Tag:Tips
Why didn’t anyone tell me that?
This is a non-construction tip. I saw this on Twitter the other day and wondered why no one ever told me this. The little triangle on your gas gauge next to the gas pump symbol… It’s not just a triangle, it’s an arrow pointing to the side of the car that the gas cap is on. Really!?! Why didn’t anyone tell me that? Not that it’s a huge deal, but it’s definitely one of those PITA things when you rent a car and pull in expecting it to be one way and it turns out to be the other way. I’m sure some of you (like Julie here in our office) are thinking, “Duh! How could he not know that?” Well, I didn’t. If you didn’t, you’re welcome. Ha!
Since reading about this I’ve been looking and not every car has it. That makes me feel a little better. It’s still something good to know. I’ll at least look the next time I’m trying to put gas in a strange car.
Source: Gas gauge picture borrowed from howisavemoney.net
Decorative Grab Bars
Delta Faucet Decorative Grab Bars
The standard grab bar offerings are very institutional and look like they are made for hospital or nursing home settings, i.e functional, but not aesthetically appealing. Even in new construction of assisted living facilities we often only put in the blocking for grab bars leaving the installation until they’re needed. Delta Faucet has a new line of decorative ADA grab bars that lose the institutional look, but retain the functionality. The Delta faucet grab bars come in finishes like chrome, gold and oil rubbed bronze with trims that match the Delta faucet collections. They also include anchoring systems to meet ADA standards.
These are just the latest offerings. Also check out the Kohler, Rohl and Bellacor collections.
Like most ADA grab bars it is best to plan for these in new construction to allow proper blocking to be placed behind the walls, but these new decorative offerings make it more attractive to install these in new construction before there is a need.
Own your own Spy in the Sky
Image borrowed from thrillist.com via supercompressor.com
Now you too can spy on your friends and neighbors just like the NSA! Lehmann Aviations LA100 is an automated drone on which you can mount your own GoPro camera for your own aerial photography.
From the Lehmann website: “LA100 – world’s first aircraft designed for users with no piloting background – is now coming in Version2. It is a fully autonomous UAV (drone). Just choose one of the suggested flight paths and altitude in OperationCenter, check drone’s systems via Wi-Fi, connect the battery, launch it, and wait for it to come back to you after 5 minutes of flight (limited for safety purposes). The whole system comes ready to fly without GoPro and tablet.“
You can pick one of their kits up at their website for $990 and be up and flying in no time.
Balanced Shelf
I ran across the Balanced Shelf and I thought this was an interesting piece of functional art. From the creator, Chis Cushingham, “A wall mounted bookshelf that helps you visualize your stack of read books vs. unread books; motivation to get some reading done.“
I like the use of common materials used to create this “sculpture” and its options to change its look and position over time. Despite the current trend toward e-books, I still like to hold a book and on more than one occasion have lucked out on a good book by judging its cover.
If you’re interested in one of your own, head over to Cush Design Studio‘s website here.
Quirky
Have you ever had one of those moments of, “I wish someone would come up with a solution for ___________” Or maybe you have the solution, but just don’t know what to do with it. Quirky is a company to fill that need. The site lets you submit your idea, either fully formed or a napkin doodle, for consideration by the Quirky community. From their website, “Every Thursday, we gather a group of industry experts, friends, and community members at our Headquarters in New York. Watch live as we drink beer and debate the best ideas that have been submitted. Before we’re allowed to go home, we’ve chosen the next products that we’ll begin working on.” Even if you don’t have an idea, you can become part of the Quirky community and help hone someone else’s idea. If it’s successful and you contributed, you participate in any profits! Pretty Cool!
Cyclone spiral hotdog slicer at Quirky Shop
The site also has a shopping section where you can purchase some of the quirky products. Each product has a picture of the inventor and a little about them. Products on the site range from a spiral hotdog slicer (Cyclone) to an app controlled window air conditioner (Aros) which brings the smart wi-fi thermostat technology to your window unit.
Quirky is a fun site that might earn you some money. I think I’m going to sign up. Maybe I’ll see you around the Quirky Community!
