Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:54:24 GMT

Eco-friendly speakers from orphaned snack bags

Someone apparently doesn"t believe in the word "waste". And you bet they are bound to have a few creative genes when they can defy such a powerful word. Well, apparently such creative genes must total much more than one can imagine, for these geniuses from TerraCycle have created the most unique products in their effort to turn waste into something useful.

The company, founded by Tom Szaky, collects waste from groups across the country and turns it into over 100 useful products, in addition to donating money to charities for each "waste" item that it receives. Consider the Frito-Lay Speakers, for example. These funky speakers are made from discarded chip bags. And they are functional. They are foldable speakers that don"t require batteries and plug into your mp3 or other portable audio player with a 3.5 mm universal plug. TerraCycle sells them online at $19.99.

So the next time you toss out that used chip bag, think new and send it to over to these sensible folks at TerraCycle - you would have earned $.02 for a non-profit organization or school of your choice, plus the right to brag that you helped create the world"s cleanest speakers.

Via Crave. Posted by: Sarah      Read more     Source

October 18, 2009, 8:59 PM CT

Add to happiness of parents with new born baby gifts

Arrival of a baby brings all the joy in the world for mom and dad of the new born. The new born spills happiness all around with its cute looks and innocence. Friends and relatives also share their joy and wish to give their best to baby and parents.

What can you gift to a new born who can't speak or understand what it means if you present any gift. Everything done by the new born first time brings excitement and joy for all. Precious smile of the new born turns everyone crazy. Best way to bring that priceless smile of the baby again and again is to present flashy colourful toys to baby that can attract her quick attention. There is endless list of different types of new born baby gifts that you can buy and present. Starting from numerous beautiful flowers, which leave pleasing effect on baby, to loads of baby toys, baby clothes and other baby care products, you will find attractive new born bay gift items available in every baby gift stores.

Toys are most attractive gifts for children of any age including new born. But you should be careful in buying toys particularly for new born who need to be protected from cuts, abrasions and rashes. Baby toys made from soft material or virgin plastics in bright contrasting colors can catch new born baby's attention immediately. You can also present a personalized basket consisting of soft baby clothes, baby blankets, baby wipes and changing pads as new born baby gift. If you prefer online shopping, you will have different ideas for choosing new born baby gifts. Buy and present it to baby's parents and multiply their joy......... Posted by: Ethen      Read more         Source

October 7, 2009, 10:22 PM CT

A mini guide to sports equipment

Exercise doesn't have to be boring. Neither must it be confined within the walls of an expensive gym. There are other, better ways of staying fit. The most enjoyable method is to participate in your favorite sports.

In a day and age where people need to participate in rigorous physical activity consistently, sports activity has a definite edge. When you do what you love, you are less likely to look upon it as a chore and more likely to continue the physical activity. Some of the most popular sports of all times are football, baseball, basketball, football, tennis, badminton, lacrosse and cricket.

The first thing you need to indulge in your favorite sports activity is sports equipment.

Most playgrounds, parks, schools and community organizations purchase sports equipment for their members. They do this keeping in mind the demand for particular sports. Sports equipment that is placed in public areas need to be strong, durable and safe. Since these are used by people of different ages and sizes, strength and safety are important considerations.

When buying sports equipment, it is important to buy all those items that are important for playing the game safely. For instance, if you wanted sports equipment for baseball, you might want to consider screens, batting and pitching cages and a pre-fabricated backstop. Accessories such as these help you enjoy the game to the max.

When buying sports equipment, you might find that your local store does not have too many choices or variety. It could even be that they do not have the right size or have run out of just the item you want. It is here that the alternative of shopping online becomes attractive and sometimes inevitable.

Some of the advantages of shopping online for sports equipment include:
You can buy directly from manufacturers of big brands. That way, your prices may drop drastically while you can avail of the best quality stuff. Another advantage is that you can read, evaluate and compare sports equipment from various dealers and manufacturers when you shop online. Sometimes, there is so much variety that it is difficult to choose.

Of course, there are some drawbacks in shopping online. You cannot try the equipment or see it before you buy. One way to get around this limitation is to look for customer reviews and testimonials. What do others have to say about the item? You will find these comments immensely helpful.

Whether you buy online or from your local store, it is important to buy quality sports equipment. Your money should bring you many years of playing fun. Therefore, it is not a wise decision to opt for the cheapest item on the market. Also, look for warranties. Most sports equipment come with warranties that last for 10-15 years or more. Posted by: Ethen      Read more         Source

October 7, 2009, 8:46 PM CT

Some stock repurchase plans just empty promises

A newly released study backs longtime speculation on Wall Street that companies sometimes ballyhoo stock repurchase programs they never plan to pursue, hoping to stir a buzz that will mislead investors and pump up sagging share prices.

But phantom repurchase programs are rare, and most are rooted in sound economic motives that generally pay off for both companies and investors, said David Ikenberry, a University of Illinois finance professor and researcher for the study.

"The good news is that the vast majority of repurchase programs are solid and well intentioned," he said. "But there appear to be a handful where companies are indeed trying to mislead the market. They're down on their luck and hoping a repurchase announcement will spark a price reaction that might not be warranted".

Among other reasons, firms routinely launch buybacks when they perceive that shares are undervalued, said Ikenberry, whose study will appear in the Journal of Corporate Finance. Buybacks can provide a competitive return by reducing publicly held stock, boosting per-share earnings even if profits remain the same.

In those cases, announcements of repurchase plans are often greeted as a bullish signal, sparking bargain hunting by investors that drives up share prices, said Ikenberry, who has studied stock repurchase programs for 15 years......... Posted by: Ethen      Read more         Source

September 27, 2009, 10:30 PM CT

A brief guide to the growing trend of belly rings

Naval piercing, also known as belly button piercing is a type of body piercing which is growing increasingly popular and common. Pop culture has played a central role in promoting the trend of belly button piercing. Even though naval piercing is accompanied by a lengthy healing process, the fact that this type of piercing can be easily concealed with the help of clothing has contributed to its rapid adoption especially by young girls.

Belly button piercing is generally done with the help of a barbell. It is recommended to be worn until the piercing has completely healed. A wide range of decorative jewelry is available in the form of simple navel barbells, dangling pendants, and belly rings.

Stainless steel naval rings are safe, reliable and also quite cheap. Apart from this, the metal is body-friendly and durable. It might have Chromium added to prevent it from rusting. In fact, steel belly rings are ideal for new naval piercings. Then there are surgically implantable stainless steel belly rings which are made of high quality alloy that is used in the medical industry for implants. Being less porous and cleaner than ordinary stainless steel, it is best for first time belly button piercings.

Another popular type of belly button ring is a diamond naval ring. It's not only eye-catching, but also made to a high standard. The different types of diamond naval rings that are available in the market include platinum diamond rings, white gold diamond rings and gold diamond rings. ........ Posted by: Ethen      Read more         Source

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:07:10 GMT

Kitchen Designs

Designer kitchens are the trend of the day, customized and exclusive kitchen is something that everyone wants. To ensure smooth cooking both indoor and outdoor, different types of kitchen designs are being introduced everyday.

Hidden Kitchen: Designed by June He, this hidden kitchen has every function a traditional kitchen has and is hidden behind the kitchen wall. You can change the tile colors and arrange it to suit your personal style.

Z Kitchen Island: Designed by Zaha Hadid, this futuristic kitchen features a built-in PC, sound actuators and LEDs which enables the user to surf the internet, listen to music or create a particular ambiance.

Evolution Kitchen: Designed by Dario Grasselli, this ingeniously designed all-in-one standing kitchen is to fit in the small living spaces, without loosing out the luxurious element.

Ku-b Modular Kitchen: Created by Innova Designers, when closed it conceals all the doors and drawers out of sight and transforms into wedge shape.

Contemporary Kitchen: Spanish designer range by Cancio includes Radia, Duo and Wall, designed such away that it can be kept inside the kitchen. "The adjustable furniture can accommodate up to three people so that you can have a nice chat with your family while cooking dinner."

Smart Kitchen: It consists of three main work areas: washing, cooking and mixing.

Kitchen Island: Designed by Curtis Ma, this workstation features multiple counter surfaces that slide away to reveal the washbasin. It has drawers for specific tasks; the multiple sized drawers can house different kitchen utensils, tools and dishes.

Altera Design Studio’s Kitchen: Altera Design Studio"s innovative kitchen Concept, "is designed to not only minimize waste materials but to make people aware of how much they"re consuming."

Circular Compact Kitchen: This 180-degree revolving kitchen design by CC Concepts features all the characteristics of the traditional kitchen with an incredible low demand on overall space, less than 1.8 square meters. The kitchen is compact but roomy with storage capacity of equal to 12 cupboards & a bench top length of 3000mm. It"s equipped with refrigerator, dishwasher, washbasin.

A La Carte Modular Kitchen: ""A La Carte" modules by Stadtnomaden, is a well thought out modular kitchen concept which can be easily built up without any tools."

Modular Kitchen By Wing Chi Chow: This kitchen is cuboid with wheels underneath making it movable inside the house. The gas range, washbasin and the cutting board have potential to combine them into 1 instead of 3.

Lift - Modular Kitchen: Designed by Cornu, apt for small apartments and houses, it features all the necessary tools a kitchen must have in different sliding (up and down) modules.

Spontaneous Kitchen: Designed by Miyazaki, this elegant kitchen looks apt for trendy apartments.

Temp Kitchen: The innovative kitchen by Dwyer can be easily transported from one room to another. An interesting option for limited space; this functional kitchen features a cook top, washbasin, four grounded outlets, a fold-up breakfast bar, and a dishwasher with easy plumbing hookups.

Compact kitchen: Designed by Nojae Park, it looks like a filing cabinet; "there are four main parts to this product; a stainless plate for meal prep and warming, an electric stove for cooking, a dish drawer for storage, and a mini-fridge."

Compact Kitchen from Artificio: This space-saving compact kitchen design offers everything a larger kitchen would have.

Sheer Spherical Kitchen: This unusual design kitchen is completely self-contained and low maintenance. "The two parts of the Sheer Kitchen, the circular island and the wall unit function in combination and both are controlled from the same remote control." Once opened the upper half-sphere acts as both a vent and a lamp and the lower half has enough room for a circular worktop, a wash basin, three bottle coolers, a pull-out table, multiple cooking accessories, two electric outlets for small appliances, and four burners. The wall unit includes a refrigerator, cabinet space and storage, and apart from these it hides four folding chairs.

Motorized Kitchen: Design by Emanuel Gargano and Marco Fagioli, it features a motorized integrated cabinet that can be lifted up showing all the utensils.

Grandma"s Kitchen: Designed by Melanie Olle & Ilja Oelschlägel, its a beautiful example of space efficiency. This unit transforms into a full kitchen complete with a washbasin, fridge and cook top to prepare meals.

Compact XL kitchen: The award-winning Compact XL by Gorenje is a mini kitchen with a range of applications. "The kitchen side with built-in household appliances of the Gorenje Ora-Ito Collection allows fast and simple preparation of food, while the rear side features a lift-up table that instantly makes for a comfortable dining area."

Stand By Kitchen: Designer Alfonso R Nieto"s "Stand by" kitchen consists of three-leveled shelves, with enough space for cooking as well as dining.

Cooklounge: Designed by Schmidt, D Bolduan and M Flaig, it changes its appearance turning from a monoblock into a stylish sideboard; from a state of the art piece of furniture into a kitchen stove, washbasin with an adjustable table, with an integrated warm-keeping plate in the middle and apart from all these you can also create a relaxing lounge area.

(Image credit: square).

Gorenje Futuristic Kitchen by Ora Ito:

Modular Kitchen Design: Designed by Fevzi Karaman, this space-saving concept kitchen has everything what you need for a small kitchen.

Concealed Kitchen: This "concealed kitchen" removes the limit line between living room and cooking area. Its rotatable shelves offers more space, and it"s design offers best place for icebox, and dishwasher.

Movable Kitchen Island: Ideal for small city homes, it features a mobile cart which offers lots of storage space, and it expands into a kitchen island for all your preparation work.

Fuego Modular Kitchen: This customizable outdoor kitchen, created by previous Apple Computer designer, Robert Brunner, features aluminum frame to accommodate grills, burners, warming drawers, storage, and refrigeration units.

(Image: Credit).

Enclosed Mono-Block Kitchen: Designed by Dante Bonuccelli, its a compact kitchen design, a single wall unit or if used as a stand-alone unit perfect as a room divide. Perfect for multifunctional spaces, it hides all the kitchen tools, it features washbasin and a spacious workspace plus optional fridge column.

Compact Kitchen Unit: Perfect for limited space, it comes fully equipped with all the necessities you need for functional kitchen. It features fridge, a washbasin, a stylish lighting system and many storage compartments.

Compact Kitchen: A user named mappdaniel at ProductDesignForums created this concept of compact kitchen. It includes a worktop, foldaway chairs, touch controlled cooking hobs, fridge, washbasin, and a grill.

Compact Green Kitchen: Created by designer Antoine Lebrun, it"s an incredible concept of all-in-one compact kitchen for Fagor Brandt. "The concept is a multifunctional appliance, mixing electromechanical and vegetable technology (for water filtering). When closed, the system is in washing mode. To access the cooking functions, you just have to open it!" And once you close the appliance, the workspace and the washbasin (with dishes inside), using the natural soap provided by plants the dishes are washed up.

Concealed Kitchen by Fendi Casa: Ideal for small space, its multifunctional and measures only 246 cm wide. It features a stove, washbasin, coffee maker, refrigerator and dishwasher. And glass shelves offer lots of stylish storage space.

Mini Kitchen: A space-saving mini kitchen design by Ensci, features a movable countertop/tabletop that slides open to reveal the range, washbasin, storage, cupboards and cabinets.

Kitchen Interior from Saporiti Italia: "Each item of furniture within the kitchen is iconic and surprising - from the "Gold Monolith" storage unit to the "Working Table"." It has wide legs low welcoming chairs with jutting armrests surround the kitchen table. "A huge, abstract screen known as the "Techno Wall" conceals the appliances out of sight for when you"re entertaining." Posted by: Venus      Read more     Source

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 03:56:21 GMT

Monster Wants You to Feel Lady Gaga's Heartbeat

Set to hit stores in October, the Heartbeats are a brilliant mashup of technology and fashion. Noel Lee, Head Monster, noted: "Heartbeats not only had to look great, they had to sound great. Using Monster"s latest headphone technologies, that vision comes true. There is no headphone that sounds quite like it, regardless of price...."

Posted by: Sarah      Read more     Source

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 03:41:09 GMT

Tic Tic Tac Wafer's Keyboard

(thanks Cora) Posted by: Gerard      Read more     Source

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:38:47 GMT

Barbados on a Budget

© rockside
One of the most beautiful places in the Caribbean is Barbados. It's also one of the more expensive. But CNN recently has pointed out a few ways to make a trip to the island a little more enjoyable and a little less painful, financially....

For starters, skip the resorts. The true flavor and friendliness of Barbados is best tasted by getting out into the community. And renting a condo or a beach house is much cheaper than a room at a resort.

My favorite tip?Forget martinis, set champagne aside. This is rum country. Mount Gay Rum, produced in Barbados since 1703, bills itself as "the rum that invented rum." The distillery's visitor center offers tours and tastings.

Tiny rum shops dot the island, selling the rich spirit by the shot or bottle at bargain-basement prices. Split a bottle among friends for a couple of bucks per person, and check out a cricket match on TV.The article gives several other money saving tips. Posted by: Lisa      Read more     Source

September 25, 2009, 6:48 AM CT

Dentist Directory and its advantages

A dentist directory is the easiest way for dental patients to find dentists of their choice and for dentists to gain valuable visibility.

Typically, a dentist directory is a listing of dentists available nationwide. It allows dentists to feed their profile into powerful search engines, enabling patients to find them easily.

A dentist directory is not a referral service. It is simply a tool that can help dentists meet patients and vice versa. It does not in any way endorse any practitioner or offer any guarantee of their services or qualifications.

These online services allow patients to review dentist profiles so they can find service providers who match their specifications and requirements.

Dental health is vital to the overall health of the body. Many people forego dental appointments due to fear or the overwhelming cost. Through a dentist directory, both of these obstacles may be overcome. So, whether you want a cosmetic dentist or a dental surgeon, whether you want to fix crooked teeth or undergo a root canal procedure, you can pick and choose your specialist of choice.

The advantages of a dentist directory are many:

• It is convenient
• Provides quick access to dentists
........


Posted by: Ethen      Read more         Source