bookofjoe

Louis Auzoux — Master of papier-mâché

The 19th-century French doctor was among the world's preeminent fabricators of lifelike papier-mâché models, which were not only startlingly accurate but could also be taken apart and reassembled by students.

Martyn L. Gorman provides a fascinating illustrated interactive history of this singular artist.

[via rob]

Bedfan

From the website:

Bedfan®

Get a restful night's sleep on a hot night without turning up the air conditioning.

Dual fans quietly pull cooler air from the floor and channel it upward between the sheets.

This unique cooling system directs a gentle breeze over your body, lowering your body temperature.

Can be installed at the foot or sides of a bed in minutes with no tools required and adjusts for varying mattress thicknesses.

Control dial lets you adjust the fan speed.

11 foot cord.

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$79.99.

Facebook as a cloud (as in computing)

My crack research team always makes a good faith effort to let someone know when we've featured their story or picture or design or what have you in bookofjoe.

More often than not our best efforts fail.

For reasons that continue to confound me, most newpapers and magazines do not provide a writer's direct email address, so there's no way to give them a heads-up or hat tip or any feedback whatsover.

Oh, sure, you can write to their parent publication but the chance of that being forwarded to an individual is about equal to that of your winning the next Powerball lottery.

Anyway, in a continuing effort to do better, it occurred to me about six months ago that it might be worth a shot to see if people had a Facebook entry and then send a message via that website.

Bingo.

I've reached and heard back via Facebook from writers for the New York Times, Washington Post and several other sources with whom I otherwise could not connect.

Try it, you might like it.

LED Clever Collar

From the website:
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LED Clever Collar

Just slip this Clever Collar over the business end of your screwdriver and rotate the ring.

Instantly, 3 bright LEDs flood your work area with a powerful beam that takes out the guesswork.

Flexible center hole slides onto any manual screwdriver from 3/16"–7/16" diameter and onto cordless 1/4" power drivers.

Also doubles as a handy inspection light with strong internal magnets to hold it in place.
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$14.95.

Hyposurface

[via James Thornburg, who called it "the coolest product in the universe"]

Wireless Pool & Spa Thermometer

Think outside the pool and spa spaces.

Which for most people is a requirement since they lack both.

No problema.

Fun in the tub too.

Got no tub, just a shower stall?

No problema.

Put it in your soup.

From the website:

Wireless Pool & Spa Thermometer

Find Out How Cold the Water Is — Without Jumping In!

Just tether this wireless floating thermometer to your pool or hot tub and leave it there.

Then place the remote display anywhere in your house.

The floating thermometer sends a wireless signal to the base unit so you can read the exact water temperature — and take the guesswork out of that first jump.

Also displays date, time and indoor room temperature.

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$49.95.

Destructif modernization

By Jan Vormann, who wrote, "Although mirrors reflect the straight image of visual reality, they can be used to perfom illusionary optical tricks. For the exhibition 'Moje Twoje Miasto' (My, your city) in Lodz, Poland, I made a 'destructif modernization.'"

"A custom-shaped mirror was installed outside on the right-hand corner wall of the museum. Entering to visit the exhibition, there seemed to be a big hole in the building. By using the mirror as a material I referred to one type of modern architecture, using reflecting surfaces as front."

[via wrongdistance.com, preik.no and szymon.tumblr.com]

4 Function Ruler Pen

From the website:

4 Function Ruler Pen

Simplify your desk with this innovative ruler pen that features a pencil, a black ballpoint pen, an orange highlighter and a PDA stylus — all in one.

To change the options simply hold the pen horizontally and rotate it until the icon for the desired function faces up, then just click on button #1.

Ruler features centimeters and inches and there is an eraser under button #1.

To retract any function click on button #2.

Instructions and case included.

5.5"L x 0.5"W.

Metal.

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I hate to be a pain in the butt (yeah, right, joe) but aren't measurement and deletion also functions?

That would bring the total to 4 + 2 = 6.

I'm just saying, is all.

$35.