Ugmonk’s Mountain Hoodie
Graphic designer and fellow snowboarder, Jeff Sheldon, brings the majesty of the mountains to a hoodie — Ugmonk style. It's a simple, abstract design but isn't without meaning. I'd wear this.
Vitamix 5200 Blender
This here is the Cadillac of blenders. The Vitamix 5200 has a 2 horsepower motor (that's one-third the power of my Craftsman lawnmower out back). My wife and I saved up for this thing so we could make our own baby food for Noah, but the perk is that you can make so much more: smoothies, soups, rice milk, powdered sugar... the…
The Godfather Trilogy: The Coppola Restoration
Two of the greatest movies ever made, and then, well, who knows what happened for Part III. Right now the trilogy bundle is on sale on iTunes for just $18. It's not HD, but it is cheap. And, in a way, watching these movies in their original, standard definition almost seems like the way it should be. Or, if you do prefer…
The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery
The Eleventh Hour is a hardcover, fully-illustrated, children's mystery book that was one of my favorites growing up. Written and illustrated in 1988 by Graeme Base this is an entertaining and puzzling work of art. Each page has clues hidden within the text and in the drawings and the borders as to what curious case took place on Horace the Elephant's 11th…
LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt Drives
After I bought my MacBook Air last summer, I decided I would never again buy a peripheral that didn't support Thunderbolt. Many of us have been waiting for Thunderbolt hard drives and docks to become mainstream and affordable. And the LaCie Little Big Disk is the first consumer-level external hard drive to (mostly) reach that goal. LaCie's Little Big Disk is little…
Gerber Steady Tripod Multi-Tool
The Gerber Steady Tripod Multi-Tool is the ideal companion for today's modern hunting, fishing, Netflix watching, hiking, Instagramming, fire-building man. This multi-tool for the digitally-connected nature lover features 12 components, including both a fine and a serrated blade, bottle opener, pliers and wire cutters, screwdrivers. But it also serves as a tripod for your camera and/or iPhone thanks to its screw-on attachment…
Summermoon’s Wood Fired Swinging Lantern Blend
This new-to-me, Austin-based coffee roaster, Summermoon, roasts their coffee beans over a wood fire. The Swinging Lantern blend is a "tri-roast" that literally includes three separate roasts: their dark French Roast, their full bodied Velvet Roast and their light cinnamon Roast. And, I know from experience, that the Swinging Lantern blend makes for an excellent cup of french press. (Thanks, Seth.)
Belkin Mini Surge Protector and Dual USB Charger
How do you plug in a computer, a monitor, a hard drive, an iPad, and an iPhone using just one outlet? Why, with Belkin's mini surge protector and dual USB charger of course. Handy enough to use in the home or office, and portable enough to travel with.
ōlloclip
The ōlloclip was all the rage amongst our group at Macworld. They had a booth on the Expo floor and were completely sold out before lunch on the third day. I picked one up and have really be loving it. The macro and wide angle lenses are just great and make a the already stellar camera in the iPhone 4S that much…
Kingdom Rush
Only one game for the iPad has ever really snuck itself into my free time, and that was Plants vs. Zombies. That is, until now. Kingdom Rush has a similar feel to PvZ in that you set up your defensive strategy before the level starts, and then keep maintaining it and fighting off the attackers. It's a lot of fun, very cartoon-y,…
Viking Edition Beard Head Beanie
Great for staying warm, looking cool, and/or storming castles.
Hawaii, The Big Island Revealed: The Ultimate Hawaii Guidebook
My wife and I were fortunate enough to spend nearly two weeks on The Big Island of Hawaii last spring. And this book was our tour guide. In fact, it was better than a tour guide because we could fit the book in our backpack and explore the Big Island just the two of us. Hawaii, The Big Island Revealed, has information…
AeroPress Stainless Steel Coffee Filter
When you buy an AeroPress it comes with a pack of paper micro-filters. These work fine and are easily disposable. However, for something different, there is this stainless steel AeroPress disk. The disk is reusable and has ultra-micro perforations so that only water gets through the filter, even when brewing a super-fine espresso grind. Many people prefer the flavor that stainless steel…
The Help
Another one of Anna's and my favorite movies from 2011 was The Help. The movie is well directed, well written, and well acted. It's based on the bestselling novel by Kathryn Stockett, and it tells the story of the tensions and difficulties between housewives and maids in the small town of Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960s. (Also available on iTunes.)
The Malcolm Gladwell Hardcover Collection
Malcolm Gladwell's 3 books, The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers, have sold more than 10 million printed copies combined (I know I own all three). They have been redesigned to include color illustrations throughout the books, and they have been repackaged into hardcover box set that sports gray cloth binding and foil stamping.
“The Reckoning” Album by NEEDTOBREATHE
This new-to-me band, NEEDTOBREATHE is led by two brothers whose father was a preacher. The lyrics and melodies sound like a southern gospel rock band and are full of heart and soul. The music is engaging and teases you to keep turning it up just a little bit louder and a little bit louder. (Also available on Amazon.)
Double-Walled Glass Bottle
I recently ordered one of these double-walled glass bottles as my new traveling coffee mug. In theory, it's designed to be a tea tumbler — there is a metal basket at the top of the bottle which holds a tea bag. You turn the bottle upside down to brew, and then flip it right side up again and remove the tea bag…
Bonavita Electric Gooseneck Kettle
This thing has all the amazing benefits of an electric kettle combined with the great pourover usefulness of the infamous Hario kettle.
Digital Kitchen Scale
When I brew coffee each morning, the items I pull out onto the kitchen counter consist of a conical burr grinder, and electric water kettle, a bamboo stir stick, my coffee brewing device (such as the AeroPress or French Press), my coffee beans, and a digital scale. It may sound like a lot but it isn't really that bad. For years I…
Puerto Rico: The Board Game
This game is awesome. I'm a big fan of games where you sit down with a handful of friends or family, everyone has their beverage of choice (usually hot tea at our house), and you play a good-paced, interesting, strategy game. Settlers of Catan has been the long-time favorite in the Blanc household. Lately we've been having fun with Ticket to Ride…