A shortlist of newly discovered stuff you have got to see, hear, wear, use or eat. What are you loving this week? Send a brief description of your latest favorite thing, where to find it and how much it costs, along with your name and contact info to features@staradvertiser.com.
App lets fan cheer Bronx Bombers
I used to think it was tough being a New York Yankees fan in Hawaii. Once I discovered Major League Baseball’s At Bat app, however, the only challenge I faced was coming up with more creative ways of talking smack to friends who were Boston Red Sox fans. My MLB.TV Premium account allows me to watch almost every Yankees game online during the regular season — as well as spring training — and after 10 years of streaming, Major League Baseball has perfected a slick setup that lets me watch on my iPhone, iPad and Apple TV in addition to my desktop. Subscribers can use their Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Roku, Boxee or certain LG, Samsung and Panasonic televisions to watch, too. The cost is $124.99 per season or $24.99 per month (sign up for the stretch run now and pay just $49 for the rest of the season). One caveat: Forget signing up if you’re a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants or Seattle Mariners. Those teams consider Hawaii a "home market," which means home games are blacked out for MLB.TV subscribers here.
— Jason Genegabus
Organizer prevents fumbling for footwear
The mainland folks who designed the Hanging Flip Flop Organizer must have had local women in mind. With hooks to hold six pairs, you can keep your dressy slippers from getting all busted up on the lanai or the floor of your closet and make sure you can find both sides of the pair you want to wear to the mall. Available for $10.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond in Pearl City.
— Donica Kaneshiro
Recycled jugs become Green Toys
So many toys these days are packaged inside numerous layers of cardboard and plastic, and clamped down with twist ties that require scissors and a whole lot of patience to extricate. That’s a lot of packaging that ends up in the trash. Thanks to a neighbor, we discovered Green Toys, made in the U.S. from 100 percent recycled plastic milk jugs. The packaging is simple: a recycled cardboard box that can be recycled in your blue bin. We bought a tugboat for our son that has a spout for scooping and pouring water. A limited selection of Green Toys is available at Thinker Toys at Ala Moana Center and Kahala Mall, Little Sprouts in Kailua and Whole Foods Market in Kailua and Kahala, with a larger selection available at amazon.com. Prices range from $14.99 to $32.99.
— Nina Wu
Swaddle baby in soft luxury
AirBuggy will have you trying to remember which of your friends’ due dates come next or have children young enough to make use of some of the adorable bibs, clothing, bathrobes and accessories available at the new second-floor boutique at Waikiki Beach Walk. The store has roots in a lightweight and sturdy baby jogger that has evolved into models designed for grocery shopping and shuttling pets around, but it’s the soft goods that will have nonparents oohing and aahing over graphic-print First Dress onesies ($26) and wishing we could drape ourselves in the soft organic cotton and bamboo muslin swaddle cloths from Aden + Anais ($40 for a three-pack). Let’s see … one for baby, two for me. Visit www.airbuggy.com or call 533-9070.
— Nadine Kam
Cartoonists pool talent to end illness
One of the Star-Advertiser’s best comic strips is Richard Thompson’s quirky "Cul de Sac." When Thompson took time off recently to seek treatment for Parkinson’s disease, the strip featured the work of weekly guest cartoonists to help him through the bad patch. It’s that spirit of camaraderie that infuses "Team Cul de Sac: Cartoonists Draw the Line at Parkinson’s" (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $29.99). Fellow cartoonists like Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman of "Zits" (pictured), artists, illustrators and animators donated original artwork — reproduced in the book — for an online auction to benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. One of the participants, Bill Watterson of "Calvin and Hobbes" fame, contributed his first piece of public art since he stopped doing his beloved comic strip in 1995. It’s no surprise that his work brought in the top amount of $13,145 at the auction. But you can see it here at a much cheaper price while still contributing to the cause.
— Gary Chun
