Personal drones are once again a hot topic in the media, but this time in a not so favorable light. Recent events, like the drone that landed at the White House and the FAA’s proposed rules, have cast drones in a negative light. This latest news might very well sour the taste buds of the public even more. Several drones … Continue reading
There’s no shortage of wearables on the market, but their uses tend to be narrow, focusing on health, fitness, and bridging the land between your smartphone and your wrist. We’ve seen some devices crop up that tailor their functions to a more defined user base, but that user base is typically children. The UnaliWear Kanega Watch takes the opposite approach, … Continue reading
Google has been hosting the Lunar XPrize for a number of years putting up a significant amount of money as an award for any company that is able to land a rover on the surface of the moon. The prize a successful team will get for landing on the surface of the moon is $30 million. Two competing teams announced … Continue reading
Do you love whipping up delicious meals for your loved ones all the time? Sure, you might actually run out of ideas from time to time, but thankfully, there does not seem to be an end to the number of cookbooks that are out there in the market. Having said that, KitchenAid has come up with a four quart Multi-Cooker that offers 10 cooking functions, in addition to step-by-step cooking modes as well as a stirring accessory that paves the way for assisted cooking at precise temperatures.
This particular Multi-Cooker from KitchenAid would be able to add a modern twist to the traditional slow cooker, where it delivers updated cooking settings that range from steam to sear, and a stir tower which would allow cooks to step away and multi-task at the same time in the kitchen.
This 3-speed stir tower accessory mixes, flips and stirs ingredients in order to keep them consistently incorporated and evenly heated. The moment it is attached to the Multi-Cooker, its stir settings will be able to be adjusted using a speed selector dial to handle everything that range from flipping meatballs to stirring a heavy stew. There is also a new flipping paddle that will combine with a flex edge scraping blade, as it stirs and scrapes around the cooking vessel to keep foods like batters and sauces from sticking to the sides.
Apart from that, pre-programmed settings for rice, risotto, soup and yogurt would open up the door for cooks to enjoy next step instructions so that they end up with perfectly cooked results. As cooks take on one step after another, the Multi-Cooker would then adjust and display temperatures and timing accordingly.
There will be other cooking modes that are part of the mix, including simmering, sautéeing, searing, steaming and a couple of slow cook options, where all of them can be programmed for up to a dozen hours of cooking, while the Keep Warm function can be programmed for up to 24 hours. The Multi-Cooker is smart enough to automatically set the temperature for each setting, while the brand’s Even-Heat technology would allow precise temperature regulation between 110° – 450° F to prevent under or over cooking.
The Multi-Cooker will arrive in Candy Apple and Stainless Steel, retailing for $349.99 a pop.
Press Release
[ KitchenAid has a Multi-Cooker that whips up healthy and delicious meals copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Exoskeletons can make it far easier and safer for workers to carry out heavy-duty labor . But not everyone needs to lift insanely heavy loads —and in those cases, something a little less robotic may just be the answer.
Sex in the far recesses of human history was generally accomplished without the aid of toys or even without the knowledge that what one was engaged in had a name. Gradually, sex became much more sophisticated, and ultimately, knowledge about sex was available to the masses, who then wondered why everyone else was having a better time having sex than they were.
Fifty Shades of Grey, the 125-minute infomercial for the sex toy industry, has, apparently, influenced a lot of people to start thinking about sex in general, and sex toys specifically. Sites all over the web are touting the “Best Sex Toys to Try RIGHT NOW!,” creating sex toy shortages all over town, and a growing sex toy black market. Life in the Boomer Lane, who knows that her readers like their bread buttered, will now present the “12 Sex Toys That Everyone Should Try,” being touted by Refinery 29, a site that also has other nifty articles about a lot of stuff that terminally cool people should know about. Here, then, are the 12 sex toy products that you shouldn’t live without:
1. Uberlube, the ultimate in lubrication, is hypoallergenic. Presumably, it is also gluten, soy and peanut-free. The downside is that it is tasteless (meaning undetectable by the taste buds, as opposed to being an indication of its being tawdry and low-class), thereby not being an option when one needs a snack and nothing else is around.
2. Minna Ola, is a vibrator so smart, it should be sold only to people in Mensa. It has “memory vibration” patterns, meaning that it can duplicate the vibrations the user requires and can be used to compose musical interludes for those times when one needs a break from non-stop orgasming. It also has a squeeze pad, “eliminating the need to fumble around in the dark to find a button.” LBL doesn’t know about you, but she is pretty sure that light wouldn’t be critical to locate a button on something that is only about eight inches long (Note to readers: This last sentence was, in no way, intended to be used as an inappropriate and highly offensive metaphor).
3. The Blossom Sleeve This handy device has absolutely nothing to do with either flowers or articles of clothing, and so LBL will refrain from further description.
4. Leyla Lylo 2 is a remote-controlled vibrator, which can be activated from up to 39 feet away. This is especially handy when one requires sexual congress and one’s partner is too busy doing taxes/surfing the web/changing the cat’s litter/talking to their mother/watching the Bo-taoshi finals televised from Japan.
5. Moregasmis is a book that covers “every single topic related to sex.” LBL isn’t sure how the authors can accomplish this in a mere 272 pages, given that, according to a recent issue of Cosmopolitan, there are at least twice as many sexual positions, alone, which leaves no space left for all that other stuff that everyone knows about but you.
6. Babeland Massage Candle is a product that does double-duty. The candle burns and does whatever candles do. Then, through some complicated scientific process, one can safely brush or paint the melted wax directly onto one’s partner, as soon as it drips off the wick. LBL is unclear what one is supposed to do after being covered with wax, but presumably, whatever one does, there hopefully won’t later be a removal issue as resistant as that with LBL’s expensive tablecloth, after a candlelit, holiday dinner.
7. Candy Colored Glass Dildo Far be it for LBL to critique a dildo, especially one that takes great pains to be pretty far removed from the actual object that dildos are supposed to represent.
8. Je Joue Mio LBL will leave readers to do their own research on this product, other than to point out that it is available at fine emporiums such as Mr Will’s House of Thrills. She is not making this up.
9. Blossom Organics Natural Moisturizing Lubricant LBL notes here that there are two lubricants on the list. She is sure that each one must play its own very specific part in the drama of sex. Use of both at the same time should be tried only by bonded and licensed professionals.
10. Liberator Heart Wedge is a red, heart-shaped cushion that allows one to achieve all the sexual positions noted in Moregasm. It is also just a regular pillow that is heart-shaped and covered with red fabric. This is an example of brilliant marketing, a modern-day Dickie the Stick. It is also a potentially thrifty purchase for the consumer, as one can also use the Liberator to decorate one’s couch or dog bed, and no one will be the wiser.
11. Icicles Daisy Plug Like the Mio, LBL will allow readers to do their own research on this product. She will only say that she, personally, feels it is quite unsavory to use the word “icicles” in conjunction with the word “plug.”
12. Je Joue Mimi is a flat vibrator, of sorts, that is held between two people, preferably people who actually know each other. It would not be appropriate for use on crowded subways or when one is in a crush of people, attempting to leave a concert or sports arena.
As always, these products are meant for mature adults or for immature adults who have the cash needed for purchase. The manufacturer doesn’t really care one bit who he sells toys to.
A final note to readers: It may help to know that of the 125 minutes in which 50 Shades of Grey slogs along, the time devoted to actual sex is 14 minutes and 17 seconds. This translates to approximate 11 percent. And, subtracting time for apparatus set up and breakdown, and taking into account battery changes, technical malfunctions, and time on hold before one gets to speak to a technical helper, actual sex time amounts to less than 1.5 percent. This should make all of you feel a lot better about whatever it is you do in your own bedrooms when there is nothing good on TV and you have finished the book you have been reading.
Earlier on Huff/Post50:
FAUX
adjective
adjective: faux
made in imitation; artificial, not genuine; fake or false
If you are a blogger, a Facebook page Admin, an avid reader of your friends’ Status Updates, belong to any Facebook Group or happen to engage with people on any social media platform — you’ve heard it before. “Those people are NOT real! They are not real friends, they don’t even know you and God knows, you don’t know them. Why do you spend so much time on that damn thing? Why don’t you go out with ACTUAL LIVE PEOPLE?”
Have you ever tried to explain to someone who has absolutely no clue that cyber relationships are where you have connected with what are now some of your very best and most cherished friends? Yeah, good luck with that. I gave up years ago when my boyfriend at the time would end up in a jealous temper tantrum because I was in an AOL chatroom.
After rolling over and finding my side of the bed cold and vacant, he would stagger out, bleary eyed and still in a semi slumbered state only to find me in the wee hours of the morning laughing so hard my shoulders were quaking. He would then admonish me. “It’s 2 o’clock in the morning, Mary, what the hell are you doing on the computer?” I finally realized he was jealous! I happened to be attending the community college at the time and would just out and out lie and blame my late nights spent on my laptop, or as he viewed it, his competition, studying for an “oh so important” exam I had to take in a few hours. Eventually, I confessed my guilty pleasure to him, my AOL chatroom and the hysterically funny people I shared my insomnia with. Why I felt I had to defend myself, I don’t know. Would he have had the same reaction if three or four of my best girlfriend’s were sitting in our living room sharing some late night laughs over a bottle of wine? Of course not, they would be “real” people.
I wandered into this magical place by mistake. I had no idea what a chatroom was at the time, I was bored and exploring the nooks and crannies of AOL. After passing rigorous interrogation by the three or four scary women in “a room”, I was accepted into this place that accepted me sight unseen. They had no idea if I was white, black, fat, skinny, Republican or Democrat, old or young and none of that mattered. We just hit it off right away! It was there we met to share our twisted stories about things that happened in the “real” world that day. To be accepted, sight unseen, where there can be no physical judgement passed seems more legit to me than many of the “real” people I meet who are vapid, condescending nitwits. In the virtual world, either you fit into a place right away or you just move on somewhere else that loves your brand of insanity. No one cares what you are wearing or how much it costs. No one cares what time it is, day or night there’s an ear there waiting. No one cares if you are tipsy or sober, happy or depressed you are welcome with no judgement. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly these “not real” people will jump in to support you in any way they can. It’s quite lovely.
That was 12 years ago. I am still friends with this group of incredible people I met in that AOL Chatroom, none of whom I have ever met. We are all on Facebook now but just a few weeks ago, we all downloaded AOL Desktop (remember that dinosaur?) and opened the long before locked doors of our Chatroom. We all went in and dusted, waxed, rearranged the furniture, mopped the filthy floor, cleared away the cobwebs, shined up those windows and once again and took our rightful places in our favorite old, overstuffed chairs. We resurrected our alias names we had given each other and haven’t skipped a beat dishing out our snarky, judgmental comments for the inexperienced “room-less” wanderers who happen into “our” room. Like me, when I aimlessly wondered in by mistake, intense interrogations take place to determine if the wanderer is room worthy or just a psycho looking to stir up trouble. It doesn’t take long for us to determine their fate, they are blessed or banished in a matter of seconds. Hilarity always ensues when one of the evicted trolls creates a new identity and tries to re-enter under false pretenses. We all feverishly private message comparing notes as to whether or not the intruder is in fact an impostor. Then the ruling. All judgements are final. Some stay, some are booted out the door. It is actually all done in fun and most are welcome in our small corner of the world. The only exceptions are those that are hateful or obviously not adults. It’s our safe room.
How is this not real? How are these not comparable to the relationships we have with our real life friends? For people like me who do not have the finances to drop 10 bucks a drink, which let’s face it, adds up quickly, or are stuck as I was 12 years ago, living in an extremely rural place surrounded by my boyfriend’s very unwelcoming family, with no one to talk to, my Internet was my connection to sanity, the outside world and more importantly, to my friends, real and “not real” friends. I was a city girl living in a “stand by your man”, ultra-conservative, area located 3,600 feet atop a mountain. I am about as far from a “mountain woman” as you can possibly get. Our relationship ended and until I could secure alternative living arrangements closer to my friends and family, I was sad, lonely and felt very isolated. No wonder I travelled the roadways of the Internet to find my rightful place in a room full of non judgmental people that made me laugh til my sides ached!! I left there not long after finding this group of amazing women, they supported me and encouraged me to leave “Green Acres”. I packed up my laptop and all of them with it (another plus of “not real” friends, they are portable!) and when I finally returned to my world, they were right there with me.
I am fortunate that I have found this same comradery in a couple of Groups on Facebook who are now also among those I call friends. Real friends. It isn’t all fun and games. We share our hardships and heartbreaks, our battles and break-ups, depression and discouragement and our melancholy and madness. I have no doubt in my mind that were I to need something or found myself in some kind of trouble, that these “not real” people would come to my aid, my rescue in any way shape or form. I have seen this play out numerous times when someone in the Group facing a serious but temporary hardship. Help is offered in many different ways, sometimes financial or sometimes a friend just needs emotional support and are unable to reach out to loved one’s or family for myriad reasons.
Without them, I wouldn’t be writing. Without them, I wouldn’t have started this blog, a place for me to share myself, store myself and leave a little bit of myself here for my friends, family or children to come back to if they forget who their friend was, their sister was or their mom was should I leave before them. I spend more time here in this virtual world than I do with my life long friends I grew up with. I love them, too, more than words can say, for they have also encouraged, loved and laughed me through some of the worst times of my life. The difference is that I can’t always go where they go and do what they do. What I can do is open this laptop, click a few buttons, walk through a door and enter a place filled with people who know me, who I am and greet me with a cheerful emoticon or comment making me feel welcome no matter how often I’m there or how long I’ve been gone. I am honored to be in their company, whether it’s in my AOL chatroom or the Groups I am a part of on Facebook, I am proud to call them friends and would do anything for any one of them.
I am fully and painfully aware that some people in my life think that I’m addicted to my virtual world and perhaps that’s true, perhaps they are right but hey, that’s fine with me. To them I say, riddle me this? How is it that music you hear through ear buds or computer speakers moves you, stirs you, makes you weep tears of joy or sadness when you listen and yet no “real” physical person is singing it to you? How is it you can sit in a pew in your choice of religious or spiritual arena and believe so devoutly in something you cannot see or touch in front of you? My virtual friends are as important to me as my “real” friends. Both give me love and support, both make me laugh and cry and both are always there when I need them. So, what is it that makes these Internet friendships so real you can almost feel a hand reach through your screen and wipe your tears away or a hug so tight you don’t want to let go?
It’s the connection. The connection to that which makes us feel a part of something, a belonging, a comfortable place to put your feet up and sip on your drink. I thank my lucky stars every day for that connection — my Internet Connection. It has led me to some of the most amazing people I could ever hope to know. I’m done defending myself to people who don’t understand. I don’t waste time on people that don’t understand me or at least try to.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an “un-real” cocktail party to get to and guess what? I’m wearing my pajamas to it!!!
Cheers!!
Faux? Made in imitation; artificial; not genuine; fake or false.
I prefer the antonyms…Authentic, genuine, real, natural and sincere.
Earlier on Huff/Post50:
Vintage wine is savored. Vintage cars exclaimed over. Vintage clothes coveted. Yet the vintage woman remains uncelebrated.
From the moment we are born society sets expectations of us. We are expected to walk and talk by a certain time, predicted to have mastered literacy and numeracy at a certain age. Our worlds are pre-designed for us and we fit into the flow as best we can. Youth is a jumble of growth and learning and the space where dreams and ambition are sparked. Feelings of invincibility abound and we are frequently told that the world is our oyster.
Nobody tells the carefree 25-year-old female that in another 25 years she’ll be invisible.
In Western cultures women of a certain age are not revered. They are subjected to the swipe of a metaphorical hand that casts them aside and signifies to them that they have all but expired.
They are not actually seen as insignificant, rather they are simply not seen at all.
I recently read a comment in response to a blog someone had written on unwelcome catcalls in the street. The commenter said that younger women shouldn’t be so upset about the attention they receive because the day would come when they wouldn’t be noticed at all. The implication being that it was better to be seen and be on the receiving end of street harassment rather than to be of no consequence entirely.
Are these really the only options we think we are worthy of? In 2015? Or ever?
After a female has played out the parts society dictates she may fulfill, routinely a brief career stint followed by motherhood, her requirement is rendered redundant. She is no more.
At a time in her life when she is evolving emotionally and psychologically she is rejected physically. The ultimate blow is that if she should attempt to halt the physical aging process she is likely to be ridiculed for her efforts.
Renée Zellweger and Uma Thurman are just two of the women that have been subjected to recent mass media scrutiny regarding their ‘new looks’. Both are widely believed to have undergone plastic surgery and both have been the recipients of insults that have been vile and vindictive.
Society has closed a door on these women for daring to age past the characters portrayed in their much loved movies. Yet when they have tried to keep a foot in the door by seemingly conforming to the ideals that our culture celebrates they are shunned in the worst possible way.
Why are we not commending older women for their strength and longevity? Why are we not paying tribute to their achievements and accomplishments?
The media plays nicely sometimes and every now and then we receive a smattering of assent rejoicing in the older woman and her graceful demeanor. This is almost always synonymous with the name Helen Mirren. For some reason in a world of millions of females over 60 the media is only able to find a handful of women that apparently fit the desired bill.
As it happens, I love Helen Mirren. I also love Lynn Cohen but nobody’s really writing about her.
It’s acceptable to document our life experiences by way of memorabilia, photography and even tattoos. But the stories from the furrows on our brow must be smoothed out and eradicated. Laughter lines are treated as abhorrent and unwelcome. When did happiness become ugly?
Real change comes about when we make conscious decisions to step away from the confines of what we are told we must adhere to. It’s time to let go of the stigma surrounding older women. It’s time to redefine the stereotype and let each individual claim their own beauty.
A step forward would be to stop the flood of negativity that women direct at other women. We are just as guilty as men of pulling down our female counterparts. Just look at Madonna at The Grammys. “Who does she think she is?” “Give it up Grandma” — the internet couldn’t wait to pull her to pieces and, disturbingly, a great many of the scalding taunts came from women. Truthfully, the only time I get annoyed by Madonna is when she’s airbrushed to high heaven in magazine spreads. But seeing her on stage rocking her look and living her truth? That’s a different story.
Words are the biggest weapons of war that we wage on the female sex. Media manipulation sees to it that this fire is stoked whenever it seems to be dwindling. Because if we are consumed with attacking our sisters then we don’t have time to concentrate on our own unique glory that is more than capable of defying each of the decades it witnesses.
Let’s obliterate the words ‘age appropriate’ from our vocabularies. Outdated. Not needed.
Lets own every line of our lives. Every single year that presents itself as a story on our face is a victory. We’re here. We’re alive. We get to conquer another day, another chapter. Carpe the ass out of that diem and own each precious year. Behold the beauty of the older woman for she is truly in full bloom.
Photo credit: Jessica
Earlier on Huff/Post50:
With so many famous beaches on this planet, you’d think it would be easy to guess which one is “the best beach in the world.” Is it a Caribbean oasis in St. Barts? A Greek isle? The infamous Copacabana?
Nope, the best beach in the world is one you’ve likely never heard of. Brace yourself for the beauty of Baia do Sancho, Brazil.
This idyllic beach ranks #1 on TripAdvisor’s annual Travelers’ Choice survey for the best beaches in the world. It’s holding on to its top spot from last year.
The secret swath of land is surrounded by cliffs in Fernando de Noronha, an island group a couple hundred miles off the coast of Brazil. You’ll take a long, rocky trek or a boat to get there, but you’ll be well rewarded once you arrive.
Baia do Sancho’s blue-green water is filled with coral reefs that pretty much beg for snorkeling. You can swim, trek to see dolphins, or simply enjoy being on one of the emptiest beaches you’ve seen in a long time. (An added bonus? Hotels in the area run cheap.)
We’d say this really is the best of the best.
The world just got a whole lot sweeter thanks to food blogger Fork to Belly. She baked these donuts and they’ve made us feel all kinds of childhood feelings — nostalgic and also hungry. Very hungry.
Using candy melts and a basic cake donut recipe, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Daisy Duck come to life with a simple vintage feel. These might not be the fluffiest donuts, nor are they the most decadent. But they are the cutest ones we’ve ever come across. We all could use a little more cute in our lives — and more donuts.
Don’t let the cute factor of these donuts intimidate you into thinking you can’t whip up your own batch. You’ve got this. Courtney of Fork to Belly didn’t even use pastry bags to decorate the donuts — just sandwich bags with a corner cut out. Get the recipe for these adorable Disney Donuts over here and get to baking.
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This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
