Cooperative Living November/December 2015 - 12

CURRENTS by Tom Tate, Contributing Writer
'Tis the Gift-Giving
Season
A
ll year we've talked about ways
to be frugal with your energy use
so that you can be comfortable
and keep your bills low. This month I am
taking a break from frugality to show
you how to spend some of that money
you saved on some really cool gizmos,
gadgets and other fun things.
I am a gadget guy, through and
through. Nothing catches my fancy
quicker than a glittering piece of technology,
cool gadget or fascinating smartphone
app. In fact, my daily regimen
involves searching a couple of websites to
see what's new and interesting. Here are
some of my favorites - just in time for
Christmas.
Navigate to this website, uncrate.com,
and prepare to indulge your every
gadget wish. This site presents stuff for the
guys ranging from a $5 pocket tool to a
multimillion-dollar Bugatti sports car. The
reviews are short and sweet, quickly directing
you to the place where you can
buy. For a taste of what's offered, click on
the " Most Wanted " tab. There you'll find
a weed-killing flamethrower (legal for civilians),
a Nerf 12-round rapid-fire blaster,
the Exploride heads-up display for your
car (so you too can emulate a F-22 pilot in
your daily driver) and much more.
Then there is www.smarthome.com.
I have done business with this company
since the mid-1990s and it continues to impress
with an array of products designed
to help you build whatever level of smart
home your heart desires. If you have anything
in your home you want to automate,
this is the place to start; water-leak sensors
that can text you while you are in Aruba;
automatic blind-closers to keep a room at
the proper temperature (or shut out
snoopy neighbors); smart thermostats
galore; sophisticated lighting controls;
expansive audiovisual control to make
your home a haven of classical music or
a cauldron of heavy metal. From " justaware "
to nearly sentient, this company
can meet your smart-home needs.
10
Most of us have items
we carry on a daily basis.
In modern parlance, this is
your everyday carry or
EDC for short. My
EDC consists of a
watch, pocketknife,
my smarty-pants phone,
a nice pen and frontpocket
wallet. Believe
me when I tell
you, mine is lightweight
compared
to some of the
loads shown at
everydaycarry.
com. Set your
browser to this site
and revel in the
things that people
profess to carry with
them wherever they roam.
Knives, pens, baubles ... the
list is endless. You are sure to find
a gadget of interest in the mix. I have.
The smartphone has become an amazMost
of us have items we
carry on a daily basis. In
modern parlance, this is
your everyday carry or
EDC for short. My EDC
consists of a watch, pocketknife,
my smarty-pants
phone, a nice pen and
front-pocket wallet. Believe
me when I tell you, mine is
lightweight compared to
some of the loads shown at
everydaycarry.com.
ing device in just a few short years. I like to
imagine it as Mr. Spock's tricorder from
Star Trek. With the right app and hardware,
it can fill this role nicely. FLIR 1 is an
infrared camera for smartphones from one
of the top manufacturers of such equipment.
Use it to check for heat leaks in your
home, see if your propane tank has the
proper charge or start a paranormal investigation:
www.flir.com/flirone. Then there is
the Lapka range of modules for your smartphone.
They describe their products as
" personal environment monitors. " To back
this up they offer modules that measure radiation,
EMF, bacteria and humidity. When
Captain Kirk sends you out to check the environment,
you'll be ready. Or, simply keep
tabs of your personal space. mylapka.com.
You've saved all year by being a good
steward of your energy use. Reward yourself.
Plenty of these gadgets will help you
continue your saving ways, so you'll have
justification for your purchases. n
Cooperative Living/November-December 2015
ZONADEARTE/ISTOCK/THINKSTOCK
http://www.uncrate.com http://www.smarthome.com http://www.flir.com/flirone http://www.mylapka.com http://www.everydaycarry.com
Cooperative Living November/December 2015

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