A Year Clock

This clock is different it tell the years not the hours or minutes. I would call it the countdown to death but then that's just me.

clipped from www.nerdbeach.com The most unique feature about the Life clock, designed by Bertrand Planes, is that the dial is marked with years, not hours. The clock mechanism has been slowed down 61,320 times in order to count those years on the face of the clock. I am a little disappointed that the clock only shows 82 years, but maybe it can be considered a line in the sand (or on the wall) to beat. There were only 7 of the clocks made, so buying one at this point is not an option. Neither is sitting and watching the hands move, we would imagine.

Breadmakers - Good or Bad?

Breadmakers have been around for a long time now. "Are they good or bad ?"is the question that is asked now. Breadmakers for me, used to be the best thing since sliced bread. so good in fact that I took my breadmaker to Bulgaria with me to use in the village I was living in.

It didn't take me long to realise that in Bulgaria the bread is as good as it is made in a bread maker and furthermore didn't use chemicals either. Added to this the cost of the electric in making the bread was more than the cost of the village baked bread in the bakers!

This of course don't apply to most people and the only source of bread they can practically get hold of is mass produced with additives, preservatives and a taste of cardboard. The home made bread is a complex system which can take half a day so breadmakers come into their own here. this is what I used to do in England day in day out and you can't beat it.

To get bread the way you want it, even with machines is to experiment. The instructions given with each machine are more than likely to give you bread not to your particular taste. You have to use the recipes given as guidelines and design a recipe that adapts to your liking. It took me quite a while until I got a bread that I really liked and I stuck to that.

Making jam is another use that some machine give, however, after a couple of attempts I decided that a jam pan is much more practical, energy efficient and less fiddly.

Lastly, cake and bun making only goes as far as preparing the dough, don't for a minute believe you can get ready to eat cakes and rolls here. You will have to use your conventional oven to bake after the dough has been prepared. Rather a false promise from the ads they give out.

Enjoy the thrill of creating you own home baked bread as the fraction of the time it takes takes to bake conventionally, but remember although the result can me delicious, it is still more of a gimmick than a practical tool. most who buy one use it a couple of time then store it away for years!

I have draw up a list of current bread makers on the market, all do the job of bread making pretty well and are ordered with the least expensive first.

Kenwood BM150 600W Breadmaker
Programs for white French and whole wheat bread make this breadmaker, easy to understand and simple to use
£24.99
ValueLand

Morphy Richards 48280
This fast bake system has cool touch sides a choice of 12 different settings and makes a 1lb, 1.5lb or 2lb loaves. Included is a 13 hour programmable timer and two fast bake settings
£49.99
empiredirect.co.uk

Severin BM3983 Breadmaker
With a 2.2 lbs capacity and large window for viewing it has 8 different settings for breads, cakes, or buns. It also has a 13 Hour Timer.
£45.00
Yonies

Kenwood Breadmaker
A brushed stainless steel design here. It claims to make tasty loaves that turn out crispy at a system with a budget price
£59.95
The Cotswold Company

Morphy Richards 48280 Bread maker
Cool touch Sides with fast bake settings making a 2lb loaf within the hour
£59.93
heritage-homeandgarden

Morphy Richards 48268
A 900 gm capacity in Grams with programmable timer. 12 different programmes with a rapid bake function and crust setting options available.
£79.99
Bennetts Online

Panasonic SD254 Breadmaker
With medium. large and extra large loaves it has 17 different programmes and 3 crust settings. A 110 minute fast bake and 13 hour timer with a cool touch feature.
£79.99
Argos

Panasonic SD255
A Breadmaker with a gluten free program a 13 hour timer with Raisin Nut Dispenser and Rye Bread programmes. There is a bake only option a super rapid option a raisin nut dispenser and a french dough option
£99.99
empiredirect.co.uk





http://bulgarianslivatree.com
http://365bulgarianadvetures.com
http://site4truelove.com
http://therakiasite.com
http://doshforu.com

A Car That Runs On Air

No fuel to power this car? Well not quite.

You still need power to inject the air into the car and that takes electric energy in the transfer. So not entirely energy free but a major step in the right direction.

The cost, some $12,700!

India’s largest automaker is set to start producing the world’s first commercial air-powered vehicle. The Air Car, developed by ex-Formula One engineer Guy Nègre for Luxembourg-based MDI, uses compressed air, as opposed to the gas-and-oxygen explosions of internal-combustion models, to push its engine’s pistons. Some 6000 zero-emissions Air Cars are scheduled to hit Indian streets in August of 2008.

Barring any last-minute design changes on the way to production, the Air Car should be surprisingly practical. The $12,700 CityCAT, one of a handful of planned Air Car models, can hit 68 mph and has a range of 125 miles. It will take only a few minutes for the CityCAT to refuel at gas stations equipped with custom air compressor units; MDI says it should cost around $2 to fill the car’s carbon-fiber tanks with 340 liters of air at 4350 psi. Drivers also will be able to plug into the electrical grid and use the car’s built-in compressor to refill the tanks in about 4 hours.

(From website http://www.popularmechanics.com/)

Energy Saving Washing Lines

Washing lines are totally underrated on the positive affect they have in the environment. There are so many families that use tumbler driers nowadays when it is a fact that a clothes line would be just as good, it's just laziness and lack of thought. How long does it take to hang washing out? 5 minutes?And to get the washing in? This takes even less time. So when people say they haven't got the time, that is a blatant lie!

A washing line can a tremendous amount for the environment, not only that it has an impact on your own health and your family's health.

If you don't use a tumble dryer you save money and reduce green house gases it is a fact that standard washing line are around a twentieth of the components that make up a tumble dryer. So not having a tumble drier also reduces the waste on raw material that are used in its production.

Raining? No problem, have a washing line installed inside the house or garage. As long as the clothes are under cover they will still dry and you will still get the benefits.

The amount of dust and harmfully dust particles that are given off by tumble driers will have a negative affect you health reducing the quality of air in your home. This will often affect people with asthma and respiratory problems, it may even create the problem.

If you have and air-conditioning system this will eventually clog up and make it less efficient therefore more expensive to run! You can expect a good quality washing line to have a life expectancy of around 20-30 years, this is 3-5 times longer than than the life expectancy of a tumble drier.

It is well know that clothes smell better and fresher when dried outside in the sun with tumble dryers causing excessive heat and friction that will reduce the life of most clothes.

Just think if all tumble dryers were taken out of all homes and replaced them with washing lines. Everyone will benefit expect big companies profit trying to sell equipment that is bad for the environment, and of course people who are lazy and don't care about their or your environment!

Some good site to buy washing or clothes lines for inside and out are given here:

www.gardendirect.co.uk/ - Basic washing line as basic prices (including pegs)

www.ecowashinglines.co.uk/ A good site for indoor systems with a verbal introduction

www.argos.co.uk? - A variety of bargain washing lines from Argos

Also:

www.teachernet.gov.uk/ How to make a musical washing line!

http://bulgarianslivatree.com
http://365bulgarianadvetures.com
http://site4truelove.com
http://therakiasite.com
http://doshforu.com

Yoghurt Makers

I have seen lots of yoghurt makers for sale but I really don't know why they are for sale. To make yoghurt is very easy without these contraptions. In fact I'd go further and say that many of them are more clumsy as you have to clean more.

Added to all this, the quantities are small and looking at the reviews, the quality isn't always consistent.

It doesn't matter what you use to make yoghurt, it is the quality of the ingredients that make the success. Therefore in my conclusion I find that most people that use yoghurt makers buy the milk from grocers and supermarkets therefore their yoghurts will never be the same as made from milk direct from the cow, goat or sheep. So what do they do? They add fruit., to me this is not true yoghurt, nothing can beat the natural taste of pure yoghurt but the inferior yoghurt has to be disguised.

I must add that to many it's not their fault they have to put up with crap yoghurt, it's just how things have gone. No wonder many people don't like yoghurt, they haven't really tried 'real' yoghurt'!

If you have a big sauce pan, a few jam jars and a some bed covers you have a yoghurt maker already, why buy one?

There are a few good site that give yoghurt makers the eye, so if you really want one you have a wide range of choices to choose from. Me? I'll stick to traditional ways with my pan and jars!


http://www.ciao.co.uk/ - A comprehensive list of yoghurt makers with feedbacks

http://www.eatyoghurt.com/ - A little guide to yoghurt makers

http://www.bizrate.co.uk/ - A list of stores that sell yoghurt makers

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/ - This site made me laugh what a fuss with yoghurt packs, dried milk and chemicals accessories.

http://bulgarianslivatree.com
http://365bulgarianadvetures.com
http://site4truelove.com
http://therakiasite.com
http://doshforu.com

Hand Warmers

It's mid summer here and sweltering, but the thought of winter and cold hands is something that will come eventually.

Seeing this, it seemed quite practical solution to cold hands (and cold feet) and the green element to the product is apparent, hence a thumbs up this time!

clipped from www.amazon.co.uk Magic Gel Reusable Hand Warmer Heat Pack Price: £3.99 Availability: In stock. Dispatched from and sold by Sourcing4U Limited. Technical Details Heat when you need it at a click of a button, 54(c) Simply Click the metal disc and a chain reaction takes place producing heat! Excellent for Muscular Pain, Outdoor Activities, Aches and pains, poor circulation and Sports Injuries Simply Boil for 5mins in pan of water until the crystals melt and then it's ready for when you need it again Reusable 1000's of times. Product Description Heat when you need it at a click of a button, Simply Click the metal disc and a chain reaction takes place producing heat! Excellent for Muscular Pain, Outdoor Activities, Aches and pains, poor circulation and Sports Injury's High Quality packaging with full instructions Usable 1000's of times!! Simply Boil for 5mins in pan of water until the crystals melt and then it's ready for when you need it again

Barbecue System

I just cannot for the life of me think anyone would want to buy this at almost £160.

It does just the same job as other barbecue systems at as tenth of the price.

Seems to me they call it green and whack the price up just because of that!

clipped from www.green-shopping.co.uk Shown with optional iron platter WOKIWOK BBQ Height: 91.5cm (36in) Width: 61cm (24in) Depth: 72cm (28in) Cooking dia: 43.5cm (17in Accessories available see below. The most versatile BBQ we have ever come across. The WokiWok has a unique three legged design with the charcoal firebowl canterlevered from the stainless steel rear leg. A clever placement of handles allows the fire to be raised and lowered as desired thereby regulating the heat to the cooking surface. It has a regular BBQ grid, domed lid with thermometer, a plate warming table and an imp-ressively large cast iron wok. Accessories include a smart grey rain cover, a cast iron platter for searing steaks, etc. and gas burner which works well with the wok. This BBQ is small enough to cook for two but also large enough to be able to feed ten or more at a time. It can be used to bbq, grill, sear, steam, smoke, cook paellas, stir fry, make pizzas and pancakes and much more. A stylish and really versatile outdoor cooking workstation.

Practical Baseball Caps

Baseball caps are now part of a worldwide culture, being practical and fashionable it is hardly surprising that this piece of clothing has become just as popular as jeans.

Let's get back to basics. a baseball cap is simply a soft cap with a long, stiffened and curved bill. The back of the cap may have a plastic, Velcro, or elastic adjuster to fit different wearers. An authentic cap is sewn in six sections topped with a matching fabric covered button on the top. Ventilation eyelets are often placed near the top of each of the six sections.

While the baseball cap is for the game of baseball, it is worn as a fashion statement and as a practical type of headgear. It is probably the most popular form of head wear in the world Traditionally, the bill is worn forward to shield eyes from the sun, but fashion dictates that it is worn backwards or at other angles. Some people with long hair may pull it through the gap at the back of the hat, (where the size adjuster has left left a hole.

In many ways, the baseball cap is a symbol of the increase of the cultural aspects of sports in the late 20th century. This started, naturally, with baseball.

It was in 1860 and the 'Brooklyn Excelsiors' baseball team first wore the original baseball cap, It was and still is an important means to identify a team as the the logo or mascot was placed on the cap with their team colour.

Nowadays baseball caps are used by companies & businesses to promotional items. With various decoration options open for baseball caps it always stands out as a 'in your face' advertising prop. It is a means of expressing yourself by the advertising that is place on the cap, just like wearing your favourite team's football shirt but much cheaper!

You can buy baseball caps of all types an designs by online shops, they are generally much cheaper than high street shops. I have given a few sources to choose from.

http://clothes.shop.ebay.co.uk - EBay is always a good place fora bargain - even baseball caps

http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk - A price comparing shop, this page specifically for baseball caps

http://www.dennys.co.uk/ - Coloured baseball caps on show here

http://bulgarianslivatree.com
http://365bulgarianadvetures.com
http://site4truelove.com
http://therakiasite.com
http://doshforu.com

Cheap Family Tent

I love camping so when this famly tent was was sieved out I was shocked when I found out it was only £35. Seven years ago a bought a family tent for £300!

So there is still time for that holiday, go camping, it's cheap it's healthy and the kids will love it.

clipped from www.woolworths.co.uk Gelert Tornado Tent - 5-Man Was: £89.99 Save: £54.99 (61%) Now: £35.00 Description Simple to erect and spacious inside, the Gelert Tornado 5-man tent has a large front storage area and can be accessed from doors at the front or sides - it's great for festivals or weekends away. Features 5-Man Quick to pitch Front & side access doors Large front storage area Inner compartment pockets Detachable porch groundsheet 3 x Fibreglass poles Double guying system Taped Seams Packed in 3-in-1 suitcase-style carry bag Size: 350 x 280 x 155cm In stock. We aim to deliver this item on Tuesday 19th August 2008 Free Delivery! Or you can have this item delivered to your local store for free! Woolworths web exclusive? Yes Product Id 50844167 Sku Code 306160510 Barcode 5032307528548 Catalogue # TEN264

Absolutely Free Stuff

Today I just couldn't believe that this stuff was being given away free. Why on earth isn't everyone applying for his stuff if it cost nothing?

The answer I thought was because not many people know about about it.

So, I've sent off for these items and I will wait and see what comes back. It is too good to be true? We'll see soon enough.

There are plenty more where this came from and you will hear from me again once more goodies have been found

---------------------

FREE DVD
Complete a questionnaire at the Free DVD Club and they'll send you a free DVD absolutely free, with no postage or packing charges. Choose from over 50 quality titles.
www.freestuffjunction.co.uk

FREE MUSIC DOWNLOADS
Napster is offering completely free, unlimited, 7-days access to their huge collection of over 4 million tracks. You also have the option to buy tracks to keep forever to burn to CD or transfer to a compatible MP3 player for as low as 68p each. You can easily cancel during your free trial by clicking on the "Cancel Free Trial" link in your account.
http://www.freestuffjunction.co.uk

FREE AUDIO BOOKS
LibriVox provides free audio books from the public domain. There are several options for listening. The first step is to get the mp3 or ogg files into your own computer which you can download from their site. This is a project run by volunteers.

http://www.freestuffjunction.co.uk

Electric Bike

Being a great fan of bicycles I couldn't let this one go.

It's the perfect transport for shopping as well.

There are many people I know who can't deal with two wheelers so this would be ideal.

The price of around £900 is ridiculous but then this is new, I'm sure there will be second hand one around now if not later.

clipped from www.factorydirectbikes.com The new 5 Speed Powatryke Cruiser, with Shimano hub grears and 20 and 24-inch wheel, are both are available in either blue, silver or limited edition black and come with an even lower step-through feature, along with battery-operated lights and with Compass bells. Courier companies are using them in big cities; village shop owners are using them for home deliveries and this characterful three-wheeler has also proved to be an ideal mobility vehicle, providing many elderly and physically challenged customers with a new mode of safe and efficient transport. Delivery is normally within 3 working days. As with any product, specification may change without prior notification. Please confirm before buying. - E. & O. E.

Cheap Alfredo Decaffeinated Coffee

Coffee is a drink that has spiralled out of control in term of how much you pay. Every year the price goes up and many brands of coffee aren't even that good! With this there is a lot of snobbery when it comes to coffee brands and most of it has come from advertising of course.

Here in Bulgaria we drink coffee a lot of coffee and the snobbery doesn't' exist. In the shops there are many brands of coffee that remain on the shelf due to the the excessive cost. It is bought for as a drink not as a fashion.

We drink decaffeinated and that is quite hard to get with another added cost onto this type of coffee of course.

So when there was a brand of decaf coffee that was really cheap we buy that. It's not the best coffee around but just as good as other that are three four or even five times as expensive!

It cost 99 stotinki (Around £0.40) for a small jar and it is produced in Italy and imported. We wouldn't waste our money on anything else now. Alfredo decaffeinated coffee has a full flavour and it good enough for us at that price.

It's not only us that think that as we look at the shelves of coffee in the shop. You always know a popular product as there aren't many left on display and are sold out on many occasion. All the high profile and high powered advertised brands stay fully stocked as they get stale with age waiting for a coffee snob to come along.

So if you want good cheap decaffeinated coffee get Alfredo coffee, you won't even find this brand on the Internet. I've done a few searches and there is no reference to it. Let's keep it that way and let it remain a secret shall we?

ADD: I just got news from the local supermarket yesturday evening that the price is now .90 leva down another 9 stotinki. This is even more of a steal now and I'm drinking one now!





http://bulgarianslivatree.com
http://365bulgarianadvetures.com
http://site4truelove.com
http://therakiasite.com
http://doshforu.com

USB Battery Charger

I don't know where I have been for the last year looking around for stuff that uses hi-technology ot help save the environment.

The item that caught my eye has been around for about a year or so but I hadn't heard of it before now. It is a gadget that recharges batteries which it something that everyone should doing anyway.

The beauty with this invention is that the batteries can be re-used anywhere simply by charging from a USB port. no heavy charged and socket loaded up. A lightweight system that is portable with your laptop or anyother device with ah USB port.

clipped from www.usbcell.com With over 15 billion batteries made and thrown away each year – equivalent to a column of waste to the moon and back – USBCELL could really help be a “Hero” and “Save the World” USBCELL Batteries, a British invention announced a year ago, were recognized for their sustainable design that reduces battery landfill waste, resource and C02 waste, and are also more energy efficient to use and re-use compared to alkaline and other rechargeable batteries. They can be re-used anywhere simply by charging from a USB port. Other award winners at the UK CEED event included the Dyson Airblade in the business products category.

A Tea Maker - What a Waste of Money

I just can't believe anyone would buy this, and at £50. Why?

*It''s just the height of being lazy

*The tea is stale if left over night

*You already have an alarm clock in your bedroom

*You already have all the framed pictures you want in you
bedroom

*The amount of cleaning after the stale it more work than you think

*The noise of the water boiling and peculating will wake you well before the alarm goes off

*Any fresh milk will be off by morning so you have to used horrible dried milk which will end up clotted because the system doesn't stir.

*How many cups of fresh tea can you buy for £50 anyway?

*The people who buy this never buy it for themselves but as a gift for someone - I just hope it isn't me!

clipped from www.empiredirect.co.uk Automatic Tea Maker Ceramic Teapot with a 4-cup capacity Illuminated clock display Compact body with removable 2-cup tray Alarm and Tea indicators Boil-dry protection Integral photograph frame for 6 x 4 prints

Eco Friendly Recycled Speakers

New technology is sometimes a great boost to the environment and that's exactly what I found here. Recycled material turned into speakers that don't even need batteries.

This is my kind of gadget that has a feel good factor written all over it.

They are rather expensive at just under £20 so someone is making a profit considering the recycled element in production.

If they went for around a fiver I'd probably go for it.

clipped from www.gadgets.co.uk "Battery-free recycled speakers" Not only do they fold down for easy transport and storage but they are made from 100% recycled materials and won't be guzzling any batteries. Universally compatible with iPods and MP3 players they sound great. Take them to the park, the beach, camping, by the pool, wherever you want your music. Compatible with iPods and MP3 Players Dimensions approximately 3.25 x 3.25 x 3.25 inches (80 x 80 x 80mm) No Batteries required Made from recycled materials

Other Auction Sites

Why buy something from the high street stores or mail order firms when you can get the same cheaper by using auction sites? If you like the hussle and bustle of high street shopping or the boredom of online mail order and you like paying the full whack on prices fine. If you don't thine read on.

Auctions seem to be the rage right now. They give a buzz in buying, they most certainly are cheaper and guarantees and protection to buying is now much better. EBay has to be the biggest but not always the best. There are many online auction site out there not as big but who says biggest has to be the best?

There are far better deals to be had searching around lesser known online auction sites. Don't forget many people now are using auctions as a business and eBay is where you will find most of them because they have the infrastructure and features all in one site.

I have listed a couple of examples of other auctions sites. The bonus is that some specialise in certain fields and because they do this will attracted many sellers with goods in that category to go to that specialist site.

121BID AUCTIONS - A New Auction Site & Growing with varied categories

FLOGITALL AUCTIONS - Another new UK based auction site

ONEWAY UK AUCTIONS - An established International auction site with many features

SPECIALIST AUCTIONS - An suction site specialising in rare, vintage and collectible items

Other auction sites may not have as many benefits to business minded sellers but to the buyer this is a distinct advantage. Why? Because most items for sale will be from genuine private sellers who just want to sell their surplus to requirements goods.

It might be someone moving to a smaller home the downsizing home means lots of stuff that has to go. It cold be someone moving abroad starting a new life, as I have, lots of unwanted furniture was sold off with online auctions before I left.

So if you are looking for bargains check out the online auctions but don't just try eBay, I have found that there is so much stuff there on a price hike nowadays. Give the other sites a good look you are certain to get better deals there if you preserve.

There is a brilliant site giving the run down of all auction sites currently trading, I recommend you look up a few there before going straight to eBay who are of course also listed there at the top.

http://www.auctionlotwatch.co.uk/




http://bulgarianslivatree.com
http://365bulgarianadvetures.com
http://site4truelove.com
http://therakiasite.com
http://doshforu.com

Intelligent Clothes Pegs

clipped from news.bbc.co.uk Smart pegs keep rain off washing Hanging out the washing only to witness a downpour five minutes later has long been accepted as one of life's little bugbears. But a final year student at Brunel University has come up with a weather-predicting clothes peg he hopes could solve the issue. The peg holder can sense changes in air pressure and send electrical signals to metal strips on household pegs. If rain is forecast within the next half hour, the peg will lock itself. The lock-down prevents the washing being hung on the line. It could prove a more scientific gauge than the time-honoured method of assessing the amount of cloud in the sky directly above the washing line.

For a complete run down of the history of clothes pegs right up to date take a look at this site page. Every thing you would ever want to know about pegs, including the innovative peg described above.

http://www.americanheritage.com/