Archives for December 2008

The Onion’s fake gift boxes

In the spirit of Unitasker Wednesday, the always hilarious Onion has some great gag gift boxes for the holidays. The boxes feature six fake products that will surely confuse the recipient.

The boxes are available in a set of six or individually through the Onion’s online store. While these are obviously fake products, they aren’t that far out of the realm of some of the unitaskers we have featured here over the past year and a half.

I enjoyed the USB Toaster and the iFeast, an iPod dock for your pet’s food bowl, but they play second fiddle to my personal favorite: The Visorganizer. From the “product” description:

Use your head and stay organized! The Visorganizer is a revolutionary carrying case for everything you need to make it through your busy day whether you’re a pro golfer, a retired ship builder, a club DJ, or a busy mom on the go. And it clips on the front of your favorite hat. Pack it with up to 7 lbs. If it has a visor, it needs a Visorganizer!

I wonder how long it will take someone to actually invent a saleable Visorganizer?

Posted by Matt on Dec 19, 2008 | 11 Comments | Tweet This

Workspace of the Week: Stylish simplicity

This week’s Workspace of the Week is Sadida’s simplified space:

One of the reasons I love this office is its cable containment. A single wrapped cord leading from the desk to the outlet is a thing of beauty. I also like the shelf that sits behind the monitor and holds what looks like a scanner or printer. The “simplify” sign is calming, too. This office features the basics, and not a lot else — which is wonderfully minimalistic. Thank you, Sadida, for your submission to our flickr group.

Want to have your own workspace featured in Workspace of the Week? Submit a picture to the Unclutterer flickr pool. Check it out because we have a nice little community brewing there. Also, don’t forget that workspaces aren’t just desks. If you’re a cook, it’s a kitchen; if you’re a carpenter, it’s your workbench.

Posted by Erin on Dec 19, 2008 | 14 Comments | Tweet This

2008 Gift Giving Guide: Guide wrap up

We hope that this year’s Gift Giving Guide has provided you with uncluttered inspiration. Here’s a wrap up of all of our suggestions for 2008. Remember, as you create your lists for others, to consider the impact of your gifts this holiday season!

2008 Unclutterer Gift Giving Guide:

We’re already looking forward to next year’s guide and unearthing even more uncluttered solutions. Happy Holidays!

Posted by Erin on Dec 18, 2008 | 3 Comments | Tweet This

Multifunctional printers

If you have a home office and space is rather limited for all of your peripherals, you may want to look into multifunctional printers. The quality of these multifunctional office products has really increased over the last few years and CNET has comprehensive reviews of five new multifunctional printers. From the CNET page:

An all-in-one printer gives you the freedom to complete multiple projects with the same printer, scanner, and copier, and fax machine all built into one central device. Most multifunction inkjet and laser printers also include front-loading media readers that let you print directly from your digital camera’s storage card without the need for a physical computer in the middle. If you do choose to hook it up to your desktop, you’re given a number of options for connectivity, with many printers featuring a build in 802.11b/g wireless print server, Ethernet networking, and of course the standard USB 2.0 port.Prices range from around $150 all the way up to $400 for extra features like multi-ink cartridge bays, increased dots per inch (DPI) results, and large format touch screens for advanced photo editing. Whether you need these auxiliary features or just want to perform simple print, fax, scan, and copy functions, an all-in-one printer makes a useful companion to your home or office workstation.

The dilemma with multifunctional devices is what to do if one of the functions breaks. You can either replace the whole unit or make due without that particular function. One must weigh the use of all the functions versus the space-saving advantages of a multifunctional printer. If you are going to make use of all functions, including the fax machine (does anyone still use a fax?), it may be for you. But if you are only going to use a couple of the functions, you should probably pass.

The multifunctional printers named in the article:

Posted by Matt on Dec 18, 2008 | 16 Comments | Tweet This

Unitasker Wednesday: Hot chocolate pot

All Unitasker Wednesday posts are jokes — we don’t want you to buy these items, we want you to laugh at their ridiculousness. Enjoy!

The other day, I ventured out into the cold and snow with my daughter. We had a great time playing outdoors until she removed her gloves and started to stick her hands into the snow. I knew my daughter would be very cold, so I poked my head in the door and asked my wife if she could please make us some hot chocolate. Five minutes later, we were inside enjoying a nice cup of hot chocolate and my daughter was happy that her hands were no longer freezing.

Is my wife some sort of hot chocolate-making magician? How did she prepare two cups of hot chocolate without the help of Williams-Sonoma’s Hot Chocolate Pot? From the product description:

For the most extraordinary hot chocolate you’ve ever tasted, whip up the wintertime favorite in our ingenious electric pot. We worked with the Italian company Bialetti (designers of the original stovetop espresso maker) to create a pot that produces incredibly rich, frothy hot chocolate crowned with creamy foam. Just fill the clear upper chamber with milk and shaved chocolate or cocoa, then watch as the mixture is heated, blended and frothed to perfection.

My wife’s homemade hot chocolate concoction made in a POT on the stove passed my taste test. My daughter also seemed to approve (and she also seemed to approve of the marshmallows my wife added to her cup). But, if a pot is out of your league, then you might consider dropping $100 for this unitasker and sacrifice the cupboard space. Oh, and it looks like a nightmare to clean, too. Enjoy that added bonus, as well.

Posted by Matt on Dec 17, 2008 | 38 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

Posted by PJ on Dec 17, 2008 | Comments Off | Tweet This

Uncluttering your schedule to keep clear of unnecessary stress

Being human can be difficult some days. I most often notice the difficulties when I’m stressed, full of anxiety, things are chaotic, and/or under pressure. Little problems that are usually dealt with easily turn into big issues because my abilities to see the whole picture or keep my cool are gone.

Last week, I completely unhinged in front of one of my colleagues. I was quietly working at my desk one minute, and the next minute I threw a tantrum because a project we were working on took a turn I didn’t expect. Instead of reacting like a normal person, I chose the path of awful person. I used my “outside voice” for at least a full minute before I realized I was being a complete idiot. Thankfully, my colleague burst into laughter (instead of yelling back or quitting) and asked if my outburst helped me feel better.

It took me two hours to calm down and figure out what had happened. Many elements in my life were to blame:

Stress + Anxiety + Disappointment + Poor Planning = Awful Erin.

As full disclosure, one of these elements was completely out of my hands. I had no way to control the event that happened that triggered my disappointment. No matter what the day or how prepared I possibly could have been, I still would have been disappointed.

The other elements were all my fault, however. My poor planning resulted in stresses and anxieties that were wholly unnecessary, and which made me blow the incident with my co-worker completely out of proportion. If I had planned appropriately, I would have been able to move with the ebbs and flows of the day and not let the stress and anxiety overwhelm me. More precisely, I wouldn’t have been experiencing stress and anxiety — at least not at the level I was.

Later in the afternoon, I made a heartfelt apology to my colleague, we had a good laugh, and then I headed home to re-evaluate my schedule. This time, I needed to be realistic about my abilities.

I revisited my initial estimations and doubled them. What I thought would take one hour, I doubled to two. What I thought would take a day, I scheduled to two days. I made phone calls and adjusted others’ expectations of my timeline accordingly.

With all things in life, the more stress and anxiety you feel, the less able you are to think and respond to the best of your abilities. Proper planning — being honest with yourself about how long it will take to complete action items, setting a schedule, and having the diligence to keep to that schedule — will keep you from feeling overwhelmed and in control of the things you can control.

Since my tantrum last week and retooling of my schedule, I have noticed a significant decrease in my stress and anxiety levels. I am not super human, and my new schedule is realistic and maintainable. Unfortunately, it took making a fool out of myself to realize I needed a change. How do you organize your time to keep stress and anxiety at bay, and how do you avoid potential stress meltdowns?

Posted by Erin on Dec 17, 2008 | 22 Comments | Tweet This

2008 Gift Giving Guide: Digital giving

This installment of the Unclutterer Gift Giving Guide explores the virtual world of digital products. In addition to the ideas listed here, be sure to check out our 2007 Online giving post for even more inspiration.

These are our 2008 digital suggestions:

  • If someone in your life has had a GPS unit for more than two years, you could offer to pay to update the maps. This is a gift that you’ll need to give in person (seeing as you’ll need the actual GPS unit to make the update), but still valuable for people who regularly use their GPS. Check the unit’s manufacturer’s website for details.
  • A great gift for a busy family might be a subscription to TheScramble. The service sends you grocery lists and then daily recipes so that you don’t have to think twice about what to make for dinner.
  • A wordsmith in your life might love the extravagant gift of an Oxford English Dictionary subscription for $295 a year, or $30 a month. (There also is a CD version of the OED for $216, but the reviews of it aren’t very strong.)
  • If you have someone in your life who loves spending time online, you might consider purchasing them an Evernote Premium account — this is an especially great idea for someone who already uses and loves the basic Evernote product.
  • Photographers in your life might love a subscription to RentGlass.com. It’s a mail order lens rental system — and would work great with a FlickrPro account that we suggested last year.
  • A high school student in your life could definitely benefit from a year’s subscription to Questia. I’d recommend it for college students, but most get access to these types of services through their universities.
  • A person you know who lives in a city and doesn’t own a car might enjoy a Zipcar membership. I know that having access a few times a year to a car would have made living without one even easier.
  • A professional association membership might also be a great idea for someone. Personally, I know that an AvantGuild membership would be a great idea for a journalist.
  • Finally, you might consider a subscription to GreenDimes for the person on your list who hates junk mail. Be sure that this person has a computer, though, because a GreenDimes account requires participation to make sure that all junk mail stops coming to a home.

Posted by Erin on Dec 16, 2008 | 12 Comments | Tweet This

Displaying holiday greeting cards

Recently, while my wife was reading an issue of Martha Stewart Living, she found an easy and creative way to display holiday cards using ribbon and a hole punch. In our current home, we don’t have mantle space for the cards we receive, so, rather than cluttering up a table or other flat surface, my wife decided to implement the idea she found in the magazine. (The picture to the right is the result.)

Apartment Therapy recently posted a question from one of their readers about displaying holiday cards. They feature a couple of options from Pottery Barn. These options cost $50 while my wife’s only cost under $6. The option my wife implemented displays the cards while keeping them out of the way. It is also cheap and, most importantly, simple.

How do you display holiday cards in your home? Feel free to add your ideas in the comments.

Posted by Matt on Dec 16, 2008 | 59 Comments | Tweet This

Storage beds

Sometimes referred to as a captain bed, a storage bed can take the place of a bedroom closet or dresser. I wrote about bedroom storage a couple of weeks back, but I thought I would expand upon the storage bed as a space-saving option.

I came across this article on Furniture Today featuring new captain beds that have been introduced to the market. From the article:

Depending on the construction, the added storage can be used for anything from extra blankets and pillows to sheets or seasonal clothing such as bulky winter sweatshirts and sweaters.

The beds also tend to be more transitional or contemporary in nature, largely in response to the style preferences of younger consumers. However, some traditional beds have storage as well, making the option available to an even broader market segment.

The added storage often increases what you will pay for beds, but for small spaces it may certainly be worth it. The estimates, depending on the manufacturer, can add anywhere from $300 to $450 to the retail price. Some companies new to the captain bed market listed in the article are:

Posted by Matt on Dec 15, 2008 | 16 Comments | Tweet This

2008 Gift Giving Guide: Gifts of clutter

It’s the holiday season, and we all need a little smile. Similar to our Unitasker Wednesday posts, we don’t want you to buy these items. We simply want you to have fun reading about all the awful gifts of clutter you wouldn’t really want to give this year.

Stumped on what to buy your favorite co-worker or loved one? Consider giving the gift of clutter!

Small Kitchen Appliances

Your mother-in-law hates coffee? No matter. Buy her an espresso maker anyway. Get the deluxe version equipped with steamer and grinder. It’ll take up lots of counter space and you can use it when you visit. Heck, buy her two!

Knick Knacks

If you really want to yank the chain of the minimalist in your life, buy knick knack gifts. These small shelf stuffers fit any budget. You can get a $1 replica of the Statue of Liberty. Inexpensive gifts not your style? Consider the pricey gem-studded Hello Kitty figurine for $163,000.00. (image from boredbored.com)

Arcade-Style Video Games

Who needs Rock Band when you can go retro and deliver a full size, 300-pound Ms. Pac-man to an eager child or adult? Cram it into the living room of a tiny studio appartment for easy entertainment. A fun and educational experience on the history of video games can be had by all.

Obscure Art

Who says you can’t impose your own artistic tastes onto others? Let’s face it, some people in your life need your artful guidance. At big box stores, garage sales, or art galleries, look for bizarre sculptures, abstract paintings, or anything that would leave the recipient asking: “What is it?”

A Pile of Boulders

For your suburbia-dwelling friends, don’t forget the garden. Call your local rock quarry and have a truck dump off a pile of rocks on your friend’s driveway. They’ll have hours of fun trying to pick up the boulders, one-by-one, and finding the perfect garden spot for each to occupy.

Hard-to-Use Electronic Equipment

For the technically challenged on your list, give the gift of complex electronics that will end up tucked away on a garage shelf. Universal remotes that require setup on a computer and web access are an option. Challenge the recipient to sit with the manual until he or she figures out how to program it.

Giant Vases

In his post Too many flower vases, Matt asked: “So what can I do with all of these vases?” There is no need to get rid of them when you can let them collect dust in a cabinet! Add to your friends and family members’ collections with a giant vase to obstruct the entrance through any front door.

Really, the possibilities are endless when it comes to lovely clutter gifts. Large, small, expensive, cheap — clutter gifts span the world over and can easily provide a lifetime of dust, maintenance, and storage fees for your most treasured friends.

What is the most outrageous clutter gift you’ve ever received? Let us know about it in the comments.

Posted by Sue on Dec 15, 2008 | 65 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

Posted by PJ on Dec 14, 2008 | 2 Comments | Tweet This

Unexpected benefits of uncluttering: An interview with editor Erin Doland

Sue Brenner, PCC, PMP, and author of The Naked Desk, is a regular contributor to Unclutterer. She recently sat down with Unclutterer editor Erin Doland to learn about her path to simple living, and decided to let you in on the conversation that took place.

Clearing out the excess clutter in your life has parallel benefits, sometimes unexpected. Just as each gotten-rid-of item is one less thing in your physical way, it is also one less thing to occupy your thoughts and emotions. You are freed up to focus on the subjects that matter to you without the weight of all that excess stuff getting in the way.

Take Erin, our editor at Unclutterer. She wasn’t born with the orderly gene. (Me either. I didn’t begin to adopt that habit until well into my 20s.) But when the weight of “too much stuff” got too great, Erin was forced to learn how to lighten her load and create order — now she experiences a more enriching life as a result. Here’s her story:

When Erin was in her 20s, she could pack everything she owned except her mattress into her 2-door hatchback. But when the dreaded call from her mom came telling her, “All of your stuff in my house has to go,” Erin suddenly found herself with boxes filled with childhood memorabilia and college life, along with a desire to hang on to it all.

Not ready to let any of it go, she packed it all with her when she moved to Washington, D.C. Later, when she and her husband moved in together, they blended their lives and their things into an even smaller urban apartment. Every room spilled over with so much stuff they had no room to move.

Concerned, Erin’s husband sat her down. “I can’t even take one step,” he said. “We can’t live our lives together this way.”

Looking at all their stuff, Erin couldn’t imagine how they could organize it, and she couldn’t even think about letting any of it go. Just the thought of dealing with any of it stressed her out, but she agreed with her husband that living this way wasn’t an option.

Out of desperation, Erin had become interested in getting organized to set her married life off on the right foot. But with no built-in, natural propensity for organization or lightening her load, Erin had no idea where to begin.

“I could organize an argument for a paper and that was the extent of it,” she pondered, “but I didn’t know how to apply that idea to my home.”

So, Erin decided to do some research and find out. “That’s where my daily inspiration for Unclutterer comes from,” she explained. “I had to learn and I pass on what I learned to others.”

Erin’s first step was to begin to assess what everything was that was cluttering up her home. As she’s written about in previous posts, Erin had kept every note from high school and middle school. Like a mouse collecting morsels, she had kept every trinket that came her way, such as various key chains and t-shirts she had been given at fraternity parties. So much stuff that she had no use for but had packed away at the time because the things seemed worth saving.

“Who knows what I thought I was going to do with all that stuff,” she said. Since it was tough to completely let go of all those memories, she decided to photograph a lot of the stuff — a great strategy for hanging onto the sentiment the thing represented without having to store the thing itself. Erin also realized that she was more likely to go through a photo album on a trip down memory lane than she was to ever go through boxes of stuff.

As Erin’s process continued, she came up with some rules to help her purge things: “If I couldn’t even remember where it came from, it was gone.”

Erin realized that letting stuff go wasn’t just lightening her physical load, but she was also beginning to feel lighter; she realized letting go of the past was allowing her to better move forward with her life. She hadn’t realized how much all that stuff was weighing her down as if she was dragging it all around like a ball and chain around her ankle. She explained: “All that stuff represented my past. I’m now focused on the present and the future with my husband.”

Yes, it was a lot of work — it took Erin about six months to fully unclutter her new dwelling — but as the days progressed into weeks and then months, Erin got better and better at purging all that stuff and began to feel more and more invigorated the closer she got to her goal.

“I have peace of mind now,” she said. “I don’t have that old dread when I leave the house that I will have to come home to that. All that weight is gone. Now my home is a place of relaxation and order; When I come home I get to rejuvenate. There’s a sense of calm.”

That is peace of mind. And confidence too, I’d add. A real sense of accomplishment that feeds all the other areas of your life.

So how has getting uncluttered influenced other areas of your life?

Posted by Sue on Dec 13, 2008 | 16 Comments | Tweet This

Real Simple’s Holiday Blogathon

RealSimple.com, the website that accompanies Real Simple magazine and that I write a column for every Tuesday and Thursday, is currently featuring their Holiday Blogathon: 26 Days of Tips. The series features informational posts from fashion, food, organizing, and decorating bloggers — most of whom are not regular contributors to the Simply Stated community.

Unclutterer’s article “Six Stress Busting Holiday Tips” is today’s entry for the series. All of the posts have tips and tricks to help you survive the season, and here are a few of my favorites:

Contact the people on your long or short list and ask how they might feel about putting a cap on holiday spending this year. — SavvySugar

My Rubbermaid containers play double duty as an ever-so-clever hiding spot for presents. Picture this … you bring out all the bins, decorate like crazy, then place them back in the garage in an easy-to-reach location. When you get home from holiday shopping you quietly and quickly transfer the gifts to the empty bins (so sneaky). — Krista Colvin

Give the gift of yourself this year. Create a gift certificate that entitles the recipient to quality time with you. Make Grandma dinner. Give your kids a movie night with Mom. Promise your husband a date. — Kimberly Petro

Posted by Erin on Dec 12, 2008 | 5 Comments | Tweet This

Workspace of the Week: Multi-functioning clothing and office closet

This week’s Workspace of the Week is Willy Volk’s closet office:

I want to start by saying that I know this isn’t the most uncluttered office we’ve ever featured, but it is unusually practical and deserves to be highlighted. What intrigues me the most about this space is that it’s an office in a closet — a closet that is still being used to hold clothes. The space between the two walls of rods is used to its fullest potential with the storage bins, shelf, and office desk. It even looks like there are computer speakers hanging from the ceiling. The curtains at the door to the closet help the entire space disappear from the room when not in use. It’s a great use of space, and I’m thankful Willy Volk shared this office with us. (The three pull-out pictures are pretty fun, too.)

Want to have your own workspace featured in Workspace of the Week? Submit a picture to the Unclutterer flickr pool. Check it out because we have a nice little community brewing there. Also, don’t forget that workspaces aren’t just desks. If you’re a cook, it’s a kitchen; if you’re a carpenter, it’s your workbench.

Posted by Erin on Dec 12, 2008 | 9 Comments | Tweet This

Sharing space and dealing with moments of chaos

Today we joyfully welcome Alex Fayle, author of the blog Someday Syndrome, as a guest author. He is a former procrastinator who now helps people break the procrastination obstacle so they can find freedom and start living the life they desire. Also, he’s a really nice guy. Welcome, Alex!

There are many wonderful things about living with others, but dealing with their clutter is most certainly not one of them. Living with my partner (and before that roommates) has always been a special challenge during times of emotional stress.

You see, when I’m sailing through life, everything finds its way back to its place quickly because I put everything away as soon as I use it. However, when I’m feeling chaotic, you can’t see the bedroom floor and nothing goes back where it belongs. I nest using clothes and papers.

When I lived alone, it didn’t bother me. When I was feeling this way, I’d just wade through the clothes to find the bed, knowing that I’d get out of the funk and get things cleaned up sooner or later.

Now that I live with my partner in a very tiny apartment, I can’t let the chaos take over too much.

We’re both human, though, and the chaos does hit, sometimes at the same time but usually at different moments (meaning one wants to clean while the other is in a nesting mode).

Living with others offers a challenge to staying organized because if one person is feeling chaotic, their clutter encourages others to let their own organizing slack off: “If his stuff is all over the place, why should I clean up mine?”

Say you’re in a chaotic moment and your partner starts ranting at you about the mess you’re leaving around. What would you do? In my case, my inner teenager comes out and I want to make the mess even worse just to get back at the unfair authority-figure ranting.

Let’s say however, that you’re more mature than I am, and recognize the ranting is not an attack on your intrinsic goodness. Instead, you use it to move yourself out of the chaos, dealing with the physical side first and letting the emotional clutter clear itself out. How wonderful, no?

But what happens if it’s your companion(s) that let the clutter take over? How do you deal with it?

Here are 3 Definitely Don’t and 3 Possibly Do actions.

Definitely Don’t:

  1. Don’t nag. It’ll just bring out the inner teenager and they might rebel and do things on purpose just to piss you off.
  2. Don’t get judgmental. People in a negative state don’t need negative reinforcement. Besides, it’s not like you’ve never had moments of clutter, hmmm???
  3. You can re-order the place yourself, but don’t do it with a “how great am I?” nor with a martyr attitude. Do it because you want to or not at all. A superiority complex will only cause more problems in the end.

Possibly Do:

  1. Live with the chaos and hope that the person will snap out of it soon. After all, you go through chaotic periods too, I’m sure.
  2. Suggest an order the house day and make it a big fun event. Put on music, dress up in maid outfits (or at least tie funny colored scarves on your head) and do a re-ordering.
  3. Re-order the place on your own and hope that the calm space will bring calm to the other person/people.

Now it’s your turn. How do you deal with the clutter in the home caused by multiple people experiencing the ups and downs of life at different rates

Posted by Alex on Dec 11, 2008 | 30 Comments | Tweet This

2008 Gift Giving Guide: Don’t let Santa go crazy

The grandparents are chomping at the bit to shower our daughter with gifts this Christmas. I just found out that my mother-in-law has purchased a motorized jeep for our daughter that will have to be stored at their house. We just don’t have the space to store it and our city street isn’t a great place for such a toy.

It can be tough to keep the influx of new toys to a minimum. To help all of the parents with children, I’d like to revisit last year’s post about gift giving to youngsters.

Consumables: Last year’s Children’s Museum membership was a great gift for my daughter. A zoo membership can also be a great gift and whomever purchases it can have something to do with the little ones while they enjoy the gift together. If you don’t live in an area with a similar attraction, you may want to plan a trip to a destination and present your child with a “ticket” to be redeemed at a later date for the journey.

Sleep over tickets at the grandparents: This is a gift that will surely be enjoyed by the parents and grandparents, as much as the children. It costs nothing and it lets grandparents spend more time with your grandchild (be sure that grandparents are on board with this idea first, of course). Grandparents also can create some tickets for their grandchild to redeem when sleeping over at their house (cookie making, hiking, etc.). The number of tickets you give is entirely up to you. If your parents don’t live close to you, this is obviously not an option unless you purchase plane tickets instead — which isn’t a bad idea, either, as there are some great ticket prices to be found right now.

Lessons: If your child is old enough that they are showing interest in dancing, drawing, or any other activity, consider paying for these lessons as a gift. Do some research for the area in which you live and check into purchasing lessons for the little one. 

Already own gifts: Reader C.D. suggests that if your children are already adults, consider giving them something you currently own. Think of it like an early inheritance. Share with your child the story behind the object, why it has been important to you, and why you want them to have it.

And finally, a reminder. This is a perfect time to take stock of all the toys your children have. There is undoubtedly a slew of toys that they no longer play with or have outgrown. Gather them up and donate them to a local homeless or battered women’s shelter (be sure to call first to see if they have a need for lightly used toys). Let your children participate in giving the toys to the charity so that they can see first hand how they’re helping others. 

Let us know of even more suggestions in the comments.

Posted by Matt on Dec 11, 2008 | 14 Comments | Tweet This

Unitasker Wednesday: USB guard dog

All Unitasker Wednesday posts are jokes — we don’t want you to buy these items, we want you to laugh at their ridiculousness. Enjoy!

Add this USB guard dog to the ever expanding list of useful desktop gadgets. If you are worried about the safety of the contents of your desk, you may want to protect them with Rex. With Rex you will have peace of mind that no one will mess with any of your belongings while you are away. 

The guard dog uses a motion sensor to activate. Once engaged, the guard dog barks and terrifies any intruder. I have no doubt that this USB beast will keep your co-workers at bay. From the product description:

The Desktop USB Guard Dog is here to protect your desk from any unwanted guests. Just plug him in (or insert batteries) and Rex will let out a menacing growl each time someone comes too close.

Guard your desk and leave Rex in charge, he will alert everyone to those unwanted intruders.

Here are some more great USB unitaskers that Rex can help you protect: Fragrance Oil Burner, 4-in-1 desk lamp, and the USB mini fridge.

Thanks to reader Jeanne for bringing this unitasker to our attention.

Posted by Matt on Dec 10, 2008 | 10 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

Posted by PJ on Dec 10, 2008 | Comments Off | Tweet This

2008 Gift Giving Guide: What we want, but can’t yet have

This installment of the Unclutterer Gift Giving Guide explores the not-yet-invented or completely outrageous gifts that would make our readers’ lives more organized. We asked our Twitter followers what they would put on their dream holiday wishlists, and these were some of the fun responses:

Universal power cord
This cord would work with every electrical object. Need to power your laptop, cell phone, television, sewing machine, dryer, iPod, or oven? All you need to do is grab the universal power cord!

The perfect laptop bag
The perfect laptop bag has a pocket for everything you need to carry with you, has a comfortable shoulder strap, is made to last, is professional in appearance, and doesn’t scream I’M CARRYING A LAPTOP FOR YOU TO STEAL. This bag is so perfect that you want to name your pets after it. We have found many bags that come close to meeting these requirements, but none that are perfect.

A magic wand
The magic wand empowers its user to clean and organize his or her home and office by simply waving it near disorder. If it actually existed, I would also want for it to make a pleasant chime when in use.

A full-time cleaning staff
The benefit of having someone clean up after you make a mess was at the top of many Unclutterer readers’ lists. Unfortunately, a full-time cleaning staff comes with a very hefty price tag. A cleaning robot might be more affordable.

Food tracking software
As far as we know, this exact product does not yet exist. The reader who mentioned it said that the software should have a bar scanner that reads use by/expiration information off a product, enters that data into a database, cross-references the food item to recipes in your collection, and then tells you when to use the food. I think this software should also notify you when to preheat your oven and how long any leftovers might be good for using.

What not-yet-invented or completely outrageous organizing gift is at the top of your wishlist? Tell us about it in the comments!

P.S. If you are an inventor/programmer/industrial designer and would like to create any of the items listed above, we would really appreciate your efforts.

Posted by Erin on Dec 10, 2008 | 34 Comments | Tweet This