NEW MEASURE FOR MEASURE: My home furniture, area

rugs and most of the art was brought — or shipped — from travels near and far. Always on the lookout for functional “souvenirs” that will fit my living spaces, I keep a tape measure ever at hand. Measuring potential purchases just got exponentially easier and more efficient with the introduction of the new eTape16 Digital Tape Measure. As you pull out up to 16 feet of retractable tape from the tough polycarbonate housing, a digital display at the top of the housing shows the measurement in a choice of five different ways: inches, feet, centimeters, fractions to 1/16th of an inch, or decimal units, all of which can be converted back and forth with the touch of a button. The eTape16 provides dual memory functions for storing multiple measurements, a function that adapts for inside or outside measurements of an object, figuring the casing into the calculation; a neat midpoint calculation function that indicates the midpoint of a measurement (a great aid for hanging paintings); and a couple of other digi-tricks. Measuring about 3 inches square by 1¼ inches thick, the eTape16 incorporates a blade lock and belt clip and is powered by an included replaceable CR2032 lithium battery. A model with Bluetooth technology lets you import measurements to a dedicated cellphone app and create digital worksheets. The developers are working on longer tapes and additional apps that will let you virtually “try out” your finds on digital renderings of your living spaces, backyard, whatever. Then, step away from the device and free your mind for the sites and experiences that are the real measure of a trip.