Hasta La Ideas

The birds of Spain"After many hours of hard work, throughout continental Spain (I leave the isl..(Read…)

During a crisis, there are a bunch of objects we interact with in hopes of saving our bacon or making life more convenient. Here I’ll take a broad look at some of the objects that played a role, for both me and others, during the mere 24 hours that I was stuck in an electricity-free lower Manhattan during and after Hurricane Sandy. (And there are some topics I’d like to get reader feedback on later, particularly from those of you in hurricane country.)

I would not survive the zombie apocalypse, or even a mutant-free prolonged disaster. The weaknesses in my haphazard Hurricane Sandy planning, shoehorned in between work hours during the days leading up to the storm, made themselves clear on Game Day. Things that I thought were fully-charged were not; I needlessly drained battery life during the crisis; items I was certain I had on hand, I neglected to double-check for; and I’d made no plans for a fall-back position, as I own two rambunctious dogs, barring me from all government shelters and most reasonable people’s homes.

There were plenty of things I got right, mostly easy things. I had enough non-perishable food and water to feed three people for 7-10 days. (I live alone, but most survival books espouse stocking enough for you and unexpected guests.) I had a portable stove and plenty of gas canisters to cook or boil water as needed. I had plenty of light sources in the form of candles, flashlights, batteries, matches. I had good bags to carry things in case I needed to pack up, and good adverse-weather clothing. I had antihistamines, meds, antibiotics and basic medical supplies. So I can cross Sustenance, Illumination, Clothing and First-Aid off the list. All of my failures were in Communications, and they were not errors of stocking, but of maintenance.

At 8:30pm on Monday night I was staring into my laptop when suddenly, noiselessly, everything around it simply went dark. The internet was gone too. I’d been expecting this moment and simply proceeded to watch a movie on the laptop, unconcerned with burning the battery as I reasoned a computer’s not much use without Internet, and the Internet’s not coming back on without the power.

Went to bed afterwards with a fully-charged phone, but stupidly neglected to switch it to airplane mode. As a result, the battery worked itself down to almost nothing overnight, as it fruitlessly kept searching for a signal in a neighborhood where no cell towers had power.

Woke up Tuesday morning with no household electric and a nearly dead phone. No problem, I think; I pull out the Mophie Juice Pack Air that I’d last charged several months ago, erroneously assuming it would retain the charge. It hasn’t. Problem.

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Although it’s currently just a concept, Veronika’s website indicates that it will be available in the near future.

Monsters aren’t born in swamps or in Middle Earth—they manifest themselves in the dark crevices of your childhood bedroom. Veronika Paluchova, a recent graduate from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava, has creatively captured this notion with the Bat Hanger. Her remarkably consistent portfolio includes both experimental furniture designs and clever takes on existing products, and the Bat Hanger is an example of the latter, an age-old product with a new twist.

The conformity of dozens of hangers might satisfy those who crave organization, but can also bore those who need a little irregularity in their lives. The bat hanger transforms your closet into the cozy and low-lit environmseent that makes the perfect home for the flying. Furthermore, the simple design involves very few parts which means it can be produced easily and relatively cheaply.

Have a Happy Halloween!

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The problem with most audio speakers is that they’re not designed to irritate your neighbors to their full potential. Sure, you could point your speakers directly at a window or shared wall, or place it against a floor-mounted cast-iron radiator to send the sounds of Shakira directly into the apartment below yours, but doing either of those things can diminish your own listening experience.

Well, help is here in the form of wireless resonating speakers like the Mighty Dwarf, seen above, and the Mini Dwarf, seen in the video below. These diminutive devices sound like crap when played open-air, but attach it to virtually any surface–the floor, a window, or the sheetrock between apartments 2A and 2B–and you’ve got a party!

Check out the demo below by fast-forwarding to 3:10:

We know what you’re thinking: Can I afford one of these? Folks, with buy-in starting at just 50 bucks, you can’t afford not to get one of these. You may never find out exactly who is nicking your copies of the Times, or leaving the vestibule wide open despite your persistent and thoughtfully-worded Post-Its, but someone will be made to pay.

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Non mi piacciono le feste in maschera, ma se proprio vi costringono ad andarci, vi butto una dritta per lasciarli tutti secchi.