Handpresso Wild Hybrid — Portable Espresso Maker
The Handpresso Wild Hybrid is a travel-sized espresso maker for coffee addicts on the move. It won't replace a $1,000 kitchen machine but it produces surprisingly good results for what it is. The brewing process takes a little practice, but it's worth the effort to get it right and produce some lovely crema. The top Amazon review suggests preheating the reservoir beforehand,…
Dogfight: How Apple and Google Went to War and Started a Revolution
Neither one of my kids were alive "pre-smartphone". They only know the world where "there's an app for that". Dogfight: How Apple and Google Went to War and Started a Revolution is about the building of that world. It was one of my favorite books of 2013. Get it on Amazon for $10.99
TOPO Designs + DP Mountain Briefcase 2.0
TOPO Designs and Doane Paper have teamed up again to produce the 2.0 edition of their Mountain Briefcase. It can be carried in three ways: Two-handle briefcase Backpack with stowable straps Over the shoulder with removable strap The exterior combines a a natural Horween butternut leather base panel with a dark maroon Cordura body that not only gives it a unique look…
Fino Pour Over Kettle
We love a good kettle here at Tools & Toys—particularly the gooseneck variety—and this stainless steel Fino Pour Over Kettle fits the bill nicely. Nothing fancy about it really, just quality Japanese design and craftsmanship. I like that it's so compact compared to other kettles. My only quibble is that it doesn't whistle when the water's boiling, but the lid does bobble…
Frontier Organic Ground Ceylon Cinnamon
Up until recently, I've been happily buying saigon cinnamon to sprinkle on oatmeal and toast (and sometimes my coffee). That is, until I heard that out of all the cinnamon varieties out there, saigon contained by far and away the highest levels of the liver-damaging substance coumarin. Yikes. The type of cinnamon with the least coumarin is known as ceylon—also known as…
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La Crosse Technology Atomic Clock
We've got a clock in every classroom at the school I work at. Adjusting each clock for daylight savings time would take us quite a while. To save us from the hassle, we've got a La Crosse Technology WT-3143-H 14-Inch Atomic Wall Clock in every single classroom. The clock has a built-in antenna that receives signals from the WWVB radio transmitter in Fort…
Galaxy Bedding Sets
China-based Etsy seller CBedroom digitally prints colorful, quite-detailed galaxies and other spacescapes onto both sides of soft satin bedding sets. The printed images are fade-resistant and can be washed by hand or machine, hot or cold. Each set is $148 + intl. shipping and includes: 1 duvet cover (aka comforter) 1 sheet 2 pillow covers
2015 Hobonichi Planner Book
Heads up, lovers of fine paper products: the 2015 Hobonichi Planner Book is now available for pre-order. For those unfamiliar with it, the Hobonichi is a beautiful planner—known as a techo in Japanese—that goes beyond schedule-planning by also acting as a journal, notebook, sketch(note)book, scribble pad, and generally a place to capture thoughts and moments. Originally made in Japan, the Hobonichi has…
Luma Loop 3
After an unfortunate patent kerfuffle a few years ago, photographer Duncan Davidson recently announced the return of the popular Luma Loop camera sling. Now in its third form, the Luma Loop sports a machined aluminum mount that screws into your camera's tripod socket like so: It's designed to keep the camera hanging snugly by your side rather than bobbing about as you…
‘Motion Design for iOS’ by Mike Rundle
Motion Design for iOS is a new ebook by Mike Rundle that's all about animation design and development for iOS apps. It covers the history, principles, and physics of great animation and motion, with lots of examples and full-project code walkthroughs that break everything down in an easy-to-grasp way. In other words, this book will teach you how to make immersive, awesome-looking…
Bose OE2i On-Ear Headphones
The Bose OE2i on-ear headphones aren't the sort of thing that would please a hardcore audiophile, but they sound quite good for how portable they are, especially if you enjoy a little bass. They're comfortable too, with their slim headband and memory foam ear cushions. The in-line mic and remote are the cherry on top. They were $150 on Amazon just a…
SpiderHolster Black Widow Camera Holster
In case the name didn't already give it away, the SpiderHolster Black Widow is an easy-access holster...for your camera. More specifically, a lightweight point-and-shoot or micro four thirds camera. It attaches directly to your own belt or to the more specialized Black Widow Belt (pictured above, sold separately). From there, it's a simple matter of screwing the included mounting pin into your…
House of Marley ‘Redemption Song’ Earbuds
Earbuds should obviously make your music sound good, but there's no reason they can't also look great doing it. These House of Marley in-ear buds are quite stylish and sound excellent to boot. They're a bit on the bass-heavy side, but I'm okay with that. The buds are fashioned from earth-friendly materials such as recyclable aluminum and polished FSC-certified sapele and maple…
United Pixelworkers Active Duty II Tee
The t-shirt designers at United Pixelworkers have teamed up with Fiks:Reflective to produce the super-reflective Active Duty II shirt for nighttime cyclists and runners. Made from soft black American Apparel poly-cotton 50/50, this tee sports UP's classic UNTD PXLWRKRS design (I snagged this one a while back) in reflective black and red on the front, with black reflective stripes on the lower…
Neat Ice Kit Now Available
In the middle of running a Kickstarter for their Simple Syrup Kit, the industrious guys at Studio Neat have redesigned their website and they've made their Neat Ice Kit available for public purchase. This kit allows you to make beautifully clear ice in your own kitchen. It involves an insulated, block-shaped ice mold that freezes water from the top down, pushing impurities…
Quotebook 3 for iOS
The guys at Lickability have released Quotebook 3 for iOS. Quotebook is the best way to capture your favorite quotes—whether they come from books, tweets, songs, movies, your kids, conference talks, or anywhere else. I've been a fan of the app for a while now. (I still miss those black leather accents...) With today's update, this universal app is better than ever.…
Perspective Icons 2
Our friend Federico Viticci and his girlfriend Sylvia Gatta have released Perspective Icons 2, a lovely set of 100 icons for use with OmniFocus 2 for Mac. These icons are available in various colors and resolutions (including Retina), and allow you to add a touch of personality to your OmniFocus custom perspectives. Once installed on your Mac, they will sync to the…
Hugo’s Amazing Tape
Hugo's Amazing Tape is a reusable, adhesive-less tape that clings only to itself. I've heard it's popular with board gamers and embroiderers who need to keep a lot of small items neatly organized, but since it's so easy to remove and reuse, it's also quite useful around the house and office. These are just a few of its uses: Cable management (more…
Brinno Construction Time Lapse Camera
The school I work at built a new playground over the summer. We wanted a simple way to record the process in order to build a time-lapse video after it was built. The Brinno BCC100 Construction Time Lapse Camera was the absolute perfect tool for the job. It runs off 4 AAA batteries that last 78 days. It records onto an included 4 GB SD…