Yes, I'm single.

Can you tell? Is it the weird, glazed look in my eyes? The way I salivate for no apparent reason?

Or is it that, like Tom Hanks in Castaway, I name inanimate objects?

Meet Woody.
Woody is the latest creation of my OCD. On Thursday night I saw a small super-trick looking foldable titanium wood stove for hiking, and came "this" close to buying it. I was held back by the price - about a hunnerd denooleys. For once I reined in my impulses, went home and did some googlin' to see if it was the real deal. Mixed reviews. Phew.

I found out that there are many kinds of hiking-friendly wood stoves, and most of them require either an engineering degree to build or at least a longer attention span than I possess. Long story short, Woody is a hybrid of my own ideas and impatience with some designs created by smart people on the interweb.

I did a little field-test late this arvo in about 5deg conditions in the local semi-secluded park, and this thing ROCKS!!! I had 500ml of water boiling in less than ten minutes from arriving at the park, and I only had to use a piece of paper napkin and a handful of sticks. Win.

Having wasted many an hour trying to build home made ultralite cooking systems in the past and never being able to solve the 'fuel problem' this stove is a revelation. If I ever find myself somewhere there aren't any (dry) sticks, it can run on fuel tablets too and then doubles as a wind screen. I have a little tin that fits right inside to hold hexamine or Esbit tablets, and the mug also fits inside when the handles are folded in. Compact.

Oh yeah, the weight: 92g.

The cost: Whatever the electricity bill is for about four hours of running my computer to search the subject and work this out. I estimate 6.4yen. I already had the coffee can.