Mike Barish Writer. Funny guy. Knower of things.

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Portability has been the driving force behind most technological innovations in the last few decades. Phones became mobile. Those mobile phones became smaller. Computers begat laptops which begat netbooks which could possibly become antiquated if tablets have anything to say about it. Not all tools have been made portable, though. Sadly, coat racks remain stationary devices despite the fact that our jackets exist solely to be taken places. Yet, when the time comes to take a coat off in a car, plane or any other warm/indoor place, there’s no rack on which to hang those coats. How is this possible? How are we not taking coat racks with us to handle our removed jackets? Why are we still tying our outerwear around our waists as if we’re Joey Lawrence? Finally, we can stop asking those philosophical questions because our long nightmare is over. The coat rack has gone portable and we have SkyMall to thank for bringing this technology into the 21st century. This week, SkyMall Monday is beyond excited to feature an invention that will forever change how you hang your coats when you leave the house. Feast your eyes on the Body Back Buddy.

Read the full SkyMall Monday post on Gadling

This week, we’re joined by Andrew Evans of National Geographic Traveler and Gadling fame. We discuss what happens when travel goes wrong.

Listen to Episode 5 of Mike & Alex’s Travel Show

You’d be hard-pressed to find a dog owner who truly enjoys picking up their pet’s poop (unless their into scat films, in which case you’d be wise to give them a wide berth). Scooping poop is demoralizing, tedious and, if done sloppily, unhygienic. One slip up and that poop goes from to the ground to your finger, to your bagel, to your lips, to your wife’s lips to the FedEx guy’s…well, you get the point. It’s a roll of the E. coli dice every time you go to fetch that feces. Plus, all that bending over and the condescending looks from your dog make you feel like a Grade A nimrod. Who wants to deal with that? As a dog owner, I know that picking up poop takes up to 45 seconds of my life everyday. Between bending down, picking it up, tying the bag and then placing the bag in the trash bin, I lose the opportunity to watch one-and-a-half television commercials. How will I know what to buy? That’s why here at SkyMall Monday headquarters, we’ve stopped bending over and dealing with crap. We’ve once again turned to SkyMall to make out lives less, well, crappy. Literally. That’s why we use the Pooch Power Shovel.

Read the entire SkyMall Monday post on Gadling.

The SkyMall Monday headquarters can get pretty dark at night. Not just because it’s built into the side of a mountain like a Bond villain’s lair, but because we here at the home office love to sleep. We don’t enjoy it when anything disrupts our slumber. So, we keep it dark and quiet. Sometimes, however, someone has to get up in the middle of the night to tinkle, and that just causes trouble. Once lights get turned on or screams are generated by toes stubbed in the dark, everyone is awake and upset. Hurtful things are said, bedside books are thrown and another episode of COPS has all the domestic dispute footage that it needs. Thankfully, there’s now a way for people to relieve their bladders without pissing everyone off. No, not rubber sheets. Those are gross and noisy when you are making whoopie. Once again, SkyMall has answered the call of nature people with very specific problems with a logical, practical and handsome solution. Just like cars have headlights, it’s about time that we took responsibility for our own illumination. That’s why we should all keep a pair of Brightfeet Lighted Slippers next to our beds.

Read the full SkyMall Monday post on Gadling.

This week, Alexander Basek and I discuss differences between traveling on the West Coast and East Coast. Driving, food, attitudes and more. Give us a listen.

Episode 3 of Mike & Alex’s Travel Show

Ever wanted to see me do stand-up comedy? Will you be in NYC on September 15? Well, you’re about to fulfill a dream! A small, uninspired dream, but a dream nonetheless. I’ll be performing at Gotham Comedy Club at 8:00pm on September 15.

I strongly recommend that you make a reservation in advance. Just call 212-367-9000 and put your name on the list for the New Talent Showcase. Please be sure to mention my name when you do.

That’s all there is to it. Show up early, have some drinks* and laugh it up. Hope to see you there.

You can watch my past performances here, here and (embarrassingly) here.

Let me know if you’re coming by RSVPing on Facebook.

* About those drinks…you’ll be required to order two of them and there’s a $12 cover. Keep in mind that I give great thank you hugs that last just a few seconds too long.

Episode 2 of Mike & Alex’s Travel Show is live! Head on over to the site to give it a listen. We discuss reality shows, travel TV and Eat Pray Love.

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