Author Topic: Gadget WEEKENDS (Read 641102 times)

mouser · « **Reply #225 on:** June 10, 2013, 02:07 PM »

does it feel more like plastic or glass?

that was a real concern of mine prior to switching -- for a day i noticed the difference, then i forgot all about it and am glad i switched. of course your mileage may vary if you are more sensitive to such things.

lotusrootstarch · « **Reply #226 on:** June 20, 2013, 09:37 PM »

Replaced my shower head with this two weeks ago and have been VERY happy with it. It really makes shower enjoyable, even doing it together with your special half. Be warned that it's no longer possible to get back to your tiny traditional shower head after this!

LED colour changes based on water temperature so you can tell when it's ready without getting urself wet.

Bought from this link but obviously there are a lot of suppliers on ebay/aliexpress that sell this:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/120896909573

$T2eC16hHJHUFFfRN+OMoBRgL24!GsQ~~60_3.JPG

$T2eC16hHJHUFFfRN+OMoBRgL24!GsQ~~60_3.JPG

mwb1100 · « **Reply #227 on:** June 20, 2013, 10:45 PM »

Lights are powered by water pressure - no electrical wiring needed ... Turbine (powered) LED Lights, no battery needed

Neat!

fenixproductions · « **Reply #228 on:** June 20, 2013, 11:08 PM »

Led shower… and you thought asbestos was bad

4wd · « **Reply #229 on:** June 20, 2013, 11:23 PM »

I was thinking more 12" of solid brass dropping on your foot.

allen · « **Reply #230 on:** June 21, 2013, 10:50 AM »

simple.b-dis-png.h05bffa2783efc361b4fe140cd678ed09.png

Lately I've been trying to get into shape and take better care of myself. One novel piece of that equation is the Fitbit One, which is basically a pedometer on steroids. All data is all synchronized with their companion web service via wifi or bluetooth where it plots my activity level throughout the day, keeps track nutrition and compares my calories in v. out.

Being cloud based, it's not for the disconnected-by-choice types, but... I love data!

lotusrootstarch · « **Reply #231 on:** June 23, 2013, 08:57 PM »

Bought this milk frother and heater over the weekend and has been loving it so far.

Milk is now heated evenly to a precise temperature on demand, and is extremely easy and quick to clean.

http://www.brevilleu...a.com/milk-cafe.html

Copied from my FB post:

Winter is here! I have decided that a cup of warm flavoured milk might become a more regular part of my repertoire this winter, while trying to snooze on bed till the last minute... Therefore sharing this idea/recipe/appliance from my neighbour Ophelia... Until I paid a visit to her kitchen I was still struggling to make the perfectly heated/frothed drinks this winter! I know my kitchen is basically a Breville showroom but this one really deserves extra commendation!

It is very user-friendly for coffee-making beginners, and for me... tons of great non-coffee drinks. So far I've tried to froth normal milk, rice milk, and soy milk with it, with great results.

The machine whirs away like mad until the milk reaches the desired set temperature and a nice cap of foam has formed.. and add pureed fruit / jam / chocolate you get perfectly heated, frothed, and evenly flavoured milk.

It amazes me how kitchen automation has evolved over the years, now you seem to be able to get an appliance for any specific purpose... all we need is a kitchen the size of a studio apartment right?

app103 · « **Reply #232 on:** June 29, 2013, 09:09 PM »

Forgot to post this last weekend...

Vintage gadget: Ronco Cookie Machine

Click the image to see the original 70's TV commercial.

Yes, I do own this. I was going to take some photos of it in action by making some cookies, but then I got sidetracked by some work...and then the weather got hot & humid, so baking is out of the question.

lotusrootstarch · « **Reply #233 on:** July 01, 2013, 02:01 AM »

Bought this last weekend and have been pretty happy with it. Probably great for someone busy with work / lazy at home. It removes the need to flip eggs sing a spatula and makes life so much easier.

Good for cooking simple/filled/egg white omelette, or just fried eggs, two at once.

The unit does not have an on/off switch so if you use it on a timer switch, guess what, the process can be fully automated... put everything in the cooking wells, schedule the timer for start/stop times in the morning and you wake up with fresh, hot omelettes cooked just on time!

Link is here:
http://www.breville....tte-creationstm.html

mouser · « **Reply #234 on:** July 05, 2013, 10:02 AM »

I don't think anyone has yet posted about a pod/k-cup style coffee brewer. The cost-per-cup of these things is expensive, BUT if you have guests over who like coffee, it's impossible to deny the convenience and flexibility and fun of these appliances.

http://www.amazon.co...4054011%2Ck%3Akeurig

40hz · « **Reply #235 on:** July 05, 2013, 03:07 PM »

Re: Keurig

They're expensive, you pay a fortune for the coffee (average $0.75 per cup for coffee you brew yourself?), and I personally think they make an inferior cup of coffee.*

But...

My GF wanted and got one - and shortly afterwards discovered that hardly anybody local to us carries decaf K-cups. And when they do, the choices are extremely limited (as in one brand, one brew) for people like her that can't consume caffeinated coffee or tea for medical reasons.

Then she found these:

514HHW15KFL._SY355_.jpg

Now she just loads up with her favorite drip grind coffee and she's in business.

(She says they also work great with loose tea or a teabag crammed into them. Celestial Seasonings

brand is easiest since there's no tags or strings to remove first.)

Available for $7.95 most places. Pays for itself with the first box of K-cupped coffee you don't have to buy.

But who really cares about that. It's really more that you get to use your snazzy Keurig and brew up your favorite blend of coffee or tea.

Nice.

----------------------------------------------
*ADDENDUM

Gadget WEEKENDS Being a coffee ~~fanatic~~ connoisseur, I bit the bullet and shelled out an absolutely ludicrous amount of money a while back (actually it was a gift card I'd been hanging onto for something like this) and got a Technivorm Moccamaster. There's just no going back after you've had coffee made using one of these. Not worth it btw - unless you have "the coffee thing" real bad.

superboyac · « **Reply #236 on:** July 05, 2013, 04:04 PM »

[/url])[/i] Being a coffee ~~fanatic~~ connoisseur,
-40hz (July 05, 2013, 03:07 PM)

you too? I've been trying out the different brew methods for the past 7 years. I went from drip, to aeropress, to french press. And now the one I've settled on is the v60 method where you control the water temperature, weight the amount of water and beans, and time the whole thing. The baristas at the local foo foo shop taught me how to do it, and I do it on the weekends. Awesome!

cmpm · « **Reply #237 on:** July 06, 2013, 04:20 AM »

I've been playing with my air pistol.
I have a Crosman 1377. Shooting .177 pellets. About 5 pumps is enough, this gun's limit is 10 pumps. Some of the other air guns need only one pump, I can't afford those yet.
I like these pellets with the red polymer tip, I can see which way to put the pellets in the gun.
Shooting targets at 10 to 20 yards, it's very accurate!
The price is good if you find it on sale at your local sporting goods store.

I've found a new hobby!
Some of these air pistols are very expensive.
It is very good with open sights, but I'm going to put a sight on the pistol, a red dot sight.

A rifle with a scope might be my next one.

The pellets can be deadly and should be treated with care.
My pistol shoots at around 500 feet per second.
I shoot in my garage or the backyard.
It doesn't make much noise.

http://www.crosman.com/

40hz · « **Reply #238 on:** July 06, 2013, 06:40 AM »

[/url])[/i] Being a coffee ~~fanatic~~ connoisseur,
-40hz (July 05, 2013, 03:07 PM)
you too? I've been trying out the different brew methods for the past 7 years. I went from drip, to aeropress, to french press. And now the one I've settled on is the v60 method where you control the water temperature, weight the amount of water and beans, and time the whole thing. The baristas at the local foo foo shop taught me how to do it, and I do it on the weekends. Awesome!
-superboyac (July 05, 2013, 04:04 PM)

I learn something new every day. The V60 method? Hmm...

Reminds me of a drastically more precise version of the old Chemex pot method which I've used in the past.

Agree on the water temp and prewashing the filter. It does make a difference. As does pre-wetting the grounds ("puffing" them to use the old Chemex term for it). And the timing - which should never exceed 6 minutes for a brew cycle no matter how large the full pot.

But the precision and the recommended tare weights...now those V60 numbers are definitely something worth experimenting with. In cooking, the top chefs will always tell you "weigh - don't measure ingredients" to get consistently superior results...

Gonna have to look into that V60 thing more closely.

4wd · « **Reply #239 on:** July 06, 2013, 07:50 AM »

I like these pellets with the red polymer tip, I can see which way to put the pellets in the gun.
-cmpm (July 06, 2013, 04:20 AM)

I have a Gecado Model 35 air rifle, (.22). Gecado is the trade name for Diana air rifles, quite a few years old now, (40+), sounds like a .22 Long Rifle firing, (PTFE piston head, chrome-moly spring), which means it's probably way over-powered.

Still quite lethal - especially using these:

Prometheus Sabot pellets

Three rabbits, one shot - no problem

barney · « **Reply #240 on:** July 06, 2013, 10:08 AM »

Three rabbits, one shot - no problem
-4wd (July 06, 2013, 07:50 AM)

Er-r-r ... how do you get the rabbits to line up <g,d,r>

?

4wd · « **Reply #241 on:** July 06, 2013, 10:31 AM »

Three rabbits, one shot - no problem
-4wd (July 06, 2013, 07:50 AM)

Er-r-r ... how do you get the rabbits to line up <g,d,r> ?
-barney (July 06, 2013, 10:08 AM)

It was a complete fluke, getting dark and I didn't even see the two young rabbits feeding behind the bigger one, (they were only in the space of a 450mm of so) - the next door neighbours dog was very happy.

The steel core in the pellets certainly works well

cmpm · « **Reply #242 on:** July 06, 2013, 10:48 AM »

Cool 4wd, I wasn't sure if air pistols and rifles would qualify for gadgets.
No practical purpose except fun, or maybe getting the next meal.

That Gecado is an old, but well built rifle.
An antique even, probably worth more then it sold for new.

There is a huge fan base for air guns.
I like the air guns better then any Co2 powered pellet gun.
Less equipment to buy with air.

4wd · « **Reply #243 on:** July 06, 2013, 11:50 AM »

I like the air guns better then any Co2 powered pellet gun.
-cmpm (July 06, 2013, 10:48 AM)

Same here, I find there's something more enjoyable/interesting about air arms than any other type of firearm.

superboyac · « **Reply #244 on:** July 06, 2013, 11:57 AM »

[/url])[/i] Being a coffee ~~fanatic~~ connoisseur,
-40hz (July 05, 2013, 03:07 PM)
you too? I've been trying out the different brew methods for the past 7 years. I went from drip, to aeropress, to french press. And now the one I've settled on is the v60 method where you control the water temperature, weight the amount of water and beans, and time the whole thing. The baristas at the local foo foo shop taught me how to do it, and I do it on the weekends. Awesome!
-superboyac (July 05, 2013, 04:04 PM)

I learn something new every day. The V60 method? Hmm...

Reminds me of a drastically more precise version of the old Chemex pot method which I've used in the past.

Agree on the water temp and prewashing the filter. It does make a difference. As does pre-wetting the grounds ("puffing" them to use the old Chemex term for it). And the timing - which should never exceed 6 minutes for a brew cycle no matter how large the full pot.

But the precision and the recommended tare weights...now those V60 numbers are definitely something worth experimenting with. In cooking, the top chefs will always tell you "weigh - don't measure ingredients" to get consistently superior results...

Gonna have to look into that V60 thing more closely.
-40hz (July 06, 2013, 06:40 AM)

oh yeah, i tried the chemex also. it's actually very similar to the chemex, but i found it easier because the "v60" part (the ceramic piece that holds the filter) can be removed from the server, which offers more flexibility (chemex, the whole thing is on unit). so after prewashing the filter, you can remove the server and throw out the used water. it's just a tad easier i guess.

but it's a bit of a science project for each cup. the other way that i use at work is called a "clever cup", which is like a filtered french press. i like that as a quicker 2nd best choice. some people still prefer the french press because you get more of the oils , whereas these methods filter some of it out, but these taste better in my opinion without the oils all in there. here's clever cup video:

Deozaan · « **Reply #245 on:** July 06, 2013, 03:20 PM »

I just bought one of these:

5mW 532nm Green Light Laser Pointer - Deep Blue + Silver (2 x AAA)

It will be a couple of weeks before it arrives, but I'm hoping it will be of decent enough quality to be able to point at stars with it. I love me some stargazing, and it would help to be able to point out which star exactly I'm talking about when trying to show people the star I call the "Up" star (because in the summers around midnight-1AM it seems it is almost exactly up above my head). And it would be nice if someone who actually knew the constellations and star names could tell me the real name of that star. . .

So the first step, in my opinion, is to get a pointing device so I can point it out to others.

superboyac · « **Reply #246 on:** July 06, 2013, 04:11 PM »

^^ nice. my cousin made me one of these, with a blue laser. He included a backup battery and a special battery charger. the power is about 2W i think (that's a lot), and the thing is so bright you can see the beam in full daylight. it's actually pretty dangerous. for sure it can point at the stars, with a thick ass beam too, about half the width of your pinkie. it's crazy. i love that thing, and my cuz!

edit, for star identification, in case you are not aware of it, get the software stellarium.
http://www.stellarium.org/

put it on a laptop, take it with you wherever you go star gazing with the laser. with that and the laser, there's nothing you can't do!

tomos · « **Reply #247 on:** July 06, 2013, 04:19 PM »

^^^ just btw,
the green lasers have been getting very popular in Egypt.

Deozaan · « **Reply #248 on:** July 06, 2013, 04:33 PM »

for star identification, in case you are not aware of it, get the software stellarium.
http://www.stellarium.org/
-superboyac (July 06, 2013, 04:11 PM)

Thanks! I've just downloaded the PortableApps version.

Tinman57 · « **Reply #249 on:** July 06, 2013, 09:36 PM »

So the first step, in my opinion, is to get a pointing device so I can point it out to others.
-Deozaan (July 06, 2013, 03:20 PM)

Uhm, I don't think that laser pointer is going to be powerful enough to mark a star. Plus it would take the laser months to years before it reached the star in question, depending on the distance in light years. If you did get a laser that powerful, it would be military grade and illegal to own. Like, you could shoot down aircraft with it.

As far as green lasers go, according to all the experts, green lights up the target better. Don't know if it travels further or not. They're the "new" thing here in the states, but I'm not replacing the red lasers on my weapons.

But I do use the green light on the reticle scope of my AR15, it's much easier to see at night.