The Curmudgeon Speaks

Why is the U.S. still making and using pennies? Or nickels, for that matter?

Just about every home handyman has a shop light. It's a useful extension cord and throws light right where it's needed.

Shop lights have two drawbacks - heat and bulb life. The light bulb can heat up a tight workspace, and it's easy to brush against it and get burned. And because the light is subject to knocks and vibration, the bulb's filament has a short life and often burns out right in the middle of a job.

The fix is to use a compact fluorescent bulb instead. It's cool to the touch, and vibration won't hurt it. Voila - a smarter shop light.

I was told that the locals call these concrete tanks "ginas", after the Italian movie star Gina Lollabrigida. It's a great story, whether or not it's true.



The tanks are filled with a variety of wine that was prone to spoil during the rough voyage to England, until 18th century merchants learned to preserve it by adding brandy.

What's the wine, and in what valley and country are these ginas? If you know, leave a comment below.

Drawing on my heap of travel photos, The Curmudgeon presents the first in a series of photographic puzzles:



I admit to shamelessly borrowing both the concept and the title from two good friends at our club. Rick had the idea of a photographic travel quiz, and Ian introduced me to a bit of British humor, of which the punch line was "Wear the fox hat."

The questions: What is the name of the department store with this beautiful roof, and in what European capital is it located?

Here's a YouTube video of an amazing performance that has to be seen to be believed.

Being some five years behind the Internet times, I was a perfect pigeon for the email that sucked me in.

For some time, I've been thinking about having a place to post my consumer hints and kinks - neat products, computer tips, and yes, the occasional consumer gripe. After all, why go through all that hassle if only one person takes advantage?

What finally tipped me over the edge was the discovery that I - and almost all my neighbors - could get one of the neatest add-on gadgets for a home that I've ever seen. For free.

So that'll be the first substantive entry in my new blog. See above.