UTK Off The Rails 10/24/23
Black Friday Gift Guide
I did this last year and it was pretty well received. None of these are ads, none of these are affiliate links. I just like when friends tell me about cool stuff, so since we’re all friends here, here’s a couple suggestions as the holiday season gets in gear:
CLINK ROOM: Cool hats aren’t cheap. A New Era fitted is classic quality. What Clink Room does is give designers a chance to create baseball caps for teams that will never exist. It’s some amazing designs, done very well. The downside is it works like a pre-order and it takes months to get that cool lid. However, the wait is worth it and watching people try to figure out what team that logo is for is priceless as well.
MANSCAPED: Yes, the ads are dumb but over the years I’ve shaved my head - my bald head - a million times and trimmed my beard about the same. I’ve burned through too many cheap (and not so cheap) trimmers. Spending a bit more on what was supposed to be a better mousetrap had held for pushing a year. The “Beard Hedger” comes with a maintenance program and doesn’t come with a million attachments you can’t remember where you put. Adjust with a dial instead. It’s better, even if I really don’t need “Beard Balm.”
BOTTOMLESS: This is one from last year, but it’s still great and still magical. It’s a simple idea. Put your coffee beans on a scale. As you make coffee, the Bottomless algorithm watches to see when it’s getting low and then, factoring in shipping, they send you another bag. In several years of using it, even when it was in beta, I can remember one time where I had no coffee and it came the next day. It’s often perfectly day of. It’s not a bad price and they partner with a bunch of great roasters.
BASEBALLISM: You probably already know this one, but the quality of their gear is always top notch. The T-shirts are great and my dream is that one day, they’ll do a “A Sprain Is A Tear” t-shirt. Until then, “Rub Some Dirt On It” will have to do.
ROARK: I’m pretty particular about clothes and finding things that fit, and last, and look pretty cool are hard to find. Think of Roark as a slightly more adventurous Tommy Bahama. They have some amazing fabrics, including the laser cut “Bless Up” shirts which are just awesome in the summer.
RECOVERY AIR: You’ve seen athletes use these (or Normatecs, which are similar), but if you do any kind of work outs, these can REALLY help. After a hard Peloton ride, the muscle soreness is decreased significantly by using these for just 15 minutes. I zone out, do a meditation, and let the Recovery Air do the recovery work. Not cheap, but they’re down to consumer-level pricing, so treat yourself.
AIRTAGS: There’s similar products but as usual, Apple gets it right. Drop one of these tiny tags and it leverages the vast expanse of Apple products to create a mesh network that is almost everywhere. Yes, being tracked can be creepy and misused, but losing your wallet sucks. Drop one in luggage. Drop one in a purse. Don’t use it on your dog - that’s what GPS is for. The right tool for the right job. I am stunned - and it’s because of the creepy factor - that more people don’t use Find My Friends. Having to ask “are you running late” when you’re meeting someone. Share for an hour or forever. I get why some people don’t want it, but I think they’re missing out.
NEBULA COSMOS PROJECTOR: Splurge? Yes. I’ve been debating a TV for my office, but also was thinking about some outdoor movie nights on the patio. Most projectors need full dark, but the laser system from Nebula looks fine on a normal day. I watch Red Zone on a 95” projection right on my wall. It looks and sounds great. Ignore the messy desk and realize this is in a normal, well lit room. Love this thing. I also used it to scare the crap out of neighbors.
BLACKSTONE GRIDDLES: This is on my DO NOT BUY list. Maybe I just had a bad experience, but less than three months and a handful of uses, the Griddle basically stopped working. The customer service was basically a FAQ page and when I finally got someone to answer, they told me I needed to disassemble the gas system, clean it with a specialized tool, and hope for the best, though it would void my warranty. Not in my skill set, so it’s a big paperweight on the porch for now.