Rated Best

Best streaming music site: GrooveShark

2010-02-13T08:00:00Z

My criteria for a streaming music site are simple:

An account is NOT required in order to use
No limit on the number of times you can listen to a song
The ability to listen to full songs, not just clips
Comprehensive collection of songs
Ease of use in playing the song you want
High quality audio

GrooveShark is the best for all of these. It meets all of the criteria, and does so quite well. It also allows you to embed songs and playlists on other web pages/blog posts (although the process for doing this is quite obtuse). I also really like how GrooveShark does a pretty good job of de-duping search results. Other sites will list multiple versions of a song of varying length and quality.

Runners up include PlayList and YouTube. PlayList isn't as comprehensive, and doesn't de-dupe, and YouTube has low quality audio. Sites that don't meet my basic criteria include Rhapsody, MySpace, iTunes, and Amazon MP3.

Best jeans: Levi's

2010-01-16T08:00:00Z

Jeans are a wardrobe staple for me. Working as an engineer in Silicon Valley, one needs to dress the part. While I have tried other jeans over the years (Lee, Gap, Lands End, and even a few designer jeans), I keep coming back to Levi's.

Levi's have a lot of advantages over the competition:

They fit me well.
They are widely available
They are inexpensive (~$30 a pair)
They look good
They are well made. Other jeans I've tried (especally the Gap jeans) stain, rip, or fall apart far too easily.

I used to buy 550s or 560s. Recently I bought 3 pairs of 569s. They were much more stylish and made the 550s and 560s look frumpy in comparison.

Get Levi's from Amazon

Best shaving cream/gel/oil: Kinexium by King of Shaves

2009-12-31T08:00:00Z

I changed my mind. I used to think that the Total Shaving Solution was the best shaving oil out there. But I admit it was the first one I tried. Any shaving oil is a massive improvement over shaving cream or gel, so you really can't go wrong. But I find Kinexium to be a better product than TSS for several reasons:

It's easier to dispense. A single squirt from the pump nozzle is all you need.
It doesn't have the overpowering menthol smell and feel like TSS.
It's slicker, making it easier to spread and easier to shave.

The price per fl oz is about the same as TSS. I found it at my local CVS drugstore. It's available online too from Amazon or eBay.

Get Kinexium from Amazon

Best ear bud headphones: Sennheiser MX75

2009-12-16T08:00:00Z

I bought a set of these headphones a few weeks ago, and they are the best ear bud style headphones I've ever used. And believe me, I've used a bunch.

The key is the little disk that sticks out above the bud. It sits in the fold of your ear, keeping the ear bud in place. So even if you jounce around or turn you head, the headphones stay put.

They also have several different sizes of stabilization disks and speaker covers, so you'll definitely be able to find a setup that fits you.

The sound quality is really good, too. Maybe not as good as Etymotic ER4s, but definitely better than the ones you get for free with any MP3 player.

Right now they're on sale. $50 headphones for on $20. This is a great deal. Get them while you can!

Get MX75 headphones from Amazon

Best travel pen: Evo refill cartidges

2009-12-08T08:00:00Z

I love my Evo pen. I picked mine up several years ago at the MOMA store. I love it. It's the most comfortable pen I've ever used.

Then when I was packing for a long international trip, I stumbled upon the idea of taking one of the Evo cartridges with me in my money belt. It worked brilliantly. At 2.5" long, it's short enough to fit comfortably with my credit cards. But it's long enough to be usable for filling out travel forms and taking brief notes.

They are also very reasonably priced, at only $1 a piece (though you have to get them in sets of 3). I recommend you pick up an Evo pen while you're at it. At only $3, it's a great deal.

Get Evo pen refills from Amazon

Best computer keyboard: Apple aluminum keyboard

2009-12-03T08:00:00Z

I love my Apple aluminum keyboard. The flat keys, short travel, and ample margins between the keys make it the easiest keyboard I've found to type on. Plus it is quiet. No loud clicking to distract me from the thoughts I'm typing.

Of course the annoying thing is that it's designed to work with Macs. Still, that doesn't stop me from plugging it in and using it. The only real difference is the Command key sends a Windows key event. Personally, I use the SharpKeys utility to remap my keys so that the Command key on the keyboard sends Ctrl and vice-versa.

You can also get a narrower version without the number pad on the right. This gives you a bit more space to operate your mouse on the right without straining your arm way out to the side. (I mouse on the left, so I don't have this issue.)

Get an Apple keyboard from Amazon

Best dress shirt collar stays: stainless steel

2009-11-20T08:00:00Z

I don't wear that many dress shirts, but when I do, I want to look my best. That why I only wear blended shirts (like Alfani's modal shirts), and why I ditch the cheap plastic collar stays for stainless steel ones.

These stainless steel stays never warp, bend, or break, even if I leave them in the shirt through the washer and dryer. They suit my lazy-but-looks-good lifestyle perfectly.

Get stainless steel collar stays from Amazon

Best in-car mobile phone holder: ProClip

2009-10-26T07:00:00Z

I recently upgrade my car to support my iPhone-centered mobile life. I upgraded my speakers and got a new head unit with an iPod jack. I needed to get a dashboard mount for my phone as well, to make it easier to use it for music and navigation. After doing all the research, ProClip came out on top.

ProClip is not cheap. Mine cost about $70. But the extra money is worth it for a hold that was designed to exactly fit both your car and your mobile device.

They do this with a modular system. You buy two pieces: one for your car (make, model, and year), and another for your phone. This also enables you to upgrade your mount if you get a new car or new phone.

I looked at generic dashboard mounts that used sandbags, suction cups, and the like. The reviews were always mixed, the devices were all big and clunky, and more often than not, they obscured some part of the windshield.

I love my ProClip. It is practically invisible, and is mounted over a vent placing it in a perfect location just to the right of the steering wheel at the top of the dash.

Get a ProClip mobile phone holder

Best backup storage: La Cie d2 Quadra external hard drive

2009-10-13T07:00:00Z

I recently outgrew my old external hard drive and needed to get a bigger one. While there are plenty of deals out there on external hard drives—including ones that cost $100 or less—I opted for a higher quality option.

ConsumerSearch.com gave La Cie's d2 Quadra the nod. It's highly rated by both reviewers and owners. But more importantly, it has fewer negative reviews than most. The company has a good history of reliability, the drives quiet (no fan!), and they have USB, eSATA, and FireWire connectors.

I went for the 1TB capacity (which I think is the best value right now), but they come in ½TB, 1½TB and 2TB capacities as well.

Get a La Cie d2 Quadra1TB from Amazon

Best portable music player: Apple iPod Touch

2009-10-10T07:00:00Z

It was a toss-up between Microsoft's Zune HD and Apple's iPod Touch. And for a pure, stand-alone music/media player, I would probably go with the Zune. But why settle for that when you can get a really nice media player in the iPod Touch, that also doubles as a portable computer? You can check your email, browse the web, play games, and even stream music from services like Pandora and Last.FM. Granted, you have to be connected to wifi to do many of these things, but wifi is widely available.

Or, get a Novatel MiFi modem, and for a monthly service fee, you can have internet access anywhere cell phone service is available.

Get an iPod Touch from Amazon

Best Office Chair: Steelcase Criterion

2009-09-29T07:00:00Z

The Aeron is the chair that seems to get all the great press. And it is a nice chair. But I'm not a big fan of the mesh. (If you like mesh, you should probably get the Mirra, which is basically the Aeron v2.0.) For long periods of sitting, I prefer firmer support.

For me it was a toss-up between the Leap and the Criterion. Both are excellent chairs. ConsumerSearch.com gives the nod to the Leap. I went with the Criterion because it felt just as good to me, and I was able to get an excellent deal on a refurbished one at a local office supply store.

Whatever you do, don't just buy the first cheap chair you come across at Office Depot or OfficeMax. I got my first chair at Costco for about $150, and I got what I paid for. The joints weren't solid so they shifted and squeaked as I moved, the padding quickly compressed, and the fabric easily stained.

Get a Criterion chair from Amazon

Best chewing gum: Orbit

2009-09-18T07:00:00Z

I recently got back into chewing gum. I had my share of gum as a kid (Bazooka, Hubba Bubba, Big League Chew), but I gave it up long ago. Then I worked at a place that had really great snacks and gum. It turns out the gum has a lot less calories than the snacks. It was a great way for me to keep my mouth occupied without stuffing it with completely unnecessary calories.

When I started buying gum for myself about a year ago, I went out and sampled many of the popular brands: Orbit, Stride, Trident, Eclipse. Orbit was my clear favorite. It topped my list in all of the dimensions I cared about:

A wide variety of flavors, many of which I enjoy
The flavor lasts a long time
The texture and consistency of the gum is practically perfect, and it doesn't degrade over time.
You get a lot of gum for your money (it's < 10¢ per piece, and sometimes as low as 5¢)
I like the branding and packaging (hey, this stuff matters to a design geek like me)

I've found the best price to be at my local Target. They often have 3-packs on sale for $2. As for my favorite flavors, I think the Citrus Mint and Bubble Mint. But I also like to mix it up with some of the more exotic flavors like Maui Melon and Sangria Fresca. Start off with a variety pack, and then branch out from there.

Get an Orbit variety pack from Amazon

Best earplugs for loud concerts: Etymotic ER-20

2009-09-14T07:00:00Z

I've always tried to protect my hearing at concerts. It started with wadded up toilet paper from the bathroom. Then when I started planning ahead, I used real earplugs.

But the sound quality suffered. The concert wasn't nearly as fun with a muddled, muted sound. It was like I was listening next door through the wall.

Then I found the Etymotic ER-20 earplugs. I was already a fan of their earphones, so it was a no-brainer to order these. I wasn't disappointed. The ER-20s are better than any earplug alternative at a concert. The reduce the volume equally across all frequencies, so that you don't loose the sizzle of the high frequencies.

My only wish is that Etymotic had a series of earplugs that different sound level dampening. The 20db is a bit much for some concerts. Or better yet, an adjustable pair of plugs where you could set different dampening levels.

Get Etymotic ER-20 from Amazon

Best tweezers: Tweezerman

2009-08-31T07:00:00Z

Tweezers aren't exactly the most glamorous utensil in the house, but when you need them, you need a really good pair.

These have a big "tweezing" surface, and they're designed so that each size comes together perfectly flat. You can get a great grip on whatever you're pulling, and it only very rarely slips. Even then it's likely because you loosened your grip.

If you're used to the crappy tweezer experience that is your generic drugstore tweezers, you're going to be delighted by these.

Get Tweezerman from Amazon

Best shower drain hair trap: wire mesh

2009-08-09T07:00:00Z

When it comes to mechanical devices, simpler is always better. The tub in my house had a drain stopper with a complicated series of rods, links, and cams. It didn't work very well at stopping the water, but it was fantastic at accumulating hair and gunk. The thing would clog every few months. So I pulled it out.

I got a basic rubber drain plug for those times I want to fill the tub. But I didn't want to leave the drain completely uncovered. It's too easy for something large (like a bottle cap) to fall down there and clog up the works.

I tried the plastic and rubber screens, but found that they clogged far too easily. Again, simple turned out to be better here. I bought the wire mesh trap here and have been happy ever since. It allows a fair amount of hair and gunk to accumulate while still allowing water to drain off. It's also pretty easy to clean. Just wipe out with a tissue every day or two. And a couple of times a year, soak it in a mild bleach solution to get rid of any crust and gunk on it. Simple, cheap, and very effective. I love it.

Ge a wire mesh trap from Amazon