All Sorts of Knowledge is Probably Contained in LiveJournal

[bohemiancoast]

So, I thought I'd ask the collected LiveJournal mob for advice on a wide range of different subjects .

Cassette Adapter: Lots of people sell these, and we buy one about every three months, various different off brands. The main problems are:

- noise in the mechanism
- low sound levels with iPod
- weak connections everywhere

Web browsing suggests that it's all a bit of a lottery and expensive brands are often no better. Some people report good results with a £3 adapter, some terrible results with a £20 adapter. Does anyone have any good advice?

Retractable headphones: I want some earbuds of reasonable quality, of the isolationist type (shove deep in ears), with a retractable cable. I spend a few minutes untangling my cable every time I listen to music and I'm getting fed up. ZipKord have one but I'm not sure it's possible to buy it and I'm not sure how good it is. Other brands appear to be the fall-out-of-ears open type that's both rude and ineffective on the tube.

A really good saute pan: Needs to be big (think one-pot meal for six), non-stick, heavy, have a lid (our previous was Meyer Steelon now discontinued) and preferably go in the dishwasher.

One of those little trolleys on wheels that people take shopping: except that they seem to all be badly designed, presumably because people who walk to do their shop tend to be poor. We want someone to bring the same design considerations that have transformed baby buggies over the last few years to this problem. It needs to be light, fold small, and have a removable, waterproof bag made of, eg, pannier material.

A waterproof memo board, so I can jot down GTD ideas I have in the shower. As far as I can tell, I can't do better than writing on the wall with a chinagraph pencil.

A foolproof way to keep slugs out of the house: must not involve any form of poison. Snails too, thinking about it.

Will writing services for families.

Advice welcome.

Comments

[marykaykare.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes, yes on the All-Clad pans. I adore mine. The stuff that comes with them advises not putting them in the dishwasher, but I think that this is for appearance reasons rather than anything else. I mean, they're covered in stainless steel for cripe's sake.

Diatomacous earth will get the slugs without being dangerous to other forms of life. Try an organic nursery or garden supply store.

MKK

[ex-erikvolso370.livejournal.com]

The full stainless clad is dishwasher safe. The copper exterior pans won't be destroyed by a dishwasher, but, lordy, you'll spend more time polishing them than you will washing them by hand if you do. (And, yes, you'll need to -- corroded copper isn't nearly as good a conductor of heat)

Obviously, the non-stick pans aren't, but that's universal for non-stick you want to last.