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RainyDayMagazine's content can now be licensed for your print magazine or web site. Please contact us directly here. If you want to see something reviewed, then drop us a note with a link and we'll be happy to take a look.
NOTE: Click here to read more about our approach to product reviews. |
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December 25,2011- Christmas Day... |
Merry Christmas!!!
[Permalink] - Christmas Day
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December 24,2011- Christmas Eve... |
We will be back after the New Year. BTW...keep your fingers crossed for a white Christmas!!! [Permalink] - Christmas Eve
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December 23,2011- Happy Holidays... |
We at RainyDayMagazine would like to wish our readers a happy and merry Holiday Season!!! [Permalink] - Happy Holidays
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December 22,2011- Macy's Windows... |
Every Holiday season, we make a trip to NYC to check out the window displays of the major department stores (Macy's, Saks, Bloomingdale's, etc...) Without fail, we always seem to like Macy's the best. This year was no exception. Since Macy's is a corner store, it always has two different sets of window displays. While the windows on the Broadway side was extremely cool, our favorite this year were the ones on the 34th St.
The theme was "Yes, Virginia", which was inspired by the true story of little 8-year old Virginia O'Hanlon, who wrote a letter to the New York Sun in 1897, asking if there really was a Santa Claus. The answer to this question recently generated some very passionate discussions. More than a 100 years later, a NYC second grade teacher answered the question differently than that of the Sun's editor Francis Church ("Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist …") and instantly found herself in the... [more] - 2011 NYC Holiday visit
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December 21,2011- Rainy Day GiftGuides... |
Happy Holidays!!!
[Permalink] - 2011 Rainy Day GiftGuide
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December 20,2011- Last Minute GiftGuide... |
No matter how much we plan, we always end up with some last-minute shopping to do. When we need to make sure we get it there in time for Christmas morning, we use Amazon. If things are ordered prior to 8 p.m. PST on 12/23, they will still get to their destination in time with Amazon's 2-Day shipping. So stop running around, get online, and get it done. Here are some great ideas for those of you who still have a little more shopping left to do.
Where possible, we've even Amazon-linked the items for you.
The first on the list is candles. We know what you are thinking...boring, snoozer...wait. These are Smart Candles.
They flicker like real candles, they throw shadows like real candles, but they are infinitely better than real candles. Smart Candles use LEDs so they last for about 10 hours per charge. They are cool to the touch so you can put them ANYWHERE (boxes, window sill, etc...) without worry (kids, pets, paper, etc.). They are way cheaper in the long run as they can be
... [more] - 2011 Last Minute GiftGuide
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December 19,2011- RainyDayPhotography GiftGuide... |
Kata bags are the only ones we trust to protect our photography gear. Every year we look forward to seeing what's new from Kata, and this year is no different. The Kata bags that caught the interest of our RainyDayPhotographers were:
The TLB-300 PL Telephoto Lens Backpack is designed to safeguard a Pro DSLR with 300mm Telephoto Lens attached, while keeping it as light and as compact as possible. A padded cradle divider fits around the base of the lens where it joins the camera, and provides stability to the heavy load. There is also an adjustable circumference divider that will fit around any lens diameter, and an internal securing-strap which make sure the... [more] - 2011 RainyDayPhotography GiftGuide
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December 16,2011- RainyDayBooks GiftGuide... |
Books have changed quite a bit, but great writing has not. Engaging literature may now be enjoyed in a variety of formats. There is nothing quite like getting completely immersed in a good book, or listening to a mesmerizing performance by a great reader. So it should be no surprise that books are amongst the most popular Holiday gifts year after year.
We have put together a great collection of books for the 2011 RainyDayBooks Gift Guide. Most of them have been reviewed in 2011, but some are favorites from years past. We hope you find the following... [more] - 2011 RainyDayBooks GiftGuide
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December 15,2011- RainyDayGarden GiftGuide... |
Many might think that not much goes on in the RainyDayGarden during the winter months, but they are mistaken. Birds and other creatures that do not travel south or hibernate come by the garden daily in search of tasty snacks. So for this year's RainyDayGarden Gift Guide, we would like to feature some awesome items specifically for that purpose from our favorite gardening site...Gardeners.com.
With so many great choices available from the Gardern's Supply Company, putting together the list for this Gift Guide was not as simple as one would think. It was a tough job, but fortunately the interns were up to the task :-) After a bit of back and forth, the items on the top of their... [more] - 2011 RainyDayGarden GiftGuide
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December 14,2011- RainyDayKitchen GiftGuide... |
This time of the year is all about remembrance of things past, being thankful for what we have, and looking forward to what comes next. It is also about celebrating (with) friends and family. What better gifts to give than those which will help to make celebrations more fun and festive? In today's Holiday Gift Guide, we have a few items which will help do just that.
Bubbles and fizz make any drink, alcoholic or not, more celebratory. Making your own fizzy drink is easy with the right gadgets. The Twist 'n Sparkle is such a gadget. Just insert the carbonating wand into a filled bottle, press, and violà, instant carbonation. For more precise control over the level of carbonation, there are no better machines than the onese from SodaStream. Our favorite is the SodaStream Penguin. The Penguin is the only fizzy drink-maker on the market that uses glass carafes. While plastic bottles are practical for... [more] - 2011 RainyDayKitchen GiftGuide
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December 13,2011- RainyDayKitchen GiftGuide... |
Waking up on Christmas morning has never been a problem, but to wake up every day with that kind of enthusiasm requires a little help. A great cup of espresso or cappuccino is a great start. For convenience and ease of clean up, machines that take pods and capsules are the way to go. Fully automated machines with integrated grinders are for those who like the freshly ground beans for their espresso drinks without the work.
However, not everyone wants push-button simplicity. Some want their beans ground to a more exacting fineness, others like their grinds tamped to a specific density, and many demand their drinks brewed at a precise water temperature.
This Holiday season, we thought we would look at what's available which could make the wishes of espresso lovers come true. There are quite a few potential candidates and... [more] - 2011 RainyDayKitchen GiftGuide
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December 12,2011- Gear&Gadgets GiftGuide... |
Everyday Carry (EDC) items make great gifts. The receiver is reminded of (and may thank) you every time they use it. The interns have tried out quite a number of EDC items over the years. They have gathered some of their favorites for this year's Gear&Gadgets gift guide.
The EDC gear from Columbia River Knife and Tool (CRKT) have been a hit with the RainyDay crew ever since we looked at their I.D.Works line. The ZillaTool is a great EDC item. However, we think their their interchangeable Flux system is the best EDC line currently on the market. There are five different interchangeable components (knife, driver, wine tool, LED, Flash) to the FLUX System. Combine and take what you need, leave everything else... [more] - 2011 RainyDayGear&Gadgets GiftGuide
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December 9,2011- RainyDayScience GiftGuide... |
Back in the 60's many a boy hoped to find a chemistry set under the tree on Christmas morning (that, and a BB gun). The promise of being able to make invisible ink, CO2 rockets, and sulfur bombs was catnip to quite a few eleven year olds. Sadly (or thankfully) those days are gone. However, items found under the contemporary Christmas tree can still spark wonder, stimulate the imagination, and satisfy curiosities.
Nothing evokes more wonder than the inner workings of the human brain. While we are not yet at the point of being able to easily decode the signals of the brain, tools are becoming available which enable us to get a glimpse of what is going on. The MindWave from NeuroSky is such a tool. They have managed to take decades of laboratory brainwave technology and squeezed it into a headset for under $100! This single channel EEG detector safely measures brainwave signals and monitors the attention level of a... [more] - 2011 RainyDayScience GiftGuide
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December 8,2011- RainyDayGiftGuide:Tools tips... |
Yesterday's gift guide brought about a discussion at the office about giving and getting presents. Giving tools as presents can be tricky: how do you know if what you're giving is what they need, what they want, or is any good? We can't help you with the first two, but we can offer some guidance on the last one.
While the no-name socket set may have 250-pieces and cost half as much, it is not Craftsman. How do you decide which set is right for your giftee? What happens if a piece breaks or fails? With the 150-piece Craftsman Mechanics tool set every piece is guaranteed for life... [more] - 2011 RainyDayGiftGuide: Tool Tips
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December 7,2011- RainyDayProject GiftGuide... |
Have a DIY-er to shop for on your Holiday list this year? We have looked at a lot of cool DIY-related things (CNC machine, kinetic sculpture plans, etc...) this year, and all of them would make great gifts. However, we decided to think about what would be cool to put into our recently acquired Craftsman Project Center. The interns have come up with some fun recommendations for you!
The top of their "fun list" is the miracle fix-it clay called Sugru. We have been going crazy with the stuff ever since we got some in house. One warning...hacking with Sugru is very addictive. Once you start, pretty much everything you have looks like it could use some Sugru. Next on the list is an item called the ShopBoss. It is a multi-purpose tool from Fiskars and available exclusively at Walmart. It is a pair of snips on steroids. The ShopBoss can... [more] - 2011 RainyDayGiftGuide: Project tools
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December 6,2011- RainyDayGiftGuide: Cases... |
There is no denying the explosive increase in sales of smartphones and tablets in 2011. The phenomenal growth of those devices also meant a healthy demand for related accessories. Companies offering cases for personalization, protection, or both went into high gear and churned out a huge variety of offerings. We looked at a LOT of iPhone and iPad gear, reviewed the ones which appealed to us, and selected accessories from those for the 2011 Holiday Gift Guide. We know they work because we have used them for work.
Even though LifeProof is a newcomer, they have managed to generate a lot of buzz in the crowded space of iPhone cases. There are other cases out there that will make the iPhone impervious to the elements, but a... [more] - 2011 RainyDayGiftGuide: iPhone and iPad Cases
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December 5,2011- RainyDayGiftGuide: Tablets... |
Tablets and smartphones will be popular gifts for the 2011 Holiday season. In spite of the increasing variety of tablet and smartphone options, if you are looking to get or give one, the decision process is thankfully rather simple. With the introduction of Siri, the only phone which can actually claim the "smart" label is the iPhone 4S. Other phones may be pretty, but they are not smart. So the choice of smartphone is clear, get the Apple iPhone 4S. As for tablets, if the person you are buying for knows what they want, get them what they want. If they don't know, then get them either an Apple iPad or Amazon's Kindle Fire. Which to buy will depend on the answers to some simple questions.
It will be another five years before tablets will surpass laptops in power and capabilities, but tablets will surpass laptops in popularity way sooner. Most who buy a tablet now use them mainly to... [more] - 2011 RainyDayGiftGuide: Tablets
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