Simple Products I Like a Lot

It took me awhile, but I've finally realized that "stuff" isn't going to make me happy. In fact, the reverse is almost true. Big houses, expensive cars, clothes, boats, etc. just don't deliver the happiness or satisfaction the ad writers promise.

If you completely eliminate your expectation that "stuff" will make you happy, it's a real treat when you buy something you just love. Here are some inexpensive items I bought recently that I just really like:

• Wireless Indoor-Outdoor Thermometer -- http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-1456-Wireless-Outdoor-Thermometer/dp/B0001U6OYA -- This thing really works. The killer feature is that the remote sensor electronics are connected by a wire to the sensor itself. You can mount the electronics inside, drill a hole through a window frame or route the wire through a window channel, and put the little sensor outside. Mount this in a window rarely hit by direct sun, and you'll have a reliable outdoor temperature every morning. I have my indoor unit on the bathroom vanity. The only issue with this is that the case slightly overhangs the display so you can't see the top of it if it's sitting on a countertop and you're standing. Couple of possible solutions to that, mostly in mounting height/location.

 

• 11-in-one Memory Card Reader -- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000R16AY2?smid=A2JSBUBRVPP4SX&tag=cnet-ce-20&linkCode=asn -- There are different versions of these, but this one works with every version/packaging of camera memory I've encountered. And it requires NO DRIVERS -- plug into any uSB port on any computer and slip in any style of camera memory and it looks like a disc drive on the PC. What I use this for is at an event when several people are taking pictures, I just ask for their memory cards at the end, and harvest all the photos onto my laptop.
  
  
  
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• RF Wireless Presentation Remote -- Presentation Pilot Pro -- http://www.smklink.com/index.php?id=NDAw -- This is the best product of its type, hands down. 3 killer features. Has a "dock" where you insert the USB receiver for storage. This disables all the buttons, so if they get pressed while the remote is in the projector case it doesn't run the battery down. Forward and reverse buttons are buffered -- no matter how long you hold the button, it just advances one slide. Disqualifying defect of the Targus competitive product. And it has a "black" button -- invokes the windows command that switches a PowerPoint to "black" -- you can blank the screen, talk for awhile, and then come back. Or start from a black screen. One problem -- it uses a watch battery, which runs down fast if you use the laser pointer. A separate AAA battery laser pointer is recommended.

I hope these product recommendations are useful to you. They're well-designed, great inexpensive products that do everything they're supposed to do, and do it better than you'd expect. If you have products that you're totally enthused about, please post them here.