Top 10 Silly But Awesome Products That Make Life Easier

There are a lot of gadgets and gizmos out there that make your life easier. Some, however, are a little sillier than others — so much that they seem like joke products. Here are a few gadgets and products that sound crazy, but actually rule.

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10. AquaNotes

Ever notice how some of your best ideas appear when you’re in the shower? There are a lot of reasons for this, but they’re meaningless unless you have a way to remember those strokes of genius. Enter AquaNotes, a waterproof notepad that you stick on your shower wall. It seems like a silly gimmick, but if you’re a shower savant, you know it’s much more than that. Heck, many of my best Lifehacker articles were conceived on this very notepad. Yes, I own one, and it’s awesome.

[$US7 from AquaNotes, plus $US10.99 shipping]

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9. 2D Glasses

Hate 3D movies, but stuck going to one? Now you have a pair of glasses that can save you from the headache-inducing abomination that is plaguing our movie theatres. You can buy them or make a pair for yourself.

[$US7.99 from 2D Glasses, plus $US2 shipping]

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8. Lock Laces

We’ve shown you some great ways to tie your shoes better, but if you long for your velcro-laden childhood days, Lock Laces are a pretty good alternative. They’re basically elastic laces that eliminate the need to tie your shoes (and, according to our own Adam Dachis, they work quite well). Sure, people will make fun of you, but you can make fun of them after they trip over their own untied laces. Alternatively, you can make your own slip-on shoes with elastic tubing.

[$US9.99 from Lock Laces, plus $US$9.30 shipping or $US7.99 from Amazon, plus $US5.07 shipping]

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7. Onion Goggles

If cutting an onion brings on the waterworks no matter what you try, it’s time for desperate measures. We tested a bunch of methods for avoiding onion tears, and found the best solutions came down to cutting the onion under a vent, or wearing these incredibly stylish and awesome goggles. Note: These work amazingly well for me, but Melanie found that the “one size fits all” size didn’t fit her face at all. So, you might consider using swimming goggles instead. They’re a bit less comfortable, but also cheaper and more likely to fit any face.

[$34.99 from Fishpond, price in Australian dollars and includes shipping]

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6. Wipebook

Even with tablets becoming a commonplace device, nothing beats scribbling down your thoughts with pen and paper… or in this case, markers and a whiteboard. Except whiteboards aren’t known for their portability, which is where the Wipebook comes in. Essentially it’s a reusable notepad, so if you run out of space you can easily reclaim pages with a few a tissue (or the side of your hand in a pinch). Unfortunately, while the Wipebook’s various configurations (lined, grid, blank, etc) are reasonably priced between $US30-35, shipping to Australia will set you back a little over $US21. Still, if you’re quite the doodler, if could save you plenty of cash in the long run.

[$US34.99 from Wipebook, plus $US21.54 shipping]

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5. SleepPhones

It’s hard to imagine something sillier than a music-playing headband you wear while you sleep, but they exist — and are quite popular. SleepPhones won’t give you the highest quality audio in the world, but if you prefer to fall asleep to music, they’re far more comfortable than normal headphones. Two Lifehacker writers actually own these and like them, and while they’re a bit on the expensive side, they might be perfect for you. They also have a wireless version if you prefer.

[$US40 from SleepPhones, plus $US10 shipping]

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4. The Linux Cheat Shirt

You’d think a shirt with a list of Linux commands would only be useful for impressing dates, but it’s actually a solid cheat sheet for beginners. The text is upside-down, so you can read it while you wear it, and it contains basic commands, syntax, and even a guide to regular expressions. I’ve used it on more than one occasion, and it’s better than printing out man pages.

[$US19 from the xkcd store, plus $15 shipping]

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3. Pool Noodles

Good for more than just fun in the sun! In what is possibly the most ridiculous Lifehacker post of all time, we discovered that pool noodles are great for protecting your car door from dings, preventing doors from latching and a whole lot more. Check out our list of clever uses for a bunch of other ideas.

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2. Sugru

You’ve seen us mention it before, and it certainly belongs in this list. It’s basically like Play-Doh for adults — and as silly as it looks, it has a lot of handy DIY applications. You can use it to fix a fraying power cable, repair old earbuds, protect your gadgets, or even revive old appliances. Check out our list of awesome Sugru uses, as well as Sugru’s own inspiration videos.

[£12.99 for eight packs from Sugru, plus £2.58 shipping]

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1. LEGO

Like you didn’t know this was coming: LEGO may be a “children’s toy”, but gosh darn if it isn’t the easiest way to build… well, just about anything. It can organise your everyday items, keep your lens cap from getting lost, be a charging station for your gadgets, or one of a million other things. Plus, the mini-figures’ hands are the perfect size for holding charging cables. Coincidence? I think not. Check out our full list of clever LEGO tricks for more. (Bonus: Sugru and LEGO make great partners, as shown in the video).