When you talk "advancement" you usually talk technology. Whether it is your kitchen, your desk or your car, there is a constant push to add more features, redesign products or even reimagine completely those that we do use. Sometimes the results are stellar, other times not so much. For every iPhone and adaptive cruise control and sous vide digital cooker there is at least one "Belty." That's the auto adjusting "smart belt" that loosens or tightens based on on-board sensors as you sit, stand or eat more. You could get the same effect by wearing a boa constrictor on your slacks, but it might not fit through the loops.
Beyond that hardly a week goes by in which we aren't bombarded with an announcement of the latest and greatest revolving around stuff that doesn't have to be plugged in. In snacks there's Pringles Wavy Deep Fried Pickle flavor chips, packing "dill-pickle tanginess and savoury-fried satisfaction into an easy-to-eat format." In cosmetics there's InnBeauty's Project Lip Oil Glaze #4 in Cotton Candy, because, according to one reviewer, "before Zoom meetings, I find myself reaching for lip gloss more than any other lip product in my collection." And because it's just too much to open up a bottle of gin AND a can of tonic, "BOMBAY SAPPHIRE announces the launch of BOMBAY SAPPHIRE & TONIC Ready-to-Drink (RTD)." You still have to cut your own limes, but the folks in the lab are working on that.
As for me I am always looking for products that make my world easier and more efficient. And while much of the last year that has meant things in my home and office, as we start to stick our collective toes back into the world-at-large my focus has shifted back to my backpack. While it has sat on the floor next to my desk for most of the past 52 weeks, I am starting to dust it off and take it out once again. And that I means I am going through all that is in it, seeing if I now need more of this or less of that, and what the state-of-the-art is in carriable stuff.
For instance I find I need to haul less paper. As we've all been working remotely for the last year, most every document is accessible online so all can see it. Whereas before I would print out multiple copies of papers which I might need to share, with everyone working remotely there is actually no one to hand a copy to. On the other side of that equation is that I need more screens and devices with me. When on location I find I need to see many things at one time, and that means one on a computer, another on a pad, yet another on a phone. Unfortunately, that also means more cables and chargers. And yes, I'm trading lightweight paper for heavyweight electronics, but such is the price of progress.
But while I don't need multiple copies of printouts, I still have copies of a critical few, as sometimes paper is still the best option. And so as part of my baggage I have a small pencil case with pens, pencils, markers and such. The problem is that it requires poking around to find the thing I need. Not an earthshattering problem, but when you need a highlighter, dammit, you need it now.
And then I stumbled across the Five Star Pencil Pouch. True, maybe not new, but new to me. This little mesh item is a touch larger than the one I had. But it's not the size, it's the engineering. Rather than zip open along the long axis, it does so across the top. And then those flaps fold down to become - wait for it - a stand. The resulting pencil holder sits there next to my open notebook and computer, just waiting for me to pluck my preferred writing implements from it. I know: its ingenious, and/or I'm just easily impressed.
Even better, its costs four bucks. The only downside is that you have to take whatever trim color they send you, be it lime green red or neon pink. I was lucky and scored fire engine red. So keep your iPhone 37. I've got the Five Star Pencil Pouch, and I am riding the cutting edge.
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Marc Wollin of Bedford likes better designed things. His column appears regularly in The Record-Review, The Scarsdale Inquirer and online at http://www.glancingaskance.blogspot.com/, as well as via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
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