The Jimi Wallet

Ever get sick of that bulging pillow you call a wallet in your back pocket? Me too. Thankfully, an extremely slimmed down alternative has presented itself in the form of the The Jimi. Available in a variety of colors and a few different variations, this handy alternative to a conventional bi or tri-fold leather wallet lends itself especially well to those fond of a minimalist lifestyle. Featuring a hard plastic shell with a snap closure, the Jimi Wallet holds only 4 credit cards, 1 driver's license, and 3 folded bills. My girlfriend bought me one for my birthday a while back and while I was skeptical about the reliability at first, it's proven to be a resilient little enclosure to say the least.

Why I Like it

Aside from generally enjoying not being overburdened by a veritable man-purse, I'm actually quite fond of the styling. It's chic in a funky sort of way. I went for the orange color myself, but many of the other colors look good as well, especially smoke. The Jimi also plays its part in maintaining a minimalist lifestyle, forcing me only to carry the essentials with me whenever I go out instead of being jam-packed with receipts, ticket stubs, etc.

Where Can I get it?

The Jimi costs around 15 dollars and you can pick one up here in a variety of colors and styles. They also make DS cases for all you gamers out there :)

Digitally Imported Radio

Ever get tired of hunting for new music to listen to while you get into the daily grind? If so, you may want to check out Digitally Imported Radio. DI is an Internet Radio Service with a focus on Electronic Dance Music genres. There are multiple channels available from the main page, including streaming content for Trance, Ambient, Lounge, and Chillout music. Many of the stations are available for free in multiple formats, including mp3, Windows Media, and aacPlus. The free version is of slightly lower quality and contains commercials, but the DI Premium service doesn't have these nuances.

Why I like it

I confess I generally have terrible taste in music. Well, maybe not terrible but sub-par I'd imagine. The thing is, I can never find new music I enjoy easily because I don't really watch TV anymore and generally steer clear of conventional radio-not a great start for music discovery I know :) Thankfully, DI has done a fantastic job in providing a wide range of music that is varied enough that anyone should be able to tune into a station they can enjoy. I personally enjoy the Ambient and Chillout channels. I work in an office all day and find this type of music to be very relaxing.

Where can I get it?

You can hit the website at http://di.fm. The free stations are readily availabe from the home page, but to get the best experience you can sign up for the Premium service for $4.95 a month.

Portable Apps

Portable Apps is really a collection of handy utilities that were designed with the geek who's always on the go in mind. If you're like me, you probably have a work computer and a home computer, and tend to struggle with how to keep all of that data in sync and still maintain your sanity. I'm not a big fan of clutter, be it on my desktop or in my home and Portable Apps does a great job of managing all of that data you accrue throughout your day. At it's core, this suite of applications is designed to reside on a thumb drive(they even have a light version for those with limited space) and leaves no footprint on the pc you're using. Aside from the advantage of keeping your important data(and junk for that matter) on one, removable drive, it's also handy if you find yourself at a computer you're unfamiliar with but want to ensure you still have access to your favorite applications like Firefox.



More than just coming pre-bundled with a lot of useful applications, it's upgradeable to suit your tastes through the Portable Apps website which is regularly updated with new versions and software offerings for you to haul around in your pocket. Some of the applications available include:

• Firefox Portable
• Thunderbird Portable
  
• Gaim Portable
• OpenOffice Portable
• KeePass Portable

So right there you know that whatever computer you login to you'll have access to a browser, email, your encrypted database of passwords, and word processing functionality.

Why I like it

It's nice keeping your daily data in one place and this way I don't have to worry about re-download multiple files on my home and work computer. Also, if you do end up using a public access machine at a library for example, all of your documents and the applications you might need to make changes to them are all running right there on your flash drive. It's easy to install and a breeze to use.

Who's it for?

• College Students
• Road Warriors
• Anyone who shuffles data between multiple PCs

Where can I get it?

Portable Apps is available as a free download for all. Head on over to http://www.portableapps.com to download the installer and peruse the list of software offerings that take advantage of this remarkably simple and effective solution.

Tumblr

Tumblr is a really neat service that my buddy Jim told me about a few months back. Basically, a tumblelog is a micro-blog of sorts that allows you to provide quick 'n dirty updates throughout your day in the form of photos, videos, text, chats, and links for others to view. Unlike a traditional blog, where you might be tempted to write a longer, more thought-out post, tumblr is an avenue for split-second updates with a very streamlined dashboard. There are some really nifty features about tumblr that make it incredibly fun and intuitive to use. Notable features include:

• Remote posting - If you have a camera phone(which most people do nowadays), when you create your account at tumblr you're provided with a unique email address specific to your account. If you send a picture message to this address from your phone, whatever you put in the subject line will be posted as the caption to whatever image you send and it will be published automatically.
• Browser integration - After creating your account, in the 'Goodies' section of your dashboard, there's a button you can drag to your bookmarks folder(or your toolbar in Firefox) that will allow you to quickly open a small window that lets you post at will without navigating to the actual tumblr site. This is a really nice feature if you just come across a quick blurb or youtube video that you wouldn't mind sharing with friends.
• Mac Widget - For you Mac addicts out there, tumblr now offers a tumblet Dashboard Widget for you to quickly post text from your desktop.

Why I like it

At first I was put off by the idea, believing that quick blurbs about what I'm doing should be reserved for an actual blog. However,My tumblelog quickly grew on me not just because my friends could check it out easily, but also because of its structure in serving as a timeline of your life. I really enjoy navigating it and just seeing what I was up to a few months ago and reminisce a bit. Not to mention, posting from your phone is incredibly satisfying and it's a blast taking a picture when you're out at a party or wherever and you can immediately showcase that moment on the web without fiddling with an ftp server or worrying about finding a computer to log into and having to manually transfer the image.

Who's it for?

• Socialites
  
• Frequent Travellers/Vacationers (again, on account of the remote posting capability)
• Basically, anyone who wants a no-nonsense interface and an approachable way to publish their life activities

Where can I get one?

You can set up your own brand-spanking-new tumblelog by heading over to http://www.tumblr.com. Tumblr is completely free and a breeze to set up, so get out there and start tumbleloggin'!

The Sumo Omni

This miraculous device is revolutionary! Ok, that may be pushing it, but in the words of Tyler Durden it's definitely a versatile solution to modern living. The Sumo Omni is a very contemporary, adaptable piece of furniture. I actually purchased mine a few months back because I wanted a comfortable chair for my office for playing my DS or reading. The challenge was I needed something that would be somewhat small to fit the limited space of my apartment and also be functional enough for other uses.

Why I Like It

The Sumo Omni is offered in a wide range of colors including pitch black, fiery red, tangerine(my favorite) and many others. Also, there are myriad of different ways you can configure the Omni making it well suited for a range of seating options. If memory serves me they show around ten on their website, but I'm sure creative individuals could come up with many more. One of my major concerns is that my chihuahua doesn't just have sharp claws, she has veritable talons at her disposal and being a lapdog, I was uneasy about her ripping a hole in my new Omni. Thankfully, the material on the outside is crafted of Ballistic nylon that has proven to be very durable and extremely stain resistant. The innards are filled with Virgin Polystyrene Foam which should be more resistant to compression. Not immune necessarily, but thankfully you can order more beads through Sumo's web site.

Who's it for?

• Dorm Dwellers
• Small apartment owners
• Ikea fans who demand a level of functionality for their furniture

Where can you get one?

http://www.sumolounge.com While these typically go for $149.99 Sumo is currently having a summer sale where you can order one for $129.99.

Why ilike-it

I know, clever right? :) The reason the name of this blog is ilike-it is because many of the other variations in the domain name(subdomain technically) were already taken. So basically, I settled, which I didn't like really, but for all intents and purposes should lead me to my next point, which is why I'm here writing and why(hopefully) you're here reading!

Aside from the fact that writing's always been a passion of mine, I wanted a place where I could just talk about stuff I like. Be they products, concepts, presidential candidates(ok, maybe I won't burden you people with politics), games, movies, music, periodicals, other blogs, or whatever I figured I could just talk about it here and actually contribute something to the internet, aside from the incredibly adorable picture of my pet, Mia. So without further adieu, I will now explain why ilike-it.