debcook

Sometimes I feel like the only person on earth that cannot find a comfortable pair of headphones. Dramatics aside, does anyone enjoy wearing ear buds that feel as though they are trying to permanently stretch the inside of your ears? At first they feel good and you say to yourself “maybe I have finally gotten past the painful stage”. Then fifteen minutes later – about the time they need to be adjusted – the painful burning begins. So, do you leave them in not? Personally I cringe and then quickly remove them.

Years ago I purchased a Sony Walkman Sports Radio. It is one of the gadgets that I have kept and continued to use although technology has passed it by. Actually, the radio is not my favorite, the headphones that came with it are. They are very thin, easily adjusted and they sit just inside of my ears – pain free.

Now there may be another set of headphones that I could love. The Audio Bone headphones are quite expensive but the price may be worth it. Bone Conduction Technology works by transmitting vibrations to the inner ear via the bone in front of the ears instead of through the eardrum – inside of the ear. Not only do you have a better chance of protecting your hearing but they are more comfortable as well. Big ears or small ears the fit is the same.

The Audio Bone headphones may not please everyone. Those that are looking for the highest quality sound like they would get through a set of noise canceling Bose ear buds may want to pass. After all, the design of the Audio Bone headphones are meant to allow for the surrounding sounds to be heard. This is another reason that I like them. Real life sounds are important to runners, walkers and even cyclists.

The naked iPhone 3G is gorgeous and very tough when it comes to scratches. Still there are those that prefer to cover it up. Secure grip and extra protection – not to mention the added personalization that comes with products like DomeSkin for iPhone 3G are more than enough reasons to make their point. No matter what side of the argument you find yourself on I hope open minds will prevail.

The DomeSkin iPhone 3G skin is reusable. If one is placed onto an iPhone it can easily be removed. No residue is left behind and it will adhere as well the second time as the first. Designs vary and include Fleur De Lys, Garden of Earthly Delights, Skull and Jackpot.

• The Fleur De Lys – As the name reveals the colors are black and white and the design is a repeat of the Fleur De Lys on the front and back skins.
• Garden of Earthly Delights – The most noticeable colors is white, pink and black. There are flowers and leaves lining the edges of both the front and back skins.
• Skull – The predominant colors are black, red and white. The Skulls are almost abstract so do not be afraid of this one. The back skin is a repeat of the front skin.
• Jackpot – Front is mostly black and red with “Ace” cards and Poker chips along one side. The back is a repeat of the front except with more detail with an added set of dice.

At approximately $15 each the DomeSkin skins are reasonably priced and would be a great change of pace. From day to day we all wake up in moods that are different than the day before. Celebrating those moods is fun and may open up new conversations and networking possibilities. To return to your real self just take the DomeSkin off and no one will be the wiser.

Solar power is not new to calculator technology. However, have you heard of powering a calculator with water?

That is right – you can add, subtract, multiply and divide without using any energy except that provided by the included water battery. When the ciphering dims a quick refill with tap water brings it back. I guess you could call this a fuel cell. Fuel cells have been talked about to power automobiles but I had no idea that there were already these tiny ones that I could buy right now.

When my solar power calculator gives up the fight I think I will buy one of these. They are very reasonably priced – some under $10.00 on Amazon. They look the same as most other calculators but they have a cool hidden secret. What a unique gift a water calculator (sometimes called an H2O powered calculator) would make. No learning curve is involved so people of all ages could use it. I bet most of them would not already have one.

It is exciting to find a mobile microphone that actually provides great sound recording. Whether in a classroom, a lecture hall or outdoors the SpyEar surrounds the sound (even a whisper) so that it can be recorded clearly. It magnifies sound up to 50 times and regardless of which direction the sound is coming from it captures it so that your recording device can record it.

You may worry that a microphone this powerful may pickup sound that you do not want. For example, a computer has a fan to keep it cool. Surprisingly even though the microphone is in close proximity to the fan – the sound does not interfere. Wind is definitely an issue. Just try talking on your cell phone (even with most Bluetooth headsets) and you will get my point. The SpyEar has an included windscreen to control the unwanted wind noise that could be a problem with most other microphones.

Batteries are not needed because power is derived from whichever device it is plugged into. An acceptable device may be a voice recorder, a camcorder, a computer or other media oriented recording device.

This would be a perfect gadget for a student, a business person or a public speaker. It is very compact, high quality and does the job you need it to do. I would love to get a SpyEar as a gift – but I will probably have to buy my own.

I am not a big fan of all-in-one gadgets. Seldom do they do everything as well as a standalone device would. If you have no need for high end features however, maybe the savings gained would be the best in your situation.

Scanning plays a big part in my daily organizational needs. Receipts, documents and invoices are turned into digital PDF files and stored away for future use. Business cards are one of those unique areas that require special treatment.

Business cards are the best face-to-face way to insure that the recipient remembers who you are and how to contact you. How many times have you accepted a business card and a month later forgot where and why you received it?

(TIP) Immediately write information on the back of all business cards that you receive so that you do not forget why it is important.

Business card scanners are unique because they extract contact information from the card and post it into the correct fields of software such as Microsoft Outlook. So much time is saved through automation that the business card scanner will pay for itself on down the road. I suppose that you could carry around a Rolodex but why would you want to?

Business card scanners can be left in the office but they are compact enough to take with you as well. Instead of filing stacks of business cards away to organize at a later time – just do it now.

There is no better way to organize business cards and the information on them than a dedicated business card scanner.

Curb appeal is talked about in every home improvement television show and by every real estate agent. It is after all the first thing judged when anyone visits or passes by. When they sun is high in the sky there is little left to the imagination but once the sun light fades away the picture changes dramatically.

Few of us are willing to spend the time and money to have our yards wired for lights. Hardwired lights are so yesterday anyway – now there are solar lights that require nothing but sun light and simple batteries. They can be moved on a whim and can light a path or highlight a tree. Some have individual solar collectors and others connect to a central solar collector. Each has their benefits. If the solar lights are located where the sun shines bright all day long that is great. But, if shade invades the space during part of the day a central solar collector can be placed in a bright sunny area away from the solar lights themselves.

Solar lights are not meant to light up the landscape like an airport runway. For one thing the LED lights bulbs inside the solar lights are bright but do not light up much of the surrounding area. They highlight features and guide visitors to the door. Security is always a concern and the solar lights will illuminate the landscape to a certain point but will not shine a bright blinding light on an intruder. There are solar spotlights available so choose the right light for the right purpose.

If you need inspiration on how to use solar lights in your landscape check out your local home improvement stores and the many home improvement websites.

Do you consider a lawn mower to be a gadget? Yesterday I would have said no but today I have a new perspective.

You see, I purchased one of these popular Reel Mowers. I figured that it would work great for my small front yard.

After it rains for several days and the sun pops out the grass grows at a tremendously accelerated rate. That is usually when I fall behind getting the grass mowed although I detest straggly looking grass. So it made perfect since to have a small and compact mower that I could pull out at a moments notice and get the job done.

This ended up to be one of those “best laid plans” moments. I excitedly started pushing it across my front yard. Just a minute or so later I realized that you could hardly see that I had mowed. The weeds were still standing. The yellow dandelion blooms were undisturbed. This upset me because the hours of searching for a Reel Mower that would adjust down to 1” mowing height apparently constituted wasted time.

My suggestion to anyone wanting a quick and easy way to mow a small patch of grass is that they consider an electric lawnmower. The electric mower pictured above sells for just over $200. I spent approximately $150 on my Reel Mower.

A Garden Groom looks odd but I like how it works. I have always been uncomfortable trimming my shrubs with a traditional hedge trimmer. The front heavy design and those blades moving back and forth intimidate me. The weight alone can cause me to trim unevenly.

The Garden Groom is different. It weighs a mere six pounds, the blade is completely enclosed from the top and sides and the large handle is comfortable making it easier grip. An integrated vacuum and shredder saves clean up time and effort. As you trim the Garden Groom catches its own clipping so you do not have too.

You know that such a cool gadget has to have a downside. For the Garden Groom to be so lightweight and easy to handle you know that it cannot be a heavy duty device. If you need to trim thick woody type shrubs the Garden Groom may not stand up to the strain. The plastic is high impact but I would not throw it in the back of my pickup truck along with other gardening tools.

In my opinion the Garden Groom is most useful to anyone that has soft stemmed shrubs. Anyone that just wants to keep their landscape under control would appreciate the safety, the ease of use and the easy clean up of the Garden Groom.

Dry air is damaging to most anything whether your sinuses or your furniture. Typically cold winter months are known to produce dry air. Of course, an air conditioner can also dry out the air. Regardless when it happens or what causes it the results are the same.

Waking up in the morning with a stuffy nose can be a result of dry air. Static electricity is a result of dry air – we all know about this one. The hair that stands on end, the skirt that sticks to our legs or the shocking sting we feel when touching metal surfaces. Wooden furniture that separates at the joints is often caused by dry air.

Moisturizing the air is not difficult. A pan of steaming water on the stove, a bathtub of water left overnight or a humidifier. Obviously a humidifier is the best option but they are not always handy. When we travel and when we need close proximity moisturized air it is not always available.

Technology has caught up with the need. Both Air-O-Swiss and Sunpentown offer several models of portable humidifiers. Small bases hold an ordinary plastic bottle of water. These are great for traveling because the base is easy to pack and you can buy bottled water everywhere. I suggest choosing one with an automatic shutoff so that you can rest easier without worrying that you will need to turn the unit off during the night. The drier the air the faster the bottle will be emptied.

There is no good reason to put up with dry air. Humidifiers can moisten the air which resolves numerous distasteful irritations.

A few years ago a beautiful little girl was killed in my hometown. She grew up playing on the property where her family’s business was located. One day she was riding her bike and an employee accidentally backed over her. There was no warning for either the child or the driver. It was simply an awful accident.

That horrible day changed the lives of her entire family and that of the employee as well. Low cost technology is now available that could have prevented the accident.

The Daytona Auto Alert for Cars or SUVs Backup Alert is a $50 device that could possibly save the life of a child or even vehicle damage. Sonar technology emits an audible alert when the vehicle backs up and gets too close to an object. The louder the sound gets the closer the object. The object in danger from the moving vehicle could be a child, a trash can or a bike. There is no need for you to take any action - the device is activated by placing the vehicle in revere.

No device will keep every accident from happening. However, technology is available to help fewer accidents happen. Nothing will replace due diligence so please always do yours especially when a child depends on you.