Spork
Posted by Minimalist J on July 27th, 2005Not only does this newly designed spork remove the need for two separate utensils, but it is also about as environmentally friendly as a disposable utensil is likely to get. Via Treehugger.
Archive for July, 2005
Driven to Distraction
Posted by Minimalist J on July 22nd, 2005There have been a number of articles about email and other technology interruptions/distractions lately. CNet adds their own to the mix. Of course, stepping back can be difficult: It’s all part of a culture shift that has accompanied all of the new modes of communications. These days, corporate culture frowns on those who turn off [...]
Prepaid cellphone plans – wave of the future?
Posted by Minimalist J on July 20th, 2005Right now, standard cellphone plans are monthly, with a pretty hefty bucket of minutes. My wife and I never even come close to using all of our minutes, yet we pay the same amount as if we’d used all of them. Plus, the monthly bills have a large number taxes and additional fees that really [...]
Looks unsafe at any speed, but wow, this two-seater is pretty cool
Posted by Minimalist J on July 19th, 2005Twike makes a skimpy looking battery powered two-seater vehicle that supposedly gets the equivalent of 550mpg and has a max speed of 55mph. Of course, if you hit a speed bump, you’re probably going to be hurting, but I’d love to be proven wrong. Maybe it has a rollcage or something? I think I’d also [...]
Self storage – wow, we have lots of stuff
Posted by Minimalist J on July 18th, 2005Slate writes about our Self-Storage Nation today. I expected this to be a one-sided piece about how we’re all such pathetic overconsumers that we can’t cram all of our crap into our ever-larger houses. Indeed – that is about half the article. But the other half talks about some of the other reasons for self-storage, [...]
Hacking the Prius so you can plug it into the wall
Posted by Minimalist J on July 15th, 2005Yes, hybrid is a good thing. I’ve been following the story of the folks who created a kit to allow you to plug in your Prius and then run it 100% on battery to get phenominal gas mileage. Some people ask why Toyota didn’t just make it an option. I think they made the right [...]
Topeak Bikamper
Posted by Minimalist J on July 14th, 2005If you’re biking across the country or something, you may need to camp out. You could carry a full tent, but the Topeak Bikamper cuts down on weight and bulk by using your bike as a support. I love dual-use like this – making the most use out of what you have. Gizmodo is apparently [...]
Cheaper, simpler cellphones
Posted by Minimalist J on July 13th, 2005I love my cellphone, but sometimes it crashes and refuses to make a call. And it isn’t a cheap model – it just got distracted by doing too many other things like keeping my calendar. Most of the world can’t afford even a basic cellphone model. Wired talks about how Cheap Is New Cell-Phone Mantra, [...]
What to minimize for muffin cups?
Posted by Minimalist J on July 12th, 2005Saw these silicone muffin cups, and it brings up a recent debate here. We’ve always used paper muffin cups, but were debating whether it would be better to spray oil in a standard muffin tin. We hadn’t decided, but now there is this third option. So here’s the question: should we minimize silicone, paper or [...]
Don’t talk on your cellphone while driving. At all.
Posted by Minimalist J on July 12th, 2005Today’s no-brainer: do not talk on your cellphone while driving. I don’t know why anyone would still do this, but CNN indicates that you’re four times more likely to have a serious accident while yakking away on your phone. Of course, the idiot industry spokespeople say everything is fine: The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association, [...]