Fitness isn’t just important for people; your four-legged friends need exercise too (otherwise they tend to tear up the house while you’re at work). Throwing a tennis ball is a great way to get Fido running, but if he barely breaks a sweat (er, starts panting), you can use this ball launcher to throw his favorite ball a little farther. The gadget lets you throw the ball 3 times farther without jerking your shoulder out of the socket. This means your dog has to do a lot more running to claim his prize, and he should get a better workout out of the deal.
And the real perk is you can pick up the ball with the launcher. No more bending up and plucking that slobber-drenched thing out of the grass.
The ball launcher is available from Gardeners Supply for $15: Slobber-Free Ball Launcher
This innocuous looking gadget is aimed at improving your golf game. The Bushnell Yardage Pro Golf Pinseeker 1500 Laser Rangefinder (isn’t that a mouthful?) uses laser and digital technology to tell you exactly how far away something on the course is, measuring anything from 5 to 1,500 yards. The 10-ounce Pinseeker is small enough to fit in your pocket while being durable and waterproof.
Some of the features include the ability to ignore brush, tree branches, boulders, etc. in the foreground and the “pinseeker” feature that allows the gadget to zero in on the flag without any effort from you.
If you surf over to Amazon, they’ve got an interactive video dealie so you can get an idea how the range finder works:
If you’re a golf enthusiast, but you’re not too crazy about carrying your own clubs (and you’re not interested in paying some kid to lurk behind, acting as caddy for you every time), then maybe this electric golf caddy is for you. The stylish Navigator MC501R from High Degree ambles along in front of you as you walk from hole to hole. A remote control lets you tell the caddy where to go at the touch of a button. And when you’re done with the day’s game, the Navigator folds so you can fit it into the trunk of your car.
Most people I see on the slopes just attach their lift ticket to a zipper or a little loop on their jacket (often there for that purpose), but if you want to be down with all the latest ski gadgetry, you can check out the $5 Retract-A-Cat from REI.
The retractable ski pass holder attaches to your jacket or pants and lets you reel out the pass so the folks monitoring the lift lines can easily scan it. The cord extends up to 32″ and snaps back when they’re done scanning your ticket. It looks like an inexpensive but handy item… maybe a good stocking stuffer for the skier or snowboarder in your family?
Okay, a yoga bag isn’t terribly gadget-y, but I thought I’d write about this one in case you know a yoga guru (or someone just getting started) who needs a place to store his or her yoga mat. The bag is made in Guatemala by the Adimat women’s cooperative, and your purchase would help economically-disadvantaged workers. Also a portion of the proceeds is used to send orphans to school and to organize a monthly litter clean-up in the community.
The bag itself is made from woven berries and bark, so it’s definitely something for the back-to-nature Zen yoga enthusiast. Even the dye used to color the material is made from all-natural pigments. The price is $40 at World of Good, and the bag is available in red, green, or brown.
If you commute on your bicycle and regularly get caught out after dark (which is pretty easy to do this time of year when it’s dark by 5 pm), it’s important to have gear that lets drivers of automobiles see you. You can attach reflectors to your bike and wear reflective gear, but Sweetskinz reflective tires might be an option that’s a little more fun.
The tires are colorful by day and reflective after dark. There are 4 different styles: Scorch (pictured), Rattleback, Nightwing, and Hazarea. All the graphics and patterns are colorful, both by night and day. Whatever design you prefer, the tires are a fun way to make a statement at the same time as you protect yourself from cars while you’re riding at night.
So, your doctor told you to watch your cholesterol. You’ve made some changes to your diet and lifestyle, but do you really want to go back to the doctor (which includes tedious waiting room time and of course the bill afterwards) just to check some simple stats? Probably not. Well, now you can check your cholesterol from the convenience of your own home.
The battery-powered CardioChek system lets you monitor your cholesterol without leaving your bathroom. You can run 5 tests, including ones that check your levels of HDL (good) cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose.
You just prick your finger with an included lancet, place a drop of blood on a chemical-permeated plastic strip (specially designed to react with plasma in the blood sample), and insert it into the unit. Sensors inside the CardioChek analyze the strip’s color changes to come up with your results. Two minutes later, they show up on the digital display.