Urban Lime

iamhuman Fabric Laptop Skins

Hugo — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 02:35:30 EST

iamhuman fabric skins for your MAC (and other laptops too) will make you an even bigger hipster. They use different fabric patterns like plaid, wool and so forth. Prices vary based on which fabric you fancy. Expect to pay at least $30 a pop.

Found at iamhuman.

Cuisinart ICE-30BC 2-Quart Ice Cream Maker Review

Hugo — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:15:05 EST

Ice cream making, like ice cream, comes in different flavors: You have manual machines, pre-frozen bowl motor-powered machines, and built in freezing mechanism. The Cuisinart ICE-30BC 2 Quart ice cream maker is the pre-frozen bowl variety.

The Cuisinart ICE-30BC 2-Quart Ice Cream Maker allows you to create frozen yogurt, sorbet, ice cream, and gelato. For a typical ice cream, the machine will take about 30 minutes to churn your custard to tasty ice cream.

The Cuisinart ICE-30BC 2-Quart Ice Cream Maker is housed in brushed stainless steel. At the top you'll find a large ingredient spout, which allows you to add your mix-ins (think crushed Oreo cookies for example) during the churning process. In the lower part of the machine is where you'll find the automatic motor unit and the space for the double-insulated 2 quart freezer bowl. Tucked away underneath the body is the power cord, which can remain hidden until it is necessary to use. We wish however, that the cord was a foot longer than it currently is. Since this is not the kind of device you keep on your counter space (it is BIG!), most of the places where you'll plug this in will be taken away by devices you use everyday. So, having a longer cord would allow easier placement on the counter. Although the device is really heavy, it is very well constructed and does not feel cheap.

To use this machine you'll need to pre-freeze the freezer bowl for at least 8 hours before, so it is always recommended with this kind of ice cream maker that you store the freezer bowl in the freezer. Heed that as a warning, if you have a small freezer, you are better off buying the one of the smaller Cuisinart ice cream makers on the market. You'll also want to prepare the custard or non-custard ice cream before hand to keep the ice cream cool during the whole process. When you are ready, you turn the unit on and pour the ice cream mix slowly into the Cuisinart.

The device is not quiet, but it is not louder than similar devices and it is the nature of a device that has a motor running through a thick liquid like this to make a certain amount of noise.

We made recipes from the included recipe book and the fabulous ice cream book Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments by David Lebovits.

If you like your ice cream smooth, rich and creamy, this machine delivers in spades. As the machine churns, the custard slowly starts thickening. You should add your mix-ins about 5 minutes before you think you'll stop churning the ice cream.

One other note about the pre-frozen bowl before we go. To clean the bowl you'll need to run it through warm water and let it sit to essentially melt before being able to freeze it again. If you plan to make back-to-back ice cream, you should buy a separate bowl.

We wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Cuisinart ICE-30BC 2-Quart Ice Cream Maker over other pre-frozen bowl home ice cream markers -- specially when you can find it online for less than $70 dollars.

THE GOOD
- Makes soft creamy ice cream
- Good built quality
- Great price

THE BAD
- Heavy
- Long re-freezing times for the bowl
- The power cord is too small

IN THE BOX
- The Cuisinart ICE-30BC Ice Cream Maker
- 2 Quart Freezer Bowl
- Recipe Book

WHERE TO BUY
Amazon

MANUFACTURER
Cuisinart

Bombastic Candles - Kaboom!

Hugo — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 08:54:04 EST

Kaboom Candles add an explosive touch to any party (without the explosion part). These clever candles were designed to resemble cartoon and video game bombs and have a sparkling wick that adds even more authenticity.

Found at Spoon Sisters

Multi-Color Ball Clock by George Nelson

Hugo — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:10:15 EST

I'm not the kind of person to spend over $300 on a wall clock, but if you are, I can say that the iconic George Nelson Ball Clock would be a mighty fine candidate for your cash. You can read more about George Nelson and admire some of his other awesome work at georgenelson.org

Found at Amazon.

air

Hugo — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:19:20 EST

The artwork on the air kitchen towels from Tikoli not only remind us of the Avatar film floating creatures, but they also remind us of the elegance of simple design.

Found at Tikoli.

Vivienne and Friends

Hugo — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:21:17 EST

The gorgeous Vivienne and friends, Wisconsin 1974 print on Hahnemuhle photo rag 308gsm matte paper speaks to me. I don't know why, but there is just something about Matte Stephens' artwork that makes my heart race.

Found at Matt Stephens' Etsy Shop.

Will the Apple iPad be worth it?

Hector — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:30:15 EST

Apple's iPad will be hitting the market in about 60 days. It is cross-breed that lies somewhere between an iPod touch and a netbook. Apple hopes it will sweep the market like the iPod touch and iPhone did, but we are not sure that Apple will have a repeat success with the iPad.

The iPad is basically a netbook without a physical keyboard (it has a software keyboard). The cheapest version (16GB flavor) will run you $500 dollars without a 3G AT&T data connection. We find it real hard for Apple to make this product as popular as their iPod touch, after all, it's just a super-sized iPod touch. You can't really install full-blown applications on it like you can on a laptop or a netbook -- only apps that appear at the Apple store. Realistically though most of those apps are basically for fun and lack real meat and bones we need for real productivity. We also feel as if 16 gigs is mediocre for a device that costs $500.

Sure the Apple iPad acts as a movie player, music player, and web browser, but are you really willing to pay that much money for that use only? The real question is, will the Apple iPad be a product you use vigorously for a few weeks and then toss it in your pile along your endless Wii accessories?

Only time will tell if we are wrong about this one.

Take Your MacBook Vertical

Hugo — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 11:56:42 EST

I sometimes don't know what to do with my MacBook when it is not in use. It ends up taking a large portion of my already cluttered desk and like an idiot I put stuff on top. The result? A few tiny scratches on its body that make my soul cry. The BookArc measuring just 10-by-4 inches and cushioned by soft silicon footpads should be your MacBook's new home. The product takes your MacBook vertical taking up only a fraction of the space it would otherwise take. In the end, you'll have more space, less scratches, and a cleaner soul.

Does anyone know if going vertical does any damage to the internal hard drives?

Found at Amazon.

Philips Living Color Changing Ambient Light

Hugo — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 02:30:59 EST

This unique LED ambient lamp from Philips can produce a total of 16 million colors allowing a user to set the lamp to display a huge range of colors based on the desired effect. The brightness can be reduced or increased and the color can be selected at will with the included remote control. The results is an amazingly customizable light experience unlike any other we've ever seen.

Check out the light in action here.

Found at Philips web site.

His and Hers Keyholders Shows Who is Hung

Hugo — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 01:10:18 EST

Insert your key into the "his and hers" key holders and watch the keys hang. If thoughts are entering your dirty little mind from viewing the picture we can't blame you, the same happened to us.

Found at Amazon

Brookstone iDesign Cube Clock Radio for iPod Review

Hugo — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:13:00 EST

The iDesign Cube Clock iPod/iPhone Radio is an aesthetically pleasing iPod alarm clock/radio, but the devil, as with all electronics, is in the details.

For starters, the iDesign Cube Clock Radio and iPod player has a sophisticated look with a slightly gray face sporting a large digit LED display. Unfortunately, the LED display was really bright even in the low setting, forcing us to turn the unit slightly to the side so it would not affect us during night time. You can also turn the display off then temporarily turn on the display for about five seconds by pressing the SNOOZE button once. However, it was a lot easier to move the unit the side when we went to bed as opposed to fumbling through settings every time.

The iDesign Cube Clock Radio let's you install a back-up battery (CR-2032 button cell battery) to keep track of your settings and time if the power goes out.

On both sides of the unit a soft fabric hides and protects the stereo speakers. At the top you will find a docking station for your iPod (also works with iPhone by the way, though it is not advertised as such) and the unit's radio, alarm, and play controls. At the back, there are inputs for AC, AM/FM Antenna connections, and auxiliary.

The AM/FM features on the iDesign Cube Clock Radio are abysmal. The FM receiver is not very powerful and at my location (even with the use of the included FM Pigtail Antenna), it missed some FM stations other alarm clocks easily pick up. The iDesign Cube Clock also does not have preset buttons for setting your favorite FM/AM stations. Instead, you'll need to press the forward and back buttons to scroll (search) for the stations. This can and will be tedious if you have a variety of FM/AM stations you like to listen to. Clearly this device was made with the iPod in mind.

So how does it fare as an iPod player? It works. You can use the on-board controls to play, pause, and skip songs as you would on your iPod, there is nothing revolutionary here, but it gets the job done. The iDesign Cube Clock Radio does charge your iPod when you plug it into the dock -- a feature that always makes us happy.

As far as sound is concerned, the iDesign Cube Clock iPod/iPhone Radio left a lot to be desired. The speakers felt weak when compared to other alarm clock radio players on the market. There just wasn't a lot of oomph in the sound.

If asthetics are your number one priority, the iDesign Cube Clock iPod Radio is one of the better looking iPod alarm clock radios on the market. However, the AM/FM features on this device seem like after thoughts and the sound quality is very poor. For the asking price of about $100, you could certainly do better.

THE GOOD
- Beautiful compact design
- Nice set of included accessories

THE BAD
- Weak FM receiver
- Below average sound quality
- Lacks features for price point

IN THE BOX
- AM Antenna
- FM Pigtail Antenna
- 3.5mm to 3.5mm Cable
- AC/AC Adapter
- 4 iPod Dock Adapters

WHERE TO BUY
Amazon

MANUFACTURER
Brookstone

Alli Coate's Wind Print

Hugo — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 04:37:29 EST

The thing I like about Alli Coate's prints the best, is how they all have a very rough texture. A perfect is example is her 8"x10" print entitled Wind. I could look at them all day long.

Found at Alli Coate's Etsy Shop.

Tetris Mirror

Hugo — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 11:32:15 EST

Mirror mirror on the wall who is the biggest Tetris fan of all? For £39.85 you are sire.

Found at HiddenArt.

The Cupmen

Hugo — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 03:45:16 EST

Rest the Cupmen on your Cup Noodles and it will start losing its color. When the Cupmen turns white your dinner is served. At least that's what I can gather from the very inaccurate Google translation.

Found at AssistOn.

All Your Condiments Are Belong To Us

Hugo — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 03:13:13 EST

These Salt & Pepper Robot shakers are your servants. Next time you need to pass the salt, wind up the salt robot shaker and have him do the walking for you. The robot won't break the sound barrier, but it will be a fun distraction at your dinner table.

Found at ThinkGeek.

Ceramic Butter Dish Made to Look Like a Plastic Butter Dish

Hugo — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 11:34:08 EST

The ceramic Butter Dish was designed to mimick your friendly plastic cousin. And though it was made to hold a normal UK size butter (are there different standard sizes in the rest of the world?), this beautiful ceramic container is best used for other purposes anyway.

Found at Yoyo Ceramics.

The Herb Savor

Hugo — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 01:42:34 EST

For those of you who buy fresh herbs constantly, you'll be happy with this device by Prepera. The Herb Savor prolongs the life of fresh herbs for up to 3 weeks. Beats buying dry herbs on the spice isle of the grocery store.

Found at Amazon.

Keep Your Hardware Handy

Hugo — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 11:23:09 EST

I get really annoyed when I have to climb up and down ladders to get screws that constantly fall down. And sometimes when on the ground, my shirt pocket isn't good since stuff falls out of the pocket when bending down. So, this Magwear Magnetic Wristband should help alleviate all that. The magnet that powers this interesting device is none other than a N50 Neodymium magnet (a powerful magnet) that can hold on to hardware and even small tools. The wristband wrap uses a Velcro strap to keep it secure around your arm.

Found at Amazon

Off the Wall Pots

Hugo — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 10:15:57 EST

These powder coated steel wall pots designed by Thelermont Hupton sit angular on your wall providing a stricking visual to your otherwise flat wall. The pots are installed with invisible fixing so all you see are the pots and the plants growing on them. Needless to say, get plants that thrive in the shade or you will be stuck with dead plants in weeks like it usually happens to me.

Found at A+R.

The View From Your Window Book

Hugo — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 03:16:05 EST

The View From Your Window is a fantastical showcase of 190 of Daily Dish's favorite photos taken by readers looking outside their own windows. What you get is an almost surreal experience with more than 80 countries and 50 of U.S. states represented. Making the book even more interesting is that the book is ordered from dawn to dusk. As you near the end of the book, it feels as if you actually journeyed to these places.

Even if you don't buy it (a steal at $29.95), you can preview the book in its entirety at Blurb.