brooklyn

Buy a better bread bin

Two blocks away from my apartment is a little kitchen supply shop called The Brooklyn Kitchen. Inside the modest space, you'll find the best selection of kitchen staples and crazy gadgets in the neighborhood, along with a superfriendly staff and a calendar full of cooking classes to choose from. March is Bread Month in The Brooklyn Kitchen, and in celebration of our favorite freshly baked carbohydrate, the store is featuring this Bread Bin by Joseph Joseph on its Web site.

Joseph Joseph is a company started by twin brothers Antony and Richard Joseph. They built on a family glass … Read more

It's not lame; it's lah-may

To continue our celebration of Bread Month at The Brooklyn Kitchen, a shop in my neighborhood that's the best go-to spot for appliances and kitchen gadgets, I'm introducing you to this odd-looking blade that breadmakers know as a lame (lah-may).

Maybe you've already been introduced to this curved-blade tool, also known as a grignette. But if you're like me and it's new to you, here's the deal: this little guy is responsible for the pretty patterns that show up in the crust of freshly baked breads like baguettes and round boules. Chefs use the … Read more

Brooklyn beauties: DeVore Fidelity speakers

Devore Fidelity, founded by president and chief designer John DeVore in 2000, builds state-of-the-art speakers in the Brooklyn borough of New York.

DeVore is one of the few speaker designers I've met who worked as a high-end audio salesman, so he can draw upon first-hand knowledge of what buyers really want. He's also listened to the very best stuff out there, and learned that components that measure well and sound impressive at first don't always sound great over the long run.

I've known John for a long time, and when he first decided to get into … Read more

The 404 239: Where we stop eating sesame cake

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, stealing the Empire State Building, and pirates make their appearance. As usual, it's a weird show today. We discover the classic line from the movie Congo from 1995, starring Tim Curry. Let's just say "Stop eating sesame cake" has become a new catchphrase for The 404. Yes, we're alienating more and more new listeners. Please, for the love of God, tell your friends about this show!

Jeff hates on the possibility that there will be a new Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie. It looks like Joss Whedon is attached to the flick, but sadly no Sarah Michelle Gellar. Also, we discover new and easy ways to pirate content off of Amazon.com...not that we ever would. We don't even know what pirating is. Honest to God. Speaking of stealing stuff, the New York Daily News manages to steal the Empire State Building. Makes us feel really safe here in New York City. We talk about the life lessons that Trey Parker and Matt Stone have taught us through South Park. An idiot guy gets his cell phone stolen at a McDonald's with nude pictures of his wife. Rather than suing McDonald's for $3 million, we think his wife should sue him for divorce. And for the love of all things that are holy, please STOP making those Scary Movie or Saw flicks!

Episode 239 Download today's podcast … Read more

Kanye West earns an exclusive Nooka Zub

To celebrate the conclusion of Kanye West's "Glow in the Dark" tour featuring Lupe Fiasco, Rihanna, and N.E.R.D., watch manufacturer Nooka will produce a very limited glow in the dark version of their popular Zub watch. When we say "very limited," we mean it--only 15 pieces were made and most of them will find their home with Kanye himself, so abandon all hope of picking up one of these unique watches. Nice to look at though, right?

The Zub is one of Nooka's many timepieces to use linear and graphic figures … Read more

I hear voices: Could highly directional sound advertising be the next big thing?

UPDATE: An earlier version of this blog incorrectly described the technology used in an advertisement for the A&E's TV show Paranormal State. The technology, developed by the Holosonic Research Lab, uses a beam of ultrasound as a "virtual source", which changes into audible sound as it travels through the air. Please read the technology's inventor, F_J_Pompei's comment or visit the Holosonic Research Labs site to learn more.

The folks who heard the ad for A&E's TV show Paranormal State emitted from a billboard in New York City's Greenwich Village … Read more

That's right, an eye massager

A USB eye warmer has gotten a fair amount of virtual ink lately for reasons we can't quite fathom, but here's something that we think can top it: The "Eyezone Eye Massager."

According to the product literature: "The vibrating foam pads of the electronic Eyezone Eye Massager work on the pressure points at the temples, across the cheekbones and the bridge of the nose to improve blood circulation, release tension and aid stress management for a drug-free headache cure." Right.

And it "can help delay the coming of presbyopia--age-related vision loss caused by … Read more