Posted by admin on Aug 25, 2009 in
lists,
random Now I don’t really cook much. My time in the kitchen is generally spent microwaving/washing or kettling (not sure that’s a verb) various hot drinks. Despite my goal of learning just ONE new dish this year I’ve yet to prepare anything other than chilli and stir-fry, and as much I’d like to convince myself instant couscous counts as a dish, I know I’d be laughed out of home ed if I tried to pull that.
But forget about my woeful endeavours on the culinary front, and be prepared to be wowed by these kitchen aids- which are all cool enough to stop me buying ready sliced apples.
1. Bagel Guillotine $19.95 from the As Seen On TV Guys
Now this takes me back, all the way to 2004 and the lovely UCLA dining halls (also known as paradise incarnate). One of these would always be on hand along with a selection of bagels (granary, wholemeal, you name it) and a choice of spreads. One simply had to slice it firmly, a’la Henry V and then the auto-toaster would do all the hard work whilst you deliberated over marmite or peanut butter- or both. Read more…
Tags: apple corer, bagel slicer, cooking, frozen yogurt, kitchen queen, martha stewart
Posted by admin on Aug 16, 2009 in
books,
geekery,
technology 
pop up book lamp
Isn’t this stunning? When I first spotted it I did a double take when I saw a price next to it- as something this funky, unusual and beautiful normally falls into the realms of the prototype design. But no, investigation revealed this intriguing pop-up book lamp is actually for sale- and isn’t it gorgeous!
Details on quite how it works ate a little vague, but I can tell you that you can choose between a red or gray linen book that pops out a pretty lamp when it opens. There are two styles of lamp to choose from- Parisian style or Streetlamp, but whether it runs off batteries or electrical impulses isn’t clear.
Due to the fact the dimensions are 41×30 inches I’m guessing they could fit some sort of battery, but who knows? It’s gorgeous, its affordable and it’s seriously quirky!
Get it for $95 from Charles & Marie.
Tags: books, design, gadgets, geek, pop up book
Posted by admin on Aug 14, 2009 in
geekery,
style 
It’s a little embarrassing but I need more than my hands to count the amount of times I’ve fallen asleep on the bus and tube. True, it tends to be very late at night and my coma is often alcohol induced, but that doesn’t make the drool down my face anymore attractive. I often see people sleeping on my morning train as well- hey, 7am is a killer start, yeah?
How often have I wished I had a handy pen and pad available so people could just nudge me awake when I reached the necessary stop?
Well now they can, with the creation of these rather delectable underground coloured stickers. Simply pop one of these on, and voila you’re good for some shut-eye, safe in the knowledge that the friendly British public will take care of you. Hmm. Or not.
If you’re prepared to risk it, get 20 of these babies for £5 at the Museum of London store.
Tags: fashion, stickers
Posted by admin on Aug 14, 2009 in
technology 
It’s an all to familiar occurrence- a night out with multiple vodka shots and strange coloured shooters, and you and your mates decide you simply must capture the rather unflattering moment. You squish your heads together, pull a cheesy face and the camera operator/mobile phone holder desperately tilts her arm at an unnatural angle to fit you all in the frame. And snap- you’re blinded by the flash and a head is out of frame. Sound familiar?
Enough practise and you’ll have mastered the art of getting heads in the picture, but angles are still tricky and you may find your look ruined by unfortunate double chins/blinking.
So what’s one to do? Other than risk your precious cam with a total stranger, options have been fairly limited.. till now. Samsung have just released new of two cameras that come with a dual LCD screen- one on the back and ONE ON THE FRONT to make taking that self portrait easier than ever. A timer counts down till the image is taken, or you can switch on the smile shutter mode, which will automatically take a pic whenever you beam at it. Read more…
Tags: camera, gadgets, samsung
Posted by admin on Aug 3, 2009 in
books 
Another two months, another rather random selection of books under my belt- some of which have greatly troubled the boyfriend (see image above). I’m 5 books closer to finishing all the Booker novels (yippee!) and have read a startling amount of vampire themed kids books as well, which tie in quite nicely with watching Season One of True Blood. In no particular order, here are the latest on my literary adventures.
Night World, two anthologies by L.J.Smith
The first rule of fight club is that nobody talks about fight club, and the same principle applies even more closely to the Night World - where a mere mention of it means death to all. Think shadowy creatures of the night such as Vampires, witches ‘n werewolves , who lead a supernatural existence feeding off vermin (humans), but what happens when the rule of silence is broken- for love of vermin? The theme may be repetitive in the genre AND the books, but the prose is fast paced and easy to read, and written in a lighthearted yet compelling manner. I remember reading some of these when I was younger, and quite like how they’ve re-jacketed the book- very spooky- more angst ridden Harry Potter reader than a whimsical magic loving ten year old. Read more…
Tags: booker prize, books, science fiction, self help, vampires