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Continue reading Exclusive: Google Nexus One hands-on, video, and first impressions

Exclusive: Google Nexus One hands-on, video, and first impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Jan 2010 18:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Twenty years ago, Capsule Hotel Shinjuku 510 was a place where Tokyo’s businessmen could get a quick night’s sleep after a long day at the office. Today it’s an apartment building for those left unemployed by the devastating recession.

As Japan’s jobless rate creeps higher—it is currently 5.2%, the highest it has ever been—some Tokyo residents are saving money by moving into hotels. Caspule hotels.

We’ve looked at capsule hotels before and thought it might be fun to spend a night of deep sleep in a futuristic, high-tech pod. But this report from yesterday’s New York Times presents the sobering reality of life in a capsule.

At about $620 a month, rent’s not that cheap, though that does afford you a small in-capsule TV and fresh linens, as well as access to communal areas. The capsules have screens instead of doors, and their thin walls provide little privacy. There is, of course, little space for personal possessions, so most residents keep their things stowed in even smaller lockers on the premises.

The hotel’s proprietor estimates about a third of the establishment’s 300 capsules are rented long term, on a month by month basis. It is heartening, though, to read that the capsule-dwelling individuals interviewed in this article remain optimistic about what the future holds. You can read their stories and find more photographs at the link. [New York Times via Lisa Katayama’s Twitter]

When I decorate a room I like to coordinate the fabrics and colors too. We recently had our main  bathroom painted and wallpapered and I wanted to do something a little different. I decided to apply some of the contrasting wallpaper to the light switch cover or plate and it looks great.

Kathy Zengolewicz

Here is what you will need to get started:

• A light switch cover
• Scraps of wallpaper or a wallpaper border
• masking tape
• A pencil
• Scissors

First, take the switch cover and place it on the wallpaper. Center it on the design if you’ve chosen such a design and center the hole also.

Use a pencil and lightly make an outline of the hole on the front of the wallpaper.  Use sharp scissors and cut a line own the center of the box you just made. Carefully cut out the hole from the middle outward forming two flaps.

Turn the wallpaper over so that you are looking at the back. Match up the switch hole with the cut out in your wallpaper. Trace around the switch cover with the pencil and draw another line ½ inch larger all the way around the cover. Cut out the larger line.

Place the cutout on the front of the switch cover and align the switch hole. Fold each side to the back to  form creases. At each corner make a snip on a 45 degree angle from the outer pencil line to the inner pencil line. This will make the folds look neater.

Wet the wallpaper and reposition it on the cover. Smooth the paper slowly with your finger being careful not to rip it. If the paper doesn’t stay in place you may need to use the masking tape to hold it until it dries.

When it dries, remove the tape and attach the cover to the wall.

Post from: Blisstree

Wallpapered Light Switch Cover

Filed under: SUV, Subaru, Australia

Subaru collaborates with outdoor gear company Columbia in other markets, and the latest result is the limited edition 2010 Forester X Columbia. This version swaps out the standard steel wheels for 16-inch alloys, and adds fog lights, a roof rack, cargo tray, rear step panel, and a $500 voucher for actual Columbia gear. Not bad, but it’s a step down from the 2007 Forester X Columbia, which also got a sunroof and heated seats.

There will be 1,050 examples on offer and they go on sale in Australia beginning Monday, January 4. The “driveaway” price has been announced as $33,990 AUD for the manual ($30,486 USD – note: that’s a straight conversion and does not correspond to the car’s U.S. price), which is $600 less than the Forester X price on Subaru’s Aussie site. Unless we’re missing something, that can’t be all bad for the country’s best-selling crossover.

[Source: The Motor Report]

Continue reading Subaru releases new Forester X Columbia in Australia

Subaru releases new Forester X Columbia in Australia originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 02 Jan 2010 18:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Snuggie, the blanket with sleeves, is becoming a phenomenon. But is it justified?

I received a Snuggie as part gag gift, part well-if-you-like-it gift. I believe it came from Bed, Bath & Beyond. My Snuggie is pink to signify that a breast cancer research donation was made from its sale. I think that idea is very nice, but they could have just put a pink ribbon on a gray blanket instead. How many of us have pink decor?

The free book light that was included was passable for a free item. I like how it opens up, but I could never get it angled the way I needed it to be helpful for reading. The Snuggie website and the fact that they throw in a free item makes the whole deal seem very infomercial. I think that’s what they’re going for though.

As for quality, I’d give the product a B minus. The fleece seems cheap and not very durable. If you hold the Snuggie up, you can see light through it. When compared to a higher quality fleece, the Snuggie fabric looks like little balls of fleece on a background, rather than a solid piece of fleece. However, it is warm and lightweight.

Tip: Be sure to wash your Snuggie before allowing it on your clothes. I opened mine just to check it out briefly and was soon covered with pink debris.

I can complain about quality all day, but the truth is that I use the Snuggie. I don’t always put my arms into the holes while sitting on the sofa, but that option is there if I feel especially cold. I’ve also been able to utilize the Snuggie during late-night blogging sessions when it gets rather chilly in my office. (I’m trying to keep the thermostat down to save energy.)

In all, I’d say if you’re getting this for yourself, you know what to expect, a low-quality novelty product you might actually use. If you’re getting this as a gag gift, perfect, but rather expensive for a joke. If you don’t know whether someone would like a Snuggie, you should probably look for something different.

How do you feel about Snuggie?

(Image via amazon)

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Is Snuggie Really All That?

Google’s Chrome browser has only been on the market for 16 months, but it has already taken a good share of the market and beat out Safari for the number three spot. Safari, for the first time ever, is now ranked fourth. By the end of December, Chrome was up at 4.63% market share whereas Safari fell to about 4.46%. Of course, the big boost likely came from the fact that Chrome Beta became officially available for Mac and Linux. Top dogs are still Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Internet Explorer, with IE8 still at the top but failing to see any real growth. So tell us, what browser are you currently using and why (speed, extensions, apps, etc)?

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Filed under: Accessories

There’s a group of users on Apple’s Discussion Boards who claim that their Bluetooth keyboards have been devouring batteries since they started using a Magic Mouse. Despite switching to rechargeable batteries and running all pertinent updates, the problem persists. Most of the thread’s participants claim to need new keyboard batteries weekly.

Some have guessed that the Magic Mouse is preventing the keyboard from going into sleep mode. One user swapped his Magic Mouse with a Logitech model and saw the problem disappear, while another claims to have heard from Apple Tech Support that this is a known Bluetooth driver issue and that a fix is in the works.

This thread appeared on November 12, 2009, just a few days after Apple released Wireless Keyboard Update 2.0 on the 9th. The update was meant to “…use the function key one-touch controls of your Mac with your aluminum Apple Wireless Keyboard,” and doesn’t seem related to the battery issue.

The Magic Mouse was released on October 20, 2009, and is the first consumer mouse to have multi-touch capabilities. Together, the mouse and keyboard make a pleasant, clutter-free desktop, but aesthetics are worthless if you’re constantly buying batteries. Have you experienced this issue? Let’s hope it gets fixed soon.

TUAWMagic Mouse draining Bluetooth keyboard batteries originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 02 Jan 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In the last quarter, Chrome, Safari and Opera all set new personal bests for browser market share with 4.63, 4.46 and 2.4 percent respectively. This period marks the first time Chrome has pipped Safari to third spot, while their collective prosperity comes at the expense of IE, which continues to hemorrhage users at a rate of 0.92 percentage points a month. Microsoft’s 62.7 percent slice might still look mighty, but projections from Net Applications suggest it could shrink to below 50 percent by May of this year. Unless something magical happens. You’ll probably also want to know that Net Applications monitors incoming traffic to over 40,000 websites and generates a sample size of about 160 million unique visitors each month — making the veracity of its claims pretty robust. One hidden sign of our collective laziness: 21 percent of all users last quarter were still fulfilling their browsing needs with IE 6. For shame.

Internet Explorer losing users as other browsers set share records originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Jan 2010 17:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I got my coupon inserts today and they were covered in reminders that it is time to clean out the medicine cabinet. While the manufacturers are hoping that a lot of customers throw out expired items and run out to buy new products, their reminder is a good one. Cleaning out the medicine cabinet helps you avoid using expired products and it also is a good way for you to limit the number of potential dangerous drugs in your home. (Remember, just because it comes with a prescription doesn’t mean it is safe for someone who doesn’t have a prescription to take. Some teens raid their family medicine cabinets to get high, often with deadly consequences.)

Begin by removing everything from the cabinet. Sort all the expired medications into one pile, the unexpired medications you don’t take any more into another pile and everything you still want into a third pile. Put everything you still want back in the cabinet. Make a list of any expired medications you want to replace, as well as any other items you are running low on, like bandages or peroxide.

Dispose of all your unwanted medications properly. After the government realized the effect all those medications going down the drain has on our environment, it has changed the recommendation to flush old medication or pour it down the drain. Unless the medication is on the list of items that still should be flushed, you should follow the SMARxT Disposal Plan, which encourages people to put medications in a sealed plastic bag along with kitty litter or something else gross and put it in the trash.

Are you cleaning out your medicine cabinet this month?

Photo: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Time to Clean Out the Medicine Cabinet