Let there be light — and sight — at night

When a friend showed me these Bright Sight reading glasses, I thought they were a novelty good for some laughs. Then I found myself in a darkened restaurant unable to decipher the menu and it wasn’t so funny. I started carrying them around in my purse for just such occasions, but before I could say “astigmatism,” my husband cockroached them for his own use.

The glasses come with LED lights built right into the front corner of the lens frame, with tiny on/off switches on each side. I can think of many uses for them: reading in bed, night fishing or making household or car repairs in dark, tight spaces. They come in various focal strengths for about $25 at Charley’s Fishing Supply, Ohana Hearing Care, Hawaiian Eye Center, Bikefactory, POP Fishing & Marine, and Banana Bay in the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach.

— Christie Wilson

Funny gal Kaling’s writing is delicious bit of humor

I don’t care what Mindy Kaling’s writing, I just know that I’m reading it. Ever since I became aware of her clever yet biting humor as a writer (and actress) on NBC’s “The Office,” I’ve been obsessed, getting my fix of funny on her blog, “Things I’ve Bought That I Love,” written under the pen name Mindy Ephron (mindyephron.blogspot.com). Now I can’t wait for her first book, “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns).” I’ve got my copy on preorder at amazon.com for $14.13 (retail price $25). The book is due Nov. 1, but until then an excerpt is available at www.scribd.com/doc/56238687/Is-Everyone-Hanging-Out-Without-Me-by-Mindy-Kaling-Excerpt.

— Donica Kaneshiro

YouTube channel is candid look inside lives of jokesters

I’ve been absolutely fascinated with the YouTube channel “sadsadconversation,” started in April by actor Josh Malina and comedian-writer Michael Ian Black. The pair initially sent each other home video posts about their lives in what they call “middle-class show biz.” While there is a tinge of melancholy to the posts — finding a balance between their public celebrity and private concerns as aging family men — other celebrities on both coasts have been invited to join in the conversation to address a wide range of topics. Participants include Emmy nominee Martha Plimpton, comedy writer Morgan Murphy, Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go’s and Tony award-winner Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The brief videos, shot from their computers and smartphones, at home, in the car and on the road, are charming and sometimes riveting in their candidness, and while there’s the occasional set-up comedy bit, “sadsadconversation” is just a group of well-known folks talking off-the-cuff with each other in a very public forum.

The website is www.youtube.com/user/sadsadconversation.

— Gary Chun

When half is better than the whole thing

The Aina Haina Foodland Farms sells pies and cakes in halves. Half a custard pie is $4.99 and they have cakes, too. It’s great for small families or singles, and it doesn’t take up much space in the fridge.

— Nancy Thomas, Honolulu

Tasty bottled water springs for a cause

I first picked up a bottle of Hawaiian Springs purely based on its looks. It’s shaped like a wine bottle and has a unique teal color with a picture of my favorite flower, ohia. Then I tasted the “young natural artesian water,” bottled at its source in Keaau on Hawaii island, and was surprised that it had a slightly sweet and very clean taste. I was instantly converted. I later read in Nina Wu’s Green Leaf column that Hawaiian Springs helped save the last wild nanu on Oahu by donating money for fencing to protect the flowering plant, which is also featured on the company’s bottles. Great-tasting water for a great cause? I love it.

— Monika Pin, Ewa Beach