Month: March 2020

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In 1982, Jeff Spicoli brought checkerboard Vans beyond the SoCal surf-skate culture and onto the big screen in one of my all-time favorite films, Fast Times at Ridgemont High. (The story goes that Sean Penn had bought shortly before filming began and convinced director Amy Heckerling to let him wear them in the movie.) To celebrate the movie’s release, Steve Van Doren, son of the Vans founder Paul Van Doren, made a limited run of special Fast Times slip-ons made to give away at the premiere. Those special pairs have become a holy grail of shoe collectors and now Vans has reissued them. Awesome. Totally awesome. From Vans:

Borrowing details from the original Classic Slip-On and offering modernized comfort with upgraded Ortholite® sockliners, Anaheim Factory Classic Slip-On 98 DX also includes throwback details like the iconic Vans checkerboard print, higher glossed foxing tape, printed sidewalls, and sturdy canvas and textile uppers to complete the look.

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The infectious groove of Hall & Oates’s classic “Maneater” (1982) is driven by the absolutely killer bass line. As evidence, I present to you the “bassapella” version of “Maneater” with the drums removed from the mix.

Bonus musical memory: Greg Dulli of the Afghan Whigs credits the “Maneater” bass pump as inspiring his band’s mighty fine cover of The Supremes’ “My World is Empty Without You” (1991)…

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The world just isn’t made for lefties. From baseball gloves to can openers to credit card readers with slots on the right side, the 10 percent of the planet with a dominant left hand long ago realized they’re trapped in a world crafted by the other 90 percent.

Among all those indignities, there may be no more lefty a problem than when a left-handed person tries to write with an ink pen. Even with attention, the left hand perpetually slides over freshly-scrawled text over and over, leading to smudged pages, an ink-stained hand and loads of frustration.

Omega feels you, lefties. They make a pen that handles everything your typical ballpoint can do…but with no ink. On top of that, they’re also putting them on sale now at up to 60 percent off the regular price.

And while this tech marvel is of particular note to the lefties in your life, right-handed people can still buy an Omega as well. Because unlike the other 90 percent, lefties don’t discriminate.

With the Omega 2.0 AXL Inkless Pen ($29.99; originally $41.99), you’ll quickly find you don’t need ink because that’s not what you’re writing with — you’re writing with metal. The AXL metal tip lays down a grey line made of anodized aluminum, a line that can’t be smudged or erased.

And not only does the Omega never need ink, it never needs to be refilled at all…or replaced. This entirely eco-friendly lead and aluminum alloy instrument never stops working, continuing to lay down its thin metallic line for as long as your pen survives. Read the rest

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It’s not an exaggeration to place Singer and the Singer sewing machine among the most recognized heritage brand names and products in American business history. Back in the 1850s, entrepreneur Isaac Merritt Singer seized on a way to build the first practical sewing machine for use in the home — and to say American housewives were ready for a way to vastly speed up and improve how clothes, blankets, bedding, and other fabrics were created and mended is an understatement.

Within a decade, Singer became a name synonymous with sewing — and almost 200 years later, the company is still a worldwide leader in sewing machines and sewing technology.

Right now, Singer is opening up its stockroom, offering up six different refurbished models of their signature creations for over 60 percent off their retail price.

Get sewing

In case you thought a machine was too bulky for your home or too pricey, Singer has a handful of their best, most compact, like-new models on sale at more than half off. The Singer Start ($59.99; originally $119.99) has six basic stitches to choose from; and with an easy four-step process for adding simple buttonhole on items like pillows or clothing, it’s one of the best options for a young sewer.

 

And at over 60 percent off, the Singer Fashion Mate ($69.99; originally $179.99) is the biggest money saver in the bunch. Between 32 different stitch options with a handy selection dial to bounce through all those sewing options with ease, its $110 savings off the regular price should help land it at the top of many user wish lists. Read the rest

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There are as many methods for creating on the web as there are creators to build them. But no matter what programming language or venue is a coder’s particular arena of choice, it never hurts to have the cross-disciplinary skills to try other avenues if needed that may better serve your app or web experience.

That’s easier said than done, of course…and requires some extra study hours. To help, we put together 10 current deals on coding packages that can get you up to speed on virtually all the most popular programming languages.

The 2020 Premium Learn To Code Certification Bundle – $39 (Originally $2,300)

Consider this your introductory sampler to the entire coding universe. With over 10 courses, you’ll get a full tour of how many of the most popular disciplines work, including Java, JavaScript, Python, Ruby and more. There’s also an exploration of data science and machine learning, two of the most explosive growth sectors in computer programming today.

ReactJS Programming Bootcamp – $39 (Originally $458)

Across eight courses and 44 hours of training, you’ll get up-close and personal with ReactJS, the popular Java library of pre-built elements that make your websites and apps more responsive and appealing to your users. You’ll not only see how ReactJS can be integrated into your builds, but you’ll also explore how some of the biggest tech companies employ its benefits, including Facebook and Instagram.

The Complete Ruby on Rails Super Bundle – $39 (Originally $3,000)

Ask experienced developers which coding language and framework is the best for getting newbies going, and many will tell you Ruby on Rails. Read the rest