Favorite amazingly useful trivial convenience

[Blarg]

Let's leave out the things we all or almost all have -- fridge, car, lightbulb; let's leave out the super-common like a cell phone or a microwave. Let's leave out the dumb, like: a spoon, a manual can opener, or a bookshelf, to...uh...hold books.

What's your favorite seemingly trivial convenience item that seems to provide outside rewards for what you spent on it? I have a feeling tivo is going to be a big one here.

[wacki]

HTPC, Master Class Corkscrew, homemade pokertable, bottle opener mounted on the wall.

[Allan]

This may seem dumb, but I get a ton of pleasure using my Global 8.25" chef knife.

Allan

[Rick Diesel]

I'll stick with my DVD player, as the new age multi-angle porn is just too good.

Rick Diesel

[kyro]

vibra...errr

[spamuell]

Does Chap Stick count? Contact lenses? Your lines of distinction seem very vague, this would be a much better question if you set out clear rules to define the type of answers which we are allowed to give.

I'll go with my metal cafetiere which keeps coffee hot for way longer than glass ones.

[Slacker13]

My wireless DSL. Can't believe I went this long without it.

[ThaSaltCracka]

high speed internet, quite simply amazing.

[BonJoviJones]

Google

[BeerMoney]

7 Card Stud For Advanced Players
Party Poker

[eric5148]

[ QUOTE ]
This may seem dumb, but I get a ton of pleasure using my Global 8.25" chef knife.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not dumb at all, there's nothing better than a good knife.

[wacki]

http://www.scalesexpress.com/catalog/images/kitcraft_kcbc_wood_lge.jpg

[nolanfan34]

Hmmm. Probably my Ping Anser putter, left handed. I get great joy out of draining 8-10 foot putts with that thing on the golf course.

[maryfield48]

Amazon alerts that tell me when they have something that they think I want to buy.

[Non_Comformist]

Remote control, and it's not even close. Do you see why?

[sfer]

I live in a big high-rise building. My bank has an ATM in the lobby.

[Ian J]

Tivo, and it's so not close. You were correct.

Online banking is pretty cool too.

[nolanfan34]

Oooh. I forgot about eBay.

[ThaSaltCracka]

the ATM is very underrated.

[PoBoy321]

Duct tape. What would we do without it? I've fixed shoes with that stuff. I know people who've made wallets with it. I saw some girl on TV make a prom dress out of it. I'd like to see someone do THAT with tivo.

[nothumb]

I'll second that. Worked in the industry for a long time and I love having a good chef's knife to whack things up with.

High speed internet is way up on the list.

One great thing I have that I have little use for any more is a lighter I brought back from Mexico. It is a regular plastic lighter but it has a beer opener embedded in the side of it. I cannot believe we do not have these in America. I don't really need it since I can open a beer with a lighter anyway, and besides that I don't even smoke anymore, but I was indignant that we don't have them here.

NT

[The Dude]

Remote control for my TV/ DVD Player/ Stereo. Can you imagine? People actually used to have to get up off their a[/i]ss to turn on the TV!

[Rick Nebiolo]

[ QUOTE ]
the ATM is very underrated.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've never used an ATM.

~ Rick

[Rick Nebiolo]

I love the convenience of listening to music while I'm on the computer. While surfing I can easily get just about any combination of music I want with a few clicks. Right now I use an older version (7.5) of MusicMatch Jukebox (the newer versions have gone way downhill so I don't recommend this software).

BTW, can't wait to get my new speakers (top of the line CSW Megaworks 213's via UPS this week). Probably will upgrade my player software (not sure to what yet) and re-encode my CD collection using some sort of lossless compression.

~ Rick

[Rick Nebiolo]

Wacki's tea thread reminded me how great this little coffee/tea warmer is sitting next to my computer. Bought it on impulse for about five bucks while checking out at Fry's but its something I use almost every day.

~ Rick

[Blarg]

I lost mine. I've gotta go find another one somewhere. They really are very handy.

[Topflight]

AIM

[nicky g]

"Duct tape. What would we do without it? I've fixed shoes with that stuff. I know people who've made wallets with it. I saw some girl on TV make a prom dress out of it. "

Not quite a dress, but my wife made a very cool wallet out of duct tape, complete with change department, credit card holders etc.

I don't know what mine is. I'm not much of a gadgety person. I'm quite pleased with contact lenses I guess.

[Blarg]

I think I've got one major one and two minor ones I can think of.

The major one is a detachable shower head, the kind with a long hose on it so it can drop all the way to the floor. This takes a few minutes off a shower, because you can get the soap right where you want it. Also makes soaping up your feet safer, since the soap comes off easier and you don't slip around, and really helps quickly get shampoo out of your hair and helps clean your, um...crack really fast. I used to have cats, and when I bathed them, it was fantastic and really made things easy. And, you never get under a cold shower when turning the water from the spigot below to the showerhead, since you can just point the showerhead at your feet or near them to start. Plus, the massage on some units is really, really nice, especially when you have sore muscles from a work-out.

Next are two items on the same theme. I love good food, but love it even more when it takes no real effort.

Second is the Ronco rotisserie I got. I bake a pretty mean chicken, but the rotisserie crisps every inch of skin; I used to have little problem throwing chicken skin away, but when it's perfectly golden brown and crispy, it's very very tempting. Plus, it keeps basting itself with its own juices and rendered fat, since the thing turns fast enough that a lot of the drippings don't drip off right away. It does other meat well too, but I'm a bit of a nut for chicken, and this thing does chicken about as perfectly as it can be done. You can either skewer the whole chicken in the classic rotisserie way, or stuff pieces in a metal basket the skewers fit on. I like to do a big package of breasts or drumsticks that way, and munch them here and there throughout the week. I just did two 14 pound turkeys in it this weekend.

The next is one I don't use that much, but really love it when I do. An automatic bread maker. Nothing beats the smell of fresh bread in a house. Real estate people even suggest baking a loaf of bread in a house before potential buyers come over to give it that homey, heavenly smell. Takes no effort at all and you can make all kinds of cool bread with one that you probably wouldn't find in a store. Plus, it's great for making pizza dough! The hard thing is, a loaf of fresh baked bread is almost impossible to not eat at least half of right on the spot, even with nothing on it. That's why I limit my use of it -- it's actually makes food that is TOO good. I put on weight when I use this thing much.

[theBruiser500]

after hiking outside for a few months, some of it in the winter, i am going to have to say the toilet

[Blarg]

If you think a toilet is trivial, remind me to never let you use my bathroom.

[astroglide]

you may be the only guy under 70 that uses a detachable shower head

[Big]

This reminds me of how much I love my Sunbeam Hot Shot. It'll boil enough water for one or two cups of tea in a few seconds.

[Blarg]

It's insane not to use one. You have no excuse. And here I thought you knew how to live!

The significant amount of time it cuts off your shower alone makes it well worth it. The massage makes it a treat. And it's helpful if you're tall, like me, and like the water hitting your head instead of the top of your shoulders and neck, as it mounts a higher off the water pipe. Takes an ordinary shower to another level. I'm not even sure what that means, but, it does.

[B Dids]

[ QUOTE ]
high speed internet, quite simply amazing.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is perhaps, the least shocking reply in the history of 2+2.

My favorite is a shell I found that serves as my toothbrush holder. Stylish, does its job, and free!!

[illunious]

1. Remote control ceiling fan / light in the bedroom

2. Roomba

[SomethingClever]

I haven't got the first shipment yet, but I have a feeling my answer is going to be Netflix.

[bdk3clash]

iPod. It makes walking around New York tolerable. Pleasant, even.

[fsuplayer]

The mogus from brookstone are awesome.

use them on the bed, the couch, car, plane and even a train i guess, just havent tried that yet.