novelties

Mmmvelopes: Bacon-flavored mail!

I honestly can't remember the last time I sent something using conventional mail, but it may have been more than three years ago. I hate licking stamps and envelopes and risking a paper cut in one of the worst places I can imagine. But after spotting these Mmmvelope bacon-flavored envelopes from "bacontrepreneurs" J&D's, I might start looking for reasons to send random stuff out. And for as little as three packs of 25 for $14.99, I can send a lot.

The No. 10 envelopes themselves are regular paper but the glue has a … Read more

Porta-Pizza Oven heats pies on the go

Here's something that would be perfect for those long road trips. The Porta-Pizza Oven is a portable pizza-size oven that plugs into your car's 12-volt outlet. The oven features top-mounted heating elements, a high setting for cooking frozen pizzas, and a low setting for warming last night's leftovers or that loose slice you found in your back seat. Nice!

The unit features a fold-out carrying handle, but I'm quite tempted to permanently mod one of these into my glove compartment! I wonder if it features iPod connectivity...

(Source: Stupidiotic)

Better drinking through chemistry (cocktail set)

As party season ratchets up to full swing, those with an appreciation for the sciences might enjoy this novelty Chemistry Cocktail Set. The chemical composition of drinks won't be affected, but for the mad scientist in all of us, this cocktail set glows with (hopefully nonradioactive) whimsy.

The set includes four glass test tubes, a glass beaker, a stirrer, a cocktail shaker, and a metal tray. It is hand washable.

Fun is fun and all (and we all know science is fun), but I am a little confused by this product. I can imagine it sitting on my kitchen … Read more

It isn't a kitchen, it's an amusement park

When was the last time you had cotton candy? In my case, I'd have to travel back to the early parts of my teenage years to reminisce about the pink and blue spun sugar treat, but if you're still a practicing fan, chances are that you still haven't had it since summer.

If you can't brave the winter chill without your cotton candy fix, then maybe you should consider putting this Tabletop Cotton Candy Maker on your holiday wish list. It spins ordinary table sugar into the cotton confection we know and love so well, and … Read more

Breakfast takes a trip to the dark side

We've all learned by now that eating bread with hearty whole grains is healthier. It has more fiber and has more of the nutrients found in the unprocessed original ingredients, and if you ask me, it tastes much better too. That might have something to do with being raised on multigrain breads (it wasn't until my later day care years that I ate white bread). But enriched white bread makes a pretty tasty peanut butter and jelly, and some kids may need a little bit more persuasion in order to get their daily intake of whole grains.

Sure, … Read more

Future Food: Peanut butter slices and canned bacon

There are two things that are certain in life, and I'm not talking about death and taxes. These happen to be of the food-related variety. Even though I am sure you are well aware of these food truisms, they are always fun to repeat:

Peanut butter goes well with anything.

Bacon makes everything taste better.

You may be familiar with these food rules, but did you know they are not independently separate from each other? Bacon and peanut butter work together too. If you've never had a peanut butter and bacon burger, you just don't know what … Read more

Honda's Musical Road makes your tires sing

When you talk about car audio, you're usually discussing amplifiers, audio sources, and speakers. The harmonic qualities of your vehicle's tires usually don't come into play. That is, unless you're talking about Honda's Civic Musical Road in Lancaster, Calif.

The road was modified as part of an advertisement for Honda's Civic and is the latest in a series of musical roads around the world. Grooves were cut in the road in such a way that, when driven over at a certain speed, they cause the vehicle's tires to vibrate and play music. The … Read more

Teach your kids the price of transit with Dad's Cab

From the moment I first got my driver's license, my parents were always willing to hand over their car keys. At some point I asked my mother why they were so laid back, when my other friends had to beg their parents just to drive the family minivan around the block. "Because I was sick of being a chauffeur," she replied.

I'll be honest: up until that point I hadn't thought about what a hassle it must have been to shuttle me to school, soccer practice, and band concerts--never mind the movies and friends' houses. … Read more

Cuckoo for cacao? You might like the Chococlock

Pavlov would have been proud.

You've got your head down, diligently working on a big project (or schooling one of your Facebook pals on a word game). The world around you is a blur; you're in your own world. And then, the clock strikes 1, and you instinctively turn to get your reward.

You, too, can set your internal clock to pause at hourly intervals with the help of the Chococlock. Every hour on the hour, this clock plays "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" and opens the tiny doors on its front to reveal a … Read more