Hasta La Gadget!

You know the Nespresso, the home espresso machine that makes great – if rather packaging-heavy – coffee? Now there’s a version that does the same for tea.

It’s called the Special T, a nice combination of pun and rap-star name, and it works exactly like the coffee versions: pop in a capsule (€0.35 or $0.50 each) and hit the button. Boiling water passes through the tea and you end up with, presumably, a lovely cuppa.

Or do you? Although making tea is about the easiest thing to do in the world, it is also easy to do it wrong. The Special T gets one thing right: the PDF instructions tell you to tip away any remaining water in the reservoir after use, recommending freshly drawn water each time. Boiling water knocks out oxygen, and this results in a flat-tasting cup.

But unlike espresso, which needs a careful balance of water-pressure, tamp-pressure, temperature and time, tea is simple: pour the still-boiling water over the leaves (or bag) in a pre-warmed pot and steep for around 4-5 minutes. After that, it’s hard to go wrong, making me wonder why you’d need this €130 machine to boil the water.

The Special T is launching in France, not the UK, and will be available only by internet order.

Special T product page [Nestle (Warning: Flash and French) via Oh Gizmo]
See Also:

• Shark Attack Tea Maker
• Sunbeam's Tea Drop Tea Maker is a Useless Piece of Garbage …
• Tea-Tray Liner Helps Early Morning Memory
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• Sorapot Teapot. Just Add (Hot) Water
• QuickCup Boils Water in Three Seconds
• Review: Jura Capresso Impressa Z6 Espresso Machine Easily Smokes …

Why have I never seen his before? It’s called the Bionic Wrench, and it’s an adjustable wrench that appears to actually work.

You’ve been there. You need to remove a bolt and you’re either too lazy or too ill-equipped to use the correct-sized box-wrench. Instead, you reach for an adjustable spanner which, if you’ve come this far in my story, you likely picked up for a few bucks at the thrift store. The cheap tool needs constant readjustment and even then it strips the shoulders from the bolt or slips, grazing your knuckles.

Enter the Bionic Wrench, which arrays six hardened-steel blocks in a circular enclosure. When you close the handles, these blocks become the jaws of the wrench and close down onto the six edges of the bolt, clamping it tight on all faces like a box-wrench. And if you orient the thing the right way, it will tighten on the bolt-head as you push, whether screwing or unscrewing.

It’s ingenious. Like I said, this too has been around for a while, but it’s always worth pointing out something so clever and practical.

You won’t be able to toss this in a back pocket like you would a traditional adjustable wrench, nor will it be practical in small spaces, but in the workshop, this looks indispensable. It even works with stripped bolts. Available in various sizes, from $25.

Bionic Wrench product page [Loggerhead via Core77]

LoggerHead Tools Bionic Wrench [Rainy Day Magazine]

See Also:

• Hands-On: Surly Jethro Tule Bike Wrench and Beer Opener
• U-Lock Tool Turns Kryptonite into Wrench
• Bike Geek Gear: Giustaforza Torque Wrench
• Brilliant Solution: Inventor Creates LED Wrenches
• Bike Geek Gear: Pedro's Master Tool Kit
• Finger Wrench: Plastic Wearable Spanner

Ah, now we’re talking. Over the years, HomePlug and wireless HD / HDMI haven’t exactly “taken off.” Routing internet signals over a home’s power network has been hampered by subpar transmission rates, and using wireless in the home for anything other than basic web duties has shown to be either too costly or too much hassle. Now, however, the HomePlug Powerline Alliance and the Wi-Fi Alliance have seen the light, and they’re joining hands in order to jointly push their technologies to homeowners. Focused primarily on ” facilitating interoperability of smart grid applications,” these organizations are fixing to enable SEP 2.0 applications to operate across a diverse mix of wireless and wired networks, and hopefully they’ll reach out to product manufacturers while they’re at it. Here’s hoping they’ll be able to nail it — the demand is certainly there, but the execution thus far has been downright depressing.

Continue reading HomePlug Powerline Alliance and Wi-Fi Alliance align, hope for wireless home nirvana

HomePlug Powerline Alliance and Wi-Fi Alliance align, hope for wireless home nirvana originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Nov 2010 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Daiwa House enlists Moogle for remote control crawlspace inspections

Daiwa House enlists Moogle for remote control crawlspace inspections originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This donut-shaped mincing knife is meant to be used for finely chopping herbs or anything else that has to be cut down to an almost paste-like texture. It’s pretty, has a blade-cover that protects you from the sharp edge and the sharp edge from the other knives in the drawer, and it is most likely useless.

The curved blade design is modeled on a mezzaluna, literally “half-moon”, which has a much shallower curve and often (but not always) has two handles to make rocking it back and forth over the leaves a much less strenuous affair, taxing your strong arms instead of twisting one wrist in an unnatural fashion.

This uni-tasker, named the Chop, comes from Normann Copenhagen, Denmark. The colorful exterior is at least made from rubber to add some grip, but you’re better off using a regular chefs’ knife, with all its multi-functional goodness.

There is one good use for the Chop, though. Imagine grabbing a pair of these, one in each hand, and squaring off with your fists in front of you like a boxer. Now you’re getting the idea. As a deadly weapon, the Chop is wonderful, turning its user into a kind of domesticated Wolverine-lite.

Chop product page [Lucidi Pevere via Core77]

See Also:

• Diving Knife Pumps Out Explosive Ball of Gas
• Beautiful Nesting Knives Designed by Mathematics
• Rolling Razor: Six Blades Knife Can't Do Anything For You
• Ceramic and Silicone Knives Stay Sharper Longer
• Utility Knife Cards Separated (by $200) at Birth
• Art Lebedev Turns Utensils into Giant Folding Knife