Another golf gadget...

I don't golf as much as I did when I was younger, or as much as I might like to. I've never been a great golfer, though back in high school I had a respectable 15 handicap. If you are into gadgets and golf, there is no end to the number of tools and devices claiming to help you cut strokes from your game. I'm pretty skeptical when it comes to most of these gadgets as I believe, when it comes to golf, you either have it or you don't. Yes, practice helps but there is something that the elite athlete has that the rest of us will never possess.

Here though is a neat little gadget that just might work, my father swears by it, and I think it can be reasonably explained through physics. According to the manufacturer of this device, no golf ball is perfectly aligned when it leaves the factory. The Check-Go Sweet Spot Finder spins a golf ball to an impressive 10,000 rpm automatically realigning the ball's heaviest areas along it's equator. Once this is accomplished the machine's LED indicates that the ball is spinning in balance and the user then inserts the included marker into the machine to draw a line along the ball's sweet spot. Aligning the marked line with your golf club or putter will ensure that the ball tumbles as truly as possible in flight or on the green, and just might give you that little extra advantage during your next match play. Did I mention that my father is an engineer, an avid golfer, and a Check-Go believer...

Geek art?

I read 2 magazines regularly, Wired and Business 2.0. Both of these satisfy my needs to keep up with all things geeky and I nearly always have 2 or 3 of them laying around the house in various stages of being read. I like the broad view that each takes in covering technology, that's to say, they don't pigeon hole themselves by being too specific or geared towards any one technology. Each issue of either magazine covers varying topics from Internet to biodeisel, gadgets to IPO's.

Besides the compelling content, I have always admired Wired's fantastic cover art and during a recent purge of my home office's book shelves I was torn between the love of the magazine and my need to make room. What to do? Well, when you can't bare to throw it out... frame it!

While I most certainly am an early adopter when it comes to technology, there are a few things that, to me, can only be done in the traditional fashion. Barbequing is one of those things! I’ve had my Weber® Kettle grill for 15 years and it has been a trusted friend. For a very long time family members have been begging me to “upgrade” to a gas grill, and I have been the butt of many jokes regarding ole faithful. There is an art to grilling with charcoal and the barbequing experience is much more fulfilling when you’ve nurtured the coals to that perfect pinkish-white.

Alas, this year I’ve finally given in to the mobs of flesh hungry drones that inhabit my home… okay so that’s a little dramatic, but it does seem as though I’ve tossed a friend to the curb! I’ve just purchased my first gas grill, but of course not just any grill, this is the 56,000 btu stainless steel beauty that I’ve passed in the isles of the local grocery store since there was still snow on the ground. I’ll admit it did catch my eye and I did occasionally envision my self standing in front of a large brontosaurus rib, Fred Flintstone style… The L@H 56,000 BTU stainless steel BBQ is a real performer, it assembled easily and fired up first try. I was amazed at the speed at which the thermometer climbed to +500 deg. F. It’s been in constant use since the purchase and I think I may be becoming one of the converted… rest assured, no BBQ was harmed in this experiment as the Weber will be heading for the summer place.

By the way, the L@H utensils are a marvel of engineering! :-)