When a woman gives birth in the movies, the doctor stands at her pelvis ready to guide the baby into his arms and there is nary an electronic or piece of equipment in sight. In real life, the labor and delivery room is filled with monitors and machines ready to go at a moment's notice.
Take our quiz and see just how familiar you are with these tools of the delivery trade.
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My dog North freaks out at about every unexpected (or expected noise) including the vacuum. And he's not alone. More than 74 percent of you say your pets don't like the dreaded monster inside the machine. Not this kitty. She appears to love it. Watch her stretch, curl, and coo at the sucking hose.
This past Monday was Clean Off Your Desk Day, and while I cleaned my desk in its honor, I know it won't be long until it's time for another cleaning. (Where does all this dust come from, seriously?) I'm still obsessed with the cute and inexpensive keyboard vacuum, and I just spotted another adorably geeky cleaning device from Fred Flare, the Mini Robo Vacuum ($20).
It's no Roomba; you have to manually operate the mini-vacuum, which also requires two AA batteries. But it's compact, and comes in three different colors — plus it's cute enough to leave on your desktop as a geeky accessory.
Can't stand a dirty keyboard? Neither can I, but getting in between the keys to clean (especially on my laptop) can be challenging at times. Not eating at my desk is not an option (plus, a little dust here and there is pretty hard to avoid), so of course I love this gadget! It's a USB-powered keyboard vacuum ($5).
It plugs into the USB port on your computer and comes with two attachments: a brush and a flexible rubber tip to get in between keys. It's a great stocking stuffer for your favorite workaholic or anyone who appreciates a clean keyboard.
I can't think of much not to love about the Roomba, but there's always room for competition in a market with one really great product.
So, welcome the Panasonic Fukitorimushi (Japanese for "wipe-up bug"), introduced recently at the Tokyo Fiber Senseware exhibition in Milan.
The Fukitorimushi (um, can we please just abbreviate it to "Fuki"? OK then) has a nanocloth underbelly, rather than a traditional sucking mechanism like a Roomba.
Its cloth-covered body kind of looks like you dropped a towel on the floor and forgot to pick it up, but I could learn to live with anything that cleans my apartment for me.
It's not so fab to have clothes covered in pet hair, and breathing in that fur and dander can make it all too easy to be wheezy! For those of you who share a home with furry friends, I wanna know how you keep them clean and (relatively) hair-free. Since this allergy affects so many people, and makes pet owners like reeyacha all snuffed up, please share your recommendations for the best vacuums (or other cleaning methods) to remove those flyaways in the comments below!
Update: I've picked the top 10 pet hair vacuums for all budgets — check them out!
Since North freaks out at about everything from the doorbell to when the mop comes out of the closet, I'm not surprised by this video featured on the Wall Street Journal Online about how dogs react to the vacuum. I can see how an unmanned moving object that makes strange noises like the Roomba could be scary (or lunch) to a confused pooch.
Although you gave some great advice about how to clear up the brutal battle between your pets and the vacuum, it seems that pets and technology just don't always mix! Does your pet hate your vacuum?
Yes, we got the memo - Roombas are trendy and Dysons are chic yet practical - check. But what about a vacuum that you could throw on your back, that's free from the constraints of irritating cords and a heavy base?!
I bring you the BacVac, a smart concept design created by The Continuum studio, which I spotted on Trend Hunter. This backpack-style vacuum cleaner is powered by an onboard fuel cell that would be replenished with ethanol. Hmm, they had me sold until the ethanol part!
Check out a full picture gallery below!
