stuff we like
Work
3:00PM Angus Kidman | You may never have heard of NICTA (the national ICT centre of excellence), but if you’re an open source enthusiast, you’ll likely be drooling at the new centralised open source portal it has just launched. More »
NICTA Puts Open Source Projects In One Place
3:00PM Angus Kidman | You may never have heard of NICTA (the national ICT centre of excellence), but if you’re an open source enthusiast, you’ll likely be drooling at the new centralised open source portal it has just launched. More » 
The Pilot’s Pen Lights and Writes
5:00AM Gina Trapani | Whether you’re flying a jumbo jet at night or working on a crossword puzzle in the dark, the Pilot’s Pen is a nifty solution. The LED-powered penlight illuminates the page while you write, or you can retract the ink and just use it as a mini flashlight—useful for checking a map or locating something in the night driver’s glove compartment. The Pilot’s Pen will set you back 20 bucks, and it’s available at Amazon. Pilot’s Pen [Cool Tools] More »
Device Charging Holder
10:01AM Adam Pash | The Driinn Mobile Phone Holder declutters your charging portable device by providing both a place to store your device and a method for controlling its long cable while it charges. This charging holder about half the price of the previously mentioned Socket Pocket and charging hammock, and the wrap-around for long cords really cleans things up. The Driinn Mobile Phone Holder comes in a variety of colours and will set you back around $7 at Amazon. Driinn Mobile Phone Holder [Amazon via Unclutterer] More »
Cheap and Easy Velcro Ties
8:00AM Adam Pash | The Cool Tools weblog raves about the Velcro One Wrap, a strip of strong velcro you can put to use almost anywhere you need a good tie. (The author uses them to keep raccoons out of his trash). The One Wrap will set you back $3 at Amazon for a pack of six. While the One Wrap is great for heavy duty use, I also can’t sing enough praises about a similar product, the Belkin Velcro 8-inch cable ties (also $3 at Amazon for a 6-pack). These colourful cable ties are perfect for organising your cords, and they’re easy to adjust and reuse at any time—ideal for setting up your cordless workspace. Velcro One-Wrap [Cool Tools] More »
Muji Chronotebook Non-linear Day Planner
6:00AM Gina Trapani | The new Chronotebook day planner takes a different approach to laying out your tasks and events—instead of representing your day in a boring sequence of lines or on a grid, it displays time on an axis, like an analogue clock. Each page represents either the AM or PM, and you write your plans like spokes on a bicycle wheel. Check out more photos of the notebook after the jump. More »
The Dave Laptop Stand
7:00AM Adam Pash | Weblog Geeksugar raves about the Dave laptop table from Ikea, a small, sturdy, and inexpensive solution for taking your laptop away from the desk and into your living room. The Dave (oh Ikea, you and your names!) features adjustable height and angle, and can double as a TV tray or simple end table when you’re not computing. If you’ve been looking for a better way to surf the internet from the comfort of your couch, the $US25 Dave might be just the ticket. Dave Laptop Table [Ikea via Geeksugar] More »
Hide Cords in Plain Sight with FlatWire
2:00PM Adam Pash | If you hate cord clutter but don’t have the DIY chops to run wiring through your walls or your crown molding, FlatWire is a paper-thin wire you install directly on your wall and then paint over. Aftering you’ve installed and painted over the FlatWire, it’s supposed to be virtually invisible. The catch: It’s not cheap, at $US37 for 25 feet of speaker wire, for example, plus the price of connectors, which run about $25. But then sometimes decluttering your mess of wires comes at a price. If you don’t feel like unfurling your big money wad for the FlatWire, check out our top 10 ways to get cables under control on the cheap. FlatWire [via DIY Life] More »
Bloxes Cardboard Modular Building Blocks
10:07AM Gina Trapani | If you love Legos, but you want adult-sized, eco-friendly ones that can build things like platforms and office dividers, you’ll love Bloxes. Put together these interlocking cardboard blocks any which way to create furniture strong enough for regular-sized humans to stand and sit on. Bloxes can connect with each other on all six sides, so you can use them to build walls, benches, tables, tunnels—whatever you can think of. And because the varied surface and complex internal structure helps dampen sound, they’re great for managing acoustics in offices, studios and other places. After the jump, check out some photos of Bloxes in action. Photo by Scott Robbin. More »
Keyboard Organiser Stows Stuff Under Your Keys
3:00AM Gina Trapani | Clear off your computer desk but still have easy access to pens, CDs, and other supplies with the Keyboard Organizer—a fully-working keyboard that flips up for storage. Haven’t typed on one of these myself so I’m not sure what the height is like on this bad boy, but the two-in-one organiser/keyboard action is a nifty idea. The Keyboard Organizer will set you back about 50 bucks (£24.99). Keyboard Organizer Makes You Envy of Computer Lab [Gizmodo] More »
