Let’s take a moment to appreciate all the inventors out there who think of ways to improve aspects of our lives we never even knew was an issue until the solution is presented. In fact, to celebrate them, let’s pour a glass of wine.
Lucky for us, thanks to a recent device by one of those inventors, the process of celebrating with that wine just became easier.
The Coravin 1000 addresses the age old wine problem of removing the cork without looking like a complete amateur, or even risking the dreaded “break off” that even occupies a part of the professional wine connoisseurs mind.
That’s because the Coravin 1000 doesn’t require you to take the cork off at all, and instead uses a thin needle to pierce through the cork, while a pressure based system in conjunction with a spout lets you make normal sized pours, so you don’t lose an ounce of functionality, or a drop of wine.
More importantly though, it also doesn’t compromise the flavor of the wine by letting oxygen in. This is easily done while the needle is inserted, but the innovative part of this tech comes when you remove the needle, as the puncture it makes is so thin, it allows for the cork to reseal itself when you take the device off.
The $299 price point for the Coravin is steep, but wine is meant for occasions of relaxation and suaveness, both of which are harder when you are fumbling with a cork, and both of which come easier with this undeniably innovative and handy device.
Do you know what an “Oh wow, that’s really cool!” buy is?
It’s something you buy that’s not necessarily of strong particular use, nor do you have a strong personal desire or need for it, but instead you purchase it just so when someone sees it, you get to hear them say “Oh wow, that’s really cool!” This mostly extends to home or office decoration, but many cars, clothes and other goods have been purchased with the sole intention of producing that effect.
The Qlocktwo from German designers Biegert and Funk (which is just a fantastic 70’s soul band name) definitely accomplishes that, as evidenced by the fact that it was my exact reaction upon seeing it.
In case it wasn’t clear from the picture, the Qlocktwo is a wall clock (with a wristwatch model available) that foregoes the old fashioned number system (which in turn replaced that weird reading shadows thing that apparently was once the rage), and instead tells you the time in a series of phrases like “Half past Two” or “Quarter to Six,” making its communication closer to the same methods we often use to relay that information amongst each other.
Made of wood, available in several languages, and featuring a bright display visible in most any light conditions, the clock updates its message every five minutes, and comes in a variety of models including the mentioned wristwatch Qlocktwo W, an alarm clock compatible Qlocktwo Touch, and a Qlocktwo Large which is an as advertised larger version of the regular model.
It’s a fairly reasonable way to tell the time (because really, who needs to know if its 3:33 exactly?), but this is truly meant as an eye-catching piece you’ll have around the house to show off to anyone who may come through, or in an office when trying to impress guests or just improve the décor for your employees.
Running north of $600 depending on the model and vendor, the Qlocktwo might be expensive eye candy, but it’s some damn fine eye candy and one of the coolest clocks available.
While many homeowners find a learned peace and pleasure from mowing their lawns, and some have even turned the act into a source of pride, for many, the task is still one of those constant pains that every week must once again be checked off the to do list.
Of course with football season rapidly approaching (Note: Go Cowboys!), a vast number of American men are going to find their chore time on weekends has been drastically reduced, to the point where that junky old mower may not have the juice left to get everything done in time.
While you could explore alternative methods like bleaching your lawn and salting the earth (Additional Note: Please consult your wife first), what you really need is a powerful mower free of restraints and basic decency. A kind of mower that’s very use is preceded by the use of liquid courage and a thoughtful prayer.
Designed at the behest of the “Top Gear” crew, who were also tired of the slow process that is mowing the lawn, Honda outfitted one of their standard mowers with an engine from their motorcycle division and, after a few other choice enhancements, eventually came away with a mower packing 110 horsepower, and capable of 0-60 in around four seconds, with a hypothetical top speed of 130 mph.
Hypothetical, of course, because this isn’t exactly the most stable and safe of vehicles, due in large part to its power to weight ratio, which is greater than that of many exotic vehicles. There’s also the issue of the flames it spouts out the side which could cause some serious problems regarding an even cut, not to mention that nasty house fire issue.
Sadly we can all assume that this mower will never see the mass production light of day, and instead will be relegated to the “Top Gear” track, and the dreams of many homeowners. Still, it’s not every day that a mower that could make Tim Taylor blush is crafted and, regardless of whether or not the majority of the planet will ever use it, that’s a day to take notice of.
If you’re anything like me, your desk is the cheapest, most easy to assemble piece you could find at IKEA, and usually doubles as an elevated storage unit, rather than stylish room piece.
However, some people take their desk designs more seriously, and whether it be one that Don Corleone would be proud to sit at, or a model the captain of the enterprise might use, there are a variety of awesome desks floating around the internet, that few of us will ever watch por…err…translate scripture from the bible at.
Of those desks, this infinity mirror desk from Reddit user Jacks_RagingHormones might just be the coolest.
While a pretty standard desk on the sides, that LED framed infinity mirror in the middle gives an incredible impression of an infinite void that your monitor, or you, could slip into at any moment (or worse, something the girl from “The Ring” could crawl out of).
The effect, as with most infinity mirrors, is perfect, and the actual design of the desk is that great mix of surprisingly practical and exceptionally nerdy that separates it from the pack.
So while the user leaves no instructions as to its design, and we’re unlikely to ever see a retail model, the desk envy I’m experiencing right now makes me want to take up some design lessons, save up a few hundred bucks, and (to quote John Lennon) “lay down all thought, and surrender to the void.”
Whether it be the suspicious prices, the forced conversations (or awkward silences depending on your barber), or the odd social phenomena that is staring at yourself in a mirror while a stranger runs their fingers through your hair, men have plenty of reasons to not like going to get a haircut.
Much like the dentist though, it’s just one of those unpleasant things that you have to suck up and get through every once in a while, especially since the act of cutting your own hair is usually only associated with comically bad hairstyles and behind the back laughter.
However, in case you’ve forgotten, we do live in an age where everything that once was suddenly no longer has to be and, thanks to a little gizmo called the single handed barber, that may now include the stigma surrounding self-haircuts.
The single handed barber is an electric hand held rotary cutter that promises to give you a clean and even cut, with no more effort than it would take to comb your hair. Thanks to separate attachments, you can get cuts at 1/8”, 1/4”,1/2”, or 3/8” lengths, and the rechargeable battery works for five minutes with a 16 hour charge (though a plug in option is available).
While you probably won’t be able to use this device to fashion that mohawk you’ve always wanted, as long as you don’t mind trusting your hair to something that looks like the little cousin of a Roomba, the single handed barber might just be the perfect $60 solution for those times when you need a trim, and really want to skip the barber.
