The best advice in dealing with Valentine’s Day is to start shopping soon. Toward that end, here are some hot tips that should appeal to your significant other.
My wife trained me years ago not to buy her any gift that plugs in. But when she tried this excellent item, she admitted I could bend the rules. Everyone has ~90% of an electric bike in their garage. The GeoOrbital Wheel converts any bike into an electric bike in about a minute. The crazily creative engineers in Boston have figured out a way to put all the necessary science into the front wheel. You switch out the existing wheel, charge it up, attach the thumb throttle and soon you are cruising with ease up hills and around town. I had trepidation that it would work, but I am impressed. The unit is understandably heavy (batteries are a notoriously difficult technology, lighter means less power), but the weight is invisible when you are riding. It is now easy to load your backpack with a bottle of wine, a baguette and some cheese and cruise easily to a romantic spot for a picnic. And the next day you can start commuting by bike, arriving without a sweat.
CANDLES
Everyone loves a candle. As we settle in to the short days and long winter nights, a good candle is a welcome addition. With centuries of craftsmanship behind them, chandlers have developed a variety of techniques that manifest themselves in the great candles today. Here is a roundup of candle purveyors worth checking out.
Have you a feline lover for your Valentine? Then consider a Kisa ($34) from Pryopet. Kisa means kitty in Icelandic and is the first in the collection from 54 Celsius. The unique selling proposition? Light the candle and the feline’s skeleton emerges as the wax melts away. Some may think this is better as a Halloween gift, but the way our household likes our cats, it is just about perfect. The company calls these candles creepy cute, which is just about right. The company’s cheekiness is likely due to their British roots. They also offer secret message candles, which might be better for shy Valentines instead.
than a nickel, and are about as thick. Cleverly, the carrying case can attach to the back of your smartphone, which of course means they will never be far from reach. Created in Silicon Valley, ThinOPTICS ($20) are designed with the same optical-grade polycarbonate lenses used in high-end prescription glasses. I like the way the flexible frames fit into the carrying case. The designers state the “independent-suspension nose pads ensure a universally comfortable and stable fit,” which I find to be accurate. With patents pending, the company is delivering “a revolutionary new vision platform,” which sounds exactly like Silicon Valley.
How about a good old fashioned gift of an album of music? That is an old school gift idea that will certainly be welcomed. Winstone has rearranged some brilliant compositions by Nino Rota, Michel Legrand, William Walton, Bernard Herrmann, and Ennio Morricone originally presented in the movies of Scorsese, Godard, Wenders, Jewison, Zeffirelli, Olivier and more. Winstone is a British jazz vocalist who has garnered awards over the decades, and the ECM label is a consistently trustworthy source of refined music.
How about a weekend getaway with your Valentine? How about making sure your bag doesn’t get ripped off? International reports have stated that every year there have been increased reported cases of in-flight theft. These mile-high thieves are in a far less delightful club. CabinR’s unique security device deters a would-be thief who tries to open bags stored in overhead compartments and under seats while their owners sleep or are otherwise distracted (like snogging). Whether you are looking to renew your membership in the mile high club, this luggage gives you peace of mind during any mode of transportation. The bags available in both backpack and messenger bag designs ($75-$150) include a detachable security blanket designed with multiple circuit boards that connect to highly sensitive motion sensors. The patented design is certified for air travel; the lithium-ion polymer battery is fifty times smaller than the permitted size for airlines. Once you arm the system with a unique RFID card, the bag will emit a loud alarm if unwanted theft activity occurs. Thoughtful design accompanies the technology, both bag styles are water repellent and include a laptop compartment, phone pocket, magnetic headphone dock and sunglasses band.
