I’ve never been a big fan of earbuds. Maybe it’s the residual effect of my mother’s admonition, when I was a child, to never insert anything other than my elbow into my ear. (Go ahead, try it. In your ear, I mean.) Or maybe it’s just that most earbuds have, over the years, proved to be seriously uncomfortable after more than 15 minutes of listening. This was true not only with off-the-shelf models, but with a set I had made from molds of my ear canals. This was never a big deal, though, given the ready availability of all sorts of non-earbud alternatives. But I’m nothing if not flexible, so when the opportunity arose to try a couple of new sets, described by their respective manufacturers as being “different, and really comfortable,” I leapt at the chance.
Being a very big fan of noise cancellation technology I first turned my attention to Philips’ $99.99 SHN7500. From a comfort standpoint, three things set these apart from the majority of earbuds. The first is a shape that keeps each bud in place without relying on it being jammed so far into your ear that it bruises your brain. The second is the three sets of “ear caps” that let you tailor the size of each earbud’s business end to fit your ear. The third is the lanyard holding the small electronics module, which goes around your neck like a high-tech Polynesian-style tiki amulet. The earbuds’ cables are routed through the lanyard, with a short run to the ears. This eliminates the tangle of wires that normally try to pull the buds out of your ears and otherwise provide an annoying distraction. I am not a runner, or any other kind of athlete, but those of you are pursue such activities will appreciate the convenience of Philips’ design.
The SHN7500 can be used as a stand-alone oasis, solely for the purpose of providing a little peace and quiet; or it can be attached–using a supplied signal cable–to an iPod or other device for music. (Philips supplies airplane and quarter-inch adapters as well, along with a compact carrying case that has room for the earbuds, accessories, and an iPod.) In stand-alone mode, the SHN7500′s noise cancellation strategy calls for a combination of the active circuitry and the physical isolation afforded by a good fit in the ear. My own impression, in this mode, is that they could have ramped up the active circuitry just a bit, and extended its reach both up and down. But while less effective than the gold standard, the SHN7500 is a third the price, and is better than anything else I’ve sampled in its price range.
Unlike some noise-cancelling models, the SHN7500 can play music whether or not the active circuitry is engaged. This means, for one thing, that if you forget to install a fresh battery on that 14-hour flight, and the NC circuitry stops working, you can still listen to tunes. It also means that when outside noise isn’t a factor you can listen to unprocessed music. Either way, though, the audio quality of the SHN7500 is quite good. There’s plenty of bass, and the highs are crisp without the nasty zing that can be so fatiguing. Big, complex music doesn’t sound mushy, while simpler stuff is presented with admirable clarity. In all, Philips has hit the sweet spot with the SHN7500.
Growing up in a Skippy household, I naturally cast a jaundiced eye on those weirdo moms who foisted Jif on their benighted offspring. Thus imprinted, I remained a Skippy loyalist for many years. Despite the grocery store’s ever-widening peanut butter shelf, I felt no urge to experiment. For me, Skippy was the One True Peanut Butter.
What sets the $299 
OK, so you’re ready to settle in and watch a DVD on the home theater. The first step, of course, is to hunt down all of the necessary remotes, including the one that somehow wound up under the couch. Once all of the remotes are gathered, you use one remote to turn on the TV and select the appropriate input; another to switch on the receiver, tell it to expect a call from the DVD player, and how to respond to that call; and a third to operate the DVD player itself.
Although wine in boxes and screw-top bottles can be very good indeed, you might occasionally find yourself in a situation that calls for a corkscrew. The simplest of these devices consists of a helix-shaped length of metal — the screw — with a point at one end and a handle at the other.The idea is to screw the pointy end into the cork, hold the bottle in one hand, or perhaps under the arm, and yank the cork out with the other. If the cork is in good shape (i.e., doesn’t crumble) it comes out of the bottle with a satisfying “pop” and everyone applauds your feat of strength. But for the purposes of this discussion, the condition of the cork is irrelevant. It’s your shape that inspires me to include the corkscrew’s relatively simple technology in The Grown-Up’s Guide.
The most common leverage-based corkscrew is known as the “waiter’s” model. In theory, it’s simple: screw it into the cork, place the bottle rest on the rim, and lift the long end. If you’ve got the screw properly centered, and the cork isn’t too long, the first lift will bring it nearly all the way out of the bottle. At that point, relatively little personal force will be needed to finish the job. Centering the corkscrew is important, both to keep from damaging the cork and to assure good contact between the bottle rest and the rim. Aside from this need to center the screw, one major usability issue keeps the waiter’s model from being an ideal corkscrew. As you lift the lever to remove the cork, the force you’re exerting begins to transfer from upwards to sideways, pushing the cork against the inside of the bottle’s neck. Depending on the length and condition of the cork, you could wind up with half a cork stuck at the bottom of the neck. It’s best, I think, to leave the waiter’s corkscrew in the hands of actual waiters.
Probably the most common easy-to-use household corkscrew is the double lever type. It uses a gear and rack system that raises a pair of levers — sometimes called wings — as you turn the knob that inserts the screw into the cork. A side benefit of the basic design is that the screw is automatically centered in the cork. When the screw is fully inserted in the cork, you press down on the levers and the cork comes out in one easy motion. Some double-lever corkscrews incorporate a bottle opener into the handle, making them ideal for picnics and tailgate parties. If you opt for a double lever corkscrew, be aware that some models are more ergonomically designed than others. Look especially at the handle — the part that you have to turn to insert the screw into the cork — to make sure it’s comfortable and wide enough to provide a good grip. Note, too, that some double lever models replace the time-honored helical screw with what appears to be a large wood screw, the kind you’d use to put together a deck or bookshelf. Avoid this type, as it’s more likely to bust up a cork that isn’t in perfect shape to begin with.
The double lever would be the logical first choice were it not for the introduction, in the early 1980s of the 
If the original Screwpull has a drawback, it is that after several years of regular use the Teflon coating begins to wear. This can make it difficult to remove the cork from the screw. This problem has been addressed by the introduction of a new series that incorporates an automatic ejection technology called Activ-Ball. Like the original, the Activ-Ball version of the Screwpull is available in both tabletop and portable versions.
With these models you swing a pair of clamps into position to hold the neck of the bottle, swing the lever in one direction to insert the screw, and then swing it back to remove the cork. 
