Yes, I am only featuring this because of the flowers.
Now that we’ve got it out of the way… The USB Revolving Hub offers 4 ports, conveniently placed to allow differently sized and shaped gadgets to be powered (yes, even the infamous humping dog will find a spot there).
Of course, about 24792 other hubs can do this, so what’s special? Honestly, nothing. But I like the flowers, and the design of the device is very practical. It comes in black with white flowers and white with black flowers.
How much under $29.99?
Some: $12 on USBGeek.com.
Via Coolest Gadgets
I’m not Jewish, so I will admit my cluelessness about the traditional Dreidel Game, but the No Limit Texas Dreidel Game looks like a cool spin on an old idea.
Like the name justly suggests, this new incarnation combined the original game with Texas Hold’em Poker, with each player’s aim being to create the best dreidel “hand” and win. To play, you will combine dreidel “spins” in your shaker, which only you will see, with other Community Spins, which will be seen by all players.
In keeping with the tradition, you should bet chocolate coins (gelt), but there’s no rule about not using real money, if that’s more your thing. The rules do say that empty coins have no value though, so don’t eat the chocolate too early.
How much under $29.99?
Some: $19.95 on ModernTribe.com.
Via BoingBoing
The guy who designed this t-shirt is brilliant.
It’s so simple, yet no one else thought about it: take a famous and very cool song, illustrate the lyrics, print them on a t-shirt. Two easy and one difficult step later, you’ve got the Friday, I’m In Love! t-shirt which just forces you to play the Cure song. Really, I was on YouTube looking for it 10 seconds after figuring out what the t-shirt was about.
Sometimes a great idea is spoiled by a mediocre design, but this isn’t the case. The little brokenhearted man is adorable and the illustration style really effective, so I can see more than Cure fans rushing to get it.
How much under $29.99?
Some: $15 on Threadless.com.
A solar flashlight sounds stupid at first: if you need one, then there’s no sun to power it, duh.
However, the Hybrid Solar Lite can store the energy for no less than 3 years. Yes, leave it out in the sun today, take it out next Christmas and it will work like a charm. To be fully charged, it needs to soak up the sun (or the lamp) for 8 hours, and it will provide lighting for 16 hours.
What if you’re in a tight spot and there’s no way to recharge it? Well, that’s why it’s called a hybrid: it also comes with a backup battery (which will hold a charge for 7 years). Add that to the fact that it’s water proof and can even float, and you’ve got one great device on your hands.
How much under $29.99?
Some: $19.99 on Amazon.com.
Via Gadgets Weblog
The “gaming is bad” bandwagon is incredibly silly, but one thing is true: kids should play in more ways than one. Outdoors, indoors and in front of the computer. And one of the oldest forms of entertainment are puzzles.
The Puzzler’s Box of Frustration doesn’t have a very friendly name, but could be great as a starter kit for someone who wants to indulge in a little brain competition against some evil devices.
The magnetic cube looks harmless enough and so do the pattern matching and problem solving games, but the Japanese puzzles or the untie the knot game appear to be trickier.
The best thing about the box is the variety; after all, you need to try everything out until you decide what your favorite kind is.
How much under $29.99?
Some: $14.99 on ThinkGeek.com.
What happens when Despair, Inc. and ThinkGeek join forces? Awesomeness, of course.
We’ve featured the Despair calendars before, but the new Despair, Inc. 2009 Custom Calendar comes with added geekiness: important dates of interest marked within it. Maybe you want to celebrate the birth of Skynet (August 4th, 1997), or Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19th), or the day Winston Smith began his diary (April 4th, 1984), or dozens of others from all areas of geekdom.
The calendar features 12 of the best demotivators: Government, Propaganda, Blogging, Customer Disservice, Tradition, Procrastination, Opportunity, Hope, Sanity, Give up, Meetings and Corruption. What better way to bright *ahem* darken your day for a whole year?
How much under $29.99?
Some: $15.99 on ThinkGeek.com.
Ping pong balls flying around the house won’t be fun for the parents who have to pick them up, but the kids will have a blast. If the parents decide that the Build Your Own Electric Cannon Kit is a good idea for a present, that is.
The cons are obvious: the mess, the noise, the potential bruises on innocent bystanders.
The pros are pretty impressive, though: with the help of a knowledgeable adult, a toy could get (older) kids interested in electronics and physics, then there’s the sense of accomplishment at having built something… not to mention it’s a cannon shooting flying ping pong balls (at the poor cat, probably).
This former kid thinks it’s pretty damn cool.
How much under $29.99?
Some: $17.95 on Amazon.com.
There might be some things cooler than xkcd, but just a few.
One of the most awesome comics on the web is pulling a Radiohead: offering pay-as-much-as-you-want merchandise. Almost as much as you want, anyway. The base prince for the xkcd Signed Prints is $15, but if you want to make a donation to the website (and still get something tangible for it) you can just set your own price, be it $16 or $50.
There’s 15 prints available with some of the coolest strips, such as xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel, Sudo Make Me a Sandwich or Cat Proximity. And $15 for a print signed by Mr. Randall himself is a “hell yes” for me.
How much under $29.99?
Some: $15 on xkcd.com.
Doesn’t it feel good to huddle around a fire when you’re camping? Banishing the cold and dark… having your face melt while your back is freezing…
Can you spot the problem there? Unlike indoor heating, fire only warms the parts of the body closer to it, so the result usually is a frozen backside. This is not anyone’s dream, so frequent campers cold do themselves a favor and invest in a Campfire Back Warmer. It’s nothing complicated, just a reflective sheet which clips onto a chair and directs the warmth towards the person sitting against it, but it can do wonders on a cold night.
How much under $29.99?
Some: $19.95 on LeeValley.com.
Via Core77
Although the trend to make everything many-in-one gives birth to an incredible amount of crap, sometimes (when designers think for more than 10 minutes) the result is actually useful.
A 4 in 1 Tape Measure might seem like overkill, but wait until you’re in an empty house trying to figure out the size of your future shelves or carpet… The 4 things included are a 16-feet tape measure, a calculator, a note pad and a LED light, which makes it extra easy to determine the exact size of things to buy.
Speaking as someone who’s had to measure the same rooms 3 times because she kept losing the bits of paper with the figures, this can be a very useful thing to have if you’re planning some handywork.
How much under $29.99?
Some: $17.98 on Amazon.com.
Via Gizmodo
