CliC Readers

just in case you want to be like the guy on csi:ny.

 

 

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CliC Readers

via Cool Tools on 7/31/08

For anyone requiring reading glasses intermittently, these specs are heaven sent! The frame breaks in the front and clicks together once resting on your nose by way of two magnets. When not in use, they stay out of the way -- the glasses have a hard frame 'loop' that slips around your neck. As soon as you need them, you reach down and pull them up into place. I've tried lanyards -- they get caught on your seat belt strap and tangeled around your collar. I've tried my pocket -- they fall out. Nothing seemed to work, so I ended up buying eight or ten pair of cheap glasses and leaving them all over: habitat, car, at work, etc. CliCs are a wonderful way to avoid all that clutter.

-- Dennis Brittain

CliC Readers
$29
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by CliC

CliC also makes goggles that look promising. If you have any experience with the goggles and can report negatively or positively, please let us know. --sl

Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:

AO LED Safety Glasses

Soft Reading Lenses

KABACLIP Contact Lens Case

 

 

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Improvisation in Thailand

check out the mop (near the bottom). maybe we should try that!

 

 

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Improvisation in Thailand

via KK Lifestream on 7/27/08

Originally posted in Street Use

Thomas Kalak is a photographer from Munich, Germany who specializes in the offbeat. His subject is the curious art of found technology. He's accumulated a magnificent gallery of old American cars in Cuba called "Havana Oldtimers". In Thailand he focuses on the often-seen but rarely-noticed jumble of wires that weave their way overhead every street. Adhoc in design, these almost organic nests have their own charm if you let them seduce you. Kalak has collected an entire portfolio of Bangkok Wires.

These and more are included in a new book about Thailand called "Thailand -- Same Same, But Different. No cliches here. No lovely maids, palm beaches or grand temples. Instead Kalak captures odd moments of street use. Plastic chairs in alleys; traffic cone patterns. Even the locals are blind to their off-center beauty.  Kalak has a keen eye for the way folks improvise. I think of this work as improv zen.

The ubiquitous plastic bag becomes an instant cheap bottle if you add a straw. And you can hang it anywhere.

Owner-built key ring boards.

I think these are home-made brake lights. Suspended by a wire, a bulb inside a bottle covered with read plastic will light up at night.

Filled with water this can keeps the table cloth from blowing away.

A mop made from old socks!!

Reflectors made from CDs.

 

 

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6 Plants That Will Grow Almost Anywhere [Low Maintenance Plants]

 

 

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6 Plants That Will Grow Almost Anywhere [Low Maintenance Plants]

via Consumerist by Jay Slatkin on 7/24/08

Imagine how much money you could save by growing your own herbs or cherry tomatoes? That's just one of the benefits you can reap by using this list by Leslie Land, blogger for the Daily Green and lead author of "1000 Gardening Questions and Answers." All you need is some water, a safe outdoor spot and you're in business, according to Land. Check out some of our favorite easy-to-grow plants, inside...

1. Herbs - While many herbs need sun, Land suggests growing parsley, which tolerates partial shade, and mint, which likes things a bit shadier. Land adds that in addition to being a wonderful fresh herb (don't forget to use those sweet stems!), giant flat leaf parsley also makes an excellent filler for flower arrangements.

2. Cherry Tomatoes - If you have a sunny spot, enough space for a whiskey barrel-sized container, and a 5-foot support, try planting an "indeterminate" cherry tomato plant. This plant will keep getting bigger all summer. Land points out you'll get a lot more yield for your space compared to a regular tomato plant.

5. Coral Bells - Land says these are beautiful even when they're not flowering. They're a great decorative option and they do best in partial shade. Land emphasized these would grow anywhere. "Even Alaska?," I asked. "Well," she answered, "parts of it."

Check out TheDailyGreen's article for the full list.

What are some of your favorite low-maintenance plants?

6 Plants That Will Grow (Almost) Anywhere [TheDailyGreen]
(Photos: Getty)

 

 

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Mapufacture Creates Small, PocketMod-Compatible Maps [Maps]

might be good for a future trip...

 

 

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Mapufacture Creates Small, PocketMod-Compatible Maps [Maps]

via LH -mac -news -roundup -sponsors on 7/23/08

If you're a fan of the foldable, all-in-one PocketMod organizer, or if you're traveling and don't want to swing for those pocket-sized walking maps, customized mapping site Mapufacture has a handy PocketMod export function that could come in really handy. After signing in, you choose the area you want to cover, add any data layers you want marked (landmarks, food, etc.), and then click "Create a PocketMap" on the lower-right side. There's also GPS export, web embedding, and standard printing, but the PocketMod function is truly unique. If a custom-printed, foldable map intrigues you, check out how to use a PocketMod as a travel and workout tracker or a back-seat kid entertainer.

Mapufacture [via Hackszine]

 

 

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AT&T Will Roll Out Tiered Internet Access In October [At&t]

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AT&T Will Roll Out Tiered Internet Access In October [At&t]

If you stream movies or other high-bandwidth content and you're an AT&T customer, get ready to pay more later this year. AT&T will introduce tiered Internet access packages this October, said one of their executives yesterday at an FCC hearing.

"When AT&T provides broadband service by speed, it will do so in discrete, non-overlapping tiers," Quinn said in written testimony. "We will strive to provide service within the speed tier purchased by the customer and, if we find that we are not providing service within the ordered speed tier, AT&T will take action either to bring the customer's service within the ordered tier or give the customer an option to move to a different tier."

There's actually no word on pricing yet, but we're going to make a bold, brave prediction that you'll pay more than your current package for the better tiers.

"AT&T To Create Tiered Internet Access For Subscribers" [CNN Money]
(Photo: Getty)

~david

(sent via mobile device)

IKEA Frost Drying Rack

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IKEA Frost Drying Rack

Drying clothing on a rack is cheaper and better for the environment than using a dryer, but the design of a lot of drying racks is far from ideal. IKEA's Frost rack is a long series of bars that are horizontally parallel to one another, which maximizes the use for each bar. The closely-spaced bars allow me either to pack in small laundry or put sweaters and thicker laundry across two or more bars to let more air pass around it. On the other hand, many racks are situated with each bar immediately above or below another bar, so if you hang pants from the top bar, they hang down making all of the bars below them useless (i.e. wet). A few companies make potentially-good racks you hang from the ceiling, but they're usually permanent, more expensive and not so nice to look at. The cheap Frost rack can easily fit an entire load of laundry, whether it's socks or jeans, and it folds into a large, flat rectangle when not in use. A few racks can easily fit into the back of the closet.

I bought my first Frost rack when I lived in an apartment. But even when my wife and I moved into a house two years ago, we decided to get by without a dryer for a while, mainly to save money. To our surprise, it wasn't difficult. It's no problem at all in the summer, when we can supplement our drying with an outside clothesline on sunny days. During the winter, our two racks are in constant use (hint: put the rack beside or above heating vents or radiators to speed drying). We might eventually buy a dryer, but only to make it easier to catch up when we fall behind. I've been using one rack for about four years and bought the second about two years ago. I cannot tell which is the old one. They've held up quite well. Granted the rack is not perfect: it could be both wider and higher -- tall people will have to stoop a little bit to use it. Still, it's far better than any of the alternatives I've found.

One unexpected benefit: our clothing seems to last a lot longer. We'd never realized how rough the dryer can be on clothing. I have shirts that are a few years old I wear regularly and they still look new. I suppose all of the lint in the dryer trap has to come from somewhere.

-- Willie Beegle

$20

Available from IKEA

Related items previously reviewed on Cool Tools:

Travel Clothesline

~david

(sent via mobile device)