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Bosch’s Power Box Rocks!

The Power Box™ 360 Jobsite AM/FM Stereo looks like the robot friend I’ve always wanted. It doesn’t make cute sounds like R2-D2 or crack wise like Johnny 5 from Short Circuit. However, this box will rock your socks off as you work on the deck, the roof, the job site, or pretty much anywhere else. Basically, it will provide 360 degrees of sound, no matter what the scenario.

However, the Power Box 360 isn’t just built to rock — it’s as tough as one, too. And yes, I really mean that. This thing looks like it’s would survive blasts of varying degrees, whether from weather or wartime. It’s got an enclosed, weatherproof media bay that’s basically wrapped in an aluminum and rubber roll cage. In other words, it can take a fall much better than you can.

Other features include an internal battery, AM/FM presets, equalizer settings, an SD card slot, and a USB port, which can charge up compatible devices, such as a cell phone or MP3 player.

Bosch doesn’t list an MSRP on its website, but Amazon says the list price is $379. That seems like an awful lot to replace your trusty transistor. Luckily, Amazon is selling it at the much-reduced price of $185.

by Rachel Cericola

Written by editor on August 31, 2010 at 10:41 am
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Snazzy Tubs

It’s a girly thing to admit, but I love baths.  Don’t get me wrong—I’m not goin’ for any pink foo-foo scented bath salts and such.  But there’s something just plain awesome about soaking in a tub with a book or TV show and a glass of wine—or a decent beer (none of the light crap).

But I don’t know if I could bring myself to even get near one of these tubs.  They’re just . . .too artsy looking to even be tubs – even if they ARE tubs.  Check these out:

SNAZZY TUB # 1: The WS Bath Epoca Free Standing Bathtub

That’s just plain daunting.  I feel like one of the King’s bath-boys would be hovering over me with some sort of tiny bath towel.  And the bathroom would have to be the size of a football field.

This sucker comes in gold as well.

SNAZZY TUB # 2: The WS Bath Milo Glass Bathtub

Yeah, I know.  WS Bath again.  But this thing is really cool.  You know it.  I know it.

But what wouldn’t be cool would be someone walking in while I’m taking a bath.  It would be like viewing a hairless albino seal through a viewing port at Sea World’s Seal Encounter.  Type that many S’s in a sentence and you know how serious this would be.

SNAZZY TUB # 3: Bagno Sasso X Line Free Standing Bathtub

Okay.  This is a bathtub I can wrap my head around.  Or sink my behind into. It’s somewhere behind the built-in towel and soap shelves.  In this case, the tub can be either freestanding or nestled against a wall.  And the taps can be mounted on the wall, floor, a Pillar column, or on the edge of the tub itself.

This is just the tip of the melty iceberg, if ya’ know what I mean, when it comes to the world of designer bathtubs.  I’ll be back with more!

by John Barker

Written by editor on August 30, 2010 at 10:20 am
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Broom Groomer

Okay, I’m just gonna say up front that I’m not sure what the benefit of this product is.  It’s supposed to be a “sweeping improvement” in dustpans.  But why is it called the Broom Groomer?

Let’s check it out together, shall we?

What you have here is a dustpan augmented with a row of rubber teeth in the back.  When you sweep dust into the pan, these teeth supposedly clean the broom’s bristles, which eliminates annoying dust bunnies the sweeper has to dislodge from the broom by hand.  I wish I had a hunting license to bag as many dust bunnies as possible.  I’m sure I currently exceed the limit and could get fined by the cleaning police . . .

Sorry… got distracted for a sec there…

The Broom Groomer is made of durable plastic with rubber on the grip.  A footrest is built into the handle—which angles downward.  This is something that makes a helluva lot of sense to me.  I hate it when I’m sweeping and the dustpan crawls across the flow with each stroke of the broom.

The Broom Groomer is available for pre-sale at Quirky for $9.99.  Here’s the design pitch—and the guy makes quite a good argument about why this is a great idea:

I’m sold.  And believe me, I need it.  The dust bunnies are currently building a warren in my house . . .

by John Barker

Written by editor on August 29, 2010 at 10:05 am
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DESSO Carpet Makes Air Cleaner

I get kind of grossed out when stuff gets trapped in my carpet. On any given day, I can find old dog food, Play-Doh, Doritos and other debris stuck to my socks. Ew. I don’t encourage or condone this kind of funk, but apparently, DESSO does.

The carpet manufacturer has announced a new type of carpet that actually sucks in some of that yuck, making the air much healthier. According to the announcement, AirMaster® carpet is actually eight times more effective than hard floors for trapping dust and particle matter. Who knew hard floors could suck in anything? Or maybe that’s the point – they don’t.  In my house, dog hair blows around the hardwood floor like a crop of tumbleweeds.

Of course, having all of that stuff in the air is also bad for your health.

“Miniscule dust particles end up in the lungs, the smallest particles even in the blood stream, and this could have serious consequences for human health,” says Alexander Collot d’Escury, DESSO’s CCO.

Naturally, if you spend a lot of time indoors, this could be a problem. And who doesn’t? Working, watching TV, sleeping, and even exercising indoors could have bad effects, depending on how clean – or dirty –  the carpet is.

Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t work out (in case you were looking for someone to say that). Instead, start hounding your employer, apartment owner, or other favorite manager to look into it. For now, the AirMaster  comes in a variety of colors and is available for commercial installations only. 

by Rachel Cericola

Written by editor on August 27, 2010 at 10:45 am
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Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite – Part 2

 Okay, we’ve already established in Part 1 that bed bugs are creepy, blood-sucking little bastards that sneak into your house via luggage or the random piece of reclaimed street furniture.  We have also determined that for some reason, these same disgusting creatures are of particular interest to blog readers lately. 

The scary thing is that since the mid-1990s, bed bug cases have been increasing.

But how harmful are they?  Can you really get some sort of nasty plague from them?

While bites from bed bugs are extremely irritating, the little critters don’t seem to carry any sort of disease.  It is possible to get a rash from their bites, however.  An antibiotic cream should keep it from getting infected and reduce the urge to scratch.

So . . . if you find your home invaded by the micro-sized vampires, how do you get rid of them?

A turpentine/henna combination was used in the 18th century to repel bed bugs.  In the 19th century, methods evolved to include tobacco, cannabis (yeah –  a bunch of stoned bugs with the munchies . . .  I dunno if I’m good with that idea), and black pepper.

Cedar wood oil can be spread around a bed to keep the little suckers away—and is also a good treatment for bug bites.

You can also tackle them physically by returning the “suck” in the form of a steam cleaner.  But you have to be diligent about this, or they’ll rise from the grave like the little devils they are.

The problem with these repellents (aside from the legal issues surrounding cannabis here in the States) is that they only cover specific areas of infestation.  To be really effective, you have to resort to saturation bombing of the entire house.

And that requires calling in the professionals.  Which, as a FIYer, I am generally opposed to.  It’s pretty easy (though tedious and annoying) to bug bomb your house.  But, it is still possible that you’re not going to be thorough enough.

So this is one of those cases where you just gotta suck it up and take a hit in the wallet.  Or throw out your bed and your couches, remove all of your paintings and wall sockets, and hope you’ve bought enough cans of toxic bug fog to wipe out the mini-mites from every nook and cranny.

If you take this option, it may not hurt to have holy water and a cross as well.

by John Barker

Written by editor on August 25, 2010 at 10:46 am
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Vanilla Ice Raps for DIY Network

During his 2004 stint on The Surreal Life, ’90s pop star Vanilla Ice was known for punching a hole in more than a few walls. Now, he wants to show you how to fix them.

Vanilla Ice, whose real name is Robert Van Winkle, will front a new show for the DIY Network. It’s called the The Vanilla Ice Project,  a title as fresh as a pair of parachute pants. If they had asked me, I’d have picked up something from his hit list:

Ice Is Workin’ It

It’s A [Work] Party

Son Of A [Staple] Gun

To the Extreme [Makeover]

OK. Maybe not.

While none of those titles would allow me to take this show seriously, Ice is like a heart attack when talking about home renovation. According to the network’s release, he’s self-taught. Guess there was a lot of downtime in between hit records.

So we can all expect Ice to show off his non-rapping skills, as he spends 10 episodes performing a complete overhaul of a six-bedroom, five-bathroom house. Apparently, flipping foreclosures and other older homes has become Ice’s full-time gig — well, until he goes back on TV.

Look for The Vanilla Ice Project to premiere Thursday, October 14 at 9:00 p.m. (EST) on the DIY Network. Word to your mother.

by Rachel Cericola

Written by editor on August 24, 2010 at 2:21 pm
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Is There a Stripper’s Pole in Your Basement?

This article is about Pole Wrap.  Don’t worry – we have drawn you here under false pretenses with a racy title.

What exactly is a Pole Wrap?  Sounds like the king of music you would hear in a strip club?  No. . . wait.  That would be Pole Rap wouldn’t it?

Actually, Pole Wrap is a nifty way to finish up a basement pole or lally column.  And it gets rid of the “stripper pole” look that nobody but the most die-hard bachelor would want in his home.

Available in Cherry, Maple, or Red Oak (or just ol’ plain if you don’t want to get creative), the Pole Wrap is designed for quick FIY installation.

Essentially, the product is an 8’ long flexible roll of wooden-look panels that wrap around the pole and is affixed with glue.  Cap and Base plates are available to thoroughly disguise the fact that you once had a stripper pole in your house.

So, you die-hard bachelors out there:  if you’ve met the right girl, this is the ticket to covering up the evidence of your past wild nights and make your basement into something that you can show off to the future mother-in-law.

And you can go even add a drink shelf!  Not a keg shelf, mind you.  Think cocktails and wine glasses.  

 

Depending on your situation in these trying economic times, it’s not too bad on the wallet:  the Pole Wrap with Base and Cap run around $100.   The happy mother-in-law:  priceless.

And you can always tear it off if you get divorced. . .

by John Barker

Written by editor on August 19, 2010 at 10:11 am
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More Turquoise for 2010

Feeling a little blue? Pantone is — and they’ve been celebrating it all year long.

To kick off 2010, the Pantone, the ”global authority on color,” declared its  15-5519 Turquoise to be the color of the year. I didn’t know there was a color of the year. Do they celebrate with a crayon or something?

 

Probably not, but it is an interesting way to push paint colors that most consumers aren’t familiar with. Eggshell does get blah after a while. Still, I have to wonder if anyone has incorporated this color into their lives just because Pantone told them so.

“In many cultures, Turquoise occupies a very special position in the world of color,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “It is believed to be a protective talisman, a color of deep compassion and healing, and a color of faith and truth, inspired by water and sky. Through years of color word-association studies, we also find that Turquoise represents an escape to many – taking them to a tropical paradise that is pleasant and inviting, even if only a fantasy.”

 

It does have a bit of a calming effect — and who doesn’t need a little extra calming? Also, we can’t knock Turquoise; Pantone chose the color amongst 3,000 other options.

It’s a nice color for the bathroom or a kid’s room. However, I’d want to use this in my bedroom. It might create the illusion of an ocean view, or at least make me feel like The Little Mermaid. Where would you put this color in your home?

by Rachel Cericola

Written by editor on August 18, 2010 at 2:11 pm
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Dad Uses Prize Money for Good Deeds

While you stare at unfinished home improvement projects from last summer, Charles Muller is about to start renovating his second building — and it’s all for charity.

Muller won the grand prize in the Sears “Unsung Heroes: Dads Making a Difference” contest. Sears says Muller was picked as one of the 10 finalists from over 125,000 entries. Then, America made him the winner.

 

What made him so deserving? Muller, a resident of Rensselaer, N.Y., took a run-down building and turned it into a place where poor children can get a meal. For his good deeds, Muller will get $30,000 worth of labor and materials from Sears. Of course, he isn’t letting that go to waste. His prize will be used to restore a local Boys and Girls Club. Without the renovations, the building would have to be closed.

“I am truly honored to have been selected as the winner, and am touched by the overwhelming support and votes I received from friends, family and members of my community,” said Muller. “I am very grateful to Sears for recognizing other dads and me for making a difference. I am excited to get started on restoring a building used by the local Boys and Girls club that is in desperate need of many repairs that they themselves cannot do alone.”

If you like a good Extreme Makeover-style story, head over to the Sears website to read more about Muller as well as the other finalists.

by Rachel Cericola

Written by editor on August 14, 2010 at 10:38 am
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Just Say No to Crack!

We’ve all seen it.  And like a car wreck or a penguin on a unicycle, it’s difficult to turn away from.

Picture the scene: your kitchen sink refuses to drain.  You try clearing it with a plunger.  No go.  You then use a little snake to hopefully rid the pipes of whatever hell-spawned blob is causing the obstruction.  Still no luck.

So you call a plumber.  And this is what you see:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jganderson/3037650580/in/pool-624266@N22/

Plumber’s butt.  And worse.  You know what I mean. 

I’m not sure why but plumber’s butt, also known as plumber’s crack, inspires more than a few people to take up a video camera and get creative—like this guy, who inter-cuts audio from the classic film, Jaws:

 

But not all plumbers have to be men, right?  Where are plumbers like this when I have issues with my kitchen sink?

I saved the best for last—but don’t let the kiddies in the room when you watch this:

Gah!  See, that’s more like the kind of plumber I’d get in my house…  Except he’d be in his 60s and talk incessantly about how he itches everywhere…

Am I slamming plumbers?  Hell no.  I respect them immensely.  That’s some pretty hard work, my friends.

And if we’ve gotta see a little crack to get the job done… well, I can think of worse things.

by John Barker

Written by editor on August 13, 2010 at 1:31 pm
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