The Jimi Wallet is a minimalist hard-shell plastic case design. It’s the perfect antidote to the “Costanza Wallet” syndrome my dad had, because it forces you to discard all but what you really need. The Jimi has room for exactly three pieces of plastic, a security access card, and a money clip that holds 5-6 [...]

Once you get hooked on foraging for wild mushrooms, you begin to wonder why you can’t just farm them. Picking mushrooms from your backyard or basement would sure be a lot easier than roaming the hinterlands. Well, so far about 30 different kinds mushrooms can be cultivated, although none of the techniques are trivial. The [...]

Once you get hooked on foraging for wild mushrooms, you begin to wonder why you can’t just farm them. Picking mushrooms from your backyard or basement would sure be a lot easier than roaming the hinterlands. Well, so far about 30 different kinds mushrooms can be cultivated, although none of the techniques are trivial. The [...]

OXO has a serious presence in my kitchen, but the one- and two-cup adjustable measuring cups I added four months ago might be the last items I would sell. They are darned near perfect. I’ve used other plunger-and-sleeve style adjustable measuring cups, and they were great for measuring odd quantities or volumes without using several [...]

OXO has a serious presence in my kitchen, but the one- and two-cup adjustable measuring cups I added four months ago might be the last items I would sell. They are darned near perfect. I’ve used other plunger-and-sleeve style adjustable measuring cups, and they were great for measuring odd quantities or volumes without using several [...]

After years of carrying around a repair kit of bits and pieces for my biking excursions I decided to upgrade and replace almost all my bike gear. I came across this patch kit in a shop in London. Its a small aluminium sleeve containing adhesive patches, a tire boot (for those occasions when you need [...]

Earlier this year I purchased a Parker Jotter stainless steel pen based purely on its cool factor as being the pen that James Bond used in the 1995 film Goldeneye, as I had seen on the Bond Lifestyle web page. I searched for it online and ended up purchasing one from my local office and [...]

I use well-seasoned cast iron and carbon steel pans for the better part of my cooking. To clean them, I’ve used the same bamboo wok brush than I bought at a corner market in Sacramento in 1990. I’ve been thinking of buying a new one, just so I can phase it in over a few [...]

The Glowdoggie Ultra is a German-engineered LED lighted dog collar. It allows you to see your dog at night, at a distance. I have had my Glowdoggie collar for about 4 months now. As a professional dog trainer I have seen many, many different collars, and this collar far exceeds the run of the mill [...]

Growing tomatoes in a garden with limited space is a challenge, since the plants get tall, unwieldy and flop all over once the tomatoes start weighing them down. Keeping the plants off the ground is important, too, so your tomatoes aren’t in the dirt where they rot more easily or get eaten by slugs or [...]

Welcome to episode 3 of Cool Tools’ Show and Tell podcast! This time, I had a video hangout with: Brian Heater, the Director of Media and Senior editor for Engadget, where he writes features, covers news and hosts the show and podcast. He’s written for Spin, Wired.com, The Onion, The New York Press, The Daily [...]

Cool Tools is giving away a one-year subscription to TripIt Pro ($49 value) to one person who signs up for the Cool Tools Newsletter between now and Thursday, May 16 at 10pm PT. (Current newsletter subscribers are automatically included in the running.) Here’s my TripIt review on Cool Tools. We’ll pick one newsletter subscriber at [...]