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A Non-Wacky Use for Avon Skin So Soft

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Skin so SoftOnce in a while a product takes on mythical characteristics that have little or nothing to do with their original mandate. Over the years, lists of these alternative uses were photocopied and passed hand-to-hand. Later on, they were faxed from office to office, and now they’re posted all over the Internet. Somewhere in my files is a photocopy of a handwritten list of the miraculous uses to which Bounce drier sheets can be put. According to the list maker, Bounce will eliminate static electricity from a television screen, dissolve soap scum from shower doors, collect cat hair, and repel mosquitoes.

The list of miracles that  Avon’s Skin So Soft is said to perform also includes being anathema to mosquitoes, but I’ve never tried either of them in that context. In fact, until last night I’d never used either of them for anything. And last night, my life changed.

You see, in the winter, when the heat comes on and the humidity level in the house drops below 20 percent, my skin turns to parchment and I spend much of my time scratching, or wanting to be scratching. But last night, after watching me scratch every winter since 1991, my lovely wife Tina suggested that I fill the tub, add a capful of Skin So Soft, and hop in. Thirty minutes later I was marinating in the aforementioned solution and wondering why Tina waited 19 years before suggesting this procedure. No matter: the past is passed, and we move on. So, after a long, luxurious soak I sprinted across the bathroom, rinsed off in the shower, and toweled off.

I was, in short, a new man: my Skin was So Soft, the itching was gone, and I slid into bed and enjoyed the deep, untroubled sleep of one whose problems are small and inconsequential. Upon awaking, my problems were still large and of great consequence, but my skin was still soft, and I felt no need to scratch. And sometimes a small victory is all it takes to set the tone of the day.

Happy New Year!

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NYTimes: Good Enough is the New Great

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

The Magazine’s Year in Ideas issue of 12/13/09 contained an item by Robert Mackey with that headline. Here is the last paragraph:

“In February, a music professor at Stanford, Jonathan Berger, revealed that he has found evidence that younger listeners have come to prefer lo-fi versions of rock songs to hi-fi ones. For six years, Berger played different versions of the same rock songs to his students and asked them to say which ones they liked best. Each year, more students said that they liked what they heard from MP3s better than what came from CDs. To a new generation of iPod listeners, rock music is supposed to sound lo-fi. Good enough is now better than great.”

As someone who remembers when a good stereo system was often the first major purchase of someone entering the World of Work, I can’t help but feel pity for those who cleave to the “good enough” theory. And as someone who now listens to much of his music via a web stream, I understand the attraction of convenience when balanced against ultimate quality. But when given the choice between lo-fi and hi-fi, all else being equal I’ll still choose hi-fi. And I guess that just proves, yet again, that I’m old.

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Tivoli Audio NetWorks

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Tivoli Audio NetworksTivoli Audio made its in initial splash in 2000, with the introduction of the elegant Model One table radio. Designed by the legendary Henry Kloss, it quickly established itself as one of the very best performing products in its class, and certainly the easiest to use. The Model One was, and is, a huge success, and remains at the core of Tivoli’s carefully-considered line of audio components. If you’re interested in easy access to local AM and FM stations, the Model One, priced at a very reasonable buck-and-a-half, is an ideal choice.

If, however, you’d prefer to go beyond the range of local broadcasters, it’s worth noting that thousands of broadcast radio stations now stream their content over the internet, as do thousands more internet-only stations that cater to a broad range of tastes. Of course, very few grown-ups want to listen to the radio while sitting at their desks, or with their laptops on their laps. With that in mind, several companies offer components that free net-based audio from the confines of the computer. Some connect to an existing hi-fi system, while others operate in stand-alone mode. Tivoli’s NetWorks ($59.55-649.00) falls into the latter category, and does so with the quality, style, and — very important in this context — ease of use we’ve come to expect from the company’s products.

The first thing you notice about the NetWorks is that it doesn’t present a jarring, high-tech facade. It can be had in a variety of furniture-grade hardwood or lacquered finishes, and the front panel consists of the speaker grille and a highly legible display. Control is via a small remote whose buttons are duplicated on the back panel. (That’s so you can use the NetWorks until you retrieve the remote from beneath a sofa cushion.) The recessed bottom panel provides access to ports and jacks for a second speaker (for stereo operation), alternate source components (such as an iPod or CD player), a subwoofer, a recorder, wired Ethernet, and power. The NetWorks plugs directly into a wall socket, without the need for (yet another) transformer. A thumb-turned wheel on the top panel controls the NetWorks’ volume, power on/off, muting, and snooze mode.

While the NetWorks’ can get its signal via a network cable, the ideal scenario uses its onboard Wi-Fi receiver for that purpose. Your network’s password — and you do have one, right? — is entered during the initial setup, and once that’s taken care of all you have to do is choose a bunch of stations from the thousands available through Tivoli’s portal. The NetWorks comes with its five presets populated with an interesting mix of stations. Replacing them with stations of your own choosing is simple: when the station is playing, press and hold the button, and the new choice is stored. Beyond the five presets, any number of stations can be added to a menu-based favorites list.

The NetWork’s menu system makes it simple to find stations using a variety of methods, including genre, location, and sound quality. A letter-by-letter search function is available as well, so you can type in the call letters of the station you liked in college. If a station doesn’t appear on the list, and you know that it’s available as a stream, Tivoli will find it and add it to your NetWorks. That’s just one of the services available via the web site Tivoli has created for NetWorks users.

Given how nicely the NetWorks fits on a bedside table, the inclusion of an alarm — with top-mounted snooze button — is a welcome feature. It would be nice if the sleep timer could be adjusted beyond the fixed 20-minute duration, but that’s a minor quibble.

As anyone who’s heard a Tivoli product might expect, the sound quality of the NetWorks is just dandy. In both one-box and stereo operation it filled a medium sized room with rich, satisfying sound. The available subwoofer adds a few notes to the bottom end, and also allows for greater overall volume levels. While by no means the cheapest entry into the world of internet streaming, Tivoli Audio’s NetWorks delivers a unique combination of quality, expandability, and ease of use.

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Bose Computer MusicMonitor

Sunday, December 21, 2008

bosedesktop2

Bose has long been a font of secular miracles, most of them involving the production of Great Big Sound by Itty Bitty Boxes. Starting more than four decades ago, with the company’s seminal – and still available in highly evolved form – 901 speaker system, Bose has consistently taken the “bigger is better” theory of sound reproduction and replaced it with “impossibly small is better still.” The company achieves this goal by following a very simple path. The first step calls for a vision, which is provided by company founder, Dr. Amar Bose. The next step is for some of the company’s engineers, of which there are roughly 1,000, to transform that vision into reality.

The latest example of that reality comes in the form of a pair of extraordinarily small, astonishingly capable self-powered desktop speakers called the Computer MusicMonitor. Each aluminum-cased speaker is roughly the size of a clenched fist (but not nearly as lumpy), with the cabinet configured to angle the sound directly towards a listener seated at a desk. The package includes a small – what else? – remote control for volume and power, along with cables for connection to a standard computer audio output.

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VisorTalk VT-MK20 Handsfree Car Kit

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

VisorTalk VT-MK20In recent months, my much-praised, but somewhat long in the tooth, Motorola visor-mounted Bluetooth hands free kit had begun to act like a back-alley counterfeit. It was dropping calls on a regular basis, and when it managed to hang on to a connection there was so much noise and echo at the other end that my friends refused to talk to me until I pulled over and switched to the handset. Needless to say, when the opportunity arose to take GoldLantern’s VisorTalk VT-MK20 around the block a few times I didn’t hesitate.

My first impression of the $129 VisorTalk VT-MK20 was very positive. Its fit-and-finish are first rate, and it feels solid in the hand. Of course, first impressions are often wrong. The aforementioned Motorola, for example, looks and feels a little tacky, as if it should be blister-packed and hung on a hook at the drug store checkout counter. Despite that, it worked well for a good two years. (Never mind that we used to expect name-brand electronics products to last for decades. Different times, different expectations.)

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Bose SoundDock Portable

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

SoundDock Portable

In my post about the original Bose SoundDock, I waxed enthusiastic about its stellar sound quality, ease of use, and attractive appearance. Those factors made it my absolute favorite among the many speaker docks available for Apple’s iPod. Still, it wasn’t perfect: first, it only worked when tethered to a source of AC power; and second, it lacked an auxiliary input. The first issue meant that I couldn’t enjoy music while relaxing in the hot tub. (Sure, I could run an extension cord to the patio, yada yada yada. Shut up.) And the second meant that my extensive collection of cassettes would continue to gather dust, along with the ancient–but still working–Walkman that played them.

Bose addressed both of those issues with the recently-introduced SoundDock Portable. Those features, along with a couple of other useful upgrades, add a C-note to the price of the original, but my take is that your $399 will be well spent. The first upgrade is the replacement of the free-standing power supply brick with one that’s integrated into the plug itself. Further, the plug/power assembly is designed so that any excess cord can be wrapped around it. The slightly larger remote now includes next/previous playlist controls, and an LED hidden behind the SoundDock Portable’s grille acknowledges receipt of its commands. The same LED serves as a battery status indicator A pair of touch-sensitive volume controls on the side of the SoundDock Portable replace the original’s dock-mounted pressure-activated controls.

The original model’s fixed iPod dock has been replaced by one that can swivel into the main chassis. This keeps it from being knocked about when you’re moving from room to room, and allows the unit to fit into the optional travel case. A recessed handle makes moving the unit simple and convenient.

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Bagel Guillotine

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Guillotine

I grew up in Brooklyn in the 50s and 60s, so bagels were an integral part of my culinary life. When I moved upstate to attend college, culture shock took the form of an almost complete absence of decent baked goods in general, and bagels in particular. After college I moved back to Brooklyn, and for the next two decades lived in various other boroughs and suburbs, and bagels were, once again, plentiful

Today I live in what Brooklynites call upstate, but which really is central New York, and boy, have things changed! Excellent bagels are boiled and baked the old-fashioned way, right on the premises of my local supermarket. This is a wonderful thing. Not so wonderful, though, is the price, which is a non-trivial 65 cents per bagel. If you buy six at a time the price drops a bit, to 55 cents. That’s better, but not better enough. Once in a while, though, the store runs a buy six, get six for free sale, bringing the price down to just over a quarter apiece.

When that happens I buy all I can carry – well, at least a couple of dozen – , haul them home, and spend some quality time slicing and bagging them for the downstairs freezer. My goal, during this process, is to keep from drawing blood, and if I’m careful, and take my time, I generally emerge unscathed. Still, it’s a time-consuming chore, labor-intensive chore, and one which keeps me from buying more than the aforementioned couple of dozen at a time.

Bagel Guillotine

Now, however, I’m free to buy as many bagels as can be crammed into the freezer. Why? Because now I’ve got the wonderful Bagel Guillotine, from Larien Products. Selling for a mere 25 bucks, the Bagel Guillotine consists of a base that holds the bagel in position, and a well-shielded bladed assembly. You put the bagel in the base, position the blade carrier above it, and press down. Faster than you can say Marie Antoinette you’ve got two bagel halves. I’d encountered this device at hotel breakfast buffets, but until recently it hadn’t occurred to me that it was available for home use. I’ll bet it hasn’t occurred to you, either, but there you are. If you’re fond of bagels, but not of unnecessary bleeding, get yourself a Bagel Guillotine.

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Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Desktop 7000

Friday, November 9, 2007

Microsoft Wireless Desktop

When I started writing full time, back in the mid-seventies, the only time you’d encounter the word ergonomics was in the crossword puzzle. Blissfully ignorant, I touched-typed my way to what was, by 1994, a life of pain. By then, it only took ten minutes at the keyboard before the pain would appear in my wrists, fly up my arms into my shoulders, and finally lodge in my neck. I was a wreck.

That same year, Microsoft introduced its first Natural Keyboard. It split the keys into two sections, each angled so that the fingers could be held perpendicular to the keys, without the need for a sideways bend at the wrist. Desperate for relief, I gave it a try and, as if by magic, the pain was gone.

Over the years, Microsoft offered variations on the original design, and a couple of weeks ago I installed a new one. Called the Wireless Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000, it addresses some of the (minor) secondary key placement and behavior idiosyncracies that characterized earlier versions. The most significant of these is the return to the horizontal rectangle layout for the home/end key cluster. The new model also provides a wider range of positioning options than its predecessors. One of those options involves the installation of a stand that raises the front of the keyboard more than an inch. This results in a dramatic reduction of the wrist angle, and should help reduce the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome. Mechanically, the keyboard somehow delivers the excellent tactile response of the much-loved original PC keyboard, but without that unit’s very audible clackety-clack. Wonderful. An array of secondary keys, arranged above the “F” keys, provide direct access to the web browser’s home and search pages, default e-mail application, calculator application, and volume up/down and mute functions. Another five buttons can be set to start any desired program or document (in its associated application).

The wireless aspect of the keyboard abandons the fairly sketchy infrared technology used by early examples of the genre. Instead, it uses technology similar to what you’ll find in wireless telephones and wi-fi networks. It communicates with the PC via a small adapter that plugs into a USB port. The same adapter communicates with the odd-shaped mouse that’s part of the package. Called the Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 7000, it’s designed so that the hand is positioned diagonally, pretty much at the same angle you’d choose if the mouse wasn’t there. This is, in the long term, dramatically more comfortable than the horizontal position imposed by the mouse you’re probably using right now. Like the keyboard, the mouse can be programmed — too scary a word, really, given the ease with which it’s done — so that the buttons and scroll wheel do exactly what you wish. I set the wheel’s button function to act as a middle-click, and one of the thumb buttons to invoke the very nice magnifying glass feature.

The Natural Ergonomic Desktop 7000 lists for $149.95, and is generally available for about $125. Both components can be had separately, but I’m inclined to recommend the total package. It seems real cheap, especially if you’ve priced carpal tunnel surgery.

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Bose SoundDock

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Bose SoundDock
Bose’s recent introduction of a portable version of its SoundDock iPod speaker system has inspired me, at long last, to post these comments about the original version. I’ve been using the SoundDock since its introduction, and during that time, I’ve also auditioned at least a dozen other speaker systems designed for iPod use. None of them has inspired me to think about replacing the SoundDock. While expensive, the $299 SoundDock combines good sound, good looks and absolute ease of use in a way that is most appealing.

Operating the SoundDock is simplicity itself. After a one-time installation of the appropriate sleeve into the dock’s iPod socket (to make sure the iPod fits securely) using the SoundDock is as simple as turning on the iPod, selecting the desired music, and slipping it into the dock. This wakes up the SoundDock, which then goes to work. The only controls on the SoundDock itself are volume up/down buttons. These are duplicated on a small remote that also sports controls for next and previous track, power, and pause.

Bose has long been renowned for the ability to coax a gallon’s worth of sound out of a pint-sized container, and the SoundDock continues in that tradition. Although it takes up but a corner of my bedside table, it can fill the (good-sized) room with sound that is rich, clear, and beautifully defined. The SoundDocks’s ability to play loudly without distortion is remarkable, but that’s not its only trick. Equally impressive is how rich and full the sound is at lower volume levels.

If the SoundDock can be said to have a flaw, it is its lack of an auxiliary input. This makes it unable to work with anything but the iPod you plug into its socket. If you’ve got an old Walkman or Discman, and want to enjoy a tape or CD, you’re out of luck. With hundreds of tapes and CDs in my library this could be a real issue. And if I didn’t have 10,000 songs on my iPod, “could be” would read “is” in the previous sentence. As it is, I can always find something to listen to on the iPod, so the SoundDock works fine for me. But if the lack of a second input would be a deal-breaker, consider the new portable version. It can run on its own internal battery, and has an auxiliary input to accept a non-iPod source. I’ll discuss the SoundDock Portable in a future post.

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Bose in-ear headphones

Monday, September 10, 2007

Bose in-ear headphonesI’ve never been a big fan of in-the-ear headphones, also known as earbuds. Maybe this goes back to my kidhood, listening to a cheap transistor radio, late at night, through its crappy hard plastic earpiece. Or maybe it just goes back to my mom saying never put anything except your elbow into your ear. Whatever the reason, until recently earbuds never worked for me. They do now, or at least two of them do, one of which is this entry from Bose. Called, with utter lack of hyperbole, the Bose in-ear headphones (without initial caps!), they set a new high water mark of comfort within a notably uncomfortable product class.

Selling for a very reasonable C-Note, the Bose in-ear headphones come with three sizes of flexible silicone tips. The idea is that an earbud sized to fit everyone will fit a whole bunch of people pretty badly. After a bit of experimentation, I discovered that the largest of the three sets mated to my ears very well. Indeed, they were comfortable over the course of more than two hours of listening. What’s remarkable about these earbuds is that they make such light contact with the ear canal that you barely aware of them being present at all. This is a good thing.

Of course, for a C-Note it’s not enough that the Bose in-ear headphones don’t hurt. They ought to sound good, too. I’m delighted to report that they do. I should mention, here, something very important about Bose products, which is that they always sound exactly the way the company wants them to. While some “golden-eared” audiophiles take issue with the philosophy behind that sound, my own take is that Bose owners are an overwhelmingly happy group. The Bose sound is, to my ears, big, warm, and inviting. This is in contrast to the more clinical and sharp-edged sound that those aforementioned audiophiles — and I used to be one — often use to describe their speakers and headphones of choice. (In the real world — my real world, anyway — big, warm, and inviting will always trump clinical and sharp-edged.)

Truth to tell, I hardly ever have the occasion to listen to music via headphones. One such occasion is on an airplane, but that environment pretty much demands that I use Bose’s big, warm, and inviting Noise-Cancelling Headphones. But you’re not me. You, in fact, might be a big fan of the “my world and keep away from it” school of listening, and if that’s the case, the Bose in-ear headphones are just dandy.

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