Have you ever seen a television show and thought, “How can I see another 36 hours of that?” If you’re as obsessed with media as I am, you probably view entertainment in seasons, not episodes.

When attempting to cook up your TV junkie fix, you may find that supporting your habit means blowing all of your money on DVD box sets and frivolous premium channel subscriptions. With reruns as your only methadone source, how do you handle an unhealthy media obsession?

By Colleen Lynch

If you’re among the throngs of people literally attached at the hip to an iPod or an iPod Nano, chances are you own a few peripheral accessories. Topping the list of hot third party add-ons are sound docks; which are home stereo systems designed for easy iPod drop-in. These iPod-specific speaker offerings not only allow for desired ear-bursting volumes, but also provide the added bonus of charging the device as it plays.

HoMedics SS-200 SoundSpa Acoustic Relaxation Sound Machine

I would highly recommend this particular sound machine. It will suppress a lot of other noises. This HoMedics Sound Spa has six natural sounds for simple selection. They are: mountain stream, ocean waves, white noise (waterfall), summer night, heartbeat, and spring rain. The summer night sounds are particularly soothing, especially when the crickets are chirping. This sound spa can be displayed in 3 ways: hanging on the wall, laying flat on a surface, or use the enclosed stand to stand erect. The standing bracket is easy to snap into position and does not come off during every day use.

Linksys WVC11B Wireless-B Video Camera

The camera itself is a swiveling camera/lens assembly on a back panel. The lens (if you’d call it that) isn’t much, maybe 3mm wide and possibly plastic. Focus is done by rotating the plastic around the lens, which often would cause the camera to reboot without rationale. The panel has a WiFi antenna attached near the top, and connections for 10/100 Ethernet and Power on the bottom. The back has screw holes for mounting directly to the wall. A weighted stand is integrated to place it on a flat surface, which feels pretty stable. The package also provides a power adapter, software CD and an Ethernet cable.

LG LTM9000ST 0.9 Cu. Ft. Combination Microwave Oven and Toaster with 900 Microwave Watts, 6 Auto Cook Options & 9 Toasting Levels: Stainless Steel

The coolness aspect sometimes surpasses the practical value, just a little, of this combination LG microwave toaster. Don’t get mixed up–the oven looks great, gets top-notch reviews from visitors who come across it. It invites lots of inquiries about the product. And it works just fine.

The stainless steel is a great, modern look. Having both tools in one appliance seems like a great idea. And, for what it’s designed to do, it works fine.

Hoover U6630-900 Self Propelled WindTunnel Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner

It’s easy to get fed up with uprights that never seem to really clean the carpet, yet this unit surpasses all vacuum cleaner expectations. It is a very powerful unit that really gets the job done. One of the greatest features is the indicator lights that let you know when the carpet is clean. It is very helpful because it forces you to vacuum the carpet slowly so you can get all the dirt you can instead of just skimming across the rug, leaving half the dirt behind.

BRTFAX2820 IntelliFAX Fax-2820 Plain Paper Laser Fax, 14-7/10w x 14-7/10d x 10-3/10h

A necessity of basically any office now is to have a fax machine. Not just any fax machine either, but one that can manage a hefty load of work, and can do so with little effort. Nobody wants to lose time trying to figure out the fax machine, or spend hours going through a manual just to find that it takes a ton of steps to send one out each time. This particular model can do a lot of the tricks that you want in a fax machine. Even better is its ability to print out a confirmation sheet each time that a fax was sent to someone. This is to verify that you know whether it had been received or not, and it means that you have less concern about the transmission process itself.

Rancilio Silvia Espresso Machine

If you have an interest in first-rate home espresso equipment then may I introduce you to the one, the only, the infamous Rancilio Miss Silvia.

This machine is by far the finest machine for the money. It outshines on so many levels that it is not easy to know where to start explaining the highlights. Construction, steam-ability, quality parts, weight, resale value, name value, and price are all but a few of the things that make this machine tops.

Midtown Madness (Jewel Case)

In Microsoft’s Midtown Madness, the city of Chicago is your playing ground. There is traffic, street lights, stop signs, police, pedestrians and they all abide by the laws. When you race you will either race against contenders or against time and all other traffic still abides by laws so be prepared to whip in and out of those law abiding citizens and take any short cuts you can find. To start out you can pick any of the five unlocked cars. The other five are locked and you will have to prove your stuff to unlock them.

Black Leather HT-130 HTT-10i Robotic Human Touch Massage Chair RF

Curious as to how close the “Human Touch” comes to a real massage?

One of the best and most impressive features of the magical chair is the calf massager. It feels really good but it massages the side of the calf, not the back of it, which some may prefer more.

There are many different options of back rollers. It does a good job at a shiatsu style massage, but unfortunately there is no adjustment for width of rollers or amount of pressure. Without such adjustments, it can’t be called “human touch.”