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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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July 29, 2011- ThermaCELL FirstLook... |
Mosquitos and other biting insects are just a part of Summer. Some years are better than others. Depending on the amount of rain the number of mosquitos buzzing around ranges from annoying to intolerable, especially for those of us who seem to be tastier to these pests than the average Joe.
N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide or DEET is the ingredient of choice for many mosquito repellent products. DEET was developed by the US Army for use in jungle warfare in WWII. Its effectiveness in repelling mosquito is undisputed. However, as DEET also blocks the activities of acetylcholinesterase (an enzyme which is involved in muscle activities), it can have adverse health effects with prolong exposure. Besides, anything which can dissolve some plastics, rayon, spandex, other synthetic fabrics can't be all that good for the body. This was one of the reasons why we were excited to check out the ThermaCELL...it does not use DEET as the repellent. Instead, the active ingredient is an EPA approved synthetic copy of... [more] - ThermaCELL FirstLook
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July 28, 2011- Keen Taos Update... |
When we started RainyDayMagazine, we knew we didn't want to just post press releases of products and call them "reviews." So we decided we would only talk about gear we actually have in house. Our goal is to use the gear, see if the features live up to the hype, and report back on how they perform in real life. Little did we realize that some of our reviews would span six years :-)
We first reviewed the Keen Taos in June of 2005. Keen had just launched its radically new trail shoe which combined the best features of a sandal and a light-hiker. After a few outings, we reported back with our FirstUse experiences. A year later we posted our InTheWild update. The Taos earned high marks for... [more] - Keen Taos Update
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July 27, 2011- Vermont: The Shopping... |
When we set out for our Vermont Summer Outing, we had no idea of the beauty of the state. Our base was the Inn at Sawmill Farm in West Dover. From there we ventured up Route 100 then onto Route 30 around the edge of the Green Mountains to Manchester. Our goal was to then go down 7 or 7A and loop back to the Inn via Route 9.
Shopping was the goal of the day and we found plenty of places to stop, wander around, and into which to poke our heads. We knew we would find a lot of antique stores (and we did), but we were impressed with the amount of high-end crafts (glass workers, furniture makers, sculptors, artists) we came across on the trip. In retrospect, it should not have been surprising as... [more] - Vermont: The Shopping
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July 26, 2011- Sawmill Farm: The Wood Shed... |
Our Vermont Outing to The Inn at Sawmill Farm was in mid-July, but the pleasant memories from our stay are still with us. It may be because we stayed in the Wood Shed. Now don't misinterpret, it is definitely not what you think. The Wood Shed is a charming, lovely, and quiet cottage in the back.
The Wood Shed is not actually a wood shed. It is next to the wood shed, but it is also right next to the outdoor pool :-) The cottage is the closest unit to the main Inn, but still far enough back to feel secluded. It is surrounded by towering pines and has a back deck which looks out onto a... [more] - Vermont: The Wood Shed
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July 25, 2011- Vermont: The Inn at Sawmill Farm... |
We go on several outings each year. As there are so many great places within driving distance of Boston we are spoiled for choice. The goals of the outings are: to get out of the office; try out some gear InTheWild; maybe make some new friends. We decided this year's Summer Outing would be to the Green Mountains of Vermont. Even we don't think about Vermont in the Summer ("Wait, don't you need snow to go to Vermont?") so we thought it would be good to see it in the "off" season.
After a bit of research, the interns found a great little inn called The Inn at Sawmill Farm at the edge of the Green Mountains and it turned out to be the perfect base camp for our lower Vermont excursion. It took us a little over three hours to get there (including a stop for an awesome lunch) from Boston. The Inn at Sawmill Farm is a beautiful country inn that is just a few miles from Mount Snow. There are 21 uniquely decorated rooms (12 in the farm house, remainders in the... [more] - Vermont: Inn at Sawmill Farm
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July 22, 2011- iOS Programming... |
When it is too hot to be outside working in the RainyDayGarden, we crank up the AC, stay inside, and brush up on our iOS programming skills. Keeping current with the iOS updates, changes, and additions are not always easy. There have been a LOT of stuff coming out of Cupertino. Sometimes it can be challenging to keep up. While Apple does provide an incredible amount of material, support, and sample code for developers, working through it all can be daunting and time consuming. Still, the best and only way to learn and to keep up is to read, read, read. Writing some code once in a while also helps :-)
Developing apps for iPhones and iPads today is in some ways similar to programming for the Mac in days past. It is also a lot different. All of the object-oriented skills are still applicable, but instead of having to create many of the objects from scratch, a lot of them have been "component-ized" and are ready to be used, and there are a LOT of them. So many that finding what is available can... [more] - iOS Programming
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July 21, 2011- iPad2: Book Covers... |
Not everyone needs the heavy-duty iPad2 protection that we looked at these past few days. In fact, some want to feel more like they are just carrying a book or a pad of paper. If you are in that camp, we have found two excellent iPad2 covers that should fill the bill. These covers are stylish, functional, and will look right at home whether you are just surfing at Starbucks, studying at the library, or reading under a tree. The best part is none of these covers are shouting out to the world "Yes! iPad inside!!!"
There have been a few very good DIY articles (iBook, vintage, moleskine-ish) on how to construct your own "book cover" for the iPad. We even made one for the first iPad. The cover was a bit tight for the original iPad, but we think it would be perfect with the thinner iPad2. However, if you are not so DIY-inclined, M-Edge and Maroo both offer excellent book-cover style cases for the iPad2. Unlike most DIY book-cover cases, these covers have... [more] - iPad2: Book Covers
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July 20, 2011- Otterbox Install... |
We took a FirstLook of the iPad2 version of the Otterbox Defender case on Monday. Many of you were eager in seeing how this version stacked up to the first iPad Defender. The short of it is that the Otterbox folks clearly took all they learned from making the first one and all the feedback they received about it and went back to the drawing board. What came out was one awesome heavy-duty iPad2 case.
The Otterbox iPad2 Defender case is a four layer protection system for tablet. You can choose the right amount of protection desired depending on the "threat level" of your typical operating conditions. If your iPad is expecting knocks, bumps, and an occasional tussle (with possibly a kerfuffle thrown in), then the hard plastic frame/rubber skin combo may be sufficient. If you plan to travel with the iPad and want a... [more] - iPad2: Otterbox Install
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July 19, 2011- Gumdrop Install... |
Yesterday we gave a FirstLook of the heavy-duty iPad cases from Gumdrop and Otterbox. Today and tomorrow we are going install the iPad2 in those cases and take them for a FirstUse.
Gumdrop gear may be new to some, but we think we are going to hear a lot about them from now on. They make a number of silicone cases for the iPhones, iPads, and other mobile devices. The Drop Tech Series is the most... [more] - iPad2: Gumdrop Install
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July 18, 2011- iPad2: Heavy Duty Protection... |
While the new iPad2 is thinner, faster, and lighter than its older brother, it is NOT any tougher. We don't mean to imply that iPads are not rugged. The screen is very scratch resistant, the frame is carved from a solid piece of aluminum, and the data storage is based on solid state flash memory. If dropped, as long as the screen does not hit a sharp/hard object, it will likely survive. Still, none of us would really care to find out. To that end, most users treat their iPads with kid gloves: we put on screen covers, wipe off fingerprints, and gently place the tablet in a stand when not used.
We all know that the tablet will not play nice with water and will definitely not bounce when dropped, but there are users (photographers, scientists, etc...) who need to take their iPads out in the wild. No matter how careful they are, it is inevitable that an iPad will take an occassional... [more] - iPad2: Heavy Duty Protection
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July 15, 2011- SoWa Open Market... |
We have been fans of the SoWa Open Market since we first attended their Holiday show back in 2004. It has been great to watch them grow and get better year over year. This year the organizers of SoWa has added a few more offerings (Farmers Market, Food Trucks) in addition to the collection of "not your average" vendors.
The SoWa Farmers Market offers a variety of locally grown produce and specialty food products from the New England area. The addition of these vendors not only create a more enjoyable shopping experience, they also contribute to a... [more]- SoWa Open Market
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July 14, 2011- Getting ready for HP7.2 ... |
The first installment of the wildly successful Harry Potter film series opened in 2001. The last in the series will open tomorrow. Muggles and wizards everywhere will be flocking to the theaters. We expect the lines to be insane all weekend long. Popular time slots have been sold out for over a week.
The Harry Potter films have grossed over $6 billion dollars worldwide as of the 2011. To give it a little perspective, the series surpassed the box office totals of all 22 James Bond films and the... [more]- Getting ready for HP7.2
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July 11, 2011- Greenway Open Market... |
The Greenway Open Market is a new weekly open-air arts and crafts market along the new and lovely Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston (which used to be a double-decker major highway until they dismanteled it and put it underground). This past Saturday was opening day, and it could not have been a more beautiful one.
We have not been to the Greenway area in a while and were pleasantly surprised by what has been done. It is an awesome series of public spaces connected by parks, walkways, and gardens. Every Saturday during the Summer there will be vendors all along the Wharf District Parks... [more]- Greenway Open Market
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July 8, 2011- Last Space Shuttle Flight... |
NASA's Space Shuttle program began almost forty years ago. Today, it blasted off for the last time. When the program was officially launched by President Nixon on January 5, 1972. The goal for NASA was to develop a reusable space shuttle system which could handle as much as 50 missions per year. While NASA never came close to those number of launches, it did managed to do it 135 times. With the reduced number of missions, the original hope of cost reduction ($7M/launch est. vs > $800M/launch actual) never materialized. The total price tag of the program has been estimated to be between $115 billion to over $200 billion. For numerous reasons (accounting methods, what to include, who paid for what, etc...), the true cost is difficult to pin down.
Whether the Space Shuttle program was worth the cost paid has been and will continue to be the subject of debate. Nonetheless, it is undeniable that the reusable Shuttle has given scientists... [more]- Last Space Shuttle Flight
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July 7, 2011- JawSaw Maintenance... |
We had some old tires lying around that had been destroyed by the rim eating potholes of last winter. So we fashioned these into an easy on platform to drag across longer branches we wanted to cut with the JawSaw. This would not have worked well for a normal chain saw but the JawSaw kept our branches stable and the logs we created dropped into the open tire center. That made it easy to grab and stack them later. Now we don't feel so bad about the damage done to those tires.
After cutting for a while you should check the JawSaw for three things: lube level, chain tension and finally saw dust/debris build up. All three are easily accomplished with the saw disconnected from the power source. We also tested how easy it was to get the chain on and off the guide bar when it needs to be replaced. The clear plastic lube level window on the stock makes it easy to... [more]- JawSaw Maintenance
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July 6, 2011- JawSaw FirstUse... |
Like many parts of the country we have had our fair share of wind and rain. As a result we have a significant pile of limbs and branches piled up on what could be prime gardening patches. Our trusty gasoline powered chainsaw is not the ideal tool for turning this bramble into the kindling we'll need next fall. There are any number of literal pitfalls in turning trees into firewood and we encourage you to consult our favorite treatise on the subject, It offers a number of options for felling and bucking, the latter being the traditional term for cutting limbs into firewood. Bucking's main problem is that even short bar chain saws impart a fair amount of kickback when they first bite into the log. Moreover many times the limb itself is unsteady and subject to moving as the cut is made. Small limbs particularly can buck and rock. Enter the saw buck which uses crossed member X's along its frame to hold unruly limbs in place or lift up large logs for cross cutting. So prevalent were sawbucks in the 1850's that $10 bills became known as "sawbucks" in reference to the Roman numeral X residing on the ten dollar bill's face.
Well, it's 2011 and we've been looking for a mo' better way to easily prune or turn small limbs into logs or kindling. It is time-consuming to position limbs on and off a saw buck. If you could minimize the erratic dance between saw and limb, it would be far easier to walk up to the bramble above and... [more]- JawSaw FirstUse
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July 5, 2011- Shooting Fireworks... |
We wanted to see the Fourth of July fireworks on the Esplanade, but the thought of fighting 800,000 people for a spot along the Charles River was not at all appealing. Just considering the idea required way more effort than we were willing to muster up. However, opportunities to take photos of fireworks are hard to pass up. What we needed was to find an "undiscovered" spot that was close enough to the city, accessible by car, and preferablely with a view of Boston skyline to serve as a backdrop for the show.
After a bit of discussion, we decided to head down to the HarborWalk at Fan Pier. The one problem with the location is the buildings. It meant we would only see fireworks which would be high in the sky. However, that vantage point has a great view of Rowes Wharf from across the water, the Custom House clock tower would be visible in the distance, and the fireworks would look... [more]- Shooting Fireworks
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July 4, 2011- Fox News Vs Comedy Central... |
As it was a holiday weekend, we had more time than usual to catch up on shows we missed during the week. We have always been huge fans of Jon Stewart, and Comedy Central's The Daily Show is one of the shows on our Hulu queue. For readers who may not know, The Daily Show is not a news program, it is a comedy show. We felt compelled to explain that because apparently it is unclear to the folks at Fox News. We can see why as may of their "reporters" are parodies of serious jounalists. Also, they often venture into comedy terroritory themselves when supposedly reporting the news.
In any case, there has been quite a back-and-forth between Jon Stewart and Chris Wallace ever since Jon appeared on Chris' show a week ago. The whole thing started when Stewart had made a blanket statement regarding Fox's viewing audience and their grasp of reality (we are paraphrasing here). Stewart used the term "every" when he probably should have used the term... [more]- Fox News Vs Comedy Central
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July 1, 2011- Backyard Adventures... |
A bright red cardinal has been visiting the bird feeder in the RainyDayGarden these past few weeks. For days, we have been stalking this elusive visitor, but despite our efforts we came up empty.
One would think it should be easy to get a photo of the cardinal: set up the camera, autofocus on the feeder, wait for the visitor. We could hear it singing up in the tree. Occasionally, it would do a fly-over of the feeder. However, it almost seemed like it knew what we were trying to do and didn't want any part of it. Maybe it was because of the interns, maybe it was... [more]- Backyard Adventures
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