OSSPACK

My wife swears by this very Swiffer-like mop. It is basically a stick which you use to shove a towel around the floor with. The towels can then go in the wash.

The nice thing is that is uses very little liquid, so it can be used on laminates with (reasonable) safety. But the massive wave of towel seem to pick up debris quite well, and changing out your towel is far, far faster than with other replaceable head mops.

-- Sandi West

Cuban Mop
$10
Available from Cuban Food Market

I was shown this knot earlier this summer as a way to secure my boot laces, which were constantly coming untied. My boss, who taught me it, called it the "super knot." How to make it: (if you tie your shoes with one loop then wrap another loop around it) - pass the loop through a second time. (bunny ears method) - pass one ear though a second time.

I've tested this knot for 8 weeks of hiking around in the forests of New Hampshire and it has never come untied. I noticed that Ian's Shoelace Site has some other recommendations for knots, but I cannot vouch for their security. I know that the Surgeon's Shoelace Knot works for me.

-- Sam Johnson
See Ian's Shoelace Site for pictures and a clear explanation.

Who knew that Google needed a manual? Google's simple interface covers an immensely sophisticated tool that does all kinds of tricks, many of which have little to do with searching and much to do with harnessing the collective power of the web. As a non-programmer I probably won't use many of those hacks. But simply by enhancing my ability to google, this guide -- now in a meaty third edition -- is worth the price. It's the Missing Manual to Google.

-- KK

Google Hacks, 3rd edition
Rael Dornfest, Paul Bausch and Tara Calishain
2006, 543 pages
From Amazon

Invisible to most drivers, there is a 26,000-mile network of long-distance bicycle trails criss-crossing the US. These mapped and designated routes offer travelers researched paths with plenty of information on nearest bike shops, profiles of difficulty, and indicated sleeping possibilities. It all started with Bikecentennial's 1976 TransAm route, the first to cross the continental US, connecting Oregon and Virginia. Thousands still use this route, now overseen by the non-profit Adventure Cycling.

I once rode a bike across America using my own route (more adventure) but I have followed long sections of other Adventure Cycling routes. Their materials are well-worth the price; you will however have lots of companions -- which many enjoy.

Adventure Cycling puts out a pretty good magazine for bicycle long-distance touring (a place to solicit travel companions), runs bike tours, has a decent catalog of touring paraphernalia, and continually pioneers new routes. The newest: the world's longest mountain bike trail, runs 2,500 miles along the Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico. For that kind of amazingly rugged off-the-road trip (which only a few have completed in full), their maps (waterproof) and guides are essential.

-- KK

Adventure Cycling Association
800-721-8719

Adventure Cyclist Magazine
9 issues
included in $30 membership to Adventure Cycling Association

Cyclosource
Maps, Books, and Gear for the Adventure Cyclist
$2 catalog

I have been building small portable solar systems for camping and power outages using 12 volts. You can run regular 110-volt devices by sending the 12 volts through an inverter, or more efficiently, there are some really great 12-volt products out there. Unfortunately, most of the 12-volt devices you can buy come with a cigarette lighter plug. These plugs are often of poor quality, and are much too bulky, especially when you want to hook up multiple things to a power source.

I went searching for a better connecting system, and it turns out the ham radio crowd found a great solution years ago. They are called Anderson Powerpoles, and are perhaps the perfect 12-volt connector. Some of the advantages:

* Flat wiping contact system (cleans the contacts every time you use them)
* Interchangeable genderless design
* Colored, modular housings
* Polarized, so you can't hook things up wrong way
* 15/30/45 amp contacts use the same housing

I chopped off every cigarette lighter plug I have, and now put these on everything. Of course I still keep one lighter plug around (with a powerpole on the other end) for when I need juice from a car.

-- Howie Oakes

Anderson Powerpoles
$1 per set
Available from PowerWerx

More info and ideas about Powerpoles

PowerGrips give most of the benefits of toeclips or clipless/cleat systems on bicycle pedals, without most of the downsides. The concept is simple: an asymmetrical strap of cloth that attaches securely to most bicycle platform pedals. The strap is attached in such a way that it loosens when you rotate your heel away from the bike, and tightens when you "heel-in". This gives you similar benefits of a clipless/cleat system; greater efficiency in pedalling, because you can pull on the pedals' upstrokes, rather than just being able to push down. They are just as easy (if not easier) to disengage from. The PowerGrips also have a couple of other benefits which fit well with all but the higher-end performance cyclists:

* Can be used with regular shoes or sandals. Almost no lock-in to a particular type of clip/cleat system.
* (Relatively) cheap, at only $20-$25.
* You can get off the bike and walk around without looking like you're doing some sort of odd balancing act, or scratching up whatever floor you're walking on.

Because the PowerGrip strap is directly above the pedal, gravity does tend to flip it upside-down when not in use. Just as with toe-clips I can pedal on the upside-down pedal to get started, then flip it over with my foot when I'm moving and insert my foot into the strap. Since my riding is commuting to/from work, I have a fair amount of stop-go traffic at intersections, and feel less likely to get a foot stuck and fall over sideways when I have to stop. The PowerGrip strap is totally loose enough for me to quickly get my foot out at a stop, and it has the unusual benefit of being as tight as I want it to be (without using my hands), depending on how I adjust the strap, and how far I heel-in to the pedal. So the "float" can be adjusted on the fly, according to my current riding conditions. This takes a little getting used to, but in my opinion, involves a lower learning curve than clipless pedals.

-- Brian
PowerGrips
$17
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by PowerGrips

My wife and I are renovating the bathroom on the second floor. We needed a way to get debris out of the house and into the dumpster parked on the street. Since we preferred to not carry buckets of plaster through our house, we needed an alternative. I found a link online and thought I would give Demo Bags a try. We sealed ourselves into the bathroom, filled the bags, and duct taped them shut. Then we threw them out the second floor window and dragged them to the dumpster. Not one of the 40 that we filled broke open. For a small remodel these are ideal! Our only mistake was to make them too heavy. Do yourself a favor: buy a lot of 'em, and make them light!

-- Matthew L. Cartwright

Demo Bags
$20 for 20
Available from Absolute Home

Manufactured by DemoBags

Come-alongs are a must-have for country living. They're most often used to tug vehicles out of ditches and unsuccessful stream fordings, and to tighten fencing. I've also used mine for erecting and tightening large tents and canopies, pulling objects into and onto trucks, hoisting 350 lb carcasses for butchering, encouraging crunched automobile bodies back into proper shape, pulling stumps, straightening sagging barns back to verticality, moving large logs, turning trailers to face another direction, erecting pre-assembled 2x4 wall sections built on the floor, cinching loads onto flatbed trucks, dragging heavy boats up the ramp onto the dock or onto their trailers, erecting wind generators, extracting and installing engines in vehicles and boats. In other words, moving just about anything up to 2 tons. Come-alongs should not be used to move people, since a well-used cable can snap.

The Maasdam Pow'r Pull is the best (though not the cheapest) come-along you can buy. It is built better than knock-off copies -- especially the $19.95 ones -- in every way. There's an accessory wire gripper that enables the Maasdam (or any other pull tool) to tighten fences, clotheslines etc. I've beat the hell out of my 1969-model, and it has never failed. It will pull 2 tons. You can buy very expensive aluminum giant come-alongs from several firms, but the fine print with them sez that they are also 2-ton, so I don't see much point in them except they are beautiful and classy-looking. Any tool that carries a high loading should be of the very best quality, as failure can be deadly or at the least scary. The Maasdam is good stuff.

Hints for working with a come-along: Many folks loop a come-along's cable hook around an object and then hook it back onto the cable like a noose. This is very unsafe, as the hook will either cut or seriously damage the cable. Users should invest in a couple of suitable "Shackles" (any hardware or boat store) for such duty, and never hook anything directly to a come-along's cable. Hint for come-along use where there are no trees or objects to anchor it to: Bury your spare tire a couple feet down and hook to that. Come-alongs also need some sort of anchor for the mechanism. I keep a length of 3/8ths chain for that purpose.

-- J. Baldwin

Maasdam 2-Ton Pow'r Pull
$50
Available from Builder Depot

Manufactured by Maasdam

The previous Lumix digital camera I raved about earlier is no longer being manufactured, so this improved Lumix digital camera is the one I now use and recommend. At least for the next few months.

The main advantage the Lumix has over other ever-better digital cameras is their high powered optical ultra zooms. This one has a 10X zoom, which gives it telephoto capabilities in a camera that can hide in my shirt or pants pocket. It is the equivalent of having a 35mm - 350 mm zoom lens for free! It performs this magic using a clever prism system inside. And like the previous Lumixes it applies very capable image stabilization to pictures so they are very sharp even in low light. It sports a fast Leica lens for additional ease in taking pictures anywhere without flash (my preference). I am furthered endeared to this new model because it has instant power-up. Its screen is on and ready to shoot the moment I turn it on. The rest of the features are now pretty standard in digital point-and-shoots.

This small camera fits in the palm of my hand and does just about everything my old 35mm Nikons with five heavy lenses did, much faster and better. (I carried two SLR bodies and five lenses around every day all day for almost 8 years.) I also prefer it to the high end digital SRL Nikons and Canons now popular with pros. The Lumix TZ1 does not capture RAW files, but most non-professionals won't need that. While it does macro closeups well, it could really use a wide-angle option, but that's the only thing I miss.
Compared to $1,000 for a digital SLR, this baby is about $320. I carry mine everywhere with me in my jacket or pants, and the quality of my images is better than what I got from my 35mm Nikons because I can shoot in lower light, further, with less blur. I would have died for this miniature high quality camera when I was shooting every day in Asia decades ago.

I should also mention that with a 1 gig memory card in it, it can capture up to 20 minutes of okay (848 x 480) video -- with zoom!

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 is the best general purpose digital camera to get at the moment.

-- KK

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1
$340
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Panasonic

Looking for an effective weight loss motivator? Check out this all-too-realistic anatomically correct replica of one pound of human fat, complete with blood supply. Keep it on your dinner table and watch everybody lose their appetite. For even stronger motivation, you can buy the five-pounds-of-human-fat version.

-- Tom Ferguson

One Pound of Fat Replica
$35
Available from Amazon

Five Pounds of Fat Replica
$85
Available from Amazon