Cool Tools

Butter Bell

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 05:00:00 -0800

Maybe you’re comfortable with leaving the butter out as-is on the counter for days on end. For those who aren’t, but still want the convenience and pleasure that a steady, safe supply of spreadable yet fresh butter provides: the Butter Bell. It swallows a whole stick of softened butter (that you did leave on the counter, but only for an hour or so).

You put a little water in the base to create a bacteria-discouraging airtight seal around the butter. And you’re never again stuck with a rapidly cooling piece of toast and rock-hard butter. It’s a design that’s been around in various forms for centuries.

-- Bryn-Ane MacKinnon

Butter Bell Crock
$20

Manufactured by Tremain, Inc.

Available from Amazon

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LocalHarvest

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 05:00:00 -0800

LocalHarvest is a comprehensive one-stop resource for finding locally grown food in the continental U.S. The site provides a customizable search feature on its homepage, and a simple zip code input provided me with a description and link to my closest Community Supported Agriculture option. Other search options include farmer’s markets, restaurants that serve food made with organic ingredients and grocery co-ops.

-- Elon Schoenholz

LocalHarvest
Free

Sample Excerpts:

*
Shared Risk
There is an important concept woven into the CSA model that takes the arrangement beyond the usual commercial transaction. That is the notion of shared risk. When originally conceived, the CSA was set up differently than it is now. A group of people pooled their money, bought a farm, hired a farmer, and each took a share of whatever the farm produced for the year. If the farm had a tomato bonanza, everyone put some up for winter. If a plague of locusts ate all the greens, people ate cheese sandwiches. Very few such CSAs exist today, and for most farmers, the CSA is just one of the ways their produce is marketed. They may also go to the farmers market, do some wholesale, sell to restaurants, etc. Still, the idea that "we're in this together" remains. On some farms it is stronger than others, and CSA members may be asked to sign a policy form indicating that they agree to accept without complaint whatever the farm can produce.

Advantages for consumers

Eat ultra-fresh food, with all the flavor and vitamin benefits
Get exposed to new vegetables and new ways of cooking
Usually get to visit the farm at least once a season
Find that kids typically favor food from "their" farm – even veggies they've never been known to eat
Develop a relationship with the farmer who grows their food and learn more about how food is grown

It's a simple enough idea, but its impact has been profound. Tens of thousands of families have joined CSAs, and in some areas of the country there is more demand than there are CSA farms to fill it. The government does not track CSAs, so there is no official count of how many CSAs there are in the U.S.. LocalHarvest has the most comprehensive directory of CSA farms, with over 2,500 listed in our grassroots database. In 2008, 557 CSAs signed up with LocalHarvest, and in the first two months of 2009, an additional 300 CSAs joined the site.

Variations
As you might expect with such a successful model, farmers have begun to introduce variations. One increasingly common one is the "mix and match," or "market-style" CSA. Here, rather than making up a standard box of vegetables for every member each week, the members load their own boxes with some degree of personal choice. The farmer lays out baskets of the week's vegetables. Some farmers encourage members to take a prescribed amount of what's available, leaving behind just what their families do not care for. Some CSA farmers then donate this extra produce to a food bank. In other CSAs, the members have wider choice to fill their box with whatever appeals to them, within certain limitations. (e.g. "Just one basket of strawberries per family, please.")

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Carson MicroBrite

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 05:00:00 -0800

We discovered this microscope while traveling in Paris, where it was recommended by a staffer at Nature & Decouvertes, who told us it was incredible for the price -- about $10 at the time. Was he ever right.

It comes with a base and a slide with some cotton cloth as a sample, but in practice we never use the base or slide. We just place the microscope on anything we want to look at, and click the LED light on for a terrific view. There is a 20x-40x zoom, as well as adjustable focus. It’s good enough that we end up fighting our kids to play with it. With it we’ve studied leaves, flowers, color printing (kids are surprised by the dot patterns), currency, rugs, even our own fingerprints.

-- Brian Fleming

Carson MicroBrite MM-24 Pocket Microscope
$17

Manufactured by Carson

Available from Amazon

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Travel John

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 09:30:18 -0800

I’ve used these for several years, and they’re great when the need to urinate calls but no facilities are accessible. I've found them useful while flying in small planes that don’t have a toilet, and also when I didn’t want to leave my tent in the middle of a rainy night to relieve myself. Long lines for the Port-A-Potties at the airshow with your kids? Problem solved.

I learned of the piddle pack concept while serving in the USAF. Back in the day it was a plastic bag with a sponge that wasn’t always successful absorbing all the urine. The technology these days, similar to what you'd find in a disposable diaper, is much better. A biodegradable polymer within the bag turns your liquid input into an odorless gel that won’t spill, and a unisex collar makes it ideal for the whole family. Keep some in your glove compartment. You won’t be sorry.

-- Sean Lally

Travel John Disposable Urinal
$12 (6 pack)

Manufactured by Travel John

Available from Amazon

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Snappi Diaper Fasteners

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:00:00 -0800

We buy cloth diapers for our baby, as a greener, cheaper and healthier alternative to disposables. Several companies make cloth diapers with snaps or Velcro fasteners, but those can hit $20 apiece or more.

Flat diapers are much cheaper, and can be folded to fit any size baby, but there’s no built-in fastener. The traditional approach used to be safety pins, but it’s a daunting task to pin a diaper without stabbing the baby or yourself with the sharp point.

The Snappi diaper fastener is a rubber elongated “T” with plastic teeth at each of the three ends. The teeth hold the diaper securely, but are too short to go through the diaper and into the baby. Putting the Snappi on is about as easy as using Velcro, and taking it off is even easier. It’s simple to clean and has a lifespan of about six months.

We tried an off-brand version first, and it nearly sent us back to pins -- the teeth wouldn't hold, and the plastic bits that connect the teeth to the stretchable body of the “T” always separated from the rubber. The Snappi brand fasteners never gave us any trouble.

-- Scott Noyes

Snappi Diaper Fasteners
$2

Manufactured by Snappi Baby

Available from Amazon

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Spring Tools Combination Nail Set

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:00:00 -0800

I’ve had the same one for almost ten years. Sometimes called the “two-bit snapper,” it’s a very simple and clever spring-based hammer that you use instead of the nail set-hammer combo normally used to pound in finishing nails. It’s excellent when you need to put up molding in tight spots and corners. Its compact size means that it can always live on your tool belt. You just pull back one end and the spring does the hammering for you.

It seems to be a lot more accurate than a center punch-hammer combo, since one hand holds the tool and nail together, while the other pulls back to snap the spring; you get fewer errant holes around the nail you’re trying to punch in. It’s one of those tools that is so simple, I wonder why more people don’t have one. I’ve only used it for finishing nails, but Spring Tools makes it in other variations, as well. This tool is just so elegant: simple, functional and as utilitarian as a bicycle.

-- Erik Knutzen

SpringTools 32R12-1 1/32 to 2/32-Inch Combination Nail Set Spring Impact Tool
$10

Manufactured by Spring Tools

Available from Amazon

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Sugar Dispenser

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:40:52 -0800

I bought this sugar dispenser from King Arthur Flour a couple of years ago, and it’s been a sturdy, reliable tool. It’s sized to accommodate a five-pound bag of sugar. You slide the bag inside, open it up, trim the bag top to the level of the top of the container, and put on the lid. There’s a little flap on the inside of the lid that fits right inside the bag of sugar, holding it open and keeping the sugar from sifting down the sides. The lid has two openings, one is a small pour spout, and the other is large enough for scooping out sugar with a measuring cup. The spout is slightly flexible, so if a lump clogs it I can squeeze the sides of the spout to crush the lump. The whole thing is ant and waterproof when sealed shut.

This is not a sexy matte-black high tech kind of tool, just a solid, well thought-out container that makes working with, and storing, sugar or flour much simpler, easier and cleaner. Using it makes me very happy.

Also, King Arthur Flour’s online store and print catalog are packed with tons of nifty cooking tools. The King Arthur Flour’s Cookie Companion and Baker’s Companion books are fabulous cookbooks.

-- Amy Thomson

Sugar/Flour Dispenser
$8
Manufactured by Buddeez

Available from Amazon

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Create an Oasis with Greywater

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:00:00 -0800

Greywater is the term for all household wastewater except for the toilet and kitchen sink. This is the only comprehensive book I know of on the subject, and in this fifth and expanded edition, Art Ludwig explains how to choose, build, and use a variety of simple greywater systems. There are clear drawings for sending washing machine water into the garden (with or without a drum), for putting diversion valves on bathtubs or showers, for creating “mulch basins,” for ultra-simple setups like “Garden Hose Through the Bathroom,” and “Dishpan Dump (Bucketing)” -- the latter of which I've been practicing lately to the great benefit of both septic system and compost piles.

There’s a large section on branched drains -- splitting the flow and dispersing greywater to a number of mulch basins in the garden -- using gravity flow, no pumps or electricity. Mistakes made in greywater systems over the years are documented here, along with suggested improvements, and there's a two-page System Selection Chart with a comparison of 18 different systems.

-- Lloyd Kahn

[Complete plans for one of the book’s most broadly appealing projects -- a Laundry to Landscape Grey Water System -- are available, free, on the Oasis Design site. -- ES]

The New Create an Oasis with Greywater
Art Ludwig
2009, 144 pages
$21

Published by and available from Oasis Design

Or $15 from Amazon

Sample Excerpts:

Simple Laundry Drum with Rainwater Harvesting

Figure 7.6: Laundry Drumless Laundry

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Gorilla Gripper

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:11:55 -0800

I have the Stanley Panel Carry, previously reviewed on Cool Tools, but greatly prefer the Gorilla Gripper, which works with panel widths from 3/8 to 1 1/8 inch. It is about six times more expensive, but it works significantly better for moving large panels.

The Stanley tool goes under the bottom edge of the sheet. This can be awkward if it’s heavy material, such as plywood, and seems more likely to result in damaged corners. Using the Stanley holder, I had to bend my back at an awkward angle to pick up the sheet -- the length from the tray (where the bottom edge of the sheet rests) to the handle is too short. The Gorilla Gripper lifts from the top of the panel, so there’s less need to bend before lifting, and I can keep my back straight. Also, with the Gorilla Gripper it's easier to adjust your balance, since you don't have the friction of the material moving the tool from side to side.

-- D.A.

[Video of the Gorilla Gripper in use here. -- ES]

Gorilla Gripper
$46
Manufactured by Landon Innovations

Available from Amazon

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Homegrown Evolution

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:00:00 -0800

Mead making, beer brewing, bread baking, urban poultry raising, container planting, pirate gardening, foraging, pickling, bicycle-powered hauling, solar-oven making and anti-car culture ranting are just a fraction of what you’ll absorb plumbing the archives of HomegrownEvolution.com. Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen, husband and wife urban homesteaders, guide those of us who can’t make it back to the land on how best to incorporate aspects of it into our modern city-bound lives.

They’re encouraging, but don’t preach or pretend to be perfect, and therein lies their appeal. Erik and Kelly are friends of mine, and over the past few years their website and their book, The Urban Homestead, have led my household, step by small step, to be less consumptive and more productive.

-- Elon Schoenholz

Here's an instructional video on how to make your own self-watering container. If you plan to undertake this project, be sure to use a food-grade bucket, as the authors recommend in The Urban Homestead. SurviveLA was the original name of the Homegrown Evolution website. -- ES

Homegrown Evolution
Free

Sample Excerpts:

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Field Notes

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 05:00:00 -0800

I’ve tried lots of different small notebooks. Field Notes are the best ones I’ve found, small and thin enough to really have with you all the time, in a shirt or pants pocket. I’ve carried them for over a year, and my small notebook is used every day for ideas, shopping lists, account numbers/passwords (coded, of course), design sketches, references.

I am now laminating the covers with simple self-seal lamination sheet to lengthen the life of the cardboard cover.

I love leather, but all the leather and Moleskine notebooks (previously reviewed on Cool Tools) are simply too thick for me to carry all the time in a pocket, which is where the Field Notes pads have made the difference.

-- John C Moore

[I’ve been using Field Notes lately, and a laminating them as John suggests would be a great improvement. Moleskine makes a similar soft cover product, and competitively priced, too. Both are fine choices if you get around without a bag. --ES]

Field Notes 3-Pack, 48 page memo books, ball point pen, pencil
$10
Manufactured by and available from Field Notes Brand

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Haws Watering Can

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 05:00:00 -0800

When I began gardening I used a generic plastic watering can from a hardware store, but it didn’t give a gentle enough flow for newly planted seeds, nor a fast enough stream for larger plants that drink a lot. The polyethylene Haws can’s separate spout attachments—right angle downspout and oval brass rose—are outstanding features that make it a versatile performer. The right angle is useful for pinpointing the spot I’m aiming to water and also for avoiding watering a plant’s leaves. The brass rose angled upward lets forth a gentle rain for delicate seedlings; angled downward it gives a still-gentle but stronger dispersed stream. With both spouts removed, a solid stream shoots straight out of the can for deeper watering and hitting the tough-to-reach corners of my raised beds. Two “parking spots” on the body of the can hold the spout attachments not in use, so they’re never misplaced. Changing modes -- and changing back -- couldn’t be easier.
The only drawback I’ve encountered is that the fine holes in the brass rose clog easily and need to be cleaned regularly to work well. But until I graduate to drip irrigation, this is the perfect tool.

-- Elon Schoenholz

Haws 6-Liter Practican Watering Can
$39

Manufactured by Haws

Available from Amazon

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A&P Mechanic's Cable Key Ring

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:12:13 -0800

I carry a ton of keys. I’ve tried standard metal key rings in a few sizes, mini-carabiners of various types, and dual rings with a quick-release between them, and they all have problems. The A&P Mechanic’s Cable Key Ring, by County Comm, is made of strong stainless steel cable with a screw ferrule closure, is very light and the screw-apart fastener makes adding new keys a snap.

The give in the cable allows each key to flex in place a bit when under tension, so keys and ring together conform to my pocket and make less of an uncomfortable, unsightly bulge. The fact that it’s both handsome and just a couple of dollars doesn’t hurt, either.

-- George Cochrane

I only picked up this key ring a month ago, but I have sworn never to return to the old style of key rings again. I got so tired of breaking nails prying the ring apart and then forcing my keys on to it and wiggling them around the ring until they were completely secured. This key ring simply uses a very secure barrel screw to hold the two ends together. The end that pulls out of the barrel easily threads through all of my keys at once and then securely screws back into the barrel.

-- Debra Williamson

[These two reviews highlight similar products with a slight variation. The ring by County Comm is made from stainless aviation cable with brass screws and barrels; the Hy-Ko Products ring Debra uses has a nylon-coated cable. Of the two buying options below, both include shipping costs two- to four- times the item price, so it only makes sense if you have something else to buy. Maybe it’s time to finally get those EMT shears for your grab-and-go bag. -- ES]

A&P Mechanic’s Cable Key Ring
$2
Manufactured by and available from County Comm

Cable Key Ring
$3
Manufactured by Hy-Ko Products

Available from Aubuchon Hardware

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Mint

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 08:46:19 -0800

This web-based dashboard gives me an elegant overview of all my financial accounts in one screen. I've been using Mint for the past 6 months and it is marvelous. It is super friendly, quick, and illuminating. It makes me smart.

Mint will aggregate any money or spending account with online access -- which is basically all financial accounts by now. In ten minutes or less I added our bank, credit cards, mortgage, cars, 401k, credit union, checking, and Etrade accounts to Mint. That's the last input I ever had to do. From then on Mint automatically updates all the accounts, sucking in their data with the correct passwords, and integrates this diverse information into a single unified realtime snapshot of our finances. At once glance I can see where we are spending too much, or how we actually allot our income. I no longer have to hunt for my password and numbers for different accounts, say checking our bank balance, or a credit card purchase. It is much much easier, and far more pleasant, to simply log into Mint, where I can see everything. There, in clear presentation far superior to most banks, are all my accounts informing each other. One window to watch them all!

Mint is a read-only interface. There is no way to move money, or reconcile accounts, or pay bills, or calculate taxes (for now). That is also why it is safe. In fact it is probably safer than most banks because fancy algorithms at Mint similar to credit card fraud detection software will alert you when your finances show an unusual pattern. This is one of its cool features. It will gently inform you (at your choice) that say, based on your past months’ expenditures, you've overspent your grocery budget this month. It also makes a fairly good guess at categorizing your expenses on its own. It can then make comparisons of how your budget stacks up to other aggregate users in your area, and offer budget suggestions (which we have not followed). We rarely use cash for anything so Mint gives us a very complete picture.

Some people will not be convinced by any reasoning or proof that having a single window into your entire financial situation is safe. If you are of that type, don't use Mint. But for the rest, who long ago realized that using credit cards online is far safer than using one in a store, Mint is a fabulous cool tool. And it is free. Available anywhere the web lives.

There are a couple of similar sites, such as Wesabe and Geezeo, which emphasize sharing budgets, sort of like a Weight Watchers for finances, but I find their interfaces far less elegant. However this niche is evolving fast, and features expand. Mint has a good head start, a winning design (I love the pie charts!), and a sizable user base, so I think it will be around for a while. (If it did disappear, no loss because it does not store any unique data.)

-- KK

Mint
Free

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Hack Alert

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:03:00 -0800

We are aware that some visitors to Cool Tools today encountered a warning that this site had a link to a malware site. Last night the site was hacked into and a link to a malware site was inserted into the source code of the pages. We've cleaned it up, and have repaired the breach and are working on making the site more secure. I apologize for the inconvenience. We are now back to your regular scheduled cool tool of the day. Thanks to those who sent messages alerting us of the trouble. -- KK