm.

Not a fan of tea? Then how about some piping hot Hoth cocoa or a cuppa Dark Side roast coffee. Now you can drink the officially licensed beverages of your favorite Stars Wars heroes and villains. We all know that when a beverage is officially licensed, it tastes so much yummier than the non-licensed variety. It’s ThinkGeek’s mission to keep you hydrated by offering this fun Star Wars Breakfast Beverages Set. Order yours for $29.99

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: Bev

Yoda loves green tea and so should you originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 22, 2011 at 12:00 pm.

You’ve trained for the better part of your life for your flight to outer space with countless simulations, time in a deep water tank designed to simulate the weightlessness of space, rode the “Vomit-Comet” through parabolic arcs, and are suited up and ready to go to the launchpad.  What is your ride of choice for this nine mile journey through the hot and humid Florida weather?  A 27-year old converted Airstream RV named the Astrovan.  We are not talking about your run of the mill 27 year old Chevrolet Astrovan here, we are talking about a converted Airstream that has two kinds of air conditioning for the crew and their support teams.  The first is a one of a kind liquid oxygen cooling system that was purpose built to combat the hot and humid Florida summers and help the launch ready flight crew stay cool before their upcoming ride to outer space.  The second, a row of RV style air conditioners designed to keep everyone else in the RV cool.  While America may not be putting anyone into outer space for several years NASA will keep the Astrovan ready to transport the next crew down the nine mile stretch of road to the launchpad for years to come.  It is nice to see a piece of NASA tradition live on for future crews to enjoy a seat shared by many a astronaut before them on their first stage to reach outerspace.  For more information check out the NASA.gov website and a great PodCast on the Astrovan.

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: NASA

How do the Astronauts get to the launch pad? In a 27 year old Astrovan originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 20, 2011 at 9:00 am.

Finding it hard to get your old film negatives processed these days ?  Process and print them yourself…..on your clothing.

Lumi’s Inkodye Photo Fabric Dye Kit uses a dye that develops photos on materials like fabric or wood when exposed to sunlight. You can use negatives or even small objects to create images out of silhouettes.  Paint the dye on, put a negative or silhouette  on top, and place it in the sun.  The UV light develops the film  on the material, and next time you’re out in the sun  you print will  change colour in front of you.

The dye comes in 3 colours so you’ll have to mix if you want other colours.

Available from Lumi for $11.95 per 4oz bottle.

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: Clothing

Photo Fabric Dye Kit – Be in your own photos originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 19, 2011 at 1:00 pm.

We all do it… When our smartphone’s screen gets smudgy and fingerprinty (those are technical terms), we polish them on our pants leg or tshirt to clean them. Sometimes that helps, other times, not so much. Instead of carrying a microfiber cloth in your pocket for this job, you can use the back of your SwipeTie. SwipeTies look like a premium silk necktie, but they have a special lining made of microfiber that works perfectly for cleaning screens and eye glasses. There are currently 6 styles of SwipeTies, which are priced at $34.95.

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: Microfiber cleaning cloth

Forget your pants leg, now you can use your tie to clean your smartphone’s screen originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 16, 2011 at 8:30 am.

You never know when thrist will strike you, so keep a cup of your favorite beverage always at the ready by using the LugCup holder. The LugCup is a universal cup holder that can be attached to most round handles such as those found on bicycles, baby strollers, luggage, etc. It’s designed to fit most size coffee cups, canned soft drinks, 20oz or less water bottles, baby bottles, etc. It uses Velcro straps that wrap around the handle to provide a secure hold. The LugCup will be available at the end of November for $22.95 through Amazon.com

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: Beverage

LugCup adds a cup holder to your bike, treadmill, walker, etc. originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 15, 2011 at 2:00 pm.

Quiver Pen Holders allow you to carry your favorite pens / pencils with the popular Moleskine notebooks / journals. They are one of my favorite geek accessories (see my review linked below in the related posts section). I’m happy to report that Quiver is offering several additions to their line of products that include new colors: pink leather in their pocket size one-pen and two-pen styles, moka chocolate brown with beige contrasting stitching in their large size one-pen style and black with red stitching in both large and pocket sizes in the one-pen style as well as the large size two-pen style.

They are also offering a new larger size: the XL Quivers in the two-pen style for the extra large format size notebooks made by Moleskine, Rhodia Large WebPlanner, ecosystem Large, the ubiquitous Tops Composition notebooks from school days and many Apple iPad covers (perfect for holding a stylus and pen), or a stylus and reading glasses for those of us older than 45 who need help reading on our iPad.

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: Journal, Pencils, Pens

New Quiver Pen Holder Products originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 14, 2011 at 10:00 am.