Editorial
Front Page - Friday, June 4, 2010
What'll they dream up next?
Sky Mall catalogue
Misty S. Brown
I once had a goal to visit all 50 states by the time I turned 25 years old, but now that I am past that age and still have the Northeast portion of the country to go, I will just put it on my bucket list. There is something about traveling that I really enjoy. While I have only been outside of the United States a time or two, I really enjoy going to other areas of our country to experience the different cultures, climates and scenery.
My mother, who lives in Oregon, once booked a plane trip for me to go visit her there while I was on break from school. I asked her to put me on the trip that would require the most layovers so I could put more tick-marks on my list of states to which I have traveled. It counts if I have a layover there, right?
People-watching is one of my favorite activities while traveling. I also pass the time by figuring out how to sleep while sitting upright, thinking of ideas for the book I will write one day (also on the bucket list) and browsing through the Sky Mall catalogue on the plane – the ultimate thirst-quencher for a gadget-aholic like myself.
Ah, yes, Sky Mall catalogues – that ridiculous smorgasbord of gadgets, furniture and knick-knacks that you can buy for your grandmother or rich boss who already have everything.
I had the pleasure of thumbing through a Sky Mall catalogue on a recent trip to Arizona to celebrate my mom’s nuptials. I wish I were rich and had expendable money to throw away on some of the items listed in the catalogue. Here are a few of my favorite picks.
Digital Camera
Swim Mask
At $99.95, the swim mask with a built-in camera is a decent buy, especially if you plan on taking a snorkeling trip, watching synchronized swimming underwater or taking an underwater basket-weaving class. It is a five-megapixel digital camera and mask combination that can operate up to a depth of 15 feet. (Though as an advanced diver, this would not suffice for my underwater adventures.)
It keeps your hands free for swimming and has crosshairs in each tempered-glass lens to line up your shot. A press of the shutter button will allow you to take up to 30 high-resolution shots or 52 seconds of video on the built-in 16 MB of memory – or you can use a microSD card for additional memory. There is an LED headlamp available for $54.95 to attach to the camera mask. Both the mask and accompanying headlamp require AAA batteries.
Telekinetic Obstacle Course
Is grandma or Mr. Boss-man hydrophobic? Maybe they will enjoy killing time (and maybe brain cells?) with the Telekinetic Obstacle Course. Not only does it sound ridiculous, it looks it, too. It is a game that “uses your focused brain waves to maneuver a ball through an obstacle course.” (Also known as a total waste of time, but probably the perfect party trick.)
It has a headband and two earlobe clips that measure activity in your brain similar to EEG monitoring. As you relax and concentrate, a wireless signal, “based on your mental commands,” travels to the game’s air fan, decreasing or increasing its speed and moving a ball through an interchangeable obstacle course. The unit requires four C batteries and three AAA batteries and will set you back $99.95.
Wrist Cell Phone Carrier
Know someone who is constantly misplacing or dropping his or her phone? The Wrist Cell Phone Carrier is the answer to this problem. It is an accessory that wraps around your wrist to hold a cell phone securely and is ideal for joggers, fishermen, business people and forgetful teenagers. (Wait, don’t teenagers these days come with a cell phone attached to their ears anyway?)
It comes in blue denim, black sport and pink or black fashion faux leather. The Velcro enclosures can be adjusted to fit all wrist sizes and cell phone models. At $29.95, who can beat the cell phone carrier tan line this thing will give you, let alone those looks people will give you when you are literally tied to your phone all the time? At least your forgetful friends will no longer have an excuse for not being able to find their phone.
Roadmaster Auto Exec
Has your car become your home office? Perhaps the Roadmaster Auto Exec is the perfect buy for you. The Roadmaster Auto Exec is a passenger seat office that straps to the seat with the existing seat belt and provides a non-slip writing surface, hanging file section and space for a laptop and accessories. It features an adjustable laptop plate to slide for the optimal typing position.
There is an optional printer stand that can be mounted to the top corner and has a strap to secure a printer. If that is not enough, there is a power inverter to power a laptop, printer, cell phone or DVD player. It comes with two three-prong AC outlets and a 12V cigarette lighter adapter on a 45-inch cord.
Of course, the item is not for use while driving. (I can just see someone saying this to an officer after being pulled over: “Sorry, officer, I had to compile data in an Excel document and send out a memo to my coworkers about an upcoming meeting. I didn’t see the red light.”) The main unit is $179.95, the printer stand is $79.95 or the Non-Skid Auto Exec with power inverter is $349.95 plus a $10 delivery charge.
These items are just a few of the many listings in the Sky Mall catalogue. Next time you go on a plane trip, grab a complimentary copy of the Sky Mall catalogue and thumb through
it to your heart’s content.
Maybe you will find that perfect gift for the person who already has everything.
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