The Savvy Life

I am not the kind of person who carries photos of people around with me. Just for the record, I’m also not the kind of person who has photos of my car in my wallet. I have two pictures up at my desk of friends, and I even feel weird about that because it seems obsessive. Why those friends? Are they particularly close to me or did I just put them up so people at work don’t think I’m a loner psycho? Well, if I ever decide to carry photos with me there is a new gadget that will make my life easier. No more stuffing photos in my already stuffed wallet. Digital Foci Pocket Album is a keychain with a 1.5″ LCD screen which holds up to 74 pictures (8 MB storage). Luckily I don’t have that many nieces and nephews… I think. It has been awhile since I counted. If I did though, I would be set. For $39.95, it seems like a pretty decent device to me. Especially since it can also act like a watch. It is charged via USB for extra convenience.

Speaking of high tech pictures, the eStarling E-Mail Enabled Wi-Fi Photo Frame at ThinkGeek is a wireless digital frame that can take pictures from Flickr feeds or receive pictures emailed to it from outside sources. Can’t wait to see the spam that will start to appear on these frames! Oh, not to worry, the frame can be set up to receive pictures from specified email addresses. This is a pricey gadget costing between $149.99 and $269.99 representing three different models with different resolutions.

A little secret about me, I really love steampunk kind of stuff, yet Target doesn’t really sell steampunk designs. Yet. Instead of shaking my fist angrily at the sky I can shell out $59.95 for the Lightning Alarm Clock from Physlink. Instead of an annoying beeping noise, the clock supposedly wakes the sleeper through electrical buzzing. I don’t know if I would necessarily trust it to wake me up on those dark cold winter mornings, but it looks so dang cool!

Flavor injected meat is both moist and delicious. Injecting the flavor can be a real pain though and if the meat is being basted, it involves opening up the oven door which means huge fluctuations in the temperature of the cooking environment. The Spice Seasoner found over at Solutions.com does the tedious work in the oven. Fill it with the oil and flavors, push it into the meat, and let the heat of the oven do all the work. This is a stainless steel device with a very reasonable price tag of $14.95.
Replug is a brilliant little device that I think will be part of a revolution of wired technology. This particular gadget is designed for audio plugs. The male connector slides into the audio jack of your device and then the other end where you would plug in your earphones connects to the first part magnetically. When force is exerted upon the connection, it pulls way from the device without straining the plug or jack. The Replug is not yet for sale, but will be soon, according to the website.

A midday nap really gives your brain and body a boost if done correctly. There is a way of getting even more out of a 15 minute nap, according to Wired’s How To Wiki article (by way of Lifehacker.com) Cheat on the Need to Sleep.

Experiments performed at Loughborough University in the UK showed that the sleep-deprived need only a cup of coffee and 15 minutes of shut-eye to feel amazingly refreshed.

I’m a huge advocate of naps. I try to take a twenty minute nap at lunch every day. I do find that it helps control my appetite and really helps me stay calm and in control while at work. I’m also a huge caffeine addict and I don’t make any excuses for it nor do I complain. I like the effects of caffeine, I love the taste of coffee, and the downside for me is minimal.

I love this idea of combining a dose of caffeine with a nap to then have a temporarily supercharged mind and body. As the effects of the caffeine wear off, the benefits of the nap will remain. Normally, when using caffeine to counteract lack of sleep I am left feeling really drained once the caffeine wears off. That isn’t a complaint, it is just an observation.