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This tea infuser isn’t cute, but it doesn’t require washing

NEWS – Over the years, The Gadgeteer has featured a lot of cute tea infusers for making a cup of tea.  The T-Sac Tea Filter isn’t cute like those infusers.  It’s a single-use, disposable paper bag that’s suitable for steeping all types of loose teas.  The bag is made of paper fibers that don’t interfere with brewing but prevent sediment and small leaves from passing through into your cup.  You can blend teas to make your own flavor, or you can add spices for brewing.  Fill the bag, fold over the top, steep, then toss the infuser bag.

T-Sac bags are made in Germany from all-natural, unbleached paper with no chemicals or artificial ingredients to taint the flavor of the tea. They are environmentally sensitive, completely biodegradable, and fully compostable.  A package of 100 1-cup T-Sac Tea Filter bags is $6.64 at Amazon.

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This tea infuser isn’t cute, but it doesn’t require washing originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 2, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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Decorate your home with the beauty of our solar system

NEWS – I have a fascination with various ways that humans have attempted to model the universe.  I’d love to have an orrery, but those are very expensive, so I look for smaller, simpler representations.  This Scale Solar System Model Deluxe is my latest find.  The set comes with a “sun” that’s 53″ in diameter.  The planets are all sized in relation to each other, and the kit includes a laminated scale and distance chart to show you how to place the planets so they are the appropriate distance apart.

The planets are mounted on pine boards that have a “starry night” finish.  All the moons and the smallest planets are made of steel.  The mid-sized planets are made of wood, and the large planets are made of high density, expandable polystyrene (plastic).  Planets are shown with their major moons.

The Scale Solar System Model Deluxe is available for $184.95 from Scientifics Direct.

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Decorate your home with the beauty of our solar system originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 2, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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Go beyond the common Post-It note with Cubinote Pro

NEWS – This little printer is the world’s “first internet-enabled sticky note printer and messenger.”  It’s a thermal printer, and it uses special colored Sticky Note paper that’s said to be eco-friendly because it has no backing paper to remove to expose the adhesive.  The special paper is silicone- and BPA-free, and it’s biodegradable and recyclable.  (If you’d rather, you can use it with normal thermal rolls, but you’d lose the color and the adhesive backing.)

Cubinote Pro connects to your mobile device or computer via Bluetooth or through WiFi.  You download an app (for iOS, Android, or Windows Desktop) to create your sticky note.  Anything you can capture and display on your screen – pictures, drawings, text – can be added to the note.  Notes can be a short message, and image, a report, or most anything you want.  You can connect to Cubinote Pro via WiFi from anywhere and print out your note.  The notes can be stuck to anything – calendar, wall, your monitor, files, etc.  Because it’s thermal, you won’t ever need to worry about replacing ink cartridges.

Cubinote Pro should be available early October 2018.  They aren’t showing a price for it right now, but you can leave your email at the Cubinote website to be alerted when it’s ready for purchase.

If you don’t want to wait and don’t really need the internet connectivity, Amazon has a variety of printers that look almost exactly like the Cubinote with Bluetooth and USB 2.0 connectivity.  The nemonic Sticky Note Inkless printer is an example of the Bluetooth sticky note printers Amazon has.  This one is available in a variety of colors.  It also supports iOS, Android, and Windows PC, with Mac support expected soon.  You can get a nemonic printer and a set of three colored sticky paper rolls for $149.95 at Amazon.

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Go beyond the common Post-It note with Cubinote Pro originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 1, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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Take your home’s lighting back to the future

NEWS – I have a fascination with Mid-Century architecture and design.  When we moved into our condo in the only Mid-Century high-rise in our area, we started looking for things to enhance our new home that were appropriate to its age.  One of the things we wanted was a Sputnik chandelier, but it took us a while to find a source for one.  We didn’t want an old one because we couldn’t re-wire it.  Many of the new ones were smaller than we needed, used the wrong type of bulbs, or just wasn’t right.  When we found Practical Props, we found just what we needed.

Practical Props has been around since 1991.  They started out renting vintage lighting fixtures to movie studios.  At some point, they began reproducing Mid-Century lighting fixtures, including Sputniks of various sizes, numbers of arms, and shapes.  We bought a 24″, 18-arm “flat” Sputnik chandelier for over our dining table, seen above.  We’ve also bought three of the little 5-arm flush-mounts for our bathroom ceilings and a hallway, a 24″ 12-arm sconce for our kitchen, and a 20″ 10-arm flush-mount for the hall.

All of our lights are done in satin brass, but other finishes include chrome, raw brass, polished brass, rubbed bronze, and satin nickel.  They come complete with bulbs in your choice of wattage and shape.  (They don’t offer the traditional “spiky” bulbs, though you can find them elsewhere if you look.)  You can get sconces that can also be used as flush-mount ceiling fixtures or pendant fixtures.  Sizes range from only 9″ wide for the sconces up to 57″ wide 36-arm giants.  Prices range from $79.00 to $1200.00.

If you want to give your home a retro-modern space age look, check out Practical Props.  You’ll find just what you need.

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Take your home’s lighting back to the future originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 30, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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Boldly cruise where no one has cruised before!

NEWS – Well, maybe they’ve cruised two times before, since this is Star Trek: The Cruise III…  Forget those landlocked cons that stay in one city.  With this Star Trek cruise, you’ll be on a cruise ship, the Norwegian Jade, for six days.  You’ll leave from Miami, with stops at Great Stirrup Cay,  Grand Cayman, and Jamaica.  You’ll be cruising with:

  • Wil Wheaton
  • Jason Isaacs
  • Jonathan Frakes
  • Brent Spiner
  • Michael Dorn
  • Gates McFadden
  • Denise Crosby
  • John De Lancie
  • Mary Chieffo
  • Kenneth Mitchell
  • Wilson Cruz
  • Rene Auberjonois
  • Nana Visitor
  • Casey Biggs
  • Chase Masterson
  • Ethan Phillips
  • Robert Picardo
  • Connor Trinneer
  • Michael Westmore
  • Dr. Erin Macdonald
  • Dr. Phil Plait
  • Robb Pearlman
  • J.K. Woodward
  • Lolita Fatjo
  • Jordan Hoffman

Musical guests include:  Thomas Dolby, Band 47, Jordan Bennett, and celebrity DJ James Biko.  The voyage promises you:  “unprecedented engagement with your favorite stars as well as being able to enjoy special Star Trek-themed shows, events, programs and parties. You are more than a passenger. You will become part of the Crew and part of the magic and majesty that is Star Trek! Almost every event includes an interactive element which makes this Un-Conventional Voyage a truly unique, personal and immersive Star Trek experience.”

Pricing starts at $2125.00 for first time passengers, and payment plans are available.  The voyage is January 4-10, 2019.  Learn more about Star Trek: The Cruise III and book your voyage now!

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Boldly cruise where no one has cruised before! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 30, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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