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So Many Links, So Little Time: Tools To Get Back To Those "Must Reads"



If you're at all like me, you have literally thousands of items bookmarked and not enough hours in the day to read all the info that's lurking out there in cyberspace. Your RSS feeds are overwhelming, google alerts never cease and you keep swearing that you'll get to that article before your mailbox alerts you that it's at full capacity.

So, what to do?
Read, Write, Web has a nice list of apps that help you 'get back' to those articles of interest. Here they are with links and pertinent info:

6 Great Tools to Save Links for Later

1. ReadBag

ReadBag is a quick and easy bookmarklet to save links for later. ReadBag requires a Google Account to use the service, though OpenID might have been a better choice. The UI is simple and clean with all the features available from the homepage. You can archive bookmarks after you're done reading them, star them, add a note, or simply delete them. ReadBag includes a host of goodies such importing options, a Firefox extension, Google Reader integration, Google Gears support, RSS for your bookmarks, and a mobile interface for both regular phones and the iPhone. Unfortunately, ReadBag doesn't support tagging.

2. Instapaper

Instapaper is a really simple "bookmark it for later" service. With only a simple bookmarklet to bookmark items, Instapaper doesn't offer nearly as much as its competitors. You can edit the title and url of your bookmarks, grab an RSS feed, and add a note to your links. There is one great feature that's available when you click the 'text' link at the end of each bookmark. Instapaper allows you to read your bookmark right from the site with no hassles. All in all, the service is very straightforward with a clean UI and zero distractions.

3. LaterLoop

A new tool from the maker of social bookmarking service Mento, LaterLoop offers the best features out of the group. There's a neat extension for Firefox that features keyboard shortcuts, mobile support, import and sharing options with Del.icio.us, Twitter, Facebook, Digg, and more. Offline support is integrated with Scrapbook Firefox extension instead of Google Gears. You can also read a text only version of your links. However, the UI for text only reminds me of the horrible reformatting job that Google does for mobile phones. Overall, LaterLoop sports a clean and uncluttered UI just like the rest of the pack.

4. LinkRiver

We've reviewed LinkRiver as a great service to find more news on a slow day. Well, when the pace picks up and you find yourself not having enough time, LinkRiver offers a handy bookmarklet to save items for later. If you're a user of the site, you can also bookmark content for later directly from your profile.

5. FriendFeed: Read Later

Fans of the FriendFeed aggregation service will love using the Read Later Greasemonkey script. This script allows you to save entries in FriendFeed for later. It's a very useful tool for reading FriendFeed quickly and coming back to the articles that might get buried under the constant stream of activity. Once installed, you'll begin seeing 'Later' appended to the end of each item. There's also a convenient tab that the script adds to FriendFeed for browsing through your saves.

6. Star it in Google Reader

If you're using Google Reader to go through the never-ending process of reading feeds, Google's 'Star' feature can be a great way to save items for later. To quickly process your feeds, change your display to 'List View' in Google Reader. Then star only the headlines that jump out at you. 'Mark all as read' and repeat until all your feeds have been processed. Now you won't have so many feeds to read and a lot more time to weed through only what might be interesting whenever you have time.

So, you may not get to it today, but at least you can get back to it when you have the (sigh) time.

Hamilton Wins The Monaco Grand Prix, Was It The Diamond Helmet?



First of all, the race is over and 23 year old Brit Hamilton Lewis has won. And Finnish born Heikki Kovalainen, who had to start last after stalling before the formation lap, was fourth on the grid, so it obviously wasn't the diamond helmet. What diamond helmet, you may ask?

Buy It Before It Flies Away! Only 2 Left of Emi Ozawa's Mahogany Bird Tables.



"Bird Tables" by Emi Ozawa

Only 23 limited editions of these handcrafted tables were made.These mahogany "Bird Tables" by artist Emi Ozawa can raise and lower their wings. A sculpture or a functional table, the whimsy of the design and quality of the craftsmanship make it a lovely edition to any home, in any room.

If you like it, I suggest you snap it up: Only two tables remain in this limited edition of twenty-three as of today.

Price: $2,100

"Bird Table" Wood Tables
By: Emi Ozawa
Kinetic mahogany table finished with oil.
Limited edition of twenty three (only 2 left as of June 1st, 2008)
Dimensions: 21"H x 24"W x 21"D
Height is 31" when the wings are upright.

Buy it here.

Wild West : Gretsch Guitars Go Americana




Gretsch Guitars has just released this fabulous collection of four acoustic guitars called the Americana series. Each G4530 guitar features a 24" scale steel reinforced neck; real wood construction; and comes in a totally cool retro designed box.




The fabulous packaging:

above: the front and back of the box

Each of the four is $150.00 and available for purchase here.

Full Sized Legos For Grown Ups: LunaBlocks by Lunatic Construction





Designed and created by Thierry Nahon & Philippe Landecker, LunaBlocks are based on an original concept, the transformation and enlargement of bricks used in building games for children. (Gee, do you think they are referring to Legos®? Duh.)

Easily stacked together, functional and totally versatile, LunaBlocks are designed for the world of decoration and for the home.

Whether in the form of design objects, structures, contemporary furnishings or lighting, LunaBlocks may be used for any decorative idea. They may be adapted to any combination of materials and used in all sorts of architectural contexts.







Available in sets of one, two, four or eight pegs, LunaBlocks are made of innovative and timeless materials, including acrylic glass, Arpro®, metal and concrete.

Light and compact, opaque, transparent or luminous, the LunaBlocks series includes

LunaGlass:



Made of PMMA (Altuglas®), ABS or polycarbonate, LunaGlass can either be shiny, transparent, mat-finished or have an opal-colored reflection. Every season, new ranges of colors and new materials are used to reflect recent trends.


LunaSoft (for the kids):




LunaSoft is made of expanded polypropylene (Arpro®), an innovative material which provides great shock resistance. It is completely safe and is able to be used by children. Ultra-resistant and ultra-light, LunaSoft is a playful design object that can be easily stacked together. It is aesthetic, functional and resolutely avant garde.

Produced in versions having two, four and eight pegs, LunaSoft is primarily designed for interior decoration and for children’s use.The primary advantage of LunaSoft is that it is resistant and light.:



LunaLight (Luna pillow)
Made from natural rubber, the LunaPillow allow to use the other blocks as seats, banks, chairs. It can be stacked atop the other luna blocks to create comfortable seating .:



LunaShine (coming soon):
LunaShine is made of the same material as LunaSoft. Surprising and seductive, LunaShine combines brilliant, icy aesthetics and extreme lightness.

The crystallisation of its surfaces by a new and exclusive process gives it an incomparable “Chinese lacquer” appearance.

Known as the luxurious version of LunaSoft, produced with Two, Four and Eight pegs, ultra-light and easily put together, LunaShine is the most modern, the most surprising and the glossiest of all LunaBlocks®.




LunaMetal (cast in steel):









Lunatic Construction:
Inventors and builders of things ephemeral, Thierry Nahon & Philippe Landecker created LUNATIC CONSTRUCTION SAS in July 2007 so as to give the original concept of « Lunablocks® » every chance for success.

A creative idea thus became an innovative international marketing initiative. Thanks to technological innovation, a significant research program and a brave and independent entrepreneurial approach, the necessary corporate structures (Creative Design, Technical Studies, Printing, Production, Communications, Sales and Marketing) have been put into place to ensure future development.

Sponsored by OSEO Financement and OSEO Innovation Ile de France, LUNATIC CONSTRUCTION SAS is an innovative, young company that has qualified for funding from mutual funds specializing in innovation.

Buy them here at Artydandy


Or buy them here at Homology

Lunatic Construction SAS
12, impasse Deligny 75017 Paris France
tel +33 (0)1 44 40 01 44
fax +33 (0)1 44 40 02 44
info@lunaticconstruction.com

Commercial
République Innovation
18, rue du Faubourg du Temple 75011 Paris
tel +33 (0)1 55 28 17 77
fax +33 (0)1 47 00 15 14
contact@lunaticconstruction.com

Product Pick Of The Week: Thomas Pedersen's Stingray Rocking Chair





The Stingray rocking chair in wood veneer by young Danish designer Thomas Pedersen was conceived as an innovative reworking of his earlier Stingray in plastic (shown further down in this post).


above: Thomas Pedersen

Pedersen’s rising prominence in the international design world can partly be explained by his remarkable ability to challenge familiar assumptions and his unwavering persistence to extend the previous boundaries of design. Stingray introduces a new meaning to the traditional rocking chair.

The shape of the rocking chair was partially inspired by a shell. This gives it a beautiful organic design which is raw on the outside but smooth and refined on the inside. A piece of furniture that provides a unique experience of inner tranquility. The steel frame has been constructed without any transverse lines thus accentuating the floating appearance of the chair.




Winner of the "Interior Innovation Award Cologne 2008".

Oak:

Walnut:

African Macassar:


Available in oak, walnut and the African wood macassar.
Dimensions w120 x h80 x d100 cm
buy the wood veneer one here.


The Stingray can also be ordered in an upholstered version with your choice of color and fabric from several options:



Buy the upholstered version here.

The chair is also available in white or black plastic as shown below:





Buy the white or black plastic one here.

Price:
$2,244.74 to $8,705.73 depending on options

Dimensions:
W.120 D.100 H.80

Ten New Products To Add To That Wish List Of Yours

laurasweet's recommendations at ThisNext

Clockwise from top left:
1. Patricia Urquiola's new Landscape Dinnerware for Rosenthal.
2. Authentics unusual Bravit candles with wicks that wind their way through the wax and split off into two wicks while burning.
3. The Mythic Lip watch in black or white.
4. Glowing Owl Touch Sensor Floor lamp
5. Stunning exotic wood veneer desk, The Waterfall Writing Desk
6. Whimsical Dust Furniture collection by Vincent Lehman
7. New Zealand Tufted Wool Dog Rug
8. Pine slab shelving unit with glass shelves
9. Gloss ceramic antler lamp
10. Richard Meier's latest pen for Acme


Just click on the image above for more detail and place of purchase.

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