The Hario V60 is the pourover coffeemaker you’ve seen at all manner of hipster coffeeshops. Although it’s easy to be intimidated by its coffee credentials, once you get the hang of using it, it’s a great way to make daily coffee. It’s simple. It takes two minutes. It reliably and consistently makes a good cup of pourover coffee. Here’s how you use it. More »
Although V-Moda is a relatively new audio company (at least compared to AKG or Audio-Technica), they’ve made a name for themselves in a short amount of time. What’s interesting is V-Moda didn’t do it through sound quality — although by most accounts it’s very good — but rather through smart design and durability. If people are using their headphones every day on public transport, an easy way to improve them is to increase the amount of punishment they can handle. That’s exactly what V-Moda has done with the Crossfade line. Mario Aguilar reviewed the V-Moda Crossfade M-100, the big brother to this set, and really liked them. More »
The Aeropress is a cult coffee maker that is absolutely adored by its devotees. In fact, there’s an annual international competition to see who can make the best cup of coffee using an Aeropress. (This year it’s in Melbourne, Australia.) Coffee snobs love the Aeropress because it is perfect for experimentation and has a superfast brew and extraction time. Other folks just like it because it’s cheap and simple to use. More »
Although the old axiom that the best camera is the one you have with you is still accurate in 2013, it should have an additional corollary: sometimes the best camera isn’t your cell phone. Tiny optics and sensors produce passable — even good — photos, but a real dedicated camera simply has more capabilities. That’s why folks still want point-and-shoot cameras, but a cheap crappy point-and-shoot won’t be much better than your phone. You want an excellent point and shoot. A good choice is the Canon Powershot S110, a camera that Mario Aguilar called the “most refined little pocket camera Canon has ever made.” Check out his review here. More »
Although there are thousands of ways to add a film look to photos taken with rapidly improving smartphone cameras, they’ll never capture the accidental magic of a photograph taken with film in a toy camera. You might see light leaks or overexposure as errors, but a dedicated toy camera user sees those flukes as character. If you want to make your own happy accidents, you’ll probably get a camera reproduction from the Lomographic Society, which makes both film and reproductions of classic toy cameras. More »
While the Dyson Air Multiplier looks nothing like a conventional fan — it more closely resembles a quidditch goal — it’s actually a fully functional appliance that got quite a bit of attention when it came out. Although Dyson touts the Air Multiplier as bladeless, it actually has a tiny fan hidden inside the body that pushes the air through the loop. If you’re worried about power, this Dyson blows with the best of them. It can output 162 gallons of air per second, which is a fair amount of air for a consumer fan, but let’s be honest: you don’t want this because it’s a better fan (although it is significantly quieter than a conventional fan), but because it would look amazing in your apartment. Here’s Jason Chen’s take: More »
You may have heard that the humble computer mouse is an endangered species, threatened by the rise of modern touch gestures. This may be true, but gesture based-computing isn’t a zero-sum game. Millions of people still use a mouse every day, and some of those mice have slick gesture capabilities. More »
While headphones can effectively block out sound – especially if you’re pumping some loud music through them – sometimes you don’t want loud music in your ears. You want silence, or, at the very least, reduced cacophony. That’s why you need a nice pair of earplugs, instead of those disposable yellow sponges that never quite fit right. Bossman Joe Brown agrees—he wouldn’t have survived running the Gizmodo ship at CES without a nice pair of V-Moda Fader earplugs. Usually these V-Modas are $20, but Amazon just dropped the price to $15. A pittance for a little bit of peace and quiet. [Amazon] More »
One of the most frugal ways to watch TV is to simply pluck public channels from over-the-air broadcasts. Public channels include the majors — NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC — plus other great free programming, like shows on PBS, often broadcasting with better image quality than cable. That means you don’t miss many major events. Last night’s State of the Union, the Olympics, and NFL football all have a home on public stations. All you need is a TV with a digital tuner (so, basically any flat screen from the past ten years) and an antenna and you’re in. But which antenna? There’s no best antenna — hell, there’s no such thing as an HD antenna — but the Mohu Leaf is a good choice, especially if you’re in the city or suburbs. Lifehacker’s Alan Henry reviewed the Leaf and had nice things to say: More »
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.
