congratulations to Meghan McNeil - simple solutions winner

Congratulations to Meghan McNeil, the winner of our second annual simple solutions student design competition! As first place winner, Meghan will receive a $5,000 scholarship from simplehuman. Her winning design is an in-sink dish mat that is made to control dirty dish clutter. The dish mat makes it easy to organize and rinse your dishes in the sink, which prevents standing water from accumulating and breakage from over stacking. It also has a built-in drain stopper so that the sink can be drained with the dishes and mat still sitting in the basin. Click here to see the other winners and their designs.

Technorati tags: winner, simple solutions, design, contest, simplehuman, scholarship, student

Photo credit: Meghan McNeil

"In Our Youth Our Hearts Were Touched With Fire"

So, we know typical Memorial Day occurrences include mattress sales, barbecues, and family excursions...but we thought it a good notion to take a moment and remember why we all get a long weekend in the first place: to honor our troops who have been lost in military service to their country. This holiday, celebrated in the U.S. every last Monday of May, officially began in 1866. The most famous Memorial Day speech was the one given by Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. in 1884 at Keene, NH. For the full transcript, click here. An excerpt is below.

"[T]he great chorus of life and joy begins again, and amid the awful orchestra of seen and unseen powers and destinies of good and evil our trumpets sound once more a note of daring, hope, and will."

Technorati tags: memorial day, holiday, usa, troops

5 minute challenge: how many countries can you name?

We found this geographical challenge pretty fun and interesting. Simply click on the link below and see how many countries you can think of in five minutes. You type in your responses, so admittedly, spelling and typing skills count for something. Good luck!

click here to play (Note: the timer starts as soon as the new window opens...so be ready!)

Technorati tags: bored, world, geography, countries, quiz, game

Photo credit: Martin Fabricius, stock.xchng

widget of the week: baseball scores

Ah, summer. Besides sun, beaches, barbecues, and vacations, it's hot dogs, cracker jacks, and batting averages. Our "widget of the week" is the MLB Baseball Ticker. Click here to download. It gives you the day's MLB standings and links to ESPN's live GameCasts and Recaps. Batter up!

(We also wanted to mention Baseball Musings, a great blog for any lover of the game.)

Technorati tags: baseball, widget, mlb, live scores, sports

Photo credit: Chris R

picnic packing like a pro

With the warm weather comes the ability to picnic in the park (or on the patio, at the playground, at the beach). Check out the tips below on picnic packing so you'll be a true picnicking pro this holiday weekend.

• Take along a bag specifically for recyclables so you can properly sort and dispose later.
• To help keep your load light, go for aluminum cans or plastic bottles for soda, beer, and even wine.
• Another good idea for wine: get bottles with screw-top caps instead of corks so you don't have to worry about dealing with a corkscrew.
• Use paper or otherwise biodegradable cutlery, plates, etc. so you don't have to lug heavy stuff back. (Recall our post on biodegradable cutlery here.) This also saves you from washing dishes later!
• If going to the beach, remember to ensure your containers are waterproof/watertight!
• When packing your items, try to pack them side-by-side instead of on top of one other so you're not having to take everything out to get to the first items you'll want. Also, pack heavy stuff on the bottom!
• It's a good idea to invest in a true picnic mat. A great one is the Sunshine Blanket Tote (pictured above). Most picnic mats sold will specify if they're waterproof, easy to clean, etc. Plus, they fold up and are easy to tote.

Technorati tags: picnic, picnic packing, picnic supplies, summer activities, picnic tips

Photo credit: picnicfun.com

Heal the Bay: annual beach report card kickoff

With the weather already hot, people have begun to flock to beaches in California. In this day and age, it's unfortunate, but very necessary to ensure that the water you and your loved ones swim in isn't contaminated with harmful pollutants. Enter: Heal the Bay, a non-profit organization dedicated to keeping coastal waters healthy. Their weekly Beach Report Card is basically a grade card for beaches so that you can make sure your neighborhood beach is an A+ student before you enter the water. Today, HTB kicks off the summer beach season with the release of the 2008 Annual Beach Report Card, taking place at Santa Monica Pier. simplehuman is a proud sponsor of the BRC and commends HTB for all it does to help keep water clean.

Technorati tags: heal the bay, beach report card, htb, brc, beaches, water, environmental nonprofit

Photo credit: Heal the Bay

cool tool: ravi instant wine chiller

How many times have you wished your newly purchased (thus room temperature) pinot gris was already nicely chilled to a delightful seven degrees? Enter the Ravi instant wine chiller, a great gadget that cools your wine as quickly as you can pour it out. Just store the small device in your freezer, attach it to the top of your opened, room-temp wine bottle, then pour! Yep, that's really it.

Technorati tags: wine, wine chiller, gifts, wine temperature

Photo credit: Ravi

prepare for summer: select the best sunscreen

Okay. So, technically summer doesn't begin for another month. Perhaps we're a bit anxious for fun in the sun. However, it's never too early to learn about proper sun protection! Check out the tips below for selecting the best sunscreen that we got from sunprotection.net.

• Select a broad spectrum sunscreen (blocks both UVA and UVB). How can you tell? Look for a 4% or higher level of one of the following: zinc oxide, micronized zinc, titanium dioxide, Parsol 1789, avobenzone.
• Choose a sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) rating of 30 or higher.
• Be sure that your sunscreen is appropriate for your fun-in-the-sun activity. (i.e. Waterproof for swimming, non-irritating for sports, etc.)
• Test it first! Make sure that it doesn't irritate your skin, but also, be sure that it's comfortable for you personally. If you can't stand a greasy feel, be sure to choose one that feels lighter. Scent is also another factor to consider.

We also found it interesting what the SPF rating actually tells you. It's not the percentage of protection unto itself, but it does tell you percentage of protection against UVB (sunrays with wavelengths between 280 and 315 nm). To figure out percentage of protection, take the SPF rating, subtract 1, then divide by the rating.

So, a sunscreen with SPF 40:
40 - 1 = 39
39 / 40 = 0.975
= approximately 98% protection against UVB rays

Technorati tags: sunscreen, summer, sun protection, summer safety

Photo credit: ilker yavuz, stock.xchng

reKindle your love of books: wireless reading device

We loved Amazon's Kindle, a handheld gadget that allows one to wirelessly download books and prominent newspapers to let you e-read. The great thing is that it's super easy to transport (perfect for the not-so-weary traveler), weighing only a little over 10 ounces, and can hold over 200 titles. We thought the notion of electronic paper/books very Minority Report. Would you forego your library for one of these?

Technorati tags: kindle, e-reader, paperless, electronic book

Photo credit: Amazon.com

just in case: disaster supply kit

From the cyclone that hit Myanmar to the earthquake that hit China to Chaiten erupting in the Andes, it's obvious that no one is safe from natural disasters. Thus, it's a good idea to keep a survival kit around just in case. See below for our list of items to include. Also, check out Popular Mechanic's Survival Skill Guide on how to save yourself in the case of a hurricane, earthquake, tornado, or flood. You can also click here to quiz your survival savvy.

disaster supply kit:

water: In an emergency, pipes may be broken or the water contaminated. For your kit, store in plastic bottles. Don't use cartons or glass, as they may collapse/break. How much? One gallon per person per day. Also, add just a FEW drops of bleach to the supply (no more than 10 drops per gallon). This keeps it microbe-free for long periods of storage.

food: Stock up on non-perishables: canned items, high energy packaged foods (meal bars, crackers, trail mix), vitamins, instant beverages (powdered milk, instant coffee), any specialty items for babies, older people, or pets.

first aid kit: Be sure to include general medicine and any prescription drugs.

clothing and bedding: Per person, one complete change of clothes (including a pair of sturdy shoes or boots). Also, rain gear, thermal underwear, blankets or sleeping bags.

cash: Banks/ATMs may not be available for awhile. Remember to keep small bills.

additional tools/supplies: To be stored in a portable container like a backpack or duffel bag just in case you have to leave your house.

• plastic cups/plates/utensils
• battery-operated and NOAA radio (don't forget the extra batteries!)
• flashlight
• non-electric can opener
• utility or Swiss Army knife
• pliers
• duct tape
• compass
• matches in a waterproof container
• aluminum foil
• paper and mechanical pencils
• safety pins
• wrench (to turn off the gas and water to your house)
• whistle
• toilet paper and other toilettries
• antibacterial soap
• signal flares

Technorati tags: natural disasters, survival kit, supply kit

Photo credit: FEMA.gov