My wife and I recently decided to install a new washer and dryer in our apartment. After much research, we settled upon the Malber WD1000 combo washer/dryer. Here are the features we knew we wanted:

• true combo washer/dryer – a single machine that front loads
• condensing drying – no air vent necessary
• energy and water efficient
• under $1000

There are many name brands out there, but for under $1000, Malber seemed to have the best reviews of all the machines, and the best functionality, so we purchased it.

After two weeks of using the machine, we are thrilled. The key is realizing that one’s laundry habits have to change. With a two to three hour wash and dry time, pipelining is no longer possible, but because the washer and dryer are one machine, no more moving wet clothes from a washer to a dryer. We simply configure the load wash and dry the way we’d like it and let things run!

That means instead of four hours of laundry on Saturday morning, we now do 15 minutes of laundry every day or two. We put a small load in at night, and it’s washed and dried by morning! Our total time spent doing laundry has dropped dramatically, the washer is gentler on our clothes, and we save on water and energy costs. Who could ask for more?

Even though Malber is an Italian company, we ordered the unit through a local appliance dealer, and it was delivered in two days. It’s also available via Amazon. If you are looking for a combo washer/dryer, I highly recommend this one.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has recently published a legal guide for bloggers that addresses issues such as fair use, defamation, and privacy rights. A good read for bloggers everywhere.

I recently joined attentiontrust.org, an organization working to build awareness about your “attention data.” In other words, all that data about your browsing habits that websites and ad networks are collecting.

This data can be turned into valuable information that in turn can be used to market to you and provide a better product experience for you. In addition, one can imagine what people could learn from one’s browsing habits, so the privacy issue is also wrapped up in this attention-quest.

attentiontrust.org is advocating for true consumer control of one’s own data. If attention information is valuable, let the consumer dictate who can use it, how they can use it, and for how much. I’ve always liked this concept, and I am happy to see a group advocating for it.

I’ve had an Airport Express for over six months now, and combined with iTunes, it is a great solution for playing music from your computer over your home stereo system. It is easy to install and easy to use, and except for the occasional need to reboot(once every few months), I’ve had no problems. The AE is especially useful when you are sitting on your couch with a laptop and would like to move from Miles Davis to They Might Be Giants and then to Pork Chop Express.