Although the illustrations on the game board are gorgeous, the true beauty of Forbidden Island by Gamewright is its focus on cooperation. Too many times, I’ve sat down with a group of friends to play a board game expecting a fun evening full of laughs just to have it devolve into childish taunting and name-calling. Players can finally come together ... Read More »

In the summer of 1985, I went to day camp and rode the bus every day with a quiet, soft-spoken boy from the neighborhood. He was exceedingly kind, and I… well, I wasn’t. On Wild West day, I relished the role of outlaw (even more than usual), and managed to trick that sweet boy into giving me all the candy ... Read More »

Exactly a week ago, my sister gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Around eight months ago, she and I were en route to IKEA when she gave me the good news. A week later I was back at IKEA to return some things from my trip the week before and my sister in law called me with news. She ... Read More »

I get to see a lot of interesting product concepts in this job. But the new Pebble Mattress from Nook Sleep Systems completely stopped me in my tracks. It isn’t so much a mattress as a total reimagining of the infant sleep environment. Aesthetically, it is stunning. The asymmetry of the pebble shapes and the vivid colors of the mattresses ... Read More »

8 years ago my daughter was a newborn and the Baby Bjorn was the “It” baby carrier, a staple on just about every baby registry (mine included). I used it and I liked it, but I wished for more support, and in warm weather, both my daughter and I would sweat bullets. My feedback wasn’t unique, and over the past ... Read More »