Christmas may still be a bit away, but Hanukkah is right around the corner. And since I’m a typically a last-minute shopper, this year I vowed to get going on my holiday gifts early.
But I’m not just a procrastinator, I’m also really lazy. So for the last several months, I’ve evaluated several products that cater to the lazy man (or woman) in us all.
If you have lazy people in your life, consider these gifts this holiday season. They’ll thank you, assuming they get around to it.
"No clean" fish tanks
The lazy man wants to give his kid a Betta fish, but he doesn’t like to clean the tank. Tell me about it. Despite my best efforts, our first fish perished in their normal, boring tanks, and I was about to give up on this pet project. But since tried two revolutionary tanks that require minimal cleaning, I’m proud to report that Leslie and Billy are alive and swimming.
The first is an aquaponic aquarium from ThinkGeek. This three-gallon "Aquafarm" has five pods in the top that can grow herbs and vegetables from your fish’s poop, which naturally cleans the water. You can actually eat the results, which seems a little gross to me, but probably isn’t. Does it work? Yes, to an extent. I couldn’t get everything to grow like the photos on the Web site, but I’ve had some success with cat grass. It keeps the tank mostly clean, but in my experience, it should still be manually cleaned monthly or when the water pump tube gets gross and smelly. Either way, it’s a pretty neat science experiment, and most important, the fish is still alive. $59.99 at thinkgeek.com
The other 1/2 gallon vertical fish tank does require cleaning, but it couldn’t be easier. Due to a unique vacuum process, each day you just pour water into the top and it drains the dirty water from the bottom, via a copper spout. You can use that poop-enriched water to feed your plants. This Betta tank looks and works great. $69.99 at nocleanaquariums.com
Supertooth Freedom Bluetooth headset
The lazy man likes to listen to music, but doesn’t like cords. Historically, Bluetooth headphones have offered mediocre sound quality or weird designs. The Supertooth Freedom isn’t saddled with either shortcoming. Rather, it provides 15 hours of music play time (or talk time, if that’s how you use it), Bluetooth 4.0 functionality and NFC, not that I’d know what to do with that. But how do the Freedom sound and feel? Really, really good. Pairing is a snap – no entering codes – and the 40 mm drivers mean audio stays crisp and clear all the way across the room. Not surprising that the Freedom won awards at the CTIA this year. $149 at supertooth.net
Griffin SkyView Travel Seatback Mount
Griffin CinemaSeat 2
The lazy man doesn’t like answering the question "are we there yet" every five minutes of a road trip. The CinemaSeat 2 is a simple mount for your car’s headrest, and it securely holds tablets and phones of all sizes for perfect, adjustable backseat viewing. The SkyView works similarly on planes’ tray tables. Let Netflix entertain the little ones so you can concentrate on actually getting to your destination. $39.99 and $29.99 at store.griffintechnology.com
MeCam Wearable Hands-Free Video Camera
The lazy man likes to take pictures and shoot video, but doesn’t like to carry a camera, much less focus or think about composing shots. Enter the MeCam. You pin this little guy to your shirt, or wear it as a necklace, and it "inconspicuously" shoots 5 megapixel photos and HD videos. It works best when you make sure it’s pinned perfectly straight, but this could be a lot of fun on vacations (think roller coasters) or at bars. The camera can shoot at night, too, so use your imagination for the potential here. 4GB version for $49.99 at mecam.me
Powerpak Xtreme
The lazy man doesn’t like charging his devices every night, especially one at a time. Portable chargers are a dime a dozen, but the waterproof, dirt proof and shock proof Powerpak Extreme provides a whopping 12,000 mAh of juice and two USB ports with a combined output of 3.1 amps. In other words, this chunky, rugged box will fully charge both your iPhone and your iPad (or anything else that charges via USB), with juice to spare. And it’s not afraid to get dirty, wet or knocked around. It’s the perfect traveling companion, although be careful at airports, because it looks a little like a bomb. $59.95 at newtrent.com
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
