Can our society get any crazier in pursuit of creature comforts? your bet Try the latest in personal care: Personal Environment Zones (PEZ). Never leave home without your own personal heating and cooling system, protected in a bubble of purified air and cocooned in soothing sounds.
All that is needed are the right devices to achieve this state of bliss. No need to sweat summers with the Sharper Image Personal Cooling System. For $49.95, this high-tech “ice pack” fits around your neck and blows cool air with a built-in fan. Sharper Image’s latest upgraded version, the Personal Warm+Cool System ($69.95), will keep you comfortable all year long. This nifty stainless steel contraption looks like a Star Wars neckerchief and connects to a battery pack in your pocket or on your belt. On a sweltering July day, you’re bathed in 20 degrees cooler air, perfect for mowing the lawn or enjoying a hot barbecue. Or reset it to stay warm on those cold winter walks, soccer games, or skiing down the slopes. Personally, I prefer to use the device set to heat at maximum Y stay inside by the fire.
But back to summer and mowing the lawn. Anybody acting allergies? Here are a couple of PEZ devices to clean the air you breathe, indoors or out. Magellan’s Air Supply ($95.00) is a portable air purifier that can be worn around the neck. It’s about the size of a portable CD player and uses corona discharge technology to remove impurities from the air before you breathe them in. It works on pollen, pollution, dust, and even the neighbor’s dog. The Magellan Air Supply is powered by a 9-volt battery and comes with an adapter for wall plugs and car cigarette lighters.
A similar device, the Brookstone Air Purifier, also uses corona discharge technology to remove pollutants from the air. For non-smokers and asthmatics, it can make breathing much easier in smoke-filled restaurants and bars.
Sharper Image Design’s answer to the problem is its personal air purifier, a smaller version of its Ionic Breeze home air purifiers. For $59.95, it cleanses the air by generating negative ions, then gently blows them into your nose and mouth. It eliminates viruses and bacteria, a real advantage for confined spaces such as aircraft cabins. The built-in humidification function also makes dry, stinky airplane air more tolerable on long flights. The personal air purifier even improves the burrito breath of the kid in the seat next to you.
Good, now you feel comfortable with the temperature and breathe sweet-smelling air. What else do you need to relax? How about the soothing sound of rain, birdsong or ocean waves? Brookstone’s Deluxe Tranquil Moments II Sound System ($120) is a digital “sound conditioner” that lets you neutralize distracting noises from the outside world. Select your favorite relaxing sound from the variety of sound card plugins. You could even sleep on the plane.
Sharper Image has a similar device called the Ultra Heart and Sound Cocoon. One of ten natural sounds is sure to lull you to sleep. There’s even a beat for those who really want to go back to the womb.
But if that’s not relaxing enough, try the Lightscape Relaxation System ($149.95), also from Sharper Image. Enjoy your own personal sound and light show. Or connect it to a CD player to add your favorite songs to the program. The stylish unit is built around a pair of dark shades with ear cups. If you’re creating a cocoon, you might as well look great doing it.