bookofjoe

Cabinet National Library

Like so many great things, it began on a whim, then grew like Topsy to become what it is.

Sounds like the back story of many of us but let's stay on topic for a change.

Long story short: Cabinet magazine acquired a half acre of scrubland outside

Deming, New Mexico by winning an eBay auction in early 2002.

In July 2003 a reader from San Francisco, Matthew Passmore, offered to build the Cabinet National Library on the New Mexico property.

Cabinet accepted the offer.

This is the story of the actual creation of that library.

Should you find yourself in the area do stop by and enjoy the amenities of the Cabinet National Library in Cabinetlandia.

Campfire-in-a-Can

Kewl.

From the website:

Campfire-in-a-Can™

Instant light and warmth.

The portable unit assembles in seconds to instantly provide heat and light for picnics, tailgating, backyard cooking and more.

The flame is safely contained and easily extinguished.

Burns wood, artificial logs and charcoal.

Includes porcelain-coated burners, aluminum canister top, powder-coated steel base and handle.

10-1/2" x 11".

---------------------

Whooosh.

$99.98.

29 Physician Blogs

Right here.

You just never know what you might stumble upon in your wanderings.

Which reminds me of one of my very favorite bumper stickers:

Not all who wander are lost

Cell Phone Magnifier

From the website:

Pop-Up Cell Phone Magnifier

Pop-up phone magnifier saves your eyes from strain.

Cell phones keep getting smaller, making the display harder to read.

Increase the size of your screen with this patented clip-on magnifier, which pops up when your phone is opened and retracts when it's closed.

------------------------

Comes as a set of two: give the other one to a cool friend.

Even if they're not cool now, once they add this to their cellphone they'll be so there.

As if.

Two for $9.98.

BehindTheMedspeak: 'Cancer Patients Fly Free... in Empty Seats on Corporate Jets'

I've been aware of the ads above and below occupying a quarter of the back page of the first section of the Financial Times since forever but only stopped to actually read the text this morning.

"We arrange free air transportation for cancer patients traveling to treatment using the empty seats on corporate jets."

Impressive.

"Thanks to the generosity of 530 of America's finest corporations, Corporate Angel Network has arranged more than 20,000 flights since our founding in 1981.

What's not to like?

"Give us a call. We'll do all the work."

Their telephone number is 914-328-1313.

Patient toll-free number: 866-328-1313.

Email: info@corpangelnetwork.org.

Website: www.corpangelnetwork.org.

Cinderella Loops — 'Turn ordinary dishtowels into hanging tea towels without using needle and thread!'

That's what it says on the website and I'm not going to be the one to try and call their bluff.

More:

Clip 'N Loop

Turn ordinary dishtowels into hanging tea towels without using needle and thread!

These clever loops attach to towels with snaps so you can hang them for convenience and decoration.

A matched set of 5 costs $3.99 (towels not included).

Tricks of the Trade — 'Professional secrets from those in the know'

Here is an example from a police officer:

"If you want to know if someone is lying about his identity and using a fake name, ask him or her to spell it. People are much slower at spelling fake names than they are at spelling their own."

And a carpenter:

"Use a small tooth comb to hold small nails in place when hammering. This will keep your thumb and other fingers out of harm’s way."

Useful.

[via linktipidea.com]

Round bamboo disposable chopstick — World's best coffee grinder cleaning tool

It's like a bad girl in that it goes everywhere.

You can poke around up top where the beans go, then get serious with a lateral assault into the heart of grinding burr darkness.

You are using a burr grinder rather than a blade, aren't you?

I mean, that's a given.

Where was I?

Oh, yeah: intracranial pressure.

No, no, that's not where I was.

Seriously, joe — shape up or turn this blog over to someone who's got her head screwed on right.

OK, OK.

You take your chopstick and really poke hard as far in as it will go — when you've engaged the burr surface you'll know it because you'll see the whole assembly rotate if you look down from the top.

Tip the grinder and bits and chunks of compacted coffee will fall out.

I like to do this outside so I don't have to sweep the floor afterward.

As the chopstick is used it acquires an even more perfect rounded shape at the business end and hardens as a result of the pressure applied against cold steel burr surfaces.

The wood also acquires a nice brown patina with time.

A chopstick lasts me about two or three months before finally breaking.

You'll use maybe 6 chopsticks a year at that rate — three pair.

So your $5 will give you over 33 years of superbly clean grinding burr surfaces.

Sure, there's shipping: that's an additional $5.75.

So now your total's $10.75.

That's < 11¢ a pair — cheap at twice the price.

From the website:

Disposable Chopsticks (100 pairs)

Throwing a large party and serving a fancy Asian-style feast?

Well, our disposable chopsticks certainly fit the bill.

They are perfect for any mass gathering.

Each comes in a red paper sleeve, with the Chinese characters "blessings," "fame & fortune," "longevity," and "double happiness."

In Chinese culture, the color red represents festivities and happiness.

9" long round chopsticks.

Made from bamboo.

Imported from China.

----------------------

I knew it: I'm colorblind.

What else could possibly explain my predilection for that goofy green I seem to be fixated on?

I mean, we're all about festivities and happiness here.