Autumn is upon the northern parts of the northern hemisphere and we’re stocking up on our cold weather gear. First up, the new hard warmer from Zippo. Unlike the company’s famous lighters, this Zippo produces no flame. Instead, the radiant heat comes from a smoldering of lighter fluid within an ultra-thin platinum-catalyzed burner. A mere 4 ounces of lighter fluid can produce heat for 24 hours, virtually pollution free.
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Before Spot Cool Stuff headed for a month-long stay with the family on the coast we picked up a the new version of Amazon’s Kindle electronic reading device. We are big readers. Instead of packing a small library of bulky novels (and one travel guidebook) we loaded our Kindle with all our literature. The Kindle, we soon found, was also able to replace our need to buy paper newspapers.
As we write this review it is a month later and we find ourselves on an airplane headed home. What we learned about the Kindle during that time was this: It is really cool. (Hence the review here and not on Spot Mediocre Stuff). In fact, the Kindle has reach that highest Parthenon of devices we consider a must-have. But before you shell out $350 on your own Kindle you should know that it does comes with a few downsides along with its superlatives. Read on for more . . .
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We are often surprised how much effort travelers put into deciding where to go and so little into deciding when. The weather at a certain time of year obviously effects the travel experience but so do a lot of other timing factors — when that cool local festival is happening, when an attraction is overrun by other tourists, when that amazing waterfall is at its best or when the whales are jumping. Where To Go When is the Eyewitness Travel guide to the logistics of planning the perfect nexus of vacation time and place. The book is conveniently organized by month and includes some stunning photographs. And while there aren’t enough details in this book to plan your trip once you’ve settled on your destination you’ll find lots of inspiration within these pages.
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We travel a lot, and bring our laptop everywhere we go, so the new Seal Line computer sleeves are godsend for us. What’s great isn’t really the extra padding these sleeves provide (although that’s nice too) but the excellent water and sound resistant qualities. Plus, the sleeve culminate in a handle, so this is a sleeve you can use sans or avec laptop case. Available in small, medium and large sizes. $54.95.
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