SkyMall Monday Classic: Wineglass Holder Necklace

by Mike Barish on

In honor of Gadling’s celebration of all things wine, we’re re-posting a classic SkyMall Monday that originally ran on May 25, 2009. There are other wine-related products on SkyMall, but none deserve the appreciation that this one merits. It also happens to be one of my favorite SkyMall products of all-time. Enjoy and cheers!

I like to drink. There’s nothing wrong with that. Many of us enjoy a drink or six from time to time. But I also like to eat. When I’m at a cocktail party or a bar, I’m sure to be found enjoying some hors d’oeuvres or or a rack of ribs. And I love to meet new people. There’s nothing more enjoyable than mingling with a crowd and doing elaborately choreographed handshakes with new friends. But, well, I only have two hands. And if one holds my drink and the other holds my food, well, you see where this is going. Thankfully, this week SkyMall Monday solves the problem of being a personable, yet gluttonous, alcoholic. Our favorite catalog has once again foreseen that we are not capable of managing our own lives, so they’ve taken care of everything by allowing us to look fashionable while staying socially lubricated with the Wine Glass Holder Necklace.

Look, we can’t be troubled to put our wine glasses down while we interact with people. We have memories to repress and social anxiety to quell. That’s why this gadget is so ingenious. We should have been wearing our wine glasses around our necks all along. The fact they we don’t have an extra hand extending out of our chests suggests to me that evolution may be a pretty lame theory. I know that I want my red wine precariously dangling around my neck and swinging to and fro as I slalom between people to make my way to the carving station.

Think I’m being too serious about this situation? Your lack of faith in me is really beginning to cause problems in this relationship. But I’ll meet you halfway and let a neutral party explain to you why this product is so amazingly necessary. Take it away, SkyMall product description:

Keep your hands free at parties by keeping your wine close at heart! This clever little clip with adjustable strap holds a regular-size stemmed glass to your chest, giving you the freedom to snack and socialize as you sip!

Red wine is good for your heart and now it’s close to your heart! See, it’s only natural that we hold our clothing-staining beverages not in out hands but right in our chests. So drink, eat and network all you want at parties because now you’ll have your hands free to indulge. And the best part? It comes as a set of two, so you and your enabler sponsor can mingle together.

Check out all of the previous SkyMall Monday posts HERE.

SkyMall Monday: Beer Pager

by Mike Barish on

When I was in high school in the mid-90s, beepers were all the rage. My mother, being the prudent parent that she was, forbid me from having one. While I was devastated, it probably would not have improved my social life that much as no one would have paged me. But I digress. Pagers have fallen on hard times since then. Cellphones reign supreme and beepers have been relegated to the dregs of society like drug dealers and doctors. But leave it to SkyMall to find a new group who could benefit from having a pager. Yes, only SkyMall can bring a medium back from the dead and rejuvenate it. Only SkyMall can take a technology utilized by sophisticated establishments like The Cheesecake Factory and Applebee’s and bring it into your home. Yes, only SkyMall can deliver the Beer Pager.

Let me set the scene for you. It’s Tuesday morning. You’ve been up for three days straight on a meth binge. Your girlfriend has been yelling at you for two hours about something (you’re not sure what because she’s impossible to understand ever since you bit off half of her tongue in your last fight). There’s a baby crying and you don’t remember where you left him…or her…or them…whatever. You can’t hear yourself think, let alone remember where you set down that beer you kind of remember cracking open five minutes or two days ago. But, you look down, and there on the waistband of your Zubaz pants is the remote for your Beer Pager!

Your press the button and the noise emanating from your girlfriend’s toothless mouth fades away. The crying of that mysterious baby no longer invades your wax-laden ears. Instead, the only sound you hear is the sweet belch coming from your Beer Pager. There, in its koozie, on its melodious coaster, is your warm can of Schlitz. And, once again, all is right in the world.

If that scenerio isn’t proof enough for you that the Beer Pager improves lives, then read the official product description;

With a press of the remote button, this cozy with removable coaster lights up and lets loose a satisfying belch. Mini remote clips to your belt and will activate up to 60 ft, even through walls.

Through walls and up to 60 feet? That sounds perfect for a double-wide!

Welcome back, pagers. It’s the dawn of a new era for this technology. The Beer Pager is here. And I think the world is a better place for it.

A tip of my hat to Tess Walker for sending me the Beer Pager suggestion.

Check out all of the previous SkyMall Monday posts HERE.

Gadlinks for Wednesday 7.8.09

by Brenda Yun on


Happy hump day! To get yourself over the week’s speed bump, here are today’s travel reads.

‘Til tomorrow, have a great evening!

More Gadlinks here.

SkyBar at the Mondrian Hotel

by Mike Barish on

As part of Hotel Month here at Gadling, I’m excited to write about SkyBar at the Mondrian Hotel in Los Angeles. Why am I so excited? Because I don’t really stay at hotels that often. I’m more of an apartment renter when I travel. But on a recent trip to Los Angeles, I spent a night at the Mondrian Hotel in West Hollywood and enjoyed its best feature: SkyBar. I may not be a hotel guy, but I am a bar guy.

Located next to the magnificent pool (see above) and with an amazing view of the city below, SkyBar is an impressive space. Pillows and couches make patrons comfortable while they sip mojitos and enjoy the scene. It’s definitely an LA vibe, as people dress to impress and crowds gather late into the evening to check each other out, take business and be seen. But the combination of the illuminated pool, city views and beautiful people creates an experience that tickles all of your senses.

How enticing is the scene at SkyBar? I had a meeting scheduled the day I was staying at the Mondrian. I offered to make my way to my colleague’s office but she insisted that we meet over drinks at SkyBar. He response to my email: “I assure you that SkyBar has a lot more to offer than my office!” And she was right.

In the afternoon, you can casually enjoy a drink and good conversation in the cozy space. And as the sun sets and the crowds flock, everything gets sexier.

If you have a chance, grab a room at the Mondrian while you’re at it. The sleek, modern decor meshes well with the vibe at SkyBar. And you won’t have to worry about how you’re getting home after all those drinks.

Overall, SkyBar is impressive while not being overly pretentious. If you’re in LA and need a place to impress some clients, a date or just hang out with friends, SkyBar should be high on your list.

Photo of the Day (6.9.09)

by Grant Martin on

The Irish population in Boston, where I’m currently spending my sabbatical, is among the highest in the nation, Beantown being the recipient of many immigrants during the potato famine in the mid 1800’s. You can see influence from the Irish all over the city, from statues erected in downtown Boston to pubs scattered throughout the city.

This photo, apparently taken by CaptBrando at Kinsey’s in Boston is the subject of all of those pubs and the great unifier among many travelers around the world. Beer. Magnificent, magnificend beer.

Got any cool photos that you’d like to share with the world? Add them to the Gadling Pool on Flickr and it might be chosen as our Photo of the Day. Make sure you save them under Creative Commons though, otherwise we can’t use them!