For years I have used my laptops in clamshell mode, and for years I have been using the BookArc. When your laptop is in clamshell mode it doesn't vent and stay cool as well as when the lid is open. However, with the BookArc, the underside of your laptop is exposed to the air and so it helps keep the machine cool…
In this writer's opinion, LaCie makes the finest and most reliable external hard drives you can buy. I have 2 of the 1TB LaCie Hard Disks that I use for my media storage and external backup redundancy, and I have a LaCie Quadra that I use for my nightly SuperDuper clones. When on the road for extended trips I always take a…
Available today at Apple stores, Best Buy, and Target, the Jawbone UP is the latest addition to the trend of personal fitness tracking gadgets. The UP is meant to be worn 24/7. It keeps track of your movements during the day and your sleep patterns at night. It plugs into your iPhone to help you analyze that information. And it is smart…
Geek Dad is written by engineer, father, nerd, and author of Wired.com's GeekDad weblog, Ken Denmead. With a son of my own due early next year, this book is full of exactly the sort of projects I'm looking forward to doing. Of course, those days are still a few years down the road for me, but that doesn't mean I'm very excited…
If you find yourself often listening to music or watching movies through the built-in speakers on your MacBook or iMac when at your desk, then a compact, well-built, subwoofer may be just the perfect companion. The Twelve South BassJump is a USB-powered audio peripheral that will provide that much needed, much appreciated, low-end thump that your internal speakers don't have. Giving a…
How many years have we been forced to wrap the string of our Celestial Seasonings tea bag around our spoon and draw it tight to wring out the last of the tea? Or how many times have we used our fingers and suffered the heat of a tea bag just pulled out of steeping hot water? Well, my friends, no more. The…
At most, I am a casual gamer. But every now and then an iOS game comes along that is just the right amount of fun. Mage Gauntlet happened to be one of those games. The graphics are a classic 16-bit, the gameplay is challenging and engaging, and the plot isn't all that bad either. And the game itself is only $2.99 in…
Keyboard-centric application launchers are becoming more and more popular. There are three big ones: Quicksilver, Alfred, and LaunchBar. What many people may not know is that LaunchBar is the original application launcher — it dates all the way back to NeXT. Like many, however, my introduction to application launchers began with Quicksilver many years ago. But in 2009 I began using LaunchBar…
The Art of Pixar is now shipping and it looks fantastic. It's a thick, hardcover, book that's jam packed with behind-the-scenes tours of every Pixar film to date. For the first time ever, this book has the complete color scripts for every film published, as well as samples of the visual development art. Moreover, it's sure to be added to the short…
A few winters ago Anna and I borrowed Planet Earths from a friend and watched the DVD series on our old, 20-inch CRT television. Even with such an old-fashioned setup like that the films were still striking and awe inspiring. After saving for a few Christmases, we have a Blu-ray setup now and I would love to re-visit these films. This new…
White and red and awesome all over, the PlugBug from Twelve South takes your standard MacBook power charger and adds on a 10W USB port for charging your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. Of course it works without the MacBook power brick as well. If you want just one single wall wart to charge your laptop and phone, and you want your…
Speaking of black stainless steel knives, the Gerber Gator Machete Pro is about as handsome and mean looking as they come. It has a 10.5-inch forged steel blade with a black finish and a curved inner-blade on the opposite side. Keep it tucked away in a heavy-duty nylon sheath. The Gator Machete is all parts awesome and rugged.
Every man needs a good, foldable knife he can have close by for who knows what. Maybe it's for opening that latest shipment from Amazon, or maybe it's for gutting a river trout. Hey? Why not both? CRKT's Delegate Knife looks mighty handsome. It has a 3-inch black stainless blade, that fits snugly inside the black aluminum with cocobolo wood handle. And…
Billings Pro is a multi-user time tracking and invoicing solution for the Mac and iPhone, that includes a Web app for timekeepers. With Marketcircle Cloud you get the Mac and iPhone experience with the convenience of the Web. Let us worry about all the setup, hosting, and backup of your data, while you focus on your business. We host it, you access…
Though I do not yet own one of the Hario kettles (I use an electric kettle), this is an item I'd love to add to my coffee shelf one day. The Hario kettle works great in any scenario, but it's designed especially for use with pour over coffee makers such as the Chemex or a single serving pour over option. What makes…
We boil water at least 3 or 4 times a day. Anna for her tea in the morning, me for my coffee, me again perhaps for my afternoon tea, and then the two of once more in the evening for our after-dinner tea or decaf coffee. In our kitchen have a similar version of this Breville that is made by Hamilton Beach,…
Sennheiser is world-renown for their quality in sound equipment. They make great headphones, in-ear monitors, and earbuds. And these iPhone-friendly earbuds which feature the in-line microphone and sound-isolating rubber tips are currently on a fire sale at Amazon. Now's a great time to get professional-grade ear buds for what a pair of the stock white Apple replacements would cost.
My parents are hard and fast tea drinkers. And, despite my obvious and outspoken affinity for a good cup of coffee, I too am a regular tea drinker. In fact, I probably drink at least as much tea as I do coffee. This tea infuser from Forlife is great for several reasons: (a) it's big enough to hold plenty of loose-leaf tea…
The Nest is a learning thermostat with equal parts beautiful design and intelligent software. It's as easy to use as your old-school dial thermostat, but as you use Nest it learns your temperature preferences and living patters and begins setting itself accordingly. Moreover, it connects to your home's local Wi-Fi and so you can connect to your Nest from anywhere in the…
Mylo Xyloto is the brand-new album by Coldplay. Literally, it just came out today. I'm downloading it as I type this sentence. (Also available on the Amazon MP3 store.)