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Twinkle, twinkle, little skirt – Milky Way galaxy version

Last year, we told you about a skirt from ThinkGeek that was decorated with constellations that came to life when you turned on its hidden battery-powered LED lights.  That skirt was pretty, but it was missing scientific accuracy. ThinkGeek has introduced a new twinkling skirt decorated with “Great Observatories Unique Views of the Milky Way – a NASA image created from data provided by the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory”.

This above-the-knee circle skirt has three layers – a see-through layer printed with the Milky Way image, white gauze layer, and a white liner.  You’ll need to do a little assembly by snapping in the stands of 60 cold-white LED wire lights.  The lights can be operated in six different modes, and they will appear violet as they shine through the printed layer.  The lights are not as heavy as Christmas tree light strands, but they are sturdy enough to withstand being sat upon.  With a fresh set of batteries, you’ll twinkle for up to nine hours.

After removing the electronics, the 100% polyester skirt can be machine washed in cold and line dried.  It has two side pockets and a 2″ tall flat-front waist, with elastic and a zipper in back.  It’s available in sizes S-3X for $59.99.

The Twinkling Milky Way Skirt is a ThinkGeek design and is exclusive to ThinkGeek.

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Twinkle, twinkle, little skirt – Milky Way galaxy version originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 7, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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This gadget solves the age old problem of sorting and folding socks

One household chore that I detest is matching and folding socks. I guess it’s because, for only two people, we have enough socks between us to cover the feet everyone in a small country. We also tend to do shipping container sized loads of wash so the task of folding them seems to take forever. That’s why the SockSync caught my eye. It’s an easy and what looks like a shockingly fun way to match and fold a clean load of socks.

The SockSync looks like a laundry basket with a specially designed spinner on top. The spinner has tubes that you place a sock over and then when you find the matching sock, you place it over the end and shove it through to create a perfectly “folded” pair of socks. Genius! Can’t picture what I’m talking about? Check out the video below.

Cool right? I can’t wait to try the SockSync. So look for my review soon. If you can’t wait, head over to socksync.com or Amazon and order one for $59.99. Yes, it’s a little expensive, but if it can tame the dreaded sock monster, it just might be priceless.

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This gadget solves the age old problem of sorting and folding socks originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 7, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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The Lastolite Joe McNally Ezybox Speed-Lite 2 Plus is reliable gear for the photographer


In my world of portrait photography and what I call “object” photography, I frequently utilize my Canon Speedlite flash head along with a softbox to get that beautiful, wide, soft light I need to flood and enhance my subject. That kind of lighting also creates interest and enhances the detail.

Thus far, the problem that I have encountered with all of the softboxes that I own is the badly designed method that they all use to be attached to my flash. They attach via Velcro in some sort of way, and over time during a shoot, they either become detached on one side or in some cases, they fall off completely.

As I continued my search for a better designed softbox, I came across the Lastolite Joe McNally Ezybox Speed-Lite 2 Plus. This 8.7” x 8.7” softbox mounts to the flash with “a secure twist-lock silicone strap”. It has two built-in magnets for mounting accessories as needed, and it can also be used off-camera. By design, it is capable of producing a very soft light with the use of both interior and exterior diffusers. It folds flat for easy packing, and it even comes with its own carrying bag.

If you are like me and you have been looking for a softbox like this, you can pick one up at B&H Photo Video for $78.88.

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The Lastolite Joe McNally Ezybox Speed-Lite 2 Plus is reliable gear for the photographer originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 7, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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Forget the knife – get yourself a Swiss Army axe!

You won’t be building a house or blazing a wilderness trail using just this multi-tool, but it could be a handy addition to your home or car toolbox or your hiking or camping kit.  This Wit Bird multitool with an axe is perfect for small jobs where you need a few tools but you don’t need a full mechanics toolbox.

The tool measures 6.88″ x 3.54″ x 1.18″ and weighs 14.5 ounces.  It’s made of ferritic stainless steel metal with a wood inlay handle.  It includes the following tools:

  • Hammer
  • Axe / hatchet
  • Knife
  • Phillips screwdriver
  • Flat screwdriver
  • Fish fork
  • Saw
  • Allen wrench
  • Bottle opener
  • File
  • Locking plier
  • Flat nose pliers
  • Scale knife
  • Rasp
  • Wire cutter
  • Can opener
  • Wrench

At $12.88 each, you could get a couple of these Wit Bird multitool axes to throw in your car and your outdoor kits.  Get them at Amazon.

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Forget the knife – get yourself a Swiss Army axe! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 6, 2018 at 12:00 pm.

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The Datacolor SpyderCUBE RAW Calibration Tool keeps your photos true to color


After many years of working in the photography and videography/filmmaking industry, there are many occasions when I still find myself editing photos where dialing in the “true” color is an issue, and I have to spend extra time editing to achieve satisfactory results. Realistically, this is quite unnecessary, since there are many products that are available to help with or solve the color challenge.

The Datacolor SpyderCUBE RAW Calibration Tool is one of the available products. It is a digital color balancing tool that allows you to correct the color temperature, exposure, brightness, blacks, and whites of your photographs. It makes editing and adjusting your RAW photographs in post-production much easier. To use it, you simply place the spider cube in the area of light of the environment where you are planning to take pictures. This can be done by hanging it or having someone hold it. It can also be mounted on a tripod or light stand. The grey, white, chrome, and black surfaces, and black trap for Shadow Detail Control, must be visible to your camera and in the frame of the picture.

When used in the same lighting conditions as your photographs, it provides enough information for your editing software for optimal color adjustment. While I have not yet tried it, it seems to be a helpful tool for photographers at any level.

You can purchase the Datacolor SpyderCUBE RAW Calibration Tool at Amazon or B&H Photo Video for $49.

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The Datacolor SpyderCUBE RAW Calibration Tool keeps your photos true to color originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 6, 2018 at 10:05 am.

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