Archive for May, 2006
Last week I came across this amazing piece of outdoor equipment — it’s called the AlligatorLopper and it is manufactured by Black & Decker. It is part chain saw/part heavy pruner. It is electric too so no headache of oil/gas mixing with typical chain saws.
I have a piece of property that needs yearly pruning, but manual pruners and loppers may be too small for some of my work and a chain saw is way overkill. So the AlligatorLopper fits my needs perfectly. It is also reasonable in price — around $100.00 and it can be found in all the majors like Home Depot, Lowes and Walmart. It is even sold on Amazon (who knew!).
- Gordon
May 26th, 2006
I was inspired by Randy’s “Whose dad does not think he’s an astronomer” which led me to “Whose dad is not obsessed with the weather?” I got my dad this Oregon Scientific wireless weather station a few years ago, and he had that thing set up before I could say “Think it’s going to rain, Dad?”
You put up a few tiny gadgets outside your house…like a wind vane, and a little water cup, thermometers. Then the readings wirelessly get transmitted to the base station inside the house. So, from the safety inside the house, you can see how much rain is coming down in inches, how fast the wind is, what the temperature is outside, etc. The transmitters are mostly solar, so they don’t run out. My dad had his for years and they still work. This model I found is $229, but there are cheaper versions and more expensive versions, so you can customize to your budget and your desire to hear your dad ramble about taking an umbrella with you!
- Daphne
May 26th, 2006
If your dad loves cooking dinner on the grill while enjoying an ice cold beer as much as mine does then your in luck — enter the Beer Can Chicken Roaster . This stainless steal contraption can be used on the grill and in the over, is dishwasher safe (nice!) and cooks meats 10-15 minutes faster than conventional methods.
Step 1: Drink half a beer. Step 2: place unfinished beer can in center of roasting pan. Step 3: prop bird up on beer can. Step 4: throw on grill. In no time you’ll be enjoying “One super-succulent bird, with no beer taste.” You can purchase the Beer Can Chicken Roaster for under $30 at Red Envelope.
-Jess
May 25th, 2006
My dad hasn’t watched network TV in years. I doubt he knows what “American Idol” is. Instead, he watches countless movies… so this Father’s Day I’m getting him a subscription to Film Movement.
With Film Movement, your dad (or whoever) receives a DVD every month of a new independent or foreign film which he gets to keep. The DVDs are released before the movie is released in theaters and selected from film festivals around the world. A one year subscription is $159.20, but they also have 3 and 6 month options as well. Happy Father’s Day to cinephiles everywhere!
- Emily
May 24th, 2006
Whatever your dad actually does for a living, it’s a pretty safe bet he also considers himself some kind of astronomer — so this star-viewing device might just be a home run. It uses GPS to locate and identify objects in space, theoretically making star gazing very very easy.
It’s won a bunch of awards, including: “Best of Innovations, Personal Electronics” at CES, PC magazine’s “2006 Last Gadget Standing,” and a 2006 “Popular Mechanics Editor’s Choice Award.” At $400, it’s a pretty expensive gift, but if you’re like me, you’ve missed his last 64 father’s days, so hey, that’s only like $6.50 a pop - not bad!
- Randy
May 23rd, 2006
Interested in improving your technique? Your mechanics? Then choose the David Leadbetter Golf Academy. In researching this “Father Day’s present” I selected Leadbetter as my pick because he has the reputation as being the best instructor-school for us “hackers”. In addition, class sizes are limited to usually four golfers so you essentially get “one on one” attention that you want and need to improve your game.
I have had friends who attended Leadbetter and other schools and those who went to Leadbetter have always come away with an improved game and satisfying experience. The school has multiple program options to satisfy your instructional needs and wallet (eg 3 day retreats from $2400 to 1 day retreat $325), plus 5 US locations including 3 in Florida (which if you are in the east makes for convenient traveling).
-Gordon
May 23rd, 2006
If you or someone you know is a real coffee lover, you should check out the Nespresso by Nestle. Unlike traditional espresso machines which are fairly high maintenance, the Nespresso is super easy to operate and clean because it uses little coffee pods that come in a different roasts (flavored coffees are frowned upon and not available).
Nespresso offers a variety of machines starting at around $200. We splurged for the automated D290 model which runs about $500. The pods cost 50 cents each and can be ordered online. The machine makes AMAZING espresso and there’s also a milk steamer that has latte and cappucino settings. Given how much money we have saved from going to Starbucks since we got the Nespresso, this machine was a great investment! By the way, if you want a second opinion, check out this Videopinion from another Nespresso fan!
- Thi
May 18th, 2006
The invitations have been ordered and the guest list is now finalized. But you have guests coming in from all over the place and you want to provide them with directions to a church, reception hall and hotel. What a headache. Or you could avoid all the stress with the help of snappymap.com.
Snappymap is a web company here to help brides-in-distress. Just provide them with the addresses of the ceremony location, reception hall and hotel and snappymap will design a custom map, complete with directions, in roughly a weeks time - for under $200!
-Jess
May 18th, 2006
I’m not a good dresser. Definitely the kind of guy whose wife has to pick out his clothes (in the store anyway, I do ok in the morning). Really no interest in spending to look better than the next guy, just no belief that the clothes make the man. But I want to tell you about what might be the most extravagant article of clothing I’ve ever owned.
Those would be my Santoni loafers. The Santonis were, full stop, the most expensive pair of shoes in Nordstrom, but that didn’t even register. They felt like slippers and they looked remarkably unremarkable. I think I’m on my 3rd pair now.
- Bill
May 17th, 2006
This place is the real deal — they have every kind of coffee you could want from all over the world, and in all kinds of different blends and roasts. I like gifts that come throughout the year because the giftee is constantly reminded of what a great person you are.
Monthly Coffee or Tea Subscription: Just imagine the smile on your bleary-eyed Mother’s face when she opens your energizing–and anti-oxidant laden–gift each morning. Porto Rico’s tea selection is huge as well, so if your Mom is a tea person, you’re covered, too.
- Jen
May 11th, 2006
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