Fortunately, the Milk is a children's book written by Neil Gaiman—and illustrated by one of my favorite comic artists, Skottie Young—that tells the tale of a father who goes out to buy some milk and returns with a wild story for his kids to hear. The premise sounds silly, and the book is certainly full of silly events. But it's also a…
Mike Dudek, the guy who writes about pens over at The Clicky Post, also handcrafts some very nice pen-and-notebook holders. My favorite of the bunch is called 'The Display', because it displays your pens nicely (up to 5) and also holds a few Field Notes notebooks. It's obviously a great item to have in your workspace, but I think it works just…
Winter may be almost over, but there's still a little time left to rock a nice-looking gingham tie, and Stalward Ltd. has you covered. Their $68 heavy navy gingham tie is both stylish and classy, and is neutral enough to pair with just about any shirt. If this tie in particular isn't your style, they've got plenty others to choose from.
An HDTV wall mount can be a nice thing to have. It helps clear up space normally taken up by an entertainment center, and depending on where you mount it, there's an added bonus of keeping your TV out of reach of children. The problem is that most mounts are inflexible, so wherever your TV is mounted, you'd better be happy with…
Yesterday, the Fly6 bicycle camera and rear-light was successfully funded on Kickstarter, and now it's officially available for pre-order. Essentially, the Fly6 replaces your bike's existing tail-light and records the rear view of your ride in real-time. Why is this useful? Because as cyclists well know, motorists often have very little respect for people on bikes—even when it is perfectly legal for…
Learning Japanese is a small side project I've been tackling here and there for the last month or so. You'd think that with all the language-learning apps available on the iOS App Store, I'd be able to find at least one app I'm happy with. Unfortunately, most of them are butt ugly and/or unintuitive to use. Thankfully, this is not so with…
If you're an avid LEGO "minifig" collector, if you recently developed an interest after seeing The LEGO Movie, or if you're just a kid who never grew up, then you'll definitely want to check out LEGO Minifigure Year by Year: A Visual History by Gregory Farshtey. This full-color 255-page book starts with the detailed origins of the classic Lego Minifigure and follows…
Waterlogue is an iOS app that can make any of your photos look like gorgeous watercolor paintings. Similar to apps like Instagram, there are a handful of filters that can transform photos in various delightful ways. You can see some examples here. The app is super easy to use, fun to play with, and can add a little artistic flair to even…
If you've been shooting photos with the Micro 4/3 system for any amount of time, there's a good chance you've already known about (or even owned) the Panasonic 25mm f/1.4 lens. After all, it is by far the most recommended one for M4/3 photographers. But now there's a new competitor in town: the Olympus 25mm f/1.8 lens. It's smaller, it focuses faster,…
The same people who designed our favorite cheese grater are also the makers of a great coffee maker. Similar to a French press, the Eva Solo coffee maker uses a full-immersion brewing method. Just dump some coarsely-ground coffee and hot water directly into the glass carafe, seal off the top with the conical filter/stopper (also, make sure the outer neoprene sleeve is…
Alright, you're packed, you're well-caffeinated, and it's time to head out the door. Hopefully by now you've chosen a good way to carry your money and passport around, but if not, you should have a gander at the Saddleback Leather Passport Wallet. This thing was built with international travelers in mind. It has two credit card slots, each of which can hold…
(Pictured on right. Aeropress not included.) Let's say you've organized your suitcase, but in your rush to get out the door you totally forgot to get your morning caffeine fix. As long as you remembered to pack your travel coffee gear the night before, you're in good shape. Along with an Aeropress and a bag of fresh beans, you're going to want…
Over the years, I've discovered that one of the best ways for me to have a better time while traveling is by keeping all my stuff neatly organized. The peace of mind that comes from knowing exactly where everything is in my suitcase—along with the Zen-like feeling I get from the packing process itself—always leads to a better outlook on the trip.…
From the department of things that are both tools and toys: ToolChess is a handsome, handmade chess set with pieces fashioned from everyday nuts and bolts. The sets are crafted by a father-son duo, and the proceeds help sponsor kids at one of their local chess schools. These guys put some great presentation into their product—every chess piece is finished with a…
Those of you already familiar with the world of graphic novels likely need no introduction to the excellent Flight series, but it's a great place for newbies old and young alike to dive in. Each volume in the series is an anthology, featuring short stories contributed by various cartoonists. These stories are often warm, inviting, and have the same sense of wonder…
While the Sony NEX-5 series of cameras will soon be replaced by the Sony a5000, the even more popular Sony NEX-6 is about to have a successor of its own: the Sony a6000. The a6000 improves on the NEX-6 in almost every respect. The old 16.1-megapixel sensor has been replaced with an awesome new 24.3-megapixel CMOS APS-C model. It can burst-shoot at…
Huckberry has teamed up with ESPEROS Bags to sell some of the latter company's rucksacks at discounted prices. Normally these bags are $75, but for the next five days (today being Feb 28th, 2014) you can get one for $65. Each rucksack–available in charcoal, olive, or navy—is constructed from 10.10 oz. military cotton duck canvas, which is naturally stain- and water-resistant. Inside…
Here's one for the book nerds out there. This upcoming print, titled A Diagrammatical Dissertation on Opening Lines of Notable Novels, is exactly what it sounds like: a diagram of opening lines in famous books. Examples include: Fahrenheit 451, Moby Dick, Gravity's Rainbow, The Old Man and the Sea, Don Quixote, and a lot more. The team at Pop Chart Lab have…
The Bowery bag by ONA can serve two functions: Standalone camera bag, big enough to hold a mirrorless camera, a lens, and a few personal items. Bag insert/organizer, wherein the entire thing (sans detachable strap) can be placed inside a larger bag for organizational and protective purposes. The bag is constructed from water-resistant waxed canvas, detailed with full-grain leather and sporting a…
John Frost—who runs TheDisneyBlog.com and whose father was one of the original "Imagineers" that had a hand in the construction of Disneyland—has written a book full of essays that make you feel like you're right there at the park. A lot of the stories are very touching, and there are several examples of "cast members" going to great lengths to make the…