Author Archive

Call for Submissions

| March 13th, 2010

So many useful things around my house arrived via the personal recommendations posted by Cool Tools. But the "staff" of Cool Tools is not limited to the staff listed on the About page. That's where you come in. We'd like your recommendations.

Here are a few things we are currently looking for:

The ultimate walker for an elderly person?
A decent vacuum-cooking cookbook for amateurs?
The best digital wildlife trail monitor camera?
Is there a product available that uses WI-FI to connect a desktop hard drive to a stereo? The previously reviewed Roku Soundbridge did, but is no longer available.

Best inflatable kayak?
Cheap hair analysis for heavy metals?
Affordable, high-functioning walkie talkies?
Racquet stringing machine?
Best time accounting software/website?
Best (cheapest/most efficient) dimmable CFL replacement for a 60-watt tungsten bulb
What's the best guide to internet radio? A site, blog or forum where various internet radio stations are reviewed, compared, and recommended. Not just listings of links.
Best intro to beekeeping book?
Best fiction podcast?

Have you used/read and can you recommend the following, or something comparable that's superior?

Drill Doctor
Cobrahead gardening tool
Backyard Ballistics by William Gurstelle
Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth?


Or anything else you can heartily recommend from your own personal experience. If you love something you'd love others to know about as well, write me. (If you are feeling extremely helpful you might want to check the Cool Tools archive to make sure we haven't already featured it.)

If you're not already a subscriber receiving our weekly e-mail with five new tool recommendations every week, sign up and submit your recommendation. For a broader perspective of this site's tool philosophy, I recommend this essay. Tell us what you use to open up possibilities, save money, make stuff, live better.

-- es (elon {at} schoenholz dot com)

BMW Motorsport Z4 GT3

| March 12th, 2010
BMW Motorsport Z4 GT3
For those of you who think the Z4 is a too girly for your taste, feast your eyes on the BMW Motorsport Z4 GT3 (€298,000; roughly $410,000). While it's not...

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Garb: Men & Women of Industry

| March 12th, 2010
Men & Women of Industry
We've partnered with two more gurus of garb to beef up our outfit selections. Please welcome Jedd and Mark from Men & Women of Industry. We just posted a bunch...

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Pendleton Native American Blankets
Add some authenticity to your log cabin or similarly rustic home with Pendleton Native American Blankets ($140-$320). Inspired by authentic Native American blankets, most of these wool/cotton blend covers are...

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PlayStation Move

| March 12th, 2010
PlayStation Move
Move over, Wii. The PlayStation Move ($TBA) is bringing motion-based gaming to the PS3, in full 1080p glory. The system will use a main motion controller, a "sub-controller," like a...

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Timberland Boot Company Counterpane Oxford
We'll be the first to admit that the Timberland brand doesn't make us think of dressy shoes -- similarly-named rappers wearing jeans and light tan work boots is more like...

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Call to action buttons on websites are often neglected. Designers sometimes don’t understand exactly what makes a good call to action button beyond being attractive and fitting into the overall design. But call to action buttons are too important to be designed without some kind of understanding of what makes them effective

Secret Contacts

| March 12th, 2010
Secret Contacts
Whether you're pulling double-agent duty or simply trying to keep the identity of your "hoes in different area codes" away from prying eyes, Secret Contacts ($2) can help. Masquerading as...

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Apple iPad

| March 12th, 2010
Apple iPad
NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER (In your hands April 3rd)The granddaddy of all Apple rumors finally came true today. It's not going to change the world, but it might get you...

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So this was obvious: Place a few dividers into an otherwise normal front-loading washing machine, and separate your reds from your whites without washing a whole separate load.