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30 minutes to pick the perfect wrapping paper? Lots of money to get your present gift-wrapped? Naaah, why waste time and money when you can get a perfectly good gift box in a couple of clicks?
Well, perhaps because these gift boxes are printed with stupid fake gifts. The set has four to choose from:
- Visorganizer - an organizer made to be worn on the visor of your hat
- 28-Piece Professional Whisk Set - a LOT of whisks
- Peaceful Progression Smoke Alarm - well, “alarm” is not the right word, as the supposed nature sounds will only ensure you die peacefully, in your sleep
- Auto Power Strip - a power trip that allegedly lets your plug in 8 items
Use these to get back at old enemies or to make fun of friends. Given the amount of crap on sale nowadays, they all seem credible.
How much under $29.99?
Some: $19.99 on TheOnion.com.
Via uncrate
Some fan-merchandise is really fans-only (who else but a Monty Python fan would buy a toy knight with removable limbs?), but some items have a more general appeal.
I haven’t seen the movie and I still think the Nightmare Before Xmas Mobile Light is very cool. Just turns off the light and enjoy the slowly rotating image of Jack Skellington and friends on the ceiling. Of course, if you loved the movie this will seem even better. And if your girlfriend is a Nightmare fan you can pass it off a romantic lighting.
How much under $29.99?
Some: $21.99 on ThinkGeek.com.
Nowadays, everything is USB powered. Unfortunately, “everything” means too many devices for the USB ports most of us have. The solution, we all know, is USB hubs. Since there’s not much innovation you can bring to the basic device, companies struggle to make attractive designs.
The USB Runner Hub is one of the winners. First, it looks cool. Second, it has 4 USB ports, located in the base and in the man’s hand, leg and briefcase (the latter even spins 180 degrees), so you should be able to fit any size and shape of device in at least one of them.
The only downside it that it takes up too much space. If you’re looking for something small, choose another hub. If you’re looking for a hub/decoration, this is a good idea.
How much under $29.99?
Some: $12 on Brando.com.hk.
Via Coolest Gadgets
I’ve always liked smart t-shirts. Especially when they’re not smarter than me - i.e. when I get the joke.
You don’t need to be too smart to get this, just to remember a bit from your Chemistry classes. The Solution Babydoll t-shirt has some drawings of lab equipment and the text “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the precipitate”.
Despite my above comment, I admit I’d get this just to look smarter than most. Unfortunately, I am sure that just a fraction of the people who did Chemistry in school remember what a precipitate is, so the t-shirt will at least filter out those guys who thought high-school was that thing in between the rounds of beer.
How much under $29.99?
Some: $17.99 on ThinkGeek.com.
How would you feel to pass by your faithful employees and realize they were not, in fact, hard at work at that report, but instead they were engaged in a thrilling game of multiplayer Hearts? Not happy, I presume.
Sorry, there’s no solution for preventing this (except for deleting all games, filtering internet access etc.), but there is a way of making you at least think they’re working. A month ago we all saw the Phantom Mouse. Now we’ve got the USB Smart Privacy Mouse. The principle is the same: look busy by pushing one button.
You can choose from one of its three modes: hide current window, hide all windows and hide all windows except the ones defined by you, which I find very useful. Just make Yahoo Messenger dissapear and Excel pop up - Hey boss, this report is taking longer that I thought!, or hide that *ahem* interesting website from your mum and act like you were just writing the paper for tomorrow.
Besides, it’s cheaper and looks much better than the Japanese version.
How much under $29.99?
Some: $19.99 on USBFever.com.
Via OhGizmo!
One of my major problems in winter is headphones. Now I have earbuds, but I spent a whole winter last year with over-the-head headphones and there was this little issue with hats… It was either have a warm head, either listen to music. And I wanted both.
The solution to my problem seems to be a Tooks Hat. It a beanie with integrated removable headphones and it comes in 6 colors: black, navy blue, grey, chocolate brown, red and pink. Or, if it’s not that cold where you are, you can go for the headband version.
Of course, it would be easier to buy a normal beanie and a pair of earbuds, but you wouldn’t get people staring at your hat, would you?
How much under $29.99?
A little: $24.99 on EpicOutfit.com.
Via Coolest Gadgets
I’ve been thinking, and I think you can’t really define what is useless. One man’s junk, another man’s treasure? Something like that.
Take the Hand Wash and Toothbrush Timer. It’s a device that lets you know when you are done washing your hands or brushing your teeth (20 seconds and 2 minutes). Of course, you could do that with a normal clock, it’s not like it’s some sort of rocket science.
But… ah, this is so appealing. I don’t have a watch and I don’t usually take my cell phone with me in the bathroom, and I never ever know if I brush my teeth enough. I just get bored after a while, then feel guilty that I quit too soon. Maybe a shiny gadget would make me take more care.
How much under $29.99?
A lot: $9.99 on WhaterverWorks.com.
Via bookofjoe
It’s Mario time again! Any Mario Kart fans around? In case you were tired of just playing with virtual Mario & co., you can now get your hands on real life versions of the karts.
You can’t get into one and race, but you can play against your friends if you get a pack of Mario Karts Pull Backs. Each pack includes three (random) characters out of the six in the series: Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Princess Peach, Wario, Yoshi and Donkey Kong.
How much under $29.99?
Some: ~$11.60 on AnyToys.co.uk.
Via ubergizmo
I’m really starting to think gadget manufacturers actually print a bunch of words (like USB, music, iPod, chair, book), cut them up, pick two at random and say: A-HA! Our newest product will be… Memory Foam MP3 Blackout Shades!
The idea behind this is that you can listen to your favorite tracks via the built-in headphones while relaxing your eyes. The cool thing is the Memory Foam - “a revolutionary visco-elastic foam that is made up of cells that open and close and adjust to body weight and temperature”. Which is very interesting but… why add the speakers? Can’t I just use my mp3 player with its headphones? Ah, right, that’s not techy enough…
How much under $29.99?
A little: $24.99 on SmartHome.com.
Via ubergizmo
When your screen looks fuzzy, don’t be quick to blame the display manufacturer. Put one finger on the screen, move in a line. If the image suddenly becomes clear, wipe the whole thing and stop being a slob!
Maybe you need an incentive. How about a fluffy car? It’s officially called a Racing car computer screen cleaner, but it’s really a plush car with a soft underside, perfect for picking up dust without scratching your precious electronic equipment. Also good if you have kids and want to teach them to take care of their computer.
How much under $29.99?
Some: ~$13.80 on Alt-Gifts.co.uk.
Via ShinyShiny
