Saturday, October 20, 2007
The Dream Noter!
(A clock radio with a built-in voice recorder.)
Hey, let’s continue the somnolent theme.
You’re in bed, on the brink of sleep. Or, already deep in a snooze. Suddenly, an idea pops into your mind. An idea you must remember. Or maybe you’ve had a dream worth recounting. Or you remember something vital you need to do tomorrow.
Got a pen and paper? No. But if you did, you’d already have groggily knocked the pen away. Turning a light on would banish your skittish, nocturnal thought. And even if you did manage to jot something down, how legible would it be?
The next day: damn. All you remember is, you wanted to remember something.
With the Dream Noter, problem solved! Just hit the record button, and mumble away. It’s like sending your future self a voicemail.
It won't even take up extra room on the nightstand.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Half & Half Sheets!
Not everyone has the same idea of what’s comfortable. This I’ve learned.
My girlfriend has always wanted satin sheets. She thinks it would make our bed feel luxurious. But me? I would feel like a pampered VIP at a hotel in Dubai – not, to me, homey.
So we came up with this obvious bedding compromise, for all the couples (there must be others) like us. Half cotton, half satin, stitched right down the middle. Each side would be the same color, or share a pattern to hold together visually.
(Or, if you really want to display your personal differences, make one side with biplanes and the other with pink unicorns.)
I bet the Sleep Number Bed people wish they’d thought of this.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Recycled Recyclable Recycling Bags!
I recycle. It could be the only positive thing I do on a regular basis.In fact, since my office doesn’t recycle, I even bring my scrap paper home with me.
The problem with recycling is, where to put the recycling. Now I use an ugly old shopping bag to hold my paper, and a tall plastic giftwrap container for my bottles and cans.
They add much visual crappiness to my home.
That’s why I’ve invented Recycled Recylable Recyling Bags! (RRRBs for short.)
One’s made of recycled paper, one’s made of recycled plastic, but they’re the exact same dimensions. So they look like they belong together. And with a screen-printed design, they can have visual appeal.
Best of all, the bags themselves are recyclable, along with their contents. So when they’re full, just toss the whole thing in its bin! No more dragging your recycling downstairs, then hauling the containers back up.
These would be sold in packs – let’s say with five of each. True, this creates more waste, but if it encourages people to recycle, it’s worth the tradeoff. I think.
The Note Lamp!
My girlfriend and I have very different work schedules – she starts early (in winter, before the sun even rises), I tend to stay at the office pretty late. Sometimes, when I get home she’s already in bed.
That’s what led to the Note Lamp. It’s like a nightlight crossed with a Post-It Note. Write your message on transparency paper, slide it into the shade, and the lamp casts your message in a soft shadow on the wall.
So, I could arrive home and find a "There's guacamole in the fridge" from my girlfriend – without my having to turn on the lights and disturb her. Or, I could leave a "I broke a glass, don't walk barefoot" for her to find the next morning, without her having to turn on the lights and disturb me.
Useful? Well... not really. But it seems pretty nice, tchochke-design-wise.
Shana tova
Many family functions. Whitefish in ice-cream-sundae-size portions.
Will resume postings shortly.
Will resume postings shortly.
