Now here's something useful to know: nagging really works. That's right. When you nag your significant other over and over to pick his/her socks or throw the towels in the hamper as opposed to throwing them on the floor, it does eventually seep in. And why is that? Because you wear them down until they realize that Resistance Is Futile.
Women who are forever urging their other halves to help more around the house may feel at times they are wasting their breath.
But they should persevere -- because experts have declared that nagging does work.
Research shows that the sort of mental exhaustion produced by a constant stream of questions or orders leaves us open to persuasion. In other words, nagging leaves us too tired to resist.
This is one of eight pieces of advice gleaned from a host of studies carried out around the world on the science of persuasion.
Other tips on getting your own way include not hesitating when making your pitch, not giving too many choices and meeting face to face, New Scientist magazine reports. Studies show people are more likely to do what is being asked if their mental reserves are low.
So, when you want something first you must wait until your victim's mental reserves are low. Offer him two options, making the option you want sound great and the other option sound terrible. Then nag him to death until he gives in to your wishes. Thigh high black boots and whip optional.
It's spring and we are doing the closet clean-out, putting up winter clothes and pulling out what we need for summer. Of course, about half an hour into the project we realized that we simply can't do any more closet cleaning without heading to the Container Store to buy the latest storage gadgets and more boxes.
But before we got out the door we saw this new product called the Scarf Caddy. We have like a zillion scarves and the storage is a bit of a pain.
The Scarf Caddy features a patented winding mechanism that "quickly yet gently rolls a single scarf or sash into its protective, transparent case for storage and travel purposes." The case is see-through so you can see what you have, but it still keeps the dust off. It's $7.95 and -- what do you know -- it's available at The Container Store. You can also buy it online at
ScarfCaddy.com.
This is the perfect gift for the uncontrollable neatnick in your life. If she sorts her wardrobe by color and season, she's bound to want to spend hours rolling and unrolling her scarves. Now, it's off to buy some more shoe containers!
Land's End has a very cute idea for Mother's Day: the Artwork Tote bag. We love Land's End totes for their durability and multiplicity of sizes they come in. Now you can upload your favorite photo and put it on the bag. It's a great project for the kids to give to Mom (Dad, an older sibling or a caring aunt will have to step in with the emailing the photo and paying part, of course).
The totes start at $34.50. You can go to LandsEnd.com
and it explains how to do it. It's easy and if you order by April 28th, it will make it to mom by Mother's Day.
This is just so wrong on so many levels. The TwoDaLoo is the world's first
toilet two people can use at the exact same time. The manufacturer says "It brings couples closer together and conserves our water supply all with one flush. The TwoDaLoo features two side-by-side toilet seats with a modest privacy wall in between. An upgraded version includes a seven inch LCD television and iPod docking station."
An iPod station and a television? How long do these people spend on the toilet, anyway? We don't care what it costs, we want our own toilet. No sharing. No "togetherness on the toilet." Some things are just never going to happen. The inventor of this horrifying toilet has a lot to answer for.
Tax time is just around the corner and if you don't use an accountant to do your returns, you can always do it yourself with TurboTax. It's easy to use: you just get all your information together and start entering. It connects to the Internet to check for updates, and has a nice override feature if you need to enter an unusual deduction that you need to enter directly on the return.
If you use TurboTax every year, it will import last year's return so you don't have to enter much of the same information from year to year. The software does a great job for returns that aren't so complex that they require a tax professional. TurboTax Deluxe Federal and State 2007 edition is available for just under $40 at Amazon.com and at just about any office store. Note: the Deluxe version includes free e-filing.
This year, TurboTax is offering some great free stuff for taxpayers:
Tax Rebate Calculator
130 million Americans will begin receiving tax rebates in May as a result
of the economic stimulus package passed by Congress. So, how much of a rebate will you get? The new, free online Tax Rebate calculator lets you
see how much money the economic
stimulus plan will put into their pockets. You can use this calculator by
visiting TurboTax.com and clicking on the icon in the lower right hand
corner of the main page or by going directly here.
Free Filing
If you earned $30,000 or less or were active military duty or qualify for the
Earned Income Credit, you can use the resources at TaxFreedom.com to fill
out your forms and e-file.
A new study concludes that husbands create
an additional seven hours of housework a week for their wives.
A new study from the University of Michigan shows that having a husband creates an extra seven hours of extra housework a week for women. But a wife saves her husband from an hour of chores around the house each week.
"It's a well-known pattern. There's still a significant reallocation of labor that occurs at marriage -- men tend to work more outside the home, while women take on more of the household labor," said Frank Stafford, of the university's Institute for Social Research (ISR), who directed the study.
"And the situation gets worse for women when they have children," he added in a statement.
Stafford's findings are based on 2005 time-diary data from a study on income dynamics that has been conducted since 1968 at ISR.
The researchers studied diaries to assess how people spent their time and questioned men and women about how much time they spend cooking, cleaning and doing basic work around the house.
They found that young single women did the least amount of housework, at about 12 hours a week. Married women in their 60 and 70s did nearly twice that amount, while women with more than three children spent 28 hours a week cleaning, cooking and washing.
But it's not as bad as it used to be. In 1976 women did an average of 26 hours of housework a week, while men did about six, according to the study,
We don't know any single women that do 12 hours of housework a week. Ok, we do know one with OCD who cleans constantly but other that her -- no one. We suppose most of the working women we know send their laundry out and eat out a lot, which cuts down on the housework. And some don't really eat, which is a big timesaver. But it's true that the married women we know seem to do an inordinate amount of work, whether their husbands help out or not.
We're actually kind of shocked by these findings. We feel like it's more like an extra 10-15 hours of week. Unless the husband in question is ex-military, or just loves tidiness.
Allergy season is upon us. Unfortunately, there have been no major medical breakthroughs on the allergy front, so we're stuck with the same old, same old this spring: antihistamines, nasal sprays, mountains of Puffs, vaporizers and the like. But we did see that one enterprising electronics company has created a washer dryer combo that claims to remove 95% of allergens: the SteamWasher and Dryer Combo with Allergiene Cycle by LG Electronics.
Just in time for allergy season, LG Electronics has introduced a washer/dryer combination that removes up to 95 percent of allergens. The product, called the LG SteamWasher and Dryer Combo with Allergiene Cycle, has a compact design that is meant to fit in closets.
The company had previously released appliances that had been certified as asthma-and-allergy friendly, but the new product is LG's first such product that is both a washer and dryer. The initiative, LG says, is meant to cater to the 70 percent of households affected by asthma or allergies in the U.S.
"Our new Allergiene steam combo extends this industry-first benefit to more consumers who need to reduce allergens in their washable fabrics in order to be better prepared this allergy season," the vice president of marketing for LG's U.S. appliances group, John Weinstock, said in a statement.
The product, with a white finish, is available now at a suggested retail price of $1,999.
It's an interesting idea. We're not sure about something that's both a washer and a dryer at the same time, but hey, why not? The $2,000 price tag is not cheap, though.
In honor of Easter, take a look at this video of Martha Stewart and Conan O'Brien decorating Easter eggs on the 500th episode of her show. Happy Easter!
We, like millions of other consumers, decided to heed the call and buy the new fluorescent lightbulbs that last longer and are supposedly environmentally friendly. But shocking
new facts
have emerged about the bulbs. They are full of mercury. And if you break one, it's so toxic that you have to turn off your A/C or heating, open a window and leave the room for hours afterward. No, really. And you have practically have to wear a hazmat suit to dispose of the darn things. Then, all that mercury from the old lightbulbs is going to end up in our groundwater, then in us. That's really, really bad.
Compact fluorescent light bulbs, long touted by environmentalists as a more efficient and longer-lasting alternative to the incandescent bulbs that have lighted homes for more than a century, are running into resistance from waste industry officials and some environmental scientists, who warn that the bulbs' poisonous innards pose a bigger threat to health and the environment than previously thought.
Fluorescents - the squiggly, coiled bulbs that generate light by heating gases in a glass tube - are generally considered to use more than 50 percent less energy and to last several times longer than incandescent bulbs.
When fluorescent bulbs first hit store shelves several years ago, consumers complained about the loud noise they made, their harsh light, their bluish color, their clunky shape and the long time it took for them to warm up.
Since then, the bulbs - known as CFLs - have been revamped, and strict government guidelines have alleviated most of those problems. But while the bulbs are extremely energy-efficient, one problem hasn't gone away: All CFLs contain mercury, a neurotoxin that can cause kidney and brain damage.
The amount is tiny - about 5 milligrams, or barely enough to cover the tip of a pen - but that is enough to contaminate up to 6,000 gallons of water beyond safe drinking levels, extrapolated from Stanford University research on mercury. Even the latest lamps promoted as "low-mercury" can contaminate more than 1,000 gallons of water beyond safe levels.
*****
In fact, qualified places to recycle CFLs are so few that the largest recycler of of fluorescent bulbs in America is Ikea, the furniture chain.
"I think there's going to be hundreds of millions of [CFLs] in landfills all over the country," said Leonard Worth, head of Fluorecycle Inc. of Ingleside, Ill., a certified facility.
Once in a landfill, bulbs are likely to shatter even if they’re packaged properly, said the Solid Waste Association of North America. From there, mercury can leach into soil and groundwater and its vapors can spread through the air, potentially exposing workers to toxic levels of the poison.
We have not noticed any improvement in the "slow to heat up" and "flickering" issues. In fact, we've been reading reports in the British press that many people are complaining of migraine headaches after being around the bulbs -- the flickering can trigger migraines and possibly epileptic fits. They still emit a high pitched hum that some people can hear and it drives them nuts.
We think this whole lightbulb thing needs to be re-thought out before the federal ban on old lightbulbs kicks in in 2009. Facts, people. We need facts. And scientifically valid, green solutions. If you break one of these toxic bulbs, do follow the lengthy cleanup procedures recommended by the EPA here. And be sure not to let your children or pets anywhere near them.
Or, you could just switch back to the old kind until they remove the mercury from our lightbulbs.
Easter is this coming Sunday and if you want to try something different for the kids' Easter baskets, the folks at Family Fun have some great ideas for fun baskets that you and the kids can make together the day before. This video from The Today Show illustrates some of the creative and fun ideas they have -- we especially like the bunny basket made with cotton balls. Even the littlest child can work on that one. Of course, she'll probably end up with a few cotton balls glued into her hair, but hey -- it's a learning experience. You can get full craft instructions at the Family Fun website.
The L.A. Timesexamines
the hot new growth area of elder luxe. Elder Luxe is the concept that aging doesn't have to mean ugly walkers, wheelchairs or every space-saving single gadget from the Lillian Vernon catalog. Arthritic knees are cosseted with stylish loungers and colorful canes. You get the idea.
But a growing number of companies directed to the needs of seniors are fomenting just such rebellion, insisting that home design doesn't stop at geezerhood or the first hearing aid.
We're no longer stuck with grim, all-function, no-aesthetic medical supply fare that adds insult to infirmity. Seniors and others now can choose from an array of chic aids that don't make them feel as if they've just been discharged from intensive care.
Leading the charge are websites such as Elderluxe and Gold Violin, as well as legendary architect and industrial designer Michael Graves, who is introducing a line of tub bars, canes and other aids for daily living that are sleek and modern.
Need a hand with the groceries? Forget that decrepit granny cart that looks as if it came from Woolworth's in 1962. Upgrade to a black patent leather shopping trolley from Murval of Paris, available from www.elderluxe.com.
"We're saying that aging can be a more positive experience. You can still have a very vibrant and active life," says Patrick Conboy, founder of Chicago-based Elderluxe, a Sharper Image for seniors that sells designer shower chairs, home exercise equipment calibrated for older bodies, high-tech body-fat analyzers and a tricked-out $3,200 scooter that looks ready for the NASCAR circuit.
Pictured is a set of chefware which has ergonomically designed handles to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome and to make it easy for those with arthritis to avoid spills and burns. The set retails for $325 at the appropriately named store
Elderluxe.com.
Other hot elder luxe shopping destinations include Gold Violin and
QVC. Target shoppers can look forward to Michael Graves Solutions, which Graves designed after a virus put him him in a wheelchair. Unhappy with grim hospital style bathrooms, he's designed a colorful and ergonomic bathroom/home line for those with mobility issues.
This sleek wall unit from MisuraEmme takes us as a step closer to the future. You can see more photographs of the wall unit here on MisuraEmme's website. As Trendir suggests it is for highly organized people or at least people desiring to look like highly organized people.
With plenty of space for all of your entertainment system, a place for an integral flat-screen TV, a handy bar, and display areas for treasured possessions, this contemporary wall unit by MisuraEmme is the solution to uncluttering your living area. Broad expanses of reflective glass create the sleek and futuristic look of the wall unit, hiding and revealing items as you please. Being a modular system, the wall unit is flexible and easily adapted to your specific needs. MisuraEmme is a company looking to the future in other ways... they are proud of their low environmental impact through their use of MOS technology. This varnishing technology involves water soluble solvents and, in short, the MOS method of lacquer spraying eliminates the release of toxic particles into the air. MisuraEmme proves that cutting-edge style can indeed have a conscience.
Some of us love the barrage of holiday catalogs that start arriving in October and have become a veritable fortress of paper by the end of December. But some people really hate getting catalogs. A website called Catalog Choice, funded by environmental groups, offers an opt-out service where consumers can opt out of specific catalogs. So far 300,000 people have signed up and retailers are starting to get freaked out.
The environmentalists are putting retailers on the spot at a delicate time. In the last year, "Do Not Mail" initiatives have been proposed in 15 states. Similar to the federal "Do Not Call" legislation, which bans telemarketers from calling phone numbers on a special opt-out list, the bills have made little progress so far. But the movement appears to be picking up, and bad press from a group like Catalog Choice could tip consumer sentiment.
So on Dec. 17, the DMA held a "catalog summit" at its New York offices to discuss how to fight back. "Activist groups are out there collecting names for petitions and beating the drum," DMA President John A. Greco Jr. told attendees. "We would advise you not to encourage them in any way."
At the meeting, Greco introduced an upgrade to the DMA's own opt-out service, which he recommended his members use exclusively. Like Catalog Choice, the DMA's Mail Preference Service will now let consumers pick which catalogs they do not want to receive by title. But it will require users to submit a credit-card number to verify their identity, and it will cost $1 (the DMA says it will soon remove the fee). It also will have an "opt-in" for consumers to add their names to catalogs' house lists. The hope, says Greco, is to show that direct marketers can regulate themselves.
So far, most retailers either refuse to take the names off their lists or just give a "no comment" when asked about their policies. It's true that excess catalogs take a toll on the environment. If we took all the Pottery Barn catalogs we receive in a year (unasked for) it would stretch three times around the globe. Ok, it's not quite that many, but it sure feels that way. But we love our Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Williams-Sonoma catalogs. You can pry those from our cold, dead hands. Oh, and if you think postage is expensive now, wait until catalogs and mailers are outlawed. Those ad mailing keep the postal system alive; without them it will cost $5 to mail a letter.
The holiday shopping season seems to be going by very quickly. This time of year the days remaining to ship items and still get them there in time for Christmas (without paying extra) really starts to dwindle. It also becomes more and more difficult to find those hot toys and gadgets. Cyber Monday is behind us but there are still many great sales and coupons to be found. We have rounded up a few of them of for you in this post.
Sears.com is bringing Cyber Monday back with an extra 10% off many items today only.
Tool King has free shipping on orders of $99 or more.
You can find more coupons and sales on ShoppersShop.com's Sales and Deals page. ShoppersShop.com also has a section here that lists recent price drops at dozens of online merchants including Brookstone, Circuit City, HSN, Ross-Simons, ShoeBuy, UBid and Walmart.com.
Two home trends gaining in popularity are second kitchens and underground garages. A Newsday article says the second kitchens fit into three categories.
Second kitchens tend to fall into three categories: those still-rare high-end restaurant-style kitchens for personal chefs and caterers, lower-cost functional kitchens for home cooking too messy or smoky for the luxury show kitchen seen by guests, and small auxiliary kitchens used primarily for religious holidays or for entertaining.
These kitchens are ideal for homes that hire a personal chef. Homeowners that do a lot of entertaining may also find a second kitchen a great place to allow caterers to set-up their gourmet deliveries.
"This is the new thing," says John Kean, a luxury home builder based in Cold Spring Harbor. "We really didn't get much call for it until the last few years."
His clients want restaurant-style kitchens in their huge vacation homes in the Hamptons, Palm Beach, Fla., and Vail, Colo., for their personal chefs and caterers to use. "Now we're starting to see it more on the North Shore of Long Island," he adds. "Some clients suggest it to us, and others, a light bulb goes off in their heads when we suggest it to them."
Shawn Elliott, broker-owner of Woodbury-based Shawn Elliott Luxury Homes, says big elaborate butler's pantries (which may have every appliance but a stove) and separate kitchens become more common the closer the home's value is to $5 million-plus. But in any case, whether and how it's done depends on local rules and regulations.
"The plans have to be approved; there's no hiding a second kitchen," he says. "But it definitely can be done. Where there's a will, there's a way."
Another emerging luxury home trend is underground garages. A Dallas Morning Newsarticle says the idea is becoming more popular for homeowners who want an underground garage so they can save space for a bigger yard or a pool.
Local builders say many of the homeowners opting for a basement or underground garage are transplanted Northerners accustomed to having a subterranean space.
"As land gets more expensive, you have to either give things up or try to find a different way," Mr. Moore said.
"It costs less to put part of your house underground than by buying another lot."
That's why Ed Abraham started putting underground garages in all his company's residential projects three years ago.
It adds about 10 percent to the cost, so a $400,000 house costs closer to $440,000.
"It gives them the ability to have at least a five-car garage," said Mr. Abraham, president of Park Cities Custom Builders. "All my houses have five-car garages; some have six. Plus, it gives them room in the basement to do like a media room."
The article does flag some concerns about water problems in underground garages and the need for a sump pump.
Anthony Bourdain, he of the brilliant cuisine and the caustic mouth has blasted Rachael Ray's new deal with Dunkin' Donuts.
RACHAEL Ray is getting a royal dunkin' from Anthony Bourdain for her big-bucks endorsement deal with Dunkin' Donuts. The prickly chef and "Kitchen Confidential" author says of the Food Network cutie in next month's Outside magazine: "She's got a magazine, a TV empire, all these best-selling books - I'm guessing she's not hurting for money. She's hugely influential, particularly with children. And she's endorsing Dunkin' Donuts. It's like endorsing crack for kids."
Bourdain adds: "I'm not a very ethical guy. I don't have a lot of principles. But somehow that seems to me over the line. Juvenile diabetes has exploded. Half of Americans don't have necks. And she's up there saying, 'Eat some [bleeping] Dunkin' Donuts. You look great in that swimsuit - eat another doughnut!' That's evil." Ray's rep shot back: "Anyone who knows Rachael [sic] and watches her on TV is aware she promotes balance and moderation, instead of living life in extremes. Her work addressing kids' and families' nutritional needs speaks for itself so we respectfully disagree with Anthony's opinion."
Oh, please. It's not like Rachel is doing an ad for crack or crystal meth. Or even for cigarettes. So Rachael gets some die-hard Krispy Kreme fans to switch to Dunkin' Donuts. So what? And if Bourdain really cared about people's health, he wouldn't have used the example of how someone looks in a bikini to bolster his argument. Remember, he didn't like it when overweight people dined in his restaurant and has compared vegans to Hezbollah. He's just shooting off his mouth, as usual. Or maybe he hasn't been offered any lucrative endorsement deals lately. He's always bagging on Rocco DiSpirito for his deals. But Rocco DiSpirito is a great chef -- and he's absolutely darling. Or maybe, as a former heroin and cocaine (and LSD and mushrooms and...you get the idea) addict he feels the need to reform everyone around him, whether they need reforming or not. A two pack a day smoker, Bourdain has some funny ideas about healthy habits.
And speaking of Anthony Bourdain, did you see the Top Chef reunion show last night with all the clips? One particularly hilarious clip showed Chef Tom Colicchio just beaming with joy when Howie sliced Bourdain into tiny verbal pieces by by quoting his own book at him to prove him wrong. It was priceless.
With all the headlines about toys full of lead paint and deadly toothpaste coming out of China (which has far less stringent purity and health controls over products than the U.S. does), many consumers are wanting to buy American -- At least until China gets its contamination woes sorted out. But is anything still actually made in the U.S.A.? Most manufacturing has been outsourced to third world countries. Peter Cohen compiled a list of products that are still made in America.
In this video from CBS News Richard Schlesinger takes a closer look at the lives of people who live aboard luxurious houseboats. This particular couple lies on a million-dollar custom-built 2,300-square-foot houseboat in Lake Cumberland, Kentucky. According to an article about the luxury houseboats this particular houseboat also has "a commercial-style kitchen with a big refrigerator and double ovens, five bedrooms and marble baths." This sounds more like a houseyacht than a houseboat. Here's the video.
iRobot has upgraded its series of robotic vacuum cleaners. The company says it has sold over two million of the robot vacuums to date. Here are some of the new features in the new 500 series of Roombas.
A solid, heavy-duty design featuring modular components for enhanced durability and easy servicing
Anti-tangle technology so Roomba can extract itself from tassels and cord tangles
iRobot's proprietary built-in, light-touch intelligent sensing system that can detect when Roomba is approaching a wall or obstacle and automatically slow the robot for a gentler impact and quieter operation
One-button activation, simply press "clean" and go
A built-in voice tutorial for new users that demonstrates Roomba's features right out of the box
A new mobility platform that allows Roomba to travel on thicker carpets, climb higher thresholds, and transition easily between floor surfaces
New re-designed dustbin holds significantly more debris
Colorful faceplates in white, steel blue, champagne, burnt orange, silver, charcoal, and chestnut so people can personalize Roomba to match their style
The new Roombas range in price from $249 to $399. More specifications and details about the new Roombas can be found on Amazon.com and on the iRobot website. The new Roombas come with different faceplates but you can also personalize your Romba with a Roomba costume from MyRoomBud. They appear to have added some new costumers since we last blogged about them. YouTube is a good place to catch a Roomba in action if you are curious how it works. Some of the videos also show how pets interact with the device. There are over 900 Roomba videos currently on YouTube.
The latest patio trend is to have cool water misters. You know what those are if you've ever been to Las Vegas or to Palm Springs. We recall being in Palm
Springs one spring and heading off for some shopping. It was 110 degrees but we felt fine: as we walked along the shaded sidewalk, cold mist sprayed on us. It was delightful. No water got on us, it just cooled us off. Now the technology is available for homeowners.
"It's the next step after patio heaters," said Jerry Rike, owner of Rapid Cool Misting Systems, based in the Los Angeles area. His company has installed misters at the Bellagio, Mirage and Venetian casinos in Las Vegas. "People want to extend the season when they can enjoy the outdoors in comfort. It's like having an air conditioner outdoors."
On a dry day, misting systems can reduce the ambient temperatures by 28 degrees, Rike said. The thin spray "flash evaporates" and doesn't leave droplets on the skin.
But hot, dry weather is the norm in the desert climes of Vegas. Are cooling misters effective in places like the muggy Midwest?
Yes, but there are a few caveats.
Scott Wedman of Weatherby Lake, Mo., installed a two-nozzle system above his patio years ago. The mist feels refreshing on days when there is less humidity.
*****
Newer misters have high-pressure pumps and nozzles with microscopic spray holes, and they do a better job of dispensing moisture.
Rapid Cool sells stainless-steel pipe systems that can be concealed in soffits or behind fascia boards of covered patios and overhangs.
Homeowners can install the systems, which start at about $1,500, Rike said. The pump makes about as much noise as a room air-conditioning unit, so it should be placed away from the patio area.
Rapid Cool also sells poles resembling shepherd's hooks that can be installed along the railings of decks. Rapid Cool and other companies, including catalog retailer Frontgate, also sell misting fans, good for poolside patios.
"On very humid days, high-pressure systems make the air 15 or 16 degrees cooler," Rike said. "You can wear your glasses and not get speckles of water on the lenses."
We love cooling misters. We always rent outdoor gas heaters for parties when the weather is a bit nippy, and the misters are great for when it's really hot but you still want to be outside.
It's spring and we are doing the closet clean-out, putting up winter clothes and pulling out what we need for summer. Of course, about half an hour into the project we realized that we simply can't do any more closet cleaning without heading to the Container Store to buy the latest storage gadgets and more boxes.
Tax time is just around the corner and if you don't use an accountant to do your returns, you can always do it yourself with TurboTax. It's easy to use: you just get all your information together and start entering. It connects to the Internet to check for updates, and has a nice override feature if you need to enter an unusual deduction that you need to enter directly on the return.
Allergy season is upon us. Unfortunately, there have been no major medical breakthroughs on the allergy front, so we're stuck with the same old, same old this spring: antihistamines, nasal sprays, mountains of Puffs, vaporizers and the like. But we did see that one enterprising electronics company has 
We, like millions of other consumers, decided to heed the call and buy the new fluorescent lightbulbs that last longer and are supposedly environmentally friendly. But shocking
The L.A. Times 
Anthony Bourdain, he of the brilliant cuisine and the caustic mouth has 
iRobot has upgraded its series of robotic vacuum cleaners. The company says it has sold over two million of the robot vacuums to date. Here are some of the new features in the new 500 series of Roombas.
The latest patio trend is to have cool water misters. You know what those are if you've ever been to Las Vegas or to Palm Springs. We recall being in Palm
Springs one spring and heading off for some shopping. It was 110 degrees but we felt fine: as we walked along the shaded sidewalk, cold mist sprayed on us. It was delightful. No water got on us, it just cooled us off. Now the technology is 