Zap yourself hairfree with a home IPL laser device

Photo from Remington website

The Remington iLight lets you remove hair at home. It uses the same technology clinics use, called IPL. IPL is not a laser. IPL meansIntense Pulsed Light. A calibrated ,super-bright pulse of light flashes against your skin. The light and heat travel down the hair shaft and damage the root.

The iLight is advertised as providing temporary hair removal, but if you continue using it, the result will probably become permanent. In a sense, though, no hair removal is permanent because as you age more hairs will pop up.

The way it's used is simple but laborious. You take the rather clumsy wand, press it against your skin, and zap yourself. The treatment window is less than 1 inch by 1/2 inch, so you can imagine it will take a long time to treat yourself. It can take up to three treatments to see any results.

Who this is good for

This  can only be used by light-skinned people and it will only work on dark hair. You will also need patience and endurance. The treatment is tedious and pressing the button over and over can become uncomfortable.

Please note these limitations: You cannot use it above the neck because the light is so bright. It can damage the eyes, and you cannot effectively shield your eyes if you use it above the neck because the light will travel through your flesh. You are not supposed to use it in the genital/anal area.

Pros

• It works.
• It appears to be foolproof. You are unlikely to injure yourself if you follow the instructions.
• It's probably safer and gentler than having IPL done professionally.

Cons

• Any type of IPL can reduce skin sensitivity
• Some people will find this painful, especially if you use it where you're not supposed to

Helpful hints

• If you decide to use a topical anesthetic, don't use too much. There have been cases where people have died after using too much.
• Be sure to recalibrate the device for each body area you plan to do.
• Follow the directions closely.
• Use eye protection.

For more info on how to be a scent-free, hair-free but not necessarily neurosis-free uberhuman, click here to read about Hollywood Bodies.

iPad Screen Protector - Crystal Clear Protection

The splash Masque iPad Protector  coss about $14 on Amazon and is is a clear film that protects your iPad. It is self adhesive, so you don't need water to install it. And package contains three, which is great because these are a b**** to install and you'll probably screw up the first two.

Who's this good for

Anyone with an iPad will want something like this. It protects the iPad screen. Maybe the Gorilla glass doesn't really need protection, but who cares? The iPad is your baby. And there's no reason not to have the added protection. This film is invisible and does not interfere with the iPad's functioning, if it's installed correctly. And there's the rub. Read on.

Pros

• It is absolutely invisible when installed correctly.
• It is almos frictionless. The iPad's screen is maybe just a little bit smoother without the protective film, but it's hard to feel any difference.
• It doesn't collect fingerprints noticeably more than the iPad's unprotected screen.
• It cleans easily. Just a little water and a wipe with a microfiber cloth is all you need. Perhaps it even cleans easier than the unprotected screen.
• It doesn't interfere with the iPad's touch sensitivity.

Cons

• All protective films of this type are extremely difficult to install it perfectly.

Hints

• You gotta get rid of dust. Any dust under the cover will create bubbles.
• Vacuum and dust your work area and then leave the area untouched for several hours. If possible, run an air cleaner.
• Wear rubber cloves.
• Turn the iPad off (so the screen is black) and check for dust one last time before installing.
• Look at the directions and make sure you're attaching the correct side to the iPad.
• Take your time.

Purse hooks - keep your purse clean and off the floor

"How did I ever live without a purse hook?"

The purse hook

The purse hook is the gadget you never knew you needed. Costing from $5 to $30 on Amazon, it is a very simple gadget that lets you hang your purse off the edge of a table or desk. It's  keeps your purse safe, clean and in easy reach.

the Zoohook

Purse hooks have been around since the 1920's but they are only now becoming common. Some are just a simple L-shaped hook, while others are spring loaded or fold up into a neat little circle. A few even double as bracelets.  Supposedly, the Queen of England has a purse hook with a suction cup design. The rumor is that she discreetly spits into the cup, attaches the cup to the underside of a table, and hangs that mysterious purse of hers there.

Purse hooks range from the simple to the extravagantly decorated and some even boast hidden mirrors.

the Clipa bracelet-style hook

Pros

• Your purse stays clean because it's off the floor. Imagine putting your purse down on a restroom floor and then putting on your kitchen table. Ugh!
• Your purse is safer because you can see it; it's not under your chair where it can be stolen.

the Fumi bracelet-style hook

Cons

• Some purse hooks are much heavier than they should be--probably all the bling
• Some are kinda pricey

Helpful hints

• Check how much a purse hook weighs before buying
• If you buy a purse hook with fancy fake stones, be aware that they tend to fall off. Cheap metal also tends to tarnish.

Electric meat smoker makes it easy - do some grilling while you're chilling

Smoke some joints -- jerked chicken joints, that is, with a this very easy electric smoker. The Old Smokey Electric Smoker (about $135 on Amazon) keeps your smoked nice and juicy. It's basically a giant bucket with a heating element. Smoke and moisture stay in. It's simple to use and pretty foolproof.

It's just a large, aluminum tub. The heating element sits in the bottom. Above is a rack where a small amount of wood chips creates the smoke. Above that goes a metal bowl that catches the moisture dripping from your meats. There will be a lot of of it. On top that are two racks for your food.

It's large enough to smoke a small turkey or two chickens on one rack, and you can fit full rack of ribs on the other.

The Old Smokey Electric Smoker

Pros

• Simple
• Effective
• Smoke is contained
• Moisture is retained

Cons

• It's expensive for what it is
• It will probably arrive with a couple dents
• It's large, so it's cumbersome to store and clean
• It's is a closed unit; there is no airflow. It keeps meats very moist, but some say it is not really a smoker

Helpful hints

• Get a temperature gauge. You'll need it to do a good job.



• Put this outside, on a level non-flammable surface and don't leave it unattended.

Link

Click here to read the review on Examiner.Com

Grind your own flour - it's the cool new thing

Grind you own flour - it's what all the cool kids are doing

Are you bored with the drudgery of going to the store and buying your wheat all ground up into flour already? Would you rather spend way more wheat, and then grind it up yourself? If so, Victorio Manual Grain Mill (around $55 on Amazon) might be for you. All kidding aside, grinding your own flour makes a fresh, natural product and puts you in touch with your food. If you're cutting carbs, it'll sure make you think twice before indulging in bread.

The Victorio Grinder

This gadget is good for people who ..

• want to have freshest, most healthful and nutritious grains
• like to do something useful while they exercise away the pounds
• need to think twice before they bake
• would like to try out milling their own flours before investing in an electric grain mill

Pros

• It does what it says--it grinds grain
• Good blend of price and quality
• Good capacity
• The metal part of the machine is sleek and attractive
• It's small and can fit in a drawar

Cons

• It wobbles a little. It would be better if it had a wider base so it would be more stable on the countertop
• The plastic hopper is kinda ugly.
• The wooden handle is uncomfortable.
• It only grinds when you turn it clockwise; it you turn it counterclockwise, it doesn't do anything. Maybe that's just the way grinders are.
• It's a little messy--I mean, you are grinding flour.

Overall

This is a good quality machine.

Note: This is an unbiased article. The author privately purchased all items refered to in this article and has no financial interest in any of them.

Helpful links

• Click here to read the review on Examiner.Com.
• Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day - an easy, no-knead way to have fresh bread whenever you want it
• Einkorn wheat -- the most ancient wheat available, delicious and high protein. You can buy it here for about $4 per pound.
• Farro wheat - also called emmer wheat, another ancient grain. Click here to buy it on Amazon. It's about $6 per pound.

Garage Gadget - Park like a Terminator with a Laser

Laser Parking Helper

Tired of accidentally parking in your living room? Sick of breaking your garage door when you send it smashing into the backend of your car, which you've left hanging out of the garage? If so, the MAXSA Park Right (about $17 on Amazon) is for you. Just mount it on the ceiling or back wall and when your car gets close, a laser beam starts up. Pull your car up until the laser beam hits the part of your dashboard you have designated corresponds to an acceptable parking job and you're set.

Who's this gadget good for

MAXSA Park Right

This is for anyone who's been annoyed by pulling the car in too far or not far enough. This is a cute, fun and cheap gadget that elegantly solves a problem.

Pros

• If you install it properly (up high at the front of he garage), it works perfectly every time.

Cons

• You need AC power so you can plug it in.

Helpful hints

• Park your car perfectly before you install the device. Install it so that the laser points to the center of the dashboard.

Links

Click here to read the review on The Examiner.

emWave Relaxation device

A Gadget to Help You Meditate

The emWave Personal Stress Reliever ($150 - $230 on Amazon) trains you to relax. The way it works is you hold it in your hand (or clip it to your ear) and breathe along with the colored lights. When you breathe in a way that pleases its electronic mind, it makes happy beeps and flashes blue lights. When you breathe in a way it disapproves of, you get a sullen silence and red lights. If you're so-so, you get neutral beeps and green lights.

Who should get it

A gadget lover with a lot of extra money who is bored with the idea of "breathe in for a count of four, breathe out for a count of six."

Pros

• This is a sophisticated device. It analyzes breathing and heart activity and helps get them optimally synced.
• The sensitivity is very good, similar to the Stress Eraser (about $130 on Amazon), a device that does much the same thing
• It can take your bio readings through your fingers or via an ear clip

Cons

• Cheap plastic-y looking
• Annoying beeps and lights
• You can seriously just "breathe in for a count of four, breathe out for a count of six" and save your money

Helpful hints

• Come on, just breathe in for a count of four, breathe out for a count of six.

Links

Click here to read the review on Examiner.com.

No more scooping -- the CatGenie is a toilet for cats

A Toilet for Cats

What is is

The CatGenie ($270 on Amazon) is an ingenious toilet for cats. Your cat does his business and after ten minutes the bowl slowly spins, and the rake picks up any solid wastes, plunking them into a little bin. Then water fills the bowl and the impeller in the bin breaks up the waste so it can go through a tube into your toilet where you flush it away.

Installation

photo from Amazon

Installation is fairly easy. You need to attach a tube to the toilet and you'll need to plug the CatGenie in for power. You also need to attach the included water line to your toilet's incoming water. No special tools are required, just a wrench and patience. The only difficulty is in manuevering the unwield thing into place.

photo credit: Chris Hugh

Analysis

The CatGenie relieves you of having to clean the litterbox. It really is a toilet for cats.

It sounds like heaven, but there are a couple problems.

First the reusable plastic litter is not to every cat's liking. My Mr. Kitten goes piddle in the CatGenie, but goes poopy on the tile floor in front of it. Thanks, Kitten.

Another problem is that it's not entirely reliable. Sometimes the tube gets clogged and the dirty water won't drain. It's easy to fix, but until you do, you've got poop soup and the cat has nowhere to do his business. Nowhere nice, anyway. If he holds in his pee, he can get a bladder infection and bladder infections in male cats are a life-threatening emergency. If he doesn't hold in his pee, he makes a mess. In either case, you really need a backup potty.

Third problem, as mentioned, the tube gets clogged. To fix it, you just shove the end of the hose (the part that was hanging into the toilet) against your faucet, run the water and blow out the clog. It's no big deal, but isn't super pleasant or sanitary.

Last minor problem, when the CatGenie cleans itself it will drain foamy poopy water into your toilet, leaving nasty looking stains. You'll need to clean your toilet more often to keep it looking okay.

Overall

Despite a few negatives, if you've got the space and the money, this is a great, great gadget. The best way to do this is to have two of them.

Helpful hints

• Read the directions. Seriously. I had the hose installed not-quite-right for over a year. It had too tight a kink in it, and it was clogging up.
• Write down or take a picture of the serial number before you set the machine up.
• You really need a backup litterbox. I got two CatGenie. Expensive, but very worth it to not have to scoop.

Links

Click here to read my review on examiner.com
Click here to read a review of the ScoopFree automatic litter box, another super pooper scooper

Motion-activated cat deterrent: Scat, cat! Get off the counter

Chase those cats away--with technology

Tired of cats jumping on tables and knocking over your Faberge eggs/Waterford crystal/meth-making equipment? Well, if you bring to bear the latest in human technology there's a small possibility you might teach the cat to stop it.

photo credit: Amazon

It's the Contech StayAway Pet Deterrent. (About $45 on Amazon) It's basically a motion-activated spray canister. If a cat (or you) come in range, it'll spray, or squeak or spray and squeak. The spraying (it just sprays air) really startles the cats, since it sounds like an angry cat hissing. They'll learn to avoid the area, at least as long as the device is there.

Who should get it

Everyone with a cat. You'll want to teach your cats to stay off the stove. If you're all fancy and germ phobic, I guess you might want to keep them off the kitchen counters and dining table, too.

Pros

• It really chases the cats away. Pretty fun to watch.

Cons

• Pretty expensive. You might try the Ssscat (about $25 on Amazon). Both are rated 4/5 stars.
• It would be nice if the device instilled healthy guilt and the fear of a righteous power, but it doesn't. The cats tend to learn that it is the device, not their own evil doing, that is the enemy. If you take it StayAway, well, away, the stinkers go back to their old subversive habits.
• You will get sprayed way more often than your cat will. It's harmless, but it gets old pretty quick. Perhaps it amuses the cats to see you sprayed with your own device.

Helpful hints

• Try to hide or camoflage the thing. Maybe you're cat will learn the general rule, "don't go there." Rather than the more specific rule, "don't go there until the human removes that thing or the battery runs out." Good luck outsmarting your cats.
• Get breakables and spillables out of the area. This is gonna scare the pants off your cat and he's gonna run like mad. Because cats are drama queens.