Tag:Tips
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!
Smartphone Key
Kevo picture borrowed from appleinsider website
Becky and I generally rely on the garage door opener to get in and out of the house. (We have a door into the house through the garage.) That also lets us give people the code to the garage door keypad if we need to let someone else have access. The Kwikset Kevo is a similar option, without the keypad. The Kevo lets you make a bluetooth connection to your smart phone to unlock the door when you approach. If you don’t have a smart phone there is a key fob option. If you need to let someone in, you can give them a temporary code for access. It’s battery operated, but you can see that there is a key backup.
The control is handled by the a smart phone app. There is an iPhone app for this, but currently Android doesn’t support the Bluetooth LE necessary… but it should be coming.
I like where this is going, but I don’t think this is there yet. The fact that it isn’t supported by Android is an issue when you want to give the code to the plumber or your brother-in-law to get in. Also, I see this needing to tie into other Smart House features rather than being a stand-alone system. It’s a great start though.
Air Purification from Honeywell
Image borrowed from www.filtration.com
Honeywell’s AirBRIGHT is a 24-V UV air purifier that installs within HVAC ductwork. According to Honeywell, the system will remove potentially harmful viruses and bacteria from the air as well as eliminating odors from cooking and pets.
For germaphobes such as myself, this is just the ticket. This is a whole house system that has a similar effect to the Arcalux HRMS disinfecting fluorescent fixture discussed in a previous post here.
The AirBRIGHT system can be installed in existing ductwork. If this is something that interests you, we can put you in touch with qualified installers.
Remote Control Shades & Blinds
Pella has introduced their new SmartSync technology that allows remote control access to raise and lower blinds. This works with the integrated blinds and shades in Pella’s Designer Series of windows and doors.
Not only does this let you adjust the shades without getting out of your chair, but it can be tied into your home or business automation system through web-enabled devices like computers and smart phones.
This is the first step to using your window shades to help control your environment. For example, the west facing windows shades you opened in the morning to let light in might soon detect the movement of the sun and automatically close to reflect that excess heat in the summer or vice versa, open when the sun hits them in the winter to pick up that passive heat. (Pretty cool even if it doesn’t qualify as Green That Saves Green.) Likewise for security, if you normally close the blinds when you’re gone to keep out prying eyes, you’ll be able to check them and close them from your smartphone or work computer. No more wondering if you remembered to close them before you left.
