chop

Chop like a ninja!

Fruit Ninja HD is a faithful iPad adaptation of the popular iPhone and iPod Touch game of the same name. This HD version adds same-device multiplayer and sharper graphics to the original's unique gameplay.

The interface hasn't changed, but the game's goofy and addictive premise--slashing through fast-flying fruit with swiping strokes of a virtual sword--works especially well on the iPad's bigger screen. You can even "go Wolverine" with up to eight-finger multitouch.

The game gives you several options for solo and multiplayer: In single-player, you can play Classic (the game ends when you hit … Read more

Will Amazon drop the Kindle's price?

Not long after the iPad was announced back in January, I wrote a column titled, "Which e-readers will the iPad Crush?" For the article, I came up with a list of several e-reader hopefuls that I thought would be most profoundly affected by the arrival of the iPad. Not surprisingly, all of them were more-expensive e-readers with price tags approaching--or even exceeding--the cost of the entry-level 16GB Wi-Fi-only iPad ($499).

You don't exactly have to be genius to speculate that products like the Plastic Logic Que proReader, which starts at $649, will be jeopardized by the iPad'… Read more

Trap your scraps

Professional kitchens, like the ones found in restaurants, usually have a prep station. A person can stand at a particular part of the counter, chop vegetables, and push the scraps directly into a bin. The prep area is clean in seconds, letting the cooks focus on cooking instead of cleaning. While your kitchen may not be big enough for a dedicated prep area, you can temporarily convert some counter space into a prep center in seconds. The Scrap Trap hangs over the edge of a drawer or cabinet door underneath your prep area, letting you push your scraps into the … Read more

Chop potatoes, not fingertips

As we enter the holiday season, many of us are planning menus, prepping kitchens, and getting ready to spend at least a day cooking up a feast. With all that cooking inevitably comes a bit of chopping, and if you're not an experienced chef, you may be bit worried about the safety of your fingers.

Proper chopping technique has your finders bent and pressed up against the knife so you can't slice off a fingertip, but if you're unpracticed, the position feels unnatural. The Safe Slice uses a protective shield that grips food tightly and keeps your … Read more

Split and join

Chop is a fast, lightweight tool for splitting up large files and rejoining them. Its interface is a bit sparse on instruction, but anyone that's not an absolute beginner should be able to start using the application effectively within a few minutes.

The default Chop window lets you split files by target medium or by number of files. You can specify the destination as well, or let Chop create a folder automatically. A wizard option simplifies this process and provides context for some of the fields. If you have additional questions, a clear Help file is a button click … Read more

Cut & Carve

Joseph Joseph's Cut & Carve at Delight.com just grabbed my attention this morning, and it seems absolutely brilliant (not to mention gorgeously simply designed, and those subtle spikey nubs to hold the things which may try to slip and slide while you chop and carve - yes, steak, i'm thinking of you...) and at $25 a fun gift for the kitchen gadget lovers on your list. Also, notice that subtle slant, to help you keep those delicious juices which may overflow... or to get the crumbs away from your bread without having them all over your counter? More images after the jump of this low tech kitchen accessory in action with bread, tomatoes, and a close up!

A business card that's a weapon and vegetable chopper

If you happen to run into Jonathan Hirshon, president of Horizon Communications, ask for a business card. It's made of aluminum.

For the past two days, we've been trying to figure out all the many uses for it. It's sharp enough to cut carrots. If sharpened a bit more, it could be fashioned into a Ninja star. If this were the '80s, it would have been a status symbol for drug dealers in Miami.

The word "Horizon" isn't painted on the card either. It's a stencil, so you can also use it to … Read more