My son isn’t old enough to go to preschool yet. However, I am already dreading the tantrum that he will throw when we leave him in the care of strangers. That is where these Face shoes will come in. From the designers: “A few years back when I worked at a preschool, the kids were often sad when their parents had to leave after dropping them off. They needed a quick distraction from their sadness, so my colleagues and I would immediately place a pair of indoor shoes on each child. Every shoe had a happy face on the front, so when the children looked down they instantly saw a friendly face smiling up at them.”

Brilliant!

Via BloggingBaby

Ben

Posted by Ben at 06:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

(See part 1 and part 2)

When we left off, Significant Other (S.O.) and I were sprawled on the floor after pitting the Dyson Animal DC 14 against the Sears Kenmore Progressive canister vacuum on my dog-haired carpets. After that, I decided a little “social shopping” research was in order. First, I surveyed my friends (and willing strangers) for their choices. Four out of five dog-owners used the Miele brand. Did they love it? Well yes and no. They reported the machines are light, quiet and easy to use and they are classy looking. However, they cost a bundle! I’m sorry, but if I’m going to spend $1250, I’d rather get a new flat screen TV than an appliance that mostly resides in my closet.

So, next I turned to Yahoo! Answers in hopes the wisdom of crowds would provide the ultimate truth. I can’t get over the idea that complete strangers have nothing better to do than to comment on my two word query “best vacuum.” But out of the din of responses (15!), the clear winner was Dyson. Thanks but no thanks: I already know that the Dyson is simply too heavy to push around and carry up and down stairs.

That ended my experiment in social search. Meanwhile, back at home, S.O. decided to give old faithless (our dead Fantom Cyclone) one last look. What first precipitated our vacuum cleaner quest was the fact that the plug fell off the cord which then receded into the belly of the beast. One night, wielding a simple screwdriver, S.O. pulled the base apart, withdrew the cord, scraped it to release the wires, attached a new plug and closed the machine back up. Total time expended: 45 minutes! The sucker now works. That is, until the next part breaks.

So, gentle readers, I will not be reporting on my vacuum adventures for a while. I cannot answer the burning existential question of which vacuum sucks most. However, I can tell you that S.O. was quite smug about ending this affair. And I ended up with neither a new vacuum nor a new flat screen TV. Now, that sucks!

Mimi

Posted by Mimi at 04:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

(See part 1 and part 2)

If a retailer lists the price incorrectly either on an item or fixture, then the consumer has the right to the lowest price. Example: An Oster toaster shows $39.99 on the box. A sign above it shows “All Oster Toasters at 50% off.” Then you get to the cashier and it scans at $39.99. You are entitled to the item at 50% off (or $19.99). Most cashiers (at major retailers) have permission to override the price of items up to $20 off the scan price without authorization.

One exception to the rule is when an item has been misplaced on a fixture. An example is a stereo system left on the toaster fixture. It’s not necessarily 50% off! Another example would be an accessory item. The retailer may have been trying to drive sales by leaving a small bread pyramid on the toaster fixture. Does that mean the bread is 50% off? Only if the sign is generic and doesn’t specify that it relates to toasters.

So what if a sign is wrong and the retailer doesn’t want to give you the lower price? This is not typical as you could call and complain to Weights and Measures. Most retailers fear this government agency as they periodically go into stores and scan 100 random items. If they have more than 4 errors out of a 100, then they are fined heavily and scheduled for more visits. A complaint from a consumer of signing fraud will often lead to a visit.

Daryl

Posted by Daryl at 06:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Yoox is such a heartbreaker. They have a terrific selection of designer goods for many different styles and price points (ex: Prada, Marni, Dries, Isabel Marant, Clements Ribeiro, Hussein Chalayan, and more). I love their selection and the random treasures are just waiting to be discovered, as long as you have a good chunk of time to set aside to browse their site--it's not easy to navigate and they simply have a humungous selection of products from past seasons. Unfortunately, this site is not for the faint-hearted or indecisive. If you see something you like or want and the price looks suspiciously good, snatch it up. The best things usually only have 1 in stock, and disappear very quickly. Case in point, my two most recent losses:

• A lovely black Evisu coat (in an XS!)
• Black leather Camper boots (questionably my size)

I contemplated the coat for less then 24 hours and boom, gone. I hesitated for less then 12 hours on the boots, and they sold out. The coat I’m a bit heartbroken about. The shoes, well, there are many cute flat black boots to be found. Life goes on.

They occasionally have sample sales, so get on their mailing list and keep your eyes peeled. I saw a gorgeous blue Marni coat go for $200 once, although alas, not in my size.

Sherry

Posted by Sherry at 06:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

You've been there, I guarantee it. You've misplaced your cell phone, and you need to call someone, and you have no freaking idea what anyone's phone number is. They're all in your cell phone--and you haven't even been using that extra brain space for anything useful. (Congratulations, you can recite the entire Macintosh product line by order of introduction. You're a nerd. No one cares.)

And now, to make things worse, Lexus is introducing a self-parking car. You just pull up ahead of the space, tell the car to park, adjust the arrows on the screen to show it where you actually hope to end up, and ride the brake into the space. It does all the hard work of actually knowing how to parallel park.

In 50 years, when no one knows how to feed themselves, don't say I didn't warn you.

(On a related note, has anyone seen Mike Judge's Idiocracy? Sounds like Fox is doing their best to let it die on the vine. Bummer.)

Aram

Posted by Aram at 06:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

If you are like me and like to send your greetings with a bit of a punch, then you will love these unconventional cards from eEvil Ink Design and Bald Guy Greetings. Each greeting card comes with a special, ironic sarcastic perverse quirky message that you can call your own!

Send one to your future ex-boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse, your favorite birthday pal, your secret subway crush you have been stalking admiring from afar, or simply the person you love to hate. I guarantee you a reaction--even if it is a permanent exclusion from the Christmas list.

Jill

Posted by Jill at 03:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A very clever new site, Sizeasy.com, is working to fill a huge gap in online shopping--the freakin' 3rd dimension.

Not everything you buy online is like shoes: you've got sizes and you don't need to see them on your feet to make sure they'll fit properly. (Although, you may need to see if they'll match your underwear. In that case, problem almost solved.)

But, what if you need something that has no standardized sizing scheme and size still matters? (I heard that and it wasn't very funny.) For example, you need to buy a big box to hold your guitar effects pre-chained together so you don't spend 45 minutes before a gig plugging in DC wires while your drummer spits and spills beer all over your head. We all go through it, but it's an electrical hazard. The pedal board can put an end to our troubles.

So how will I know whether the pedal board I want could fit all my sonic gadgets? I could just do the arithmetic myself, but then I wouldn't have anything to blog about. So let's walk through an application of this happy little website...

I know I have a Digitech Whammy IV. It's the thing that weird rock guitarists like The Edge, Tom Morello, and Trey Anastacio use to make weird pitch bending sounds. I just go to the Digitech website, find the manual, get the dimensions (2.5"x6.3"x8"), then enter them into the Sizeasy website. Suddenly, a block the size of the pedal shows up.

Then I can go to the merchant page for the pedal that I want. Easily grab the dimensions from there, and enter them, too. Voila! There's an easy illustration available to help me decide if the pedalboard is going to hack it.

Now if only they could do this for oddly shaped items like my suitcase and Curious George, or my roommate's head and one of these.

That wasn't a shameless plug. I don't expect you to buy a new toilet because I linked you to it.

(Thank you LifeHacker.)

AJ

Posted by AJ at 03:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, I suppose a more accurate heading would be "Battery with integrated USB charger" but that's much less punchy and likely to get you to click on the heading in your feed-reader, now, isn't it?

My affinity for USB-ing everything aside, the USBcell battery is pretty rad. It's not just a battery with a built-in charger, but a AA battery and therefore compatible with 30 year's worth of existing products. The website demonstrates a number of compelling uses: keep a pair plugged into the front of your XBOX 360 so you're never caught without batteries for the controller; or keep them plugged into your computer for when your wireless mouse runs dry. Simply the fact that you don't need a charger as long as there's a computer around is brilliant enough to warrant their use in any device.

Well, it would be. They're currently only available in the UK, and they're £12.99 for two--about US$24.40. Eek. Still better than disposables, but when a 4-pack of standard NiMH rechargeables goes for about 9 bucks, well, that's a heck of a premium. I'm no scientist (shoot, I was just barely a humanities major) but one would imagine that these hold less charge than a standard NiMH battery, since the actual battery part has to be smaller to make room for the charger.

(via BoingBoing)

Aram

UPDATE: Dang, these guys are good. Look how they're making the plug work on the smaller-than-a-USB-port AAA model.

Posted by Aram at 06:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 20th is National School Backpack Awareness Day. Do you know what your kid’s backback is doing to his back? Do you know what yours is doing to yours?

• More than 7000 emergency room visits in 2001 were related to backpacks and school bags. Half of those injuries involved kids 5-14 years old
• The average student carries a backpack weighing almost 25% of his/her body weight.

But you don’t need statistics to tell you that heavy backpacks equal achy necks, shoulders and backs. If you lug a laptop bag around, you too may suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous back pain.

Here are some bright ideas for better back care for your kid:

• Wheeled backpacks (Blatant plug.)
  
• Backpacks with waist straps to balance the load
  
• Thick padded shoulder straps to ease the load
  
• Duplicates of books at home so your child doesn’t carry heavy texts back and forth each day.
  

As for you, how about a bumbakpak that rests on your ahem. These new computer/messenger bags balance on your back using a unique Y strap system. They offer cool color combinations, a multitude of pockets for paraphernalia and three sizes for one just right for your laptop.

Or perhaps a messenger bag from Ameribags, makers of the Healthy Back Bag. I’ve sworn by mine through multiple airline trips. It balances the weight on one shoulder with its unconventional sling shape and has loads of convenient pockets to stay organized.

As the sponsors of Backpack Awareness Day note, “Lighten up!” Dragging a heavy bag around is just...a drag.

Mimi

Posted by Mimi at 06:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Normally I wouldn't dedicate a whole blog entry to something as trivial as a fudge bar (as you know, I prefer weighty issues like mermaid carcasses and how many time my desk fan's blade has rotated) but I was recently taken very much by surprise and felt like sharing.

Several months ago I came across a box of Healthy Choice fudge bars in my girlfriend's freezer, and figured, well, how bad can they be? They were quite good, and I decided I'd buy my own box. However, my local Safeway, being a mediocre example of the genre, didn't have any--plus, when I picked up the actual Fudgsicles box, I noticed that Healthy Choice was only saving me 10 calories per bar. Screw 'em, I thought. For 10 calories, I'll eat a real Fudgsicle. But when I got them home, I was in for a rude shock.

Fudgsicles suck.

Where the Healthy Choice bars are creamy, Fudgsicles are icy. Where the Healthy Choice bars taste more or less like chocolate pudding, Fudgsicles taste like someone ran a bottle of Yoo-Hoo through a copy machine, faxed the copy, then shoved a stick in the fax and froze it. Ever accidentally bought "ice milk" instead of ice cream, or Schlitz instead of Guinness? It's a difference on a similar scale.

Maybe it's because I never ate Fudgsicles as a kid (what, your parents didn't think that carob was an appropriate substitute for chocolate?) and therefore don't have the nostalgia factor influencing my taste buds. On the other hand, have you actually gone back and watched ALF? That show is terrible.

Several other brands of similarly-lackluster fudge bars later, it would appear that Healthy Choice has done a rather remarkable thing: they've improved upon the canonical fudge bar while actually shaving off calories. I presume no particular chocolatiering virtue on their part--presumably the flavor-chemists in New Jersey have simply figured out a better way of using xanthan gum or some such--but hey, it's tasty.

Aram

P.S. Almost forgot to mention the best part: they're incognito. A bright yellow box of Fudgsicles will zoom right out of the freezer whereas the green Healthy Choice box gives many a junk-food-savvy young 'un pause. You can hide them right in plain sight.

Posted by Aram at 05:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Nintendo’s next generation console is being launched in time for the holiday season. Here is a questionnaire for you to determine if you should buy a Nintendo Wii (pronounced: weee!)

1) Do you like fun video games?
2) Is high end graphics *NOT* the most important part of video games?
3) Is saving money on game systems important?
4) Do you like trying new ways to play games?

If you answered yes to all 4 of these questions, I highly suggest that you get on a waiting list to get a Nintendo Wii. If you answered yes to 3 of these questions, I think you would enjoy the Nintendo Wii, though you may want to wait for the price to come down from its initial $250. Some people are surprised that it is being offered at $250. I personally think this is the right price for the system, though I also am pretty sure that the price will come down sometime after the holiday season. Even at $250, the Wii is the cheapest next generation game system.

To learn more about the Nintendo Wii, try out our research here.

Ben

Posted by Ben at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

For all you mothers and mothers-to-be, a little stork told me about these tasty delights called Mommy Munchies. Created by a mother for mothers, these little goodies are all natural and packed with essential nutrients like calcium, folic acid, and iron.

With on-the-go mothers in mind, Mommy Munchies was developed to provide a quick, healthy, and delicious snack to hold over expecting and nursing mothers through their hunger pangs. Available in four scrumptious flavors—Cinnamon Bun, Lemon Crème, Vanilla Crème, and Chocolate Mint—Mommy Munchies has undergone extensive taste testing and received the seal of tasty goodness from both pregnant and nursing mothers, as well as women who are not expecting.

I mean when you think about it, anything has to be better than pickles and sardines à la mode, right?!

Jill

Posted by Jill at 01:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Sofia Mini Blanc de Blancs is a sparkling wine created by Francis Ford Coppola. My friend found out about it and wrote it up on this wine review blog we are starting. Oprah recently did a bit on it, too, or go directly to the official site.

So what are the advantages? It’s easy to open, relatively inexpensive, and easy to smuggle! Heck, you could probably keep an open can at work or your kid’s recital and nobody would be the wiser. Now all they need is a masculine version.

Disclaimer: We are in no way responsible if you do something stupid or illegal with alcohol. Alcohol may impair your judgment of the opposite gender. In clinical studies, alcohol was found to cause dry mouth, hallucinations, changes in vision and behavior, headaches, and profound feelings of regret the next day. Please drink responsibly.

Daryl

Posted by Daryl at 04:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Two things of note:

1) Slashdot points to someone who has done the math on the most popular cameras among flickr users--not by vote, but by information imbedded in the photos themselves. It's a skewed sample for several reasons, but it's a good jumping-off point.

2) BoingBoing (TOTALLY late to the mermaid meme) has found the fellow who supposedly makes those horrifying mermaids that I wrote about a while ago. Well, he claims they were "[f]ound near bodies of water and are victims of a natural death," but I have my suspicions.

(I think he killed them.)

Aram

Posted by Aram at 05:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I’ve now twice renewed my copy of Art Escapes by Dory Kanter and the library is demanding it back. So, late last Friday night, I went on Overstock.com to see about buying my own copy. My past experience is that--unless you spend enough to qualify for free shipping on Amazon--Overture’s Overstock's [oops] book prices are cheaper and so is their shipping fee. I was heading into my dreamtime when suddenly a woman’s face and an IM box appeared on the screen. “Do you need help?” the Siren asked.

Well, as a matter of fact I did. While the book was listed for $17.95, when I tried to put it in my basket, the price jumped to $18.80. I pointed out this information to the nice lady. And you know what? She wrote back that there was a problem on the site but she’d be happy to help me get a credit back for the additional 85 cents. We IM’d several more times, probably communicating for 30 minutes total by the time the transaction was completed. I wished her good night and trundled off to bed.

Was it all a dream? Was there really an O lady? Oh yes, there was. The next day, I checked my email and there was my order confirmation with a red notation of an 85 cent credit. Not only that, but an email the next day asked me to participate in an online satisfaction survey. Needless to say, I gave them top marks across the board. Was it economical for Overstock to have a live person writing to me over a measly $18 purchase? Whether she toiled away in Brooklyn Heights or Bangalore flats, it certainly wasn’t cheap to provide this human touch. But, the value of the word of mouth Overstock is now getting from me? Priceless!

Mimi

Posted by Mimi at 05:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

After my first post about my Moleskine notebook fetish, I’ve learned there’s a whole world of obsessive-compulsive moleskiners. Despite the exhibitionistic and voyeuristic pleasures of blogging, some of us still crave the pleasure of a reflection or doodle inscribed in a sensuously appointed PRIVATE volume that’s ours alone.

So, I’m thrilled to let you know that Moleskine will be launching a fabulous new line of City Notebooks. It’s absolutely brilliant! You will now be able to create your own touring guidebooks to major cities of the world. Each book comes equipped with a key map and numerous smaller neighborhood maps. There are 76 blank pages for your original commentary, pockets for saving tickets, mementos, etc, tabs to help organize your travels, removable sheets and sheer overlays so you can trace your route. Whether your City Notebook becomes a memento you re-read years later with fond recollection or share with friends and family to help them discover some of your great finds, the Moleskine notebook takes travel writing to a whole new level. Watch out Frommers, Fodor’s, Lonely Planet, et al…you don’t have the travel market to yourself anymore.

Or you won’t for long! Because, Mesdames et Monsieurs, I regret to report that books are launching first in Europe this fall and won’t be available in the U.S. until 2007. However, should you be visiting Europe, snap them up. You, too, can become a Bruce Chatwin, a Dr. Livingston, Amelia Earhart or any other wild adventurer by designing your own uncharted (well nearly) itinerary for travel

Mimi

p.s. Thanks to Cool Hunting, a blog I follow avidly, whose post first brought the City Notebook to my attention.

Posted by Mimi at 05:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

One day I awoke with an insatiable need to own the perfect shade of blue nail polish. Now, I do not want some tacky bright blue or teal that you might have once considered “totally cool” in the fifth grade, nor some excessively glittery or iridescent debacle, but a lovely deep shade of blue, which I have currently only been able to find on automobiles.

I have performed an exhaustive trial and error with both department store and drugstore brands like OPI, L’Oreal, Revlon, New York Color (NYC), and Wet ‘n Wild to the point where it looks like Punky Brewster is my manicurist. Even brands known for carrying unconventional colors, like Urban Decay, Hard Candy, and MAC Cosmetics did not have an exact match of what I wanted.

The closest I have come is Nightfall by MAC Cosmetics, which incidentally is an exact match to my car color—huzzah!! (The image does not do the color justice.) I am going to check out Moody Blue also by Mac Cosmetics, Aruba Blue by Essie, and Blue Velvet by Rimmel, but I am guessing that those colors are much more of a blue black, which is not what I want.

If all else fails, I may have to resort to some service that customizes nail colors the way some companies do for lipstick, foundation, and other cosmetics. If anyone out there knows of any companies/services that customize nail polish color or other brands with great shades of blue, a heads up would be greatly appreciated—I promise to name my firstborn after you.*

Jill

*Disclaimer: All mention of baby naming is due to excessive amounts of inhaling nail polish fumes and will not be honored. Have a nice day!

Posted by Jill at 04:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

One of three things usually happens when I find something cool online.

1. Nothing. I see, browse, and then leave.
2. I open up a new tab, log into gmail, email the URL to myself, usually with some non-title/description, which makes it impossible for to find the link 2 months later. A bit labor intensive.
3. I bookmark it, and hope that one day, I will be able to browse through my endless list of bookmarks and hopefully (fingers crossed), and be able to find it (highly unlikely).

Luckily, I stumbled across a pretty neat service called [toread]. I’ve been testing this one out for a couple months now, and I have found it surprisingly handy for filing away random things I stumble across. The installation process is super easy and fast; just type in your email, email verification, and then drag and drop a link onto your toolbar, and boom, installation complete. Everytime you hit the [toread] button from your toolbar, it sends the current page to your email. After being inundated by endless emails, I just set up a label, directed all [toread] emails into it, and simply archived it for future reference. It’s so deceptively simple and un-flashy, but a really well-designed web service.

Sherry

Posted by Sherry at 05:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

As a responsible laptop owner who would prefer that the fire in my loins remain figurative, I of course checked my PowerBook battery's serial number when the recall was announced about a month ago. Word is that Apple has been adding serial numbers to the recall without really mentioning it, so you might want to check again.

Strange how it was disappointing to NOT see my battery on there. In addition to wanting a new battery because I figured it would improve my battery life, I felt like I had failed to win a lottery or a raffle or something. My brain really needs to adjust the priority filters on its reward system.

Booyah, Infinite Loop.

Aram

P.S. This entry has been nominated for a Bloggie Award for Worst MS Paint Illustration Of All Time Ever

Posted by Aram at 04:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

(See part one.)

Defective. Most retailers (save Nordstrom and a few others) will not take back merchandise that has been worn, used, out of the packaging. Saying that it has a manufacturer defect will often make returns of these products simple! (Not that you should lie--it's just a matter of how you frame your request.) If a manager questions the defect, the fact that it scratches you or digs into your feet (in the case of shoes) could certainly be a manufacturer's defect. Retailers can’t and won’t call you a liar and will usually take it back without question.

MOD or LOD (manager on duty). Don’t get confused by the customer service person who will typically be the first to arrive when the “I need to speak to your manager” situation occurs. The customer service person can be anyone from an experienced associate to the store manager (though rarely). The MOD on the other hand is the person in charge for the day of the entire store (one for the morning and one for the night).

Discount. Most retailers will give you a discount without hassle for minor defects to the packaging or product. They will typically heavily discount merchandise that is missing parts or is a floor sample. Most associates can give 10-15% as a general rule. More may require a manager’s approval.

Tab. The upcoming week's "tabloid" or advertisement for is often available upon request. They are usually kept in the office or return section. Another trick is that big-box retailers have those little telxon guns that can tell them future prices. Wouldn’t it be nice to know the item you are buying won’t go on sale for $30 less tomorrow?

Daryl

Posted by Daryl at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Everbody uses Post-it notes. I use them as reminders plastered on my monitor, my mirror and my dashboard. Most people use them to attach pithy notes to documents. But not too many use them the way capstrat did. And herein lies my tale. I recently came across a post on Cool Hunting about the rapidly growing cult of “Post-it Art.” That got me researching and I went straight to the source. Capstrat is a creative communications company in North Carolina that has parlayed a dull office wall into artwork seen round the world via the Internet and mainstream media coverage. They started by creating a wall-size, rather startling likeness of Elvis completely composed of colored Post-its. They even more recently evolved it into Einstein, the ultimate pop icon of the intellectual pin up set. Check out the video of their Elvis to Einstein creation.

So students, for your homework today drop everything and stock up on Post-its before cult-induced scarcity strikes. You can decorate your dorm room (or ceiling) like the Sistene Chapel or or Madonna on tour. And when you’re tired of that, you can use them for notating your term paper or for reminders to your roomie to empty your mini fridge (ahem, blatant plug) on Fridays.

Mimi

Posted by Mimi at 03:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Just read my free, pro bono, no strings attached Pocket Change post. Look, you’re a student, so the first thing you have is time and the last thing you have is money. Use your time, keep your money for things like late-night pizza and bail for your roommate Biff.

My first tip is to avoid your campus bookstore. Buying books there is like buying a hot dog at football stadium… when there’s no game on. Expensive, ridiculous, avoidable. Don’t do it.

Secondly, unless you’re trying to start a library in your future mansion where you can smoke cigars and pet a St. Bernard--buy your books used. Start with Amazon, EBay, and Half.com where they have a good number of users. Let me know how that goes.

Furthermore, the only thing better than cheap is free. Google just announced a feature on its book search that allows you to download full versions of out-of-copyright prints. Explanation here. This is really only useful if you expect to read the whole thing on your laptop, or print out excerpts only. Sure, no one ever says they’re gonna go snuggle up with a Dell, but it’s something.

Additionally, if you’re a fast reader and you can find what you want, you may benefit from Books Free. It’s like a Netflix for books.

Lastly, go to the freakin’ library. It smells like nostalgia and that cute girl/guy from your penmanship class "works" the checkout desk.

In conclusion, remember that education isn’t about spending money. It is about trying to land a better job than your high school classmates by the time the reunion rolls around.

AJ

Posted by AJ at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (195) | TrackBacks (0)

Last night, I was sitting in a local café when my friend and I were approached by a complete stranger carrying a contraption very similar to a skydiving or bungee harness. Because there was neither an airplane nor an open field for landing in sight, I figured that his curious contraption surely served another purpose than to hold a person’s total body weight as he thrust himself out of a plane several thousands of feet in the air.

After some questioning and testing of the product, I discovered that the puzzling gadget was neither a skydiving nor bungee harness but an innovative alternative to the ubiquitous Jansport or Eastpak backpack.

The BackTPack is an ergonomically designed bag developed by a physical therapist with 35 years of experience behind her belt. With two lateral bags on each side of the body and adjustable shoulder straps and front-hip buckle closures, this bag promotes good posture and balance, as well as relieving back and neck pain. The BackTpack also comes with tons of compartments and padded panels for enhanced comfort and carrying space.

As it turns out, the stranger was no skydiving enthusiast, but a field researcher gathering opinions and suggestions about the bag. After testing out the product, I must say that it definitely has potential. The bag is comfortable, has numerous pockets, and really useful for people who already have back problems or are concerned about prevention. Although you may get some stares from the unconventional appearance of the BackTpack, it does come in various color combinations so that you may at the least wear it proudly with colors you like! Where was the BackTpack when I was lugging my oversized textbooks from class to class, cursing the lack of a butler or personal cubby space? WHERE?!

Jill

Posted by Jill at 04:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)