This Yuletide I've decided to rank the ways I've received 'Merry Christmas's, according to what I find most important.ġ. In writing too, 'Merry Christmas' can almost be overlooked - although this is even more context specific. The spoken phrase 'Merry Christmas' has become so ubiquitous now that it can often fails have to any impact whatsoever upon receipt - especially if uttered in passing by a stranger (such as a shop assistant, or friend of a friend), or merely used as the sign off to a conversation. 'According to the watch it was 22:32, but according to the Solar Death Ray it was Time To Die' The videos are awesome and much worth watching. Offering the power of 112 suns, this is surely the most environmentally friendly (and fastest) way to heat up your H2O.Įven better, unlike the other options, it can be used for a wide range of other purposes too. However, an invention which bizarrely hasn't made its way onto the virtual shelves of is the Solar Death Ray. You won't see a better review than that anywhere. I like the idea but my kettle cost £8 from tesco and therefore saved me £52. But, before you students all run off and buy one, consider this cunning comment left on a Gizmodo report about the Quick Cup: The water flies up through a heating element, boiling on its way, and you're presented with exactly one cup's worth of boiling water.Īt £60, with a £30 per year saving in energy bills (assuming, I presume, that you run a business selling hot drinks), it seems like an ideal buy. As such, I take great pleasure in filling the eco-kettle to the top, and then boiling it a few times before using the water.Īn invention that claims to offer an even more eco-friendly way to heat up some water is Tefal's Quick Cup. Anyway - I'll often want some very hot water a mere half hour later too, so not boiling the rest of the water simply causes me some more inconvenience. Problem is, you can never quite get the right amount into the bottom. Instead, you merely transfer the amount you need into the lower compartment, only heating what you need, and saving all the penguins and berries in the rainforest into the bargain. The principle behind this bit of wizardry is that the water your pour into the top isn't actually the water that gets heated. Back home in Cardiff I've been struggling to get my head around the gadgetry of my mother's Eco Kettle.