I remember a few years back reading about how the Japanese grow watermelons inside acrylic cubes in order to produce square watermelons. These square watermelons then fit nicely into fridge compartments. This new square case-less milk container reminds me of that. Apparently Sam’s Club is stocking these new milk containers that more efficiently use space both in your fridge and in the truck on the way to the store. It is really an innovative idea. It seems to me that the milk crate really... Read Full Story

So I’ve been off Windows for several years now — I have a Mac. I am not going to spend time telling you to pitch your PC and buy a Mac, although I do love mine. It just works; there are seldom issues of any sort with my Powerbook. I do have one issue with Apple — cost. The prices of Apple computers are somewhat over the top. At the time I am writing this, the cheapest laptop you can get from Apple is a grand. If you actually want a laptop with a video card, the lowest price point is two... Read Full Story

I don’t watch much TV; in fact I have not had cable for my entire adult life. I guess I’m sometimes left out of the “did you see X on Y show last night?” conversations but I somehow manage to soldier on. One think that I really despise about the boob tube are those darn satellite dishes. In a historic neighborhood like mine I can think of nothing more ridiculous than “The Dish” hanging allover historic buildings. I have long thought there has to be some stealth version of these things... Read Full Story

So my wife found this, and I quite like it. As you know we have covered all sorts of items that have additional storage capabilities — here is another. The PJ Pocket Pillow — say that three times fast — by Fawn & Forest is a great little pillow. The pillow comes printed with one of several very minimal designs: elephants, squirrels or lemons. It has a real Asian look to it and in fact it is based on Japanese anemone boxs that are traditionally used to house family heirlooms. The pillow... Read Full Story

Sports are great! They are good for exercise, some get you outside and they usually involve friends. If you live in a small space the down side is the stuff — the sports “equipment” that in a space to use ratio is seldom worth having. I know we all say we are going to ride our bike every day, but more often than not it ends up in the storage unit. The trick is finding sports gear that can be used often and takes up little space. Bocce, for example, is a great sport that requires very... Read Full Story

I like birds. I mean to say I like most birds. I’m not down with Alfred Hitchcock’s birds or my annoying neighbor that feeds every pigeon in the city, but for the most part birds are fine in my book. When I was a child, my grandfather had a Purple Martin birdhouse. Each year when the birdhouse went back up, I thought the birds that returned were the same birds. I actually thought their name, as in family, name was the Martins. Well, in the cit where I live now, there is no room for a... Read Full Story

I have been all over the fact that I listen to the radio all day. There is so much going on out there with radio right now — with satellite radio and HD digital radio. So what about good old fashion radio, shortwave? I’m not sure that most people are even aware of shortwave radio, but it’s all over the world. It is possible to hear radio shows from all over the world. I am aware of Internet options for the BBC and the like, but shortwave has something romantically nostalgic about it. A... Read Full Story

In May I had two posts about Sandy Lam’s Spaceless balcony furniture. It is a system of furniture that collapses into the space beneath it so that you can use the space for a variety of purposes. I was thinking that it reminded me of something I had seen before. When I did some digging, I found it. Although not exactly the same Optibo is a similar concept. Optibo is the product of Swedish ingenuity I think it’s a bit like a Swiss Army Knife apartment. Although Optibo has been around for... Read Full Story

> At one time I was quite into hiking. I would take off for weekends and just walk away from everything. But years and other factors have taken away my adventure edge. I was always striving for lightweight gear to minimize what I needed to be haul. Hydration, as always, was a heavy or risky component to any long hike. The Holy Grail of hydration has forever been a self-contained filter container combination. Well the Grail has been found. The Lifesaver Bottle by Lifesaver Systems is a... Read Full Story

So by now my love of all things grilled has been well established. I just enjoying grilling — at the cottage it is a integral part of my summer. I have also covered the fact that I prefer the flavor of charcoal vs. gas grilling. I am aware of the arguments over the environmental impact of charcoal vs. gas, but I am still a charcoal man. Having said that, if there is a way to lessen the environmental impact of using charcoal, I’m game. That’s where Lazzari comes in with their Baja bbq... Read Full Story