This is a simple but well-designed book stand that does exactly what it sets out to do. It is sturdy enough to hold big, heavy textbooks, but looks nice. It is impressively adjustable, allowing for nearly any reading angle . Amazingly, despite the ability to hold heavy books, the stand itself is relatively light (around 3 lbs). The stand has an anti-skid coating on the bottoms so that it stays where I put it.

I have had it for several weeks now and have been using it daily. I now wish I had gotten it years ago. It is already decreasing my neck strain while encouraging better posture. I have not directly compared this product to others, as the other stands I looked at didn't have the same features, including the adjustable angle, wide stand for a place to rest my hand when highlighting, all while being very light-weight. I am not into "uni-taskers," but this stand is a definite exception!

Freesia Book Stand
19.6 in x 11.8 in
$33

Available from and manufactured by Best Book Stand

[Note: Other sizes are available for those interested in something a bit smaller. They also have a different model made of clear acrylic. Also, per their FAQ: You must first register an account on their website and then log in. After you log in, you will be able to add the item to your shopping cart. --OH]

A friend of mine and I were talking on the telephone a year ago when she was just about to clean up after her cat. She told me that she used a Bissell SpotBot to clean up after her cat and that it had made her life a lot easier (not to mention cleaner). After hearing her rave about it I decided to take the plunge and purchase one.

The SpotBot uses a water/cleaning fluid combination to clean a spot about 10-inches in diameter. To clean up a spot, you pick up what you can off the surface of the carpet and then place the SpotBot's circular brush over the spot. You press a button on the SpotBot and 5-minutes or so later it will have shampooed and brushed the spot away, and you're done! I've been using the SpotBot for a year now and when this one breaks I'll be getting another one. It has already paid for itself many times over.

[Note: This product relies on Bissell's Pet Stain and Odor Advanced cleaning solution which is also well-reviewed, so you might consider ordering extra so you don't run out.--OH]

Bissell SpotBot Pet Hands-Free Compact Deep Cleaner
Model 1200 A
$130

Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Bissell

The name of this little Mac-only software program might sound cheesy, but it does exactly what it says, and a lot better than you might expect. It helps you create professional business cards really quickly and easily. And it has been around for a few years/versions, so the UI is mature, stable, and elegant. And EASY.

You just drag stuff into the card area and they just work. Guide lines appear right when and where you'd expect them without having to work with extra commands. When you're done, you simply click Export and a PDF appears - with cut marks for the printers, if you want - and you can then hand the PDF file directly to a professional printer to work off of.

I've used this any time I've needed to make business cards and it works flawlessly. They have some links within the program to help you find printers, but I don't bother with that feature- I just hand the PDF to the printer that I know and trust. The whole process is so much easier than working with InDesign or some other design tool not made for business cards.

[Requires Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later. I have edited the first sentence to reflect this fact. -- OH]

Business Card Composer 5
$35 for a standard version, or $40 for a version with a more expansive catalog of images, designs, and fonts
30-day free trial (projects will bear a watermark until registered)

Available from and produced by BeLight Software

My husband has very little hand strength, and these are the only ice trays he has been able to use in several years. We have tried aluminum, plastic and several other variations.

The button on the bottom of each cube's compartment actually releases the cube relatively easily. No more propelling it onto the floor. They are not glamorous nor costly, and they do the job.

Joseph Joseph Quick Snap Ice Tray
$8

Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Joseph Joseph

HDMI connectors are not my favorite as they tend to easily come loose. The same holds true for the mini-displayport connection. The cable I use to connect my Mac mini to my large monitor kept coming lose whenever either was moved. The solution was to use this tool designed for HDMI connections but that also works well for the mini-displayport.

On the HDMI side, it screws into the screw connector often provided with an HDMI jack. On the Mac side, it can be attached using the included adhesive strip. It clamps onto the HDMI cable keeping things from wiggling free.

This is a neat solution to an annoying problem.

Blue Echo Solutions HD EZ Lock Universal Cable
$15

Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Blue Echo Solutions

It's a serious issue in contemporary journalism: how do you record phone interviews while using a headset?

Radio Shack sells a nice, cheap device (the previously reviewed Mini-Phone Recorder) that interrupts the cord that goes from the handset to the phone, which works well when you're using the handset. But when I do interviews by phone, I like to type a rough transcript while I talk, and typing while clamping a handset to your ear with your shoulder can quickly get painful.

When I first confronted this problem earlier this year, I spent a lot of time on the internet looking for solutions. The ones I found were pretty unappetizing. The main technology on offer is a microphone that you stick in your ear, which seems both unpleasant and ineffective.

But then I encountered the good people at Sagebrush.com, who invented this elegant and inexpensive solution, which uses about $20 worth of stuff you can get from Radio Shack.

You need three items:

1. the Gold Series Y-Adapter, 3/32" Stereo Jacks & 3/32" Plug, which is item # 2264801 and costs $7;

2. a 1/8" Stereo Jack to 3/32" Stereo Plug Adapter, which is item # 2160379 and costs $6; and

3. a 12-Inch Shielded Stereo Audio Cable, which is item # 2265306 and costs $6.

The Y-Adapter splits the signal coming out of your phone's headset jack. One line goes to the headset; the other goes to the recorder.

Arguably, this is more of a hack than a Cool Tool. But it works (as long as your phone has a headset jack). And it's very portable: you can also use it on the road by plugging into a cell phone.

Gold Series Y-Adapter, 3/32" Stereo Jacks & 3/32" Plug
$7
Available from Radio Shack

1/8" Stereo Jack to 3/32" Stereo Plug Adapter
$6
Available from Radio Shack

12-inch Shielded Stereo Audio Cable
$6
Available from Radio Shack

As a junior high school music student, one of the first things I learned was to get to the orchestra room early enough to get one of the few good music stands. Almost all of the stands wobbled, wouldn't stay at the height you set them, or simply dumped your music with no warning. However, the small handful of Manhasset stands had taken just as much abuse as the others, yet worked perfectly.

The standard Manhasset #48 Symphony music stand is the backbone of ensembles and school music programs across the country. It has no clamps or adjusting knobs; the height and angle of the music table holds through friction. Somehow, it's easy to adjust, but stays exactly where you put it, even as you load it with stacks of music. The height of the standard model adjusts from 26" to 48" (measured from the floor to the bottom of the table), allowing you to use it both sitting down and standing up.

The table is aluminum, powder-coated black. The base is steel, with the lower section also powder-coated and the upper chromed. The base has three arched legs. Despite its stability, it's light and nicely balanced, making it easy to carry in one hand. The simplicity of its design gives it a kind of unobtrusive elegance, and makes it one of the few pieces of gear used by both students in a classroom and virtuoso performers on stage.

I was still a teenager when I was given my own Manhasset music stand. After thirty years it is slightly (but only slightly) beat up, but it functions perfectly.

Manhasset M48 Symphony Music Stand
$28

Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Manhasset Specialty Company

The best simple drawing program there is is hidden away inside of Google Docs. It's free, and completely intuitive to use. Google Drawing is the opposite of Adobe's Illustrator, which while insanely deep (and expensive) requires hours if not years to master. You can draw with this one in seconds. The controls of Google's app follow the same general novice format as those in Power Point, or Word, but don't require any other software beyond your browser. More importantly, it is a no-brainer to export the drawing directly to the web, or as a jpeg or even PDF. And it has the usual advantages of cloud life: the drawing can be collaboratively worked, and it is backed up automatically. Despite being idiot-proof you can do amazingly sophisticated work with it -- diagrams, charts, doodles, or paint over photographic images. For 99% of your drawing needs, this handy free app will satisfy nicely. As Jerry Micalski, who introduced me to this gem, said of it: "it's as simple as MacDraw but smart enough to publish to a Web page."

Google Docs Drawings
If you're already signed into Google Docs, click the "Create new" button, drop down to Drawing

Tips from the Official Google Blog

Deep Surplus is a fantastic source for an encyclopedic array of cables.

For example, Apple sells a mini to mini cable for connecting your iPod to your stereo for $24.95. The same cable can be had for less than a dollar from Deep Surplus.

For work I buy all of our networking patch cables, USB cables, etc. for 10% of the cost of buying them at Staples, Microcenter, or Best Buy. I recently bought some rather hard to find white, two-lead speaker wire, which elsewhere was as pricey as $80, for $12 for a 25-foot length. I also bought a 6-foot mini (iPod) to dual RCA (for my older audiophile amplifier) cable for $2.75, compared to $24.95 at the Apple store.

I rely on them whenever I need essential cables affordably.

DeepSurplus

I was first introduced to the many uses of the margin trowel fifteen years ago on a heavy construction site. I left the job but have carried the tool on every job and project ever since. When I moved to a desk I threw the tool into my tool bucket and still use it for just about everything.

The trowel is a simple piece of flat, quality steel attached to a wood handle. You can use it to finish concrete, set mortar, sling stucco, lay tile, scrape, pry, chip, hack, or cut anything not tougher than high-carbon steel. It is especially effective for cleaning other tools, such as shovels, concrete trowels, bbq's, and garden implements. With only a modicum of care it will last for years. If you're foolish or careless enough to permanently bend it then shame on you, but you can get another one for $10.

It is superior to others because it's cheap, reliable, and robust. I prefer the feel of a wood handle to rubber, although the wood handle will chip if used as a hammer.

Marshalltown 5-inch by 1-1/2-Inch Margin Trowel
Model 54
$11

Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Marshalltown

After screwing around with grocery-store sheet pans for years, I went to a restaurant supply store and bought three plain metal sheet pans (technically "half-sheet" at 13x18, but true "full-sheets" are only used in commercial ovens). I've used them for over three years now, and am totally convinced that they are awesome.

Here's why people buy grocery store sheet pans: they're cheap, non-stick coated, and easily found at the grocery store. And here's what's wrong with them. They are flimsy metal, so they warp in the oven if you use them at high temperatures (over, say, 425F). They come in non-standard size, so you can never be sure that a cooling rack will fit into them. And their fancy-schmancy non-stick coating means that you baby them.

Here's why plain old restaurant-grade sheet pans are awesome:

They're not much more expensive than the cheap stuff you buy in the grocery store. Going from a $7 grocery-store pan to a $12 restaurant-grade pan is a significant percentage markup, but it's only $5. If you have a restaurant supply store near you, you may be able to get the restaurant-grade pans for basically the same price as the grocery-store pans.

They are heavy metal, which means that you can toss them into a 500 degree (F) oven to bake bread on them and not worry about warping. And they don't have any non-stick coating to worry about. I have used my sheet pans for everything from crafting trays to putting them under gardening flats when starting seedlings. No matter how nasty and dirty they get, I know that I can just take a steel wool pad to them and they'll come back to like-new.

You might think the lack of a non-stick coating is a minus, but seriously, you just spray the pan with non-stick or use baking parchment or silicon mats. It's not that hard. Every baker I know backs up "nonstick" pans with non-stick spray or parchment anyway, so it's not like there's any change in your cooking process.

The link below is not to the exact item I own (sorry, I bought it at a restaurant supply store and can't find it online), but it looks like basically the same thing.

Amco Food Service Half Sheet Pan
$11

Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Focus Food Service

I bought my Palladium Desert Boots in a French village shop in 1988. I wore them extensively, including a 6-month trip in Bolivia and Peru. Made of textured canvas, they were always comfortable, hard wearing, fast drying and cool on the feet (and to some, the eyes).

They are good for walking, traveling and general wear, and were allegedly the boots worn by the French Foreign Legion, and I mourned their eventual demise due to harsh chemicals encountered in a Bolivian silver mine.

I was, therefore, very pleased to find a resurgent Palladium online, selling boots of all kinds including these originals for a modest $55.

Palladium Desert Boot
$55

Available from and manufactured by Palladium

There are some tools that belong in every tool box, and most of us already have locking pliers from one manufacturer or another. Irwin Tools, maker of the original Vise Grips brand product, is the best known. This new version of the tool looks and works nearly the same, but has a vastly improved jaw shape made specifically for grabbing on to damaged hex nuts and bolts.

I used mine just yesterday while working on restoring an old car for my daughter. I had to remove the heat shield from the exhaust manifold, and after 10 years of service those bolts were not in good shape at all. One of them was so bad that my sockets and box wrenches would just spin, getting no bite at all. My usual pair of locking pliers didn't help either. The unique jaw shape on the Irwin Locking Wrench grabbed the head of the bolt from three sides and fastened firmly enough to do the job. In just a few seconds I had that old bolt out without having to resort to cutting it with an angle grinder or torch.

I've seen these online for less than fifteen dollars, and for the amount of headache they save I'd call it well worth adding to any tool box. If you've ever used regular locking pliers to try to get a stripped bolt out, you'll find this new style of locking wrench works wonders.

Irwin Vise-Grip Locking Wrench
Model 7LW
$15

Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Irwin

Roomier than a car, but cheaper than an RV, a retrofitted van makes a cool inexpensive house. Once popular during hippie days, the ancient American tradition of modifying a van is undergoing a resurgence as rents continue to rise. More folks each year commute from work and then park their home, instead of parking in front of it. On this lovely free website, you can find inspiring examples of cheap nomads, detailed instructions for conversions, gear recommendations, and lots of advice for living in a low rent or homemade RV from "them that's doin' it."

-- KK

Cheap RV Living

Sample Excerpts:

And what about gas mileage? With a car you may get 50 mpg and with an RV you may get 5 mpg. Since we are living cheaply, this is a very important consideration. It's hard to be too specific with mpg numbers. If you buy a 1975 1 ton pickup with a 454, you might get 6 mpg with a camper, but if you buy a 2005 diesel, you may get 20 mpg with the same camper. If you get a 1985 Ford van with a 460, you may get 6 mpg but if you get a 302 V8 you may get 22 mpg. Or, even better, get a Astro minivan, you could get 25 mpg.

*

STEALTH PARKING: After I bought the van, I didn't know where to go with it. I couldn't afford to pay for an RV park (and they probably would not have accepted me anyway since my van was pretty beat-up looking) so I slept in the parking lot of the store where I worked. No one even noticed me! The great thing about the box van was that when I parked in front of any large store, it looked like it belonged there. I lived in that van for 6 years and never once paid for parking anywhere and was never bothered for where I did park.

*

I have a cell phone, a loan payment, van insurance, and credit cards. One of the first things I did to handle this was go "paperless" - I now get all my statements by email and pay my bills online. I get wifi on my laptop, and many public libraries have computers & internet available.

*

Kitchen:
This changed several times as I was building it. I needed pantry space, drawers, and fresh/gray water for the faucet/sink. The kitchen is positioned along the passenger side so I can open the doors when cooking on my camp stove. The counter is actual Formica with a drop down leaf to give me more room when cooking. I have 2 six gallon containers, one is for gray water and one for fresh. I use a hand pump for water, or use gallons of water from the store for cooking and cleaning more often now. I may add a small pump in the future. The microwave sits underneath with enough space in the pantry for about a week's worth of food. The spice rack is a must have for me, because while the portions are smaller and more challenging to make, I still don't sacrifice on good food! Under the pantry I store my pans, lids, and plates in a magazine rack from Ikea. The fridge is a standard dorm minifridge I found on craigslist for $20 but I only turn it on when driving or when plugged into shore power, as it can drain my batteries in two days. Most of the time I use it as a glorified icebox, as I tend to buy fresh foods the day I use them.

*

The Pee Bottle:

First and foremost, the pee bottle must be leakproof and unbreakable for obvious reasons! For all my adventures, I've used a 1 liter, wide-mouth Lexan bottle made by Nalgene. They come in a variety of colors - I've settled on the dark yellow one for my pee bottle so I don't mistake it for my drinking water bottle. Similar, less expensive brands can be found in the sporting goods department at WalMart or Target, or experiment with plastic food product containers with tight fitting lids and enough volume.

Spill Proof - One fear I have in van or tent is fumbling and spilling the pee bottle before I have the lid screwed on all the way. To safeguard this, I made a wrist loop out of a piece of 1inch wide nylon webbing which I duct taped to the bottle (see photo). The wrist loop is loose enough to slip easily on and off and to hold the bottle with that hand, but tight enough that the bottle won't fall if I loose my grip. Slip the loop over one hand, unscrew the lid, and away you go; just be sure to screw the lid on tightly before slipping out of the wrist loop. A piece of cord would work just as well as the nylon webbing - just get the loop the right size.

I keep two pee bottles in the van just in case I forget to empty one during the day - and on long, cold nights sometimes one liter just isn't enough!

*
What vehicle to buy?

If gas mileage and stealth are most important: Chevrolet Astro minivan--great mpg and super stealth.

If room and stealth are most important: Full-size American van, especially the Dodge with a 318 V8.

If headroom is most important: High-top American conversion van.

For a couple, or if you need lots of room: Box van or Step-van, both with a diesel engine.

If you want to go further into the back-country: Pickup with a camper with 4X4.

Though I claim to be a photographer I don't own a printer. I can't stand dealing with ink cartridges or printer profiles. Instead, I rely on Costco Photo for most, if not all, of my photo printing needs.

Costco is the cheapest place I have found that prints on high quality Fuji archival photo paper in sizes up to 20" x 30". At $9.99 for a 20"x30" print, it's 1/3rd the cost of the previously reviewed Pictopia (though, admittedly, they lack the same range in sizes). You do not need a membership to use the Costco Photo Center service on-line but it necessitates that the prints are shipped to you. Larger prints are shipped rolled in a tube. If you are a Costco member you are allowed to use custom color profiles while also adding the option of picking up your order at the nearest Costco which can cut down on turn-around time.

I have heard on forums that Costco Photo Centers vary significantly in quality, and that some labs are run incredibly well and are capable of producing results equivalent to far more expensive services, while others have wonky colors with less than dedicated staff. In my experience, if I ever have a problem with a photo, no matter how minor, they are very, very quick to reprint while also letting me keep both (which is a nice bonus).

Costco Photo Center
20"x30" print on Fuji archival photo paper
$10

Available from Costco Photo Center

I ride recumbent bikes with very long chains. My experience with them has been that in the reclined seating position, I can put a huge amount of force on the pedals. Sometimes this can be more than the chain can handle, and a link will break.

A lot of bikes use SRAM chains, and SRAM makes quick-closing replacement links called PowerLinks for repairing and allowing quick-disconnect of your chain for cleaning. There are different sizes of PowerLinks depending on if your chain is an eight, nine, or ten speed chain. The PowerLinks are cheap ($5 for a pack of two pairs), so I keep a few pairs in my bike tool bag. It takes around five minutes to repair a broken chain on the road.

To repair a SRAM chain with a PowerLink, you still need a cheap chain rivet remover tool. You remove the broken link with the tool, put one half of the PowerLink on each end of the broken chain, and snap them together. It's much quicker and more reliable than trying to re-rivet your chain with a chain rivet tool.

PowerLinks
$5

Available from REI

Manufactured by SRAM

The single best piece of gear in my camp pack is the Coleman Lantern Hanger. It's nothing more than a length of chain you wrap around a tree and a clever, stable hook from which you hang your lantern. It ain't high-tech, but at eight bucks it provides unbelievable utility. Getting your light source up off the ground not only provides better light at your campsite, it's also safer.

Coleman Lantern Hanger
$8

Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Coleman

I recently found this fantastic laptop table at an Ikea for less than $20. Assembly was quick and easy, using the supplied tools (a pair of allen wrenches). The table is sturdy, easy to haul around using the handle cut into the top, and the height adjusts easily so that I can use it in the back room, where the chair is relatively high, and on the porch glider, where I sit much lower.

A simple lever under the top lets you quickly adjust it from level to slanted - but nowhere in between, which is the only fault I've found in it. I'd like a position half-way between dead level, when my arms are not in the most comfortable position, and tilted, when the MacBook tends to slide off.

This table really takes the weight off my knees, and has made an enormous difference. I thought I was going to have to go in for knee replacement, but I quickly discovered that it was the weight of my cushioned lap-desk that was causing the pain.

I've been using the Dave table more or less constantly since I bought it, and I don't know that I've ever bought anything more useful for such a low price. One of the best things about it is the very low height of the feet which support the table post. This allows the unit to easily slide under a couple of pieces of furniture that could never accommodate one of the laptop tables that are on wheels.

Ikea Dave Laptop Table
$18

Available from and manufactured by Ikea

When I moved into my apartment I found it had a through-the-wall air conditioner sleeve. I ignored it and installed my window air conditioner. When that old AC died about 3 years ago, I was told by the co-op board that the rules had changed and I had to use the sleeve. I guess I should pay more attention to coop board announcements. My problem was that next to the sleeve was a 110V outlet but every AC that fit the sleeve required 220V.

After being quoted over $1000 to run 220V to the sleeve I was desperate to find another solution. Luckily, I found the Quick 220 Power Converter. All it took was the 110V outlet near the sleeve and an extension cord from another 110V outlet on a different circuit. Instantly, I had two 220V outlets. And at $160.00 I was very happy with the price. They also throw in an outlet tester because both 110V outlets must be wired correctly (not something you can assume in an old apartment) for the Quick 220 to work.

Quick 220 Volt Converter
$160

Available from and manufactured by Quick 220 Systems

I am responsible for over a dozen miles of 4 and 5 strand barbwire fence. A good reliable wire cutter is a godsend, and this is it. It's ingenious and simple. The key part is the lock mechanism. It's a sliding lock. You hold it "jaws-down," press the grips and it locks. You are now free to place it in a slash or slot pocket on typical painter's/carpenter's pants. When you need it you pull it out, hold it "jaws-up," and it unlocks. Ready for use. No more "sprung" pliers or vise-grips stuck in rear pockets impossible to pull out while you have only one hand free!

Companion 8 in. Wire Cutters
$10

Available from and manufactured by Sears