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WE simply can’t see enough of ourselves, or so it would seem from today’s selfie craze.
人们对自己可谓百看不厌，至少从眼下的自拍热来看是的。
Twitter declared 2014 the year of the selfie, and 2015 is shaping up as the year selfie gear for smartphones goes mainstream, with items as diverse as selfie-shooting tools and novel ways to display those images — even burned onto a piece of breakfast toast.
过去的2014年被Twitter封为“自拍年”，如今2015年正进一步见证着智能手机自拍装置的崛起，从简单的自拍工具到新颖的照片呈现方式——甚至可以把照片烤到早餐面包上。
Out in front, by more than an arm’s length, is the selfie stick.
其中最前卫的当属比手臂还长的自拍杆。
Many of us saw President Obama wielding one in a recent video. And news accounts have told of museums and some sports venues banning their use, for fear something or someone will get poked.
我们很多人看过奥巴马总统在最近的视频中挥舞着自拍杆的画面，也听过某些博物馆和体育馆因为担心物品或人被戳到而禁用了自拍杆的新闻。
Despite all the buzz and ridicule these devices have prompted, the monopod for smartphones is not all that easy to find in stores in the United States.
尽管自拍杆成了话题焦点，要想在纽约的商店里找到一个智能手机的支架却并没那么容易。
They are easy to find online, however, with the two most common varieties selling for $50 or far less. But a word of warning: The consensus of online customer reviews is that the cheapest models — some selling for under $10 — are flimsy.
但在网上，要买它们就容易得多了，最常见的两款标价50美元（约合310元人民币）甚至便宜得多。但这里要提醒的是：用户评论一致显示最便宜的，也就是那些售价还不足10美元（约合62元人民币）的产品十分劣质。
Today’s selfie sticks are patterned along the same basic design of one patented 30 years ago that allowed photographers to take self-portraits at a distance with cheap point-and-shoot film cameras.
如今的自拍杆基本沿用了30年前摄影师们在一定距离开外拍自己肖像的装置的设计，那个时候还只能用便宜的傻瓜胶片相机拍摄。
They range from simple poles that hold the phone securely while the phone’s timer clicks the shutter, to sticks with built-in Bluetooth triggers in the handle that allow the holder to point and shoot at will.
这些自拍杆种类各异。从只具备简单的固定手机作用，要依靠手机倒计时装置触发快门的；到手柄自带蓝牙触发器，能随意控制拍摄的。
There are also selfie sticks that hark back to the 1980s, with a cable from the hand-held end to the shutter control.
还有一些自拍杆让人感觉重新回到20世纪80年代，手柄端和快门控制器之间连着一条线。
The Looq 2G for iPhone and Android is one example of that variety. Its trigger is built into the grip, controlling the camera shutter through a cable that plugs into the phone’s earphone jack.
这种有线自拍杆的代表产品是同时适用于安卓手机与iPhone的Looq 2G。它的触发器安装在手柄上，能通过一条插入耳机孔的线来控制快门。
With a list price of $45, it requires the download of a free app that also comes with filters.
这款产品标价45美元（约合279元人民币），使用时需要下载一款免费、内置滤镜的配套应用。
An app-free version for iPhone only, the Looq S, is listed for $25 on the company’s website. The poles on both models adjust from 5.5 inches to 24 inches and weigh just under four ounces.
Looq S不需要下载配套应用，但仅适用于iPhone系统。它在公司官网标价25美元（约合155元人民币）。以上两款产品的杆长均可调节，最短为5.5英寸（约合14厘米），最长达24英寸（约合61厘米），重量尚不足4盎司（约合113克）。
Ipow and Noot are two other examples of wired sticks. Both telescope out to more than three feet and cost about $15.
Ipow和Noot两款也是有线自拍杆。两款杆身都可伸长至3英尺（约合1米）以上，价格在15美元（约合93元）上下。
The makers of these selfie sticks say they offer a distinct advantage: There are no Bluetooth-matching problems between it and the phone and no risk of interference with other devices.
有线自拍杆的制作者称这些产品有着独特的优势：从不会发生蓝牙连接或干扰其他设备的问题。
For wireless fanciers there are also plenty of choices.
无线自拍杆的青睐者们也有丰富的产品群可以选择。
The Minisuit Selfie Stick Pro, for one, has a built-in Bluetooth remote shutter control. It works with Apple and Android phones.
Minisuit Selfie Stick Pro就是其中之一，它内置了能与苹果和安卓手机配对的蓝牙快门遥控器。
Walmart was selling it for $18 online recently, discounted from the $30 list price.
这款自拍杆原价30美元（约合186元人民币），最近在沃尔玛网上超市打折，仅售18美元（约合112元人民币）。
Another choice is the CamKix, which gets generally good reviews for its durability, extends to 40 inches and sells for around $25.
CamKix也是可选产品之一。用户评论说这款自拍杆坚实耐用，可伸长至40英寸（约合102厘米），售价25美元（约合155元人民币）上下。
Whether the stick you buy is wired or wireless, think about what you will carry it in. And try to keep movement to a minimum: A tiny wrist movement is amplified into a blurry photo when you put a camera on a long stick. That is why some people prefer a simple stick without any sort of built-in trigger. They can then either rely on the phone’s shutter timer, or use a wireless remote shutter button held in the other hand.
不管你买的是有线还是无线的，都要明白你用它是来架什么的，所以动作要尽可能小：当你把相机放在长杆的另一头时，哪怕手腕再微小的抖动都会被放大成模糊的照片。因此，很多人更青睐简简单单没有内置快门按键的款式，要么靠手机的倒计时装置，要么用另一只手拿着无线遥控器。
Plastic remotes selling for $10 and under are easy to come by online. They typically have a range of up to 30 feet and do not require an app to work with most iPhones, iPads or Android devices. Most have a changeable button battery.
网上很容易就能买到10美元（约合62元人民币）以下的塑料遥控器。通常来说，它们的有效范围可达30英尺（约合9米），并且不需要在iPhone、iPad和安卓设备上下载配套的应用。而且绝大多数款式可更换纽扣电池。
There are some higher-end options as well. The JoyGeek Ultrathin Wireless Remote Control Camera Shutter Release is made of zinc alloy and waterproof. It supports iOS 7 and Android 4.4 and above, and is 4.2 millimeters thin.
也有高端一些的遥控器。如JoyGeek Ultrathin 无线相机快门遥控器，这一产品厚度仅4.2毫米，由锌合金制成，具备防水功能，支持iOS7、安卓4.4及以上系统，。
Unlike the cheaper models with changeable button batteries, this remote has an internal battery with an advertised two-year life.
与廉价可更换电池的遥控器不同，这款设备靠内置电池供电，其广告称使用寿命长达两年。
Amazon lists it at $70 but discounts are available.
该产品在亚马逊上标价70美元（约合434元），但会有折扣。
What article about selfies would be complete without at least a mention of what to do with them. Sure, you could share them on Instagram or Facebook. That would be ... predictable.
既然是关于自拍的文章，那怎么能不讨论照片的用处？你当然可以把它们分享到Instagram或Facebook上，但这实在……没什么新意。
Then there’s the Selfie Toaster — a device that converts those self-portraits, or any picture, really, into an image on toasted bread.
于是自拍烤面包机便应运而生了——这是一种可以把自拍照或其他任何图片烤到面包上的设备。
The Vermont Novelty Toaster Corporation, which started out offering toasters that transferred images of Jesus and a peace sign onto browned bread, saw its sales shoot up 1,000 percent since it began offering the Selfie Toaster last May, said Galen Dively, owner and chief executive. The appliances are now in Hammacher Schlemmer and soon to be in Bed Bath & Beyond, he said.
Vermont Novelty烤面包机公司靠着能烤出带有耶稣和和平符号面包的面包机起家，并于去年五月推出自拍烤面包机。此后，他们产品的销量就疯涨了10倍，公司持有者及首席执行官伽林·戴夫利(Galen Dively)说。他同时称这些产品现在在Hammacher Schlemmer有售，很快将入驻Bed Bath & Beyond。
Twenty-five dollars buys the toaster. It costs $45 more for the company to custom-make sheet metal plate stencils out of the photos customers submit, Mr. Dively said.
自拍烤面包机机身只需25美元（约合155元人民币）。根据顾客提供的照片制作金属模具板需45美元（约合279元人民币），戴夫利说。
The plates work like a negative, with the open parts allowing the heat to darken the bread. The most workable pictures are those with good lighting that haven’t been run through any filters, he said. Discounts are offered for customers who order more than one plate.
这些模具板的工作原理和照片底片类似，透光部分能通过更多热量来烤焦面包。用光线适宜且没加滤镜的照片做出的模具板效果最佳，他说。制作多张模具板的客户还可以享受折扣。
