Technology - Great Gadgets
2001; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 83; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1940-6487
Autores Tópico(s)Digital Games and Media
ResumoOVER THE YEARS one of my favorite, but most difficult to write, columns has been the December column, which I've variously called Seasonal Shoppers' Guide or Gift-Giving Ideas. Of all the December columns, my favorite had the theme of hand-crafted holidays. In that column I discussed ways you can use your computer to make things like custom stationery, business cards, or note pads for a friend. This year's headline is Great Gadgets. Trust me, there's at least one gizmo here you live without! For the last few years I have chosen a few can't miss audio CDs, DVDs, and games. Here are my picks for this year. For music CD, the choice is easy: it's the late Eva Cassidy's Songbird. Anyone who has reviewed this CD wants to give it more stars than the rating systems allow. For a classic rock CD, I recommend John Cale's Fragments of a Rainy Season. If you're somewhat braver, you could give new CDs by such artists as Enya, U2, or Bob Dylan. For a can't miss concert DVD, I would suggest Music for Montserrat performed at the grand old Royal Albert Hall in London. Mark Knopfler hosts the concert with such guests as Sting, Elton John, Paul McCartney, and others. Knopfler's rendition of Brothers in Arms is incredible! Another can't miss DVD is Dance from Fleetwood Mac. I am not a big fan, but this DVD is so good that I've watched it about 10 times so far. I especially like the Landslide track. The disc has superior high-definition audio and video on a two-sided disc - one side is DTS and the other is Dolby digital. My all-time favorite concert DVD, however, remains Mannheim Steamroller: Christmas Live, by Chip Davis. On the computer game front, I recommend the Myst series: Myst, Myst 3: Exile, and Riven: The Sequel to Myst. These games are rated G (for all ages) and are available for both PCs and Macs. They are immersive games - you feel as if you're in the middle of a different world, especially if you turn out the room lights and use good external speakers or a headphone. You can read reviews of these products and even hear sample music clips from the CDs at www.amazon.com. Happy shopping! Now for the great gadgets. I'll start with gizmos for use around the home and end with some more high-tech items. One of my of the year awards goes to microwave egg cookers, such as Egg Wave and Perfect Omelet. I have a knock-off of the Egg Wave that cooks just a single egg, and it's wonderful. Plop in an egg, add broken bits of a half slice of American cheese, stir well, microwave for about 40 seconds, then mash the result down on a piece of toast. You have a delicious egg sandwich in less than a minute. Do be careful that you puncture the yolk well, or the whole mess will explode in your microwave. I have not tried the Perfect Omelet maker, but I intend to. Both gadgets are available from www.youcansave.com. My second candidate for of the year is RadioShack's wireless wall switch, a remote control on/off switch. Several months ago, I bought a small tabletop fountain that came with a heavy-duty power cord with no on/off switch. I wanted to place the fountain on an end table, but the nearest wall outlet was behind a heavy sofa. For $22.99 I solved the problem with this nifty gadget. It comes with a key-chain on/off switch and a module that simply plugs into a wall outlet. You can use this gadget to remotely turn on or off lights, small appliances, you name it. RadioShack also makes another gadget I use a lot, a $15.99 Talking Timer that's a nifty little portable clock and count-up or count-down timer. I use the timer as a clock on my workbench and whenever I grill outside. (I turn off the talking and just use the alarm.) You'll burn a lot fewer steaks if you use this gadget. Both items can be found in the RadioShack catalog. Speaking of kitchen gadgets, I also recommend the Presto Tater Twister for about $25. This is one of the few small electric kitchen gadgets that I use regularly. …
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