The Modern Materialist

April 2008 - Posts

• When You Can't Hold It Anymore

  Posted by Steph Auteri

  In order to stave off hunger while at my on-site proofreading gig, I take endless trips to the lunch room. For water. For coffee. It takes a huge act of will not to succumb to the vending machine, but I manage. Unfortunately, this also means that I take endless trips to the restroom, in order to empty my bladder. And you better believe I experienced true panic the day the water in the building was turned off. Fortunately, I've found something that beats the ability to pee standing up. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 29 2008, 10:30 AM with no comments Filed under: internet

• Round Up: Cute Laptop Cases

  Posted by Wendy Atterberry

  This is me. And my new MacBook. We just started seeing each other last week. We're very happy together, thank you. Blogging is about 10 times easier now that I'm working with a computer whose hard drive isn't on its very last leg, nay, toe. So now I need to get a bag for my new laptop, something I never did for my old one even though my parents gave me some money for one since I was in grad school and broke at the time. But rather than buy a bag, I spent the money on drinks out with friends and some lipgloss. Anyway, I'm determined to have a better relationship with this new one. I want to treat it right and maybe it'll stick around a little longer, put out a little more. If anything will make a laptop purr, it's got to be one of these: Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 29 2008, 10:00 AM with no comments Filed under: Accessories, round up, laptop bags

• Geek Out: Batman Mp3 Player

  Posted by Alex Zalben

  You know how Batman has all of this Bat-stuff? Like his Batmobile, and Batcycle, and Bat-blender? Well, he has a Bat-Mp3 player as well. Turns out, there's one kep Bat-thing the dark avenger of the night lacks that you, oh lucky one, can have:  Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 29 2008, 09:30 AM with no comments Filed under: Music, mp3 Players, Geek Out

• Quick Tip of the Day: Muscles, Activate

  Posted by Wendy Atterberry

  If you're too busy to make it to the gym or hate working out, but don't really want to become a soft, flabby mess, these shoes might be of interest to you. According to the manufacturer, they activate and stimuate neglected muscles through simple walking. So, what do you think? Is wearing ugly shoes while running errands a smal price to pay for a lifted derriere, or are you better off sweating it out for an hour at the ol' gym? Vote after the jump. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 29 2008, 08:30 AM with no comments Filed under: Quick tip, exercise

• Making You Fatter Solely By Sense of Smell

  Posted by Steph Auteri

  Just this past Friday, I managed to squeeze in a rare girls' night out, taking advantage of Bar 13's happy hour specials before embarking upon a evening of unmitigated gluttony. More exciting than the Italian sausage hero I indulged in from a street vendor in the Union Square area, or even the Nachos Supreme I ordered at Bar 89 (love the restrooms), was the spread at Max Brenner's Chocolate By the Bald Man. In addition to the Mediterranean dish I ordered, mainly to convince myself that I was being "healthy," we got ourselves two sharing platters. One was a fondue platter with heated pots of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and caramel, paired with bowls of bananas, strawberries, marshmallows, and banana bread. The other platter included a bowl of chocolate-drenched ice cream, a bowl of chocolate-drenched whipped cream, chocolate-drenched bananas on a waffle, and two beakers of pure heaven: one with drinkable milk chocolate, the other with drinkable milk chocolate & pop rocks. People. Why have I never gone to Max Brenner's before? In order to make the magic last, without putting on the pounds...   Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 28 2008, 05:30 PM with 1 comment(s)

• Happy Hour: Drink in Style

  Posted by Wendy Atterberry

  You might be wondering why I've got a picture of a headless dude in a blazer up on a Happy Hour post. There's a good reason, I promise — after the jump. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 28 2008, 05:00 PM with no comments Filed under: Happy Hour, Apparel

• The Weekly Top 4: Madonna, GTA4, and More

  Posted by Alex Zalben

  I’m not going to lie to you guys… It was very difficult to decide what deserved to be in the top spot this week, i.e. what’s most deserving of your entertainment dollars. The question really came down to: am I a gay man, or am I a mentally repressed man-child, with both sides of my personality fighting for dominance. Find out which half of me won out, after the jump… Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 28 2008, 04:30 PM with no comments Filed under: video games, Music, Movies, weekly top four

• 7 Things Miley Could Have Worn Instead of a Bed Sheet

  Posted by Wendy Atterberry

  7 Things Miley Could Have Worn Instead of a Bed Sheet for Her Vanity Fair shoot:  A pleated skirt and blouse A polygamist dress A skort and a tank top A pair of capri pants and a cardigan Desgner jeans and an overpriced t-shirt Fake fur Even this would have been better:   Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 28 2008, 04:00 PM with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Ew!, Miley cyrus

• Hat-Shaped Spaceship Spotted In the Night Sky

  Posted by Steph Auteri

  Oh come on. It totally looks like a hat-shaped UFO! Don't tell me it doesn't.Okay, you're right. This is actually a picture of: Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 28 2008, 03:30 PM with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech

• Wan Can Light

  Posted by Alex Zalben

  Okay, question time for you guys… This light is pretty neat, as it not only creates a nice, diffuse glow throughout your room, but, you can also easily angle the light by shifting the weight of the bowl. It comes in silver and white, with a choice of flood, or narrow light distribution. Size-wise, it’s 13” x 8”, so it’s small enough to fit on pretty much any desk or night-stand. So, my question is, how much do you think this is worth? Find out, after the jump… Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 28 2008, 03:00 PM with 2 comment(s) Filed under: lighting

• Round Up: Jewelry Bowls

  Posted by Wendy Atterberry

  This morning I posted about how to create your own jewelry shadow box. Another great way to store jewelry is in pretty little bowls, trays, dishes, and even vintage powder jars, and not, as my mother would have you believe, in old eggs cartons. You can display the jewelry bowls on a dresser or lines them in a drawer like the photo above. After the jump, a round-up of some great (and cheap) bowls, dishes, trays, and jars you can use: Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 28 2008, 02:30 PM with no comments

• The $60,000 Ice Cream Sundae

  Posted by Alex Zalben

  See, the thing is, it comes with TWO cherries. Hence the extra $59,995. More on this, and a slightly cheaper sundae, after the jump...  Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 28 2008, 02:00 PM with no comments Filed under: Food and Drink, Ridiculous

• Five Things I Suppose I Don't Miss About Being Single

  Posted by Steph Auteri

  Making out with strange men on the dance floor as the overarching techno beat thrums its shattering way from my eardrums into my skull and finally throughout my entire chest cavity. Living with Mom. Seemingly for the rest of eternity. That point in my life where my fashion sense was so, so sad and misguided that my mom would tell her friends I was going out "slutting." The kids table at weddings and family gatherings. Not Having Michael. Five Things I DO Miss:   Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 28 2008, 01:30 PM with 5 comment(s) Filed under: Jewelry

• Sale of the Day: Stainless Steel Weber Grill

  Posted by Wendy Atterberry

  I'm convinced that living without a grill is one of the great tragedies in life. I know there are certain restrictions that one just can't get around — tenant rules, space issues, allergies to good times, but for those of you who are able to own a grill, you know, you understand, just how good the first BBQ of the season tastes. And let's face it, food cooked on a grill never gets boring and it always tastes so much better than dinner cooked in an oven or on a stove top, especially when someone else is doing all the work. After the jump, the Rolls Royce of grills. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 28 2008, 01:00 PM with no comments Filed under: Cooking, outdoors, sale of the day

• I Was A Human Hamster

  Posted by Alex Zalben

  There are certain things I’m completely freaked out about. One of them is heights. The other is bugs. The third one is probably being strapped in a giant inflatable ball and rolled down a hill. My fears realized, after the jump...  Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 28 2008, 12:30 PM with 1 comment(s) Filed under: toys, Sports, Ridiculous

• I’ve Goth Your Coffin Couch Right Here

  Posted by Alex Zalben

  Coffin Couches, much to everyone’s shock and surprise, creates couches out of coffins. The disturbing part is, they claim that they are made from recycled coffins, which is creepy beyond belief. More info from beyond the grave, after the jump...  Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 28 2008, 12:00 PM with 1 comment(s) Filed under: furniture, living room, couches

• Round Up: Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Down

  Posted by Wendy Atterberry

  [$40, FinnStyle]  It's a grey and rainy Monday here in New York and the forecast promises more of the same all week long. It's days like this I'm so grateful to work from home. I can curl up on my couch with a cup of coffee and Bailey's, a cat by my side, and a laptop to get my work done without having to step one foot out in the rain...or even put a bra on, for that matter. But a girl can only stay indoors so long before she starts going a little loopy, so for those of us who will have to spend the week fighting raindrops, puddles and grey skies, here's a round-up of colorful and fun gear to get us through it:   Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 28 2008, 11:30 AM with no comments Filed under: Accessories, rain

• Caught in the Act

  Posted by Steph Auteri

  I may not have had neighbors conducting body dumps in the middle of the night during the course of my adolescence, but there was that old guy across the way who always shoveled his snow into the street (illegal!), and Timmy — whom they eventually sent away to military school —  terrorized my little brother and me to no end. (I once got back at him by dumping a full bucket of water on him when he was all dressed up to go to his Little League game, and then running like hell.) Whether you have neighbors who conduct illegal activities like snow-shoveling, or just terrorize small children, you can capture all their transgressions with this: Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 28 2008, 11:00 AM with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech

• Milk Gone Bad

  Posted by Alex Zalben

  There are times in a man’s life when he accidentally leaves the milk out of the refrigerator for a very, very long time. And then there are  times in said man’s life when he doesn’t notice he’s left the milk out until something smells horribly, and then he has to throw out the milk without vomiting. After the jump, a more stomachable take on this event...  Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 28 2008, 10:30 AM with no comments Filed under: lighting

• DIY: Jewelry Shadow box

  Posted by Wendy Atterberry

  I have a problem. I've got too much jewelry and not enough places to put it. Right now I'm storing a third of it inside a broken jewelry box shoved on the bottom shelf of my nightstand. Above that is an Asian jewelry roll I've had forever that holds another third of my jewelry and the rest of my baubles are stuffed in a drawer and housed in a much smaller box on my dresser. A couple months ago I read in the now defunct Blueprint magazine about some great storage ideas for jewelry — storage that showcase pretty accessories instead of just hiding them away. I've been dragging my feet in using these strategies, but I've finally given myself a deadline. By the end of May, I want to have homes for all my jewelry — homes that are organized and aesthetically pleasing. For those of you who are in the same boat I am, you can start by making a pretty jewelry shadow box like the one pictured above. Super easy and fun instructions, including links for materials, after the jump: Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 28 2008, 10:00 AM with no comments Filed under: home decor, Jewelry, DIY

• Geek Out: New iMacs

  Posted by Alex Zalben

  Yesterday I was walking down the street, and there was an Apple G3 desktop sitting in the trash with the note, “Works! No hard drive,” on it. I almost took it home, which shows how much I love Apple stuff, cause I really don’t need a slow computer with no hard drive, plug, or software. Or, you know, a monitor. But I could definitely use one of these: Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 28 2008, 09:30 AM with no comments Filed under: gadgets, Apple, computers, tech, Geek Out

• Pet Product: Kitty A Go-Go Litter Box

  Posted by Steph Auteri

  [$89.95, Amazon]  It looks like just any old enclosed litter box (or a spaceship for cats?), but there's something special here that makes this one a boon for all cat ladies having to frantically clean out the litter box before they leave for work in the morning. And I'm not referring to the fact that you can purchase it in polka dot or leopard print. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 28 2008, 09:00 AM with no comments Filed under: Pet Products

• Quick Tip of the Day: Charmin Seat Covers

  Posted by Wendy Atterberry

  Places where a disposable seat cover really comes in handy: Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 28 2008, 08:30 AM with no comments Filed under: Quick tip, travel

• Week in Review: April 25

  Posted by Wendy Atterberry

  This week we Modern Materialists kept busy: Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 25 2008, 06:00 PM with no comments Filed under: Week in Review

• Do-It-Yourself: Knitting Project To-Go

  Posted by Steph Auteri

  [$20, Tigo Gifts]  I've long since given up on crocheting, and I never even attempted knitting, but as that's the trendy thing to do these days, I thought it only right to point you in the direction of this clever little package.   Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 25 2008, 05:30 PM with no comments Filed under: DIY

• Happy Hour: Retro Martini Shaker

  Posted by Alex Zalben

  Ah, Skymall, eternally answering the questions we never ask. This time, Skymall answers the question, “Hey, what if you didn’t want to shake your own martinis?” The answer, after the jump...  Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 25 2008, 05:00 PM with no comments Filed under: gadgets, Food and Drink, Happy Hour

• Hands On: Samsung’s Still Cameras

  Posted by Alex Zalben

  Wrapping up my look at Samsung’s Spring Fever Showcase, I got a chance to play with pretty much the entire line of Samsung still cameras. Ironically, I took photos of them with my Sony still camera. Boy, aren’t the pictures bad, Samsung? Wouldn’t they better if I took them with a Samsung camera? You know, for research purposes? Cough. In any case, there’s a ton of product available on the line, ranging from low end point and shoots, to higher end cameras with a ton of features, but a still relatively small form factor. Check out notes on two of 'em, after the jump... Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 25 2008, 04:30 PM with no comments Filed under: gadgets, Cameras, samsung, hands on

• Round Up: Six Spring/Summer Shoes for Under Sixty

  Posted by Wendy Atterberry

  [$55, Piperlime]  Besides the excuse to sip Mint Juleps from silver cups, the warmer weather is also an opportunity to don some super cute footwear. After the jump, a round-up of six of of my favorites for the spring and summer all under 60 bucks:   Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 25 2008, 04:00 PM with no comments Filed under: shoes, round up

• I Was Just Massaging My Neck...

  Posted by Steph Auteri

  Sure, your Pocket Rocket sounds like a lawnmower, but that doesn't mean you weren't trying to be discreet about your vibrator use. After the jump, my top five fave discreet sex toys: Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 25 2008, 03:30 PM with 1 comment(s) Filed under: toys, sexy

• Hands On: Samsung S3 Media Player

  Posted by Alex Zalben

  I got a little less time to spend with the S3, which was okay, because it is just okay. The S3 is Samsung’s little iPod killer, except it suffers from the same problems most potential iPod killers do: because Apple’s device is so prevalent in the market, they must design something that in no way seems like they’re ripping off Apple. However, and not to sound like a Jobs Fanboy, but I will: Apple pretty much perfected the design of a music player. They did, it’s true, and that’s why the iPod is so successful. The iPod is instantly intuitive to use; the S3 is not. I don't totally hate on the S3, after the jump...  Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 25 2008, 03:00 PM with 2 comment(s) Filed under: gadgets, Music, samsung, hands on