The Luminube basically consists of a conventional pillow with LED light strips fitted within. These light up and create a glow which infuses into the rest of the pillow and surrounding interior. The ambient lighting provided is good enough for a variety of activities such as reading or writing in bed. It can also be used as a purely decorative feature and turned off or moved when going to sleep. What’s more, the LED lights come with a smart-phone controlled timer and thus can be turned on and off at particular times of the day, for instance, in the morning, when they can act in the same way as an alarm clock.

In fact, waking up to a glowing pillow might well be a more relaxing and pleasurable way to gradually awaken each dawn, rather than the loud and sudden scream of a clock. There’s something to be said for the decorative effects the LED pillow will have during more intimate moments in bed such as during love making. Unfortunately, the glowing pillow is not yet in production and is purely in the concept stage. However, if it goes on to win awards and prizes, it might well be appearing in stores worldwide.

See more here: Luminube Glow Pillow.

Via: Geeky Gadgets.

An LED display screen is inbuilt into the wooden cube and displays the time as though imprinted onto the wooden surface. This is in fact achieved by the clapping of your hands, for when not activated, the LED display screen remains blank. In this state, the clock is for all intents and purposes, looks to merely be a decorative wooden accent piece. A benefit of the clap activation is the ability to find the clock in a pitch black room if you have inadvertently placed it elsewhere.

The wood cube alarm clock is ideal for a bedside table but it can be placed in just about any location in the room such as on a shelf or cabinet. The LED displayed time is clear to see from anywhere. It can also be situated in a home office or library where it can remind you of the time when trying to complete an important assignment on time. Here, the benefit rests in the hiding of the time when not urgently required so as to prevent clock watching which frequently wastes time and causes tension.

If you have a stylishly minimalist kitchen interior, then it will look great there too and is perfect for use when cooking and have messy hands. All you need to do is clap (hopefully not whilst covered with flour) and voilà, the time is revealed. It’s fun, modern and different, making it a unique time piece for people who like something out of the ordinary.

You can buy it here: Wood Cube Alarm Clock.

Available in dark or light wood.

The replica comes with the addition of a rotary dial. Look carefully though, the rotary dial is not as it appears. It’s actually a push button dial and combines the now largely obsolete, although less vintage, rotary dial with the more up-to-date touchpads seen in cell phones and landlines today. For all aesthetic purposes however, it looks and feels traditional in all ways.

The retro candlestick telephone replica also comes with a few more modern additions which would have seemed like magic back in the 1920s. A ringer volume switch, a tone/pulse switch and earpiece volume control all bring contemporary creature comforts and control literally to your fingertips. Alexander Graham Bell would be shrieking with delight if he were still around.

When the phone rings, pick up the earpiece and begin talking into the bell-shaped mouthpiece. You’ll soon feel like you’ve travelled back in time and are arranging meetings with friends and business associates in the era that was an amazing and exciting time for the development of early technology and dramatic inventions. The candlestick phone is perfect for placement on a small end table beside a sofa or bedroom side table, especially with a traditional décor scheme.

You can buy this retro phone from here: Crosley Vintage Style Candlestick Phone in Chrome.

Dimensions 6.5″ w x 11.75″h x 5.5″d

There are two separate modes in which the Mint automatic floor cleaner works. These are mopping and sweeping. The mopping motion allows for dirt and grime to be wiped off floor surfaces using pre-moistened disposable cleaning cloths whilst the sweeping motion is best for picking up dry dirt, dust and hair. The Mint robot cleaner even tracks where it has already been in the room which means the whole floor is taken care of and any unnecessary movement is reduced.

Special smart sensors allows allow the Mint robot hard floor cleaner to move around raised carpets and rugs as well as the drop of a downward step. When the robot has completed the floor cleaning, it returns to the original starting point where it then parks itself. This is all provided by the North Star Navigation System inside. All this means, if you dislike cleaning or vacuuming the floors in your home and want to be able to get on with other jobs in the meanwhile, the Evolution Robotics Mint Robot floor cleaner is the perfect companion for your home.

You can buy it from here: Evolution Robotics Mint Automatic Hard Floor Cleaner, 4200.

Price: $249.95

Check the link above to see a video clip of this cleaner in use.

A remote control and digital operating means the ceramic pedestal tower heater is extremely easy to use and highly functional when it comes to directing heat to certain parts of a bedroom or living room. The ceramic element allows for heat to be felt quickly and safely without the need to wait until the system ‘warms up’. An electronic control panel provides the user with a simple selection of options including temperature and oscillation, the latter of which, if turned on and desired, brings an equal distribution of heat to the whole interior rather than a focused area.

The lasko digital ceramic pedestal heater comes with added elements such as automatic overheat protection and a handle for easy transportation from one room to the next, as required. It’s also an attractive feature which will not detract from the general ambiance of an interior design scheme. Built to last and created to bring warmth and comfort to any household, the oscillating heater with remote control will benefit any room during the long and cold winter months.

You can buy this tower heater from here: Lasko Digital Ceramic Oscillating Pedestal Heater with Remote Control.

Price: $59.13

There are a wide range of door alarms for the home depending on the type of system that best suits a property and lifestyle. The most common form of home door alarm is the use of a bell, buzzer or beeping sound when someone enters or exits the premises. We are most familiar with this type of system when we enter a small store and a little bell rings above our heads to let the owner know someone has arrived. This form of door alarm is the mildest use of such a system and for homes, a more sophisticated home door alarm is needed.

A home door alarm is basically made up of magnetic contact strips which are placed along doors, windows and their frames. An alarm is activated whenever the contact is broken. Depending on the time of day and the model that is purchased, a signal is either sent to a security company or the local law enforcement. Other types of home door alarm simply make one hell of a racket which wakes the home-owner up as well as scares the intruder.

The average home door alarm is easy to install and in most cases, unlike in the past, the system can be installed by the home-owner themselves due to wireless connections. The price of the door alarm system for the home has also decreased whilst the reliability and function has increased. You can find a lot of alarm systems online which will meet the needs of your family home or business.

The word ‘sauna‘ comes from an old Finnish word meaning ‘bathhouse’. They developed from what were once merely large holes dug in a slope in the ground and heated using a fireplace. Saunas were then heated using fire and hot stones and then finally, in the modern age, with electricity. The home half sauna is a further evolution of the traditional sauna which has become an icon of Finnish culture. Instead of stepping into a four-walled sauna rather like the inside of a wooden shed, the half sauna provides instead a comfortable enclosed bench which leaves the upper body and head in the open.

This half and half nature of the half sauna has its benefits. The first is that for many people, the humidity and heat of the sauna can affect existing medical problems and leave a person short of breath and feeling ill. The half sauna allows the person to enjoy the warmth of the traditional looking sauna whilst inhaling air at normal room temperature. The second major benefit is the size. As mentioned before, the home half sauna is small in comparison to the four-walled versions which means it can sit happily in rooms of varying sizes. Thirdly, the half sauna needs no extra plumbing or ventilation installed which cuts costs and hassle.

There are a long list of health benefits which come with a sauna of any kind including this half sauna. Using this sit-down half sauna, the benefits include improved pain relief in joints and muscles; reduction of stress, anxiety and tiredness; improved blood circulation; lifting of mild depression and also clearer skin tone. You can read in detail about the benefits a half sauna like this one can bring here: Benefits of a Sauna.

What is particularly of interest with this half sauna is the user’s ability to carry out other activities during the heating process. In a four-walled sauna, it is unwise to take in electrical items or paper materials such as books due to the humidity. However, this sit-down half sauna allows the user to place a laptop, book or even a meal on the top of the half sauna construction which is directly in front of where the person sits.

People with back problems might be wondering whether the half sauna can provide warmth for this area of the body. The answer is yes. Carbon heaters with ceramic sand safely and effectively heat the back area as well as the stomach, legs, knees and feet. Heat penetrates the body safely and evenly using infra-red technology. The inside temperature of the half sauna is completely insulated when in use and the person is sitting down. For extra comfort, a cushion can be added to the bench inside which is also heated from underneath.

A digital control panel means the half sauna can be easily adjusted and the simple attachment to a 120-volt outlet means the sit-down sauna is suitable for just about any room in the home. Via the link below you can read more about what this wooden half sauna is made from and further benefits.

You can buy this half sauna from the following location: The Home Half Sauna.

There are more pictures available on the website linked to above.

The Kilburg Geochron World Clock is visually beautiful to look at and has the ability to be placed on a flat surface or hung on a wall. A wooden border provides the ability to choose from a choice of 3 finishes which will further improve the world map clock’s ability to compliment and merge with the existing interior space. So what does the Kilburg Geochron World Clock do exactly and what does it display?

As I mentioned earlier, the Kilburg Geochron World Clock displays the traditional world map with each individual country highlighted as well as all 24 “standard” time zones. An indicator at the bottom of the Kilburg Geochron World Clock displays the days, date and month applicate to any given moment in time. What I personally like most about this world map clock are the visuals concerning the distribution of sunlight around the world. For example, a curved distinction (an analemma) between light and dark is permanently moving across the screen mapping out the encroaching day time and night time on various parts of the Earth’s surface.

For real enthusiasts of geography like myself and of course for frequent air travellers, the Kilburg Geochron World Clock also displays the exact time when the sun will rise and fall as well as the current season anywhere in the world. There are various other features to the Kilburg Geochron World Clock which you can read about via the link mentioned below.

If you work online and need to quickly know the time in various parts of the world, then this attractive rectangular world map clock will make not only an appealing decorative accessory for your desk but also a highly functional and accurate time piece. The Kilburg Geochron World Clock can be used in the home, in the office or wherever you like to keep updated on world events, locations and their time zones. For some people this world map clock will be used in conjunction with important international business, for others, it will be a fascinating, unique and educational feature to a room whether placed on a desk or on the wall.

You can read more about this world map clock as well as the purchase details here: Kilburg Geochron World Clock.

There is also a review you can read via the above link from a previous buyer whose family was much impressed with this world map clock.

The safe disposal of Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs is of particular importance to some US states because it is against the law to dispose of mercury light bulbs as normal trash. In the states of California, Minnesota, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin you will be prosecuted for this. This might seem like an extreme measure but if you look at the statistics, one will understand why such measures have to be taken.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates that if all the 270 million compact fluorescent light bulbs sold in the US in 2007 were disposed of in landfill sites, that this would represent 0.1% of all mercury emissions for that year. This may not seem a lot but it adds up over the years and seeps into the rivers, water supplies and air. Mercury also bio-accumulates in fish and these are then eaten by humans.

So what is the best way to dispose of Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs in the United States? One of the easiest ways is connected to The Home Depot, the American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services. The Home Depot announced in 2008 that it would take back old compact fluorescent light bulbs in all 1,973 of its stores and then safely dispose of them according to national guidelines. The same is possible with the nation’s largest retailer Wal-Mart although it’s uncertain whether this is the case with all of their outlets.

If your Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb is broken by accident, it is advisable to leave the room after opening a window or two. When the room has been well ventilated for an hour, then return and with gloves, place the remains of the Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb in either a sealed glass jar (Maine DEP advice) or as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suggests, in two plastic bags (one inside the other) securely tied. The same measures can be taken if the bulb has come to the end of its life and you are not in a location where suitable and safe disposal of Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs is possible.

Finally, the thought of buying Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs after reading all this might seem daunting and rather unsavoury. The Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb is very safe however and the levels of mercury in such bulbs are much lower than in regular thermometers for example. Even when the bulb is broken, as long as the room is ventilated and you wear gloves, then safe disposal is assured.

Home cooking can often lead rice turning out soggy, sticky, too dry or in quantities one would not have truly wished for. All these problems are solved by an electric rice cooker. There are a variety of these appliances on the market but most come with between 5 and 10 cup capacities. These are ideal for the average needs of a typical American family and are perfect for measuring the correct amounts of rice required.

A rice cooker heats the rice using steam and constant heat. The appliance is sealed so steam cannot escape and inside, a thermostat keeps the temperature at a constant level. In most cases, the rice cooker will have a specially designed lid which will allow condensation to be diverted away from the rice, thereby reducing sogginess. After the rice is cooked, the electric rice cooker will maintain a certain temperature through the use of a ‘warm’ function. This keeps the rice warm and maintains its taste.

Many rice cookers, in fact, nearly all, have a special feature which automatically switches the cooker to a “warm” setting once the rice is cooked. Sensors alert the application to the changes in temperature inside thus meaning you can leave the rice cooker to take care of things throughout the entire heating process. The rice can also be kept heated for up to 12 hours which means you can keep it warm overnight.

The whole process is really as simple as adding water and rice, closing and locking the lid and then pressing a button.

You can find a great range of quality rice cookers on the following website which I recommend: Rice Cookers.