Drinking

A nice, cold glass of freshly squeezed orange juice to start the day can't be beat (not counting coffee). As an eye-opener, the tangy beverage is a healthy option and doesn't compare to the stuff from the grocery store shelf. Alas, to create this delicious and nutritious drink, at least a modicum of coordination is required--something that mornings do not have an abundance of. If the coordination required for walking is about all that can be mustered in the morning, the good news is that freshly squeezed orange juice is readily available at many locations--and possibly about to … Read more

The average coffeemaker requires very little thought to operate. This is a good thing: precoffee mornings are not the best time to tax the brain. Still, mornings are mornings and not the best time to mess around with potentially scalding hot liquids. Luckily, the catch-22 of needing coffee to make coffee has been addressed by the inclusion of automatic timers on many coffeemakers. This solves the issue quite nicely; after one has been properly caffeinated the machine can be set up again for the next day. But sometimes something stronger is needed.

Giving coffee-lovers another option in the morning (or … Read more

Water is great on its own, but considering that it lacks caffeine, it can be improved upon. Luckily, the process of doing just that is quite easy. Just heat some water and add ground coffee beans or tea leaves; soon, the resulting brew will be a flavorful beverage with a kick. It being such an easy procedure for creating coffee or tea, it can be easy to get carried away with minutiae. Sometimes, all that is needed is a means to heat the water and a separate something to steep either the tea or the coffee to be. Or just … Read more

There are a few obvious obstacles to overcome when considering starting a wine collection. First off, of course, is price. But that entry point has been obliterated as good wines can now be bought at almost any price. However, having a collection implies keeping a collection, which would thereby necessitate a place to keep the collection. Luckily, wine fridges are abundant and attainable. That leaves what is perhaps the biggest barrier, and one that is not so easily explained away: space limitations. If you have nowhere to store a collection, you have nowhere to store one. Simple as that, end … Read more

Making decisions isn't always the easiest thing to do in the morning. Coffee drinkers and tea lovers usually know what they want, but sometimes they want a change--coffee instead of tea or vice versa. Naturally, the process of making the newly desired brew would have to change, possibly ending with disastrous results because of the sleepy-eyed, precaffeine morning. Unless of course, the same familiar equipment was used.

Practically speaking, making a mug of coffee or a cup of tea requires different contrivances to get the job done. One could use a French press to extract all the goodness out … Read more

Coffee drinkers are a particular bunch. The easiest of the pack to deal with is, of course, the coffee drinker who prefers the beverage to be served in its natural state: black, no cream, no sugar. But when it comes to those who like to embellish coffee with particular proportions of milk, froth, and sometimes sugar, it is telling that there are names for such things, such as cappuccino and caffe latte (not to mention what the barista might mutter under his or her breath about a particularly precise concoction).

Those who would rather forgo the trip to the coffee … Read more

For many coffee drinkers, mornings before coffee aren't among life's beautiful moments. Harried and hurried, we ungracefully roll through our routine as best as we can. Along the way, things often get knocked over, bumped into, spilled, and splattered. Once we get to the magical machine, however, things get set straight in a hurry. (Assuming the automatic timer has kicked in.)

The Krups KM9000 Cup-On-Request Coffeemaker maximizes morning efficiency. Featuring a hidden tank carafe and a precise pouring system, the appliance helps to keep mornings moving on automatic. The adjustable-height drip tray accommodates multiple cup and mug sizes … Read more

If filmmaker David Cronenberg designed a dress, it would look like the DareDroid 2.0. This cocktail-making frock looks like the union of a Madonna outfit and a cyborg jellyfish injected with the DNA of a bartender.

The DareDroid didn't come from Chanel or Versace. It sprung from the minds of a design team called the Modern Nomads, a trio that consists of Marius Kintel, Anouk Wipprecht, and Jane Tingley--a hacker, fashion designer, and sculptor, respectively. Now it all starts to make sense.

The dress isn't all tubes and white fabric. There's a lot of tech tucked in. Medical tubing and bottles hold the liquid. Custom hardware makes the dispenser function.

Built-in sensors are triggered by proximity. Remain at a respectful distance and the dress will dispense a non-alcoholic beverage. Get too close and it will shut off. LEDs alert you to just how close you are.… Read more

One of the great mysteries in life is knowing what you want out of the fridge before you open it. This is not a food-specific dilemma: the same conundrum can and does occur when contemplating a wine selection. While it may be easy (or not) to decide upon red or white, deciding upon which red or white is another story entirely. It is something that we as a society have learned to live with. And as with other resignations, we try to make up for it by doing the little things.

Since it is apparent that the practice of open-door … Read more