Monday, May 10, 2010

Like it: Dames Coffee.

I've finally found a good local coffee spot. I no longer need to make the schlep into Manhattan to get my fix of foamy milk and espresso.

Dames is a really nice spot just off the beaten track in Hoboken. Since Hoboken is a only a mile square that isn't very far of said track. The cappuccini are excellent, full bodies, flavoursome with awesome textured milk. The cafe itself is cute but has limited seating but you can usually find a sport. Overall a real gem.

Dont like it: lala is shutting down.

Apple purchased Lala in December, probably for their streaming audio technology. Then they shut the site down. Another example of big corporate taking the fun out of life and Lala was a fun idea. Listen to any album once, buy it as an mp3 or for a fraction of the price as a streaming web song.

It's probable Apple will launch their own cloud based music offering. Everything seems to be moving towards teh cloud.  In the interim my wife is boycotting Apple and I'm listening to Pandora.

Like it: Double Edged Safety Razors

A few years ago The Onion published an article about a five blade razor. It was a funny, satirical look at the razor wars. It seems some people took it at face value and we're up to six blades now. As the insanity continues the humble single blade, double edge razor is making a quiet comeback.

The safety razor has existed in one form or another since the late 18th century. They are available today in many shapes and forms from cheap and simple to more exotic, expensive adjustable models. I use a mid range Melkur Progress. It's a nice solid piece of German engineering. The biggest draw; the cost savings. The blades , even good quality ones, are cheap as chips. They are a fraction of the price of multi-blade cartridges.



The other advantage is a better shave. Now it takes a little bit of practice compared to more modern razors. You also need to invest in a shaving brush, badger bristle optional. There are lots of tutorials and videos available online. Once you get the hang of it you'll get a smoother shave with less irritation. This is especially though if you have a thick stubble like mine and often don't shave at the weekend. Multi-blade razors would always clog. Open up the blade on a Progress and it chews though any stubble.

You also get a happy eco buzz as well. Less plastic and less waste all in a cheap and easy retro package.