Getting nostalgic for some great gadgets

Pioneer's Supertuner car stereo.

The organization that runs the annual Consumer Electronics Show recently asked its Facebook followers what was their favorite among all the gadgets they have owned. Most people said their iPad, iPhone, satellite radio or some other device from the past decade.

My nostalgia for great gadgets goes much farther back in my memory banks. Some of my early electronic devices were my first kisses in what would be a 40-year love affair with gadgets and gear.

Of course, they were all eventually replaced by something newer and shiner. I too love my iPad. But I'm also fond of several early gadgets that did their jobs well and earned their keep.

My first computer is good example. While my friends went for the inexpensive Commodore 64 or the Texas Instruments TI99 in the early 80s because they were good for playing games, I saved up to buy the costlier Apple II+. As I recall, I paid about $1,200 with one floppy drive and no monitor. I wanted it because it could do everything.

My daughter learned the alphabet playing Sticky Bear while I used a word processor and modem to write magazine stories and launch a newsletter. And it was still the best computer for playing games like LodeRunner, Choplifter and Wizardry.

What else did I like? Do you remember Pioneer's Supertuner car radio? How about Mattel's handheld football game?

Take a stroll with me down digital memory lane at MyWell-Being.com.

By: Ric Manning On 3/25/2013

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Three-way breakfast in a flash

A nice soft-cooked egg and a slice of ham or sausage patty slipped between two slices of an English muffin or a bagel.

Sound like a good breakfast? It's my favorite.

Trouble is, I work at home, so I don't want to drive to a fast-food restaurant to buy one. And I'm not all that slick with a skillet.

So, wouldn't it be great, I thought, if there was a machine that could crank out all the components of an egg-and-sausage sandwich with one flick of a switch? Imagine my surprise when I discovered there is just such a machine.It's called the West Bend Egg and Muffin Toaster and it costs $40 from sources like amazon.com and Bed, Bath & Beyond.

It has a pair of standard toasting slots that can take bread, English muffins, bagel slices, or even a sliced croissant. And hanging on the end of the toaster is a little steaming chamber. There's room in there for one egg -- poached or scrambled -- or for four eggs  to be hard boiled. A grill that sits on top of the egg chamber will warm a sausage patty or slice of good Kentucky ham while the egg is cooking.

And it's all done at once, with minimal human intervention. Push a single button and everything pops up hot and toasty in about four minutes. And that's a lot faster than a trip to the golden arches.  

By: Ric Manning On 3/11/2013

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Turtle Shell speaker is built for Spring Break

Want to take your tunes along on your spring break? Of course you do. Here's a Bluetooth speaker that built for serious beach time.

The Turtle Shell Wireless Boom Box is water resistant and built to keep rocking even in the rain or the surf. The speaker costs about $150 from Outdoor Technology.

The case has a screw mount on the bottom so you can attach the speaker to bicycle handlebars, a kayak or a beach umbrella. A claw-shaped clamp, sold separately for about $20, lets you mount the speaker almost anywhere you want it.

The speaker's shell has controls built into the surface and connectors tucked away behind rubber plugs. And the sound is deep and rich enough to replace those bulky old-style boom boxes left over from the 1990s.

By: Ric Manning On 3/05/2013

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