The Super Times Blog

Using your smartphone in the cold winter

It’s getting cold out there (for some of us)! which means wooly hats, scarves and yup, gloves too.  Rather than play a little ‘glove on, glove off’ dance this winter in order to use your smartphone, we’ve rounded up some gloves to both keep your fingers toasty and let you tap, swipe and swoosh your fingers all around your devices.

1. Muji’s Speckled Touchscreen Gloves

These handsome looking unisex gloves can be shared with the Mr or Mrs and are a bit of a bargain at £12.95

2. Etre Touchy Wool Gloves

Taking a different approach Etre’s gloves have the thumb and index fingers missing so that you can easily use your phone.  They are also lovingly made at a family-run wool mill in Scotland, making the £40 price tag seem really worth while. Cosy and stylish.

3. Mujjo Touchscreen Gloves

Rather than have touch capability in just a few fingers Mujjo’s gloves are conductive all over, making them great for the smartphone addicts. This dutch company has a good range of neutral colours and the gloves are super thick to keep you warm.  These ones cost €24.95

4. Make Your Own

Or you could just get creative and hack any or all of your existing gloves with some conductive thread.  There’s a range of lovely colours on Etsy from as little as £3.20.

(Comic) Books

Why are comic books hidden away in special shops and comic book conventions known as comic-cons?  They’re books, all be it with pictures, that vary from serious and intellectual to light-hearted and whimsical, just like other books.  You might even argue that the fact they have pictures makes them even better!

Well, having a soft spot for comics we’ve rounded up a few to get you going if you haven’t tried reading them before.  Remember, you could always twirl your moustache and say you’re reading a ‘graphic novel’ if someone questions your reading of a picture book! ;)

1. The Day Job by Rus of Eat, Sleep, Sniff

This is a mini-comic which you can buy on Rus’s website and is simply one of the best little things you could read.  With a little twist at the end, it’s the kind of book that leaves a smile on your face for the rest of the day.

2. City People Notebook by Will Eisner

Will Eisner was doing some great things with illustrations and words waaaaay back, circa 1930s.  City People Notebook is a great place to start with Eisner’s massive collection as it encapsulates the charm of his drawings and his honed observations of being human.

3. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

This a meaty book to get stuck into.  The kind of book that people refer to as a graphic novel and you can even buy it in a regular book shop.  Satrapi poignantly tells the tale of a young girl growing up all against the backdrop of the islamic revolution in Iran.  It’s an autobiographical piece and after reading it you can treat yourself to watching the film.

Pooping in Space

Pooping in space!… pooping in space?… well, how would that go?  Mary Roach discusses this in her bestselling book ‘Packing for Mars: the curious science of life in the void’.  She also features in this weeks edition of The Super Times as part of a Free Library Podcast.