I am a little tree hugger at heart. I am also a frequent tea-drinker, so I am forever fascinated by the variety of cups available. I don’t have that much room in my cupboard, so I have to filter them out a bit…

Today’s mug happily unites my two interests. The Global Warming Mug reacts to heat, so your liquid of choice will make the ocean spread across the continents as the ice caps melt and the water levels rise. Not the most optimistic way to start the day, I know. But it looks cool and some of us actually enjoy thinking about these things. We’re not there yet, so there’s still hope, right?

How much under $29.99?
Some: $10.95 on Amazon.com.

Skin for your laptop? Check. Skin for your iPod? Check. Skin for your toilet? Che… err?

No, you’re not reading it wrong. Now you can get skins (or tattoos, like they’re actually called) for your toilet. And, honestly, I can see why. A plain white toilet seat is boring. Men might not appreciate the idea, but most women like their various items to match. And why not have a nice green pattern on the walls, shower curtain and toilet? (Yes, there’s the alternative of the rugs, but I personally don’t like them at all.)

The Toilet Tattoos come in a very wide range of models and colors and, since I found a couple I loved and a couple I hated, there’s probably something for every taste. They cling to the toilet lid with the use of electrostatic energy, so you can take them off and reuse them with no problem.

Maybe it’s just the decoration craze I’ve been in lately, but I really want to get one of these right now.

How much under $29.99?
A lot: $9.95 on Toilet-Tattoos.com.

Via Chip Chick

This isn’t a gadget and it’s not even proper geeky (unless you’re a cooking geek, I suppose). But I like it so damn much I can’t not post it.

The Spice Tower is a dream come true for a neatness freak, and it’s so eye-candy. It contains six acrylic spice bottles with removable sifter lids, plus two extra sifters with smaller holes if needed, so you get to keep your spice separate and handy.

But the best part is that it looks almost like a decoration. The kitchen is not exactly a place you’d describe as “classy” or “elegant” (at least mine isn’t), but a touch like this (useful and pretty) can never hurt.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $12.99 on Wrapables.com.

Via cribcandy

I still don’t know if anyone actually uses fridge magnets, but who cares? They’re cool and fun. And maybe none cooler than the Magnetic Cork Pin Cushion.

This unusual thing looks like the love child of a fridge magnet, a pin cushion and a corkboard, and the result is pretty interesting, at least from a visual point of view. It works not like a traditional magnet, but by attaching notes with the included matching pins. While it doesn’t sound very practical to me, the design is unusual enough to (maybe) make you forget minor inconveniences.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $10 on MoMAStore.com.

Via Outblush

My latest source of fascination are these thermosensitive mugs. The idea of text/color appearing or disappearing depending on the temperature of a liquid is so awesome! True, they’re just mugs, but I am easily amused and I can see myself staring at something like this for a long long time…

After the Hot Cold Mug, I found another example of this: the Disappearing Civil Liberties Mug. Pour hot liquid, wait for a bit, then watch as your civil liberties disappear in front of your eyes. Beside the “wow” factor, you can use this to send a message out there, if anyone’s listening.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $12 on UncommonGoods.com.

Fridges are big white things that take a lot of space and, frankly, they’re quite boring. That’s probably why so many people put magnets on them.

I choose Pirate Magnets today – because, whatever anyone says, pirates are waaay better than ninjas. And there’s a way of making these useful(ish) without pinning notes under them: whenever you steal someone’s food from the office fridge, leave one of them behind (there’s 12 in each pack, more than enough). Hey, these are dangerous times, people should expect their food to be stolen by pirates, right? Leave them wondering who the perpetrator is, buy make sure no one sees you doing it unless you want to get into trouble.

Of course, you can also adorn your personal fridge with them. But I have a question: do you or anyone you know ever put post-it notes under the magnets?

How much under $29.99?
A lot: $4.95 on McPhee.com.

We’ve all been kids and most of us remember how absolutely no fun brushing our teeth. It’s still boring when you’re an adult, but at least you can understand why it’s good for you.

However, I think most kids need to be tricked or forced into it. I don’t have kids of my own, so I don’t know if this would work, but it has potential. The Circus Toothbrush Timer features a colorful clown with a timer on its head. The idea behind it is that the kids will love to flip the timer, so they’ll brush their teeth for the 2.5 minutes required, and they’ll appreciate being rewarded with a large smile from their brushing toy.

Cool thing, anything that promotes dental hygiene is great in my book.

How much under $29.99?
A little: $25 on UncommonGoods.com.

Via Coolest Gadgets

Coffee drinkers get too much attention, so I’ll call this a tea cup. Tea is healthier, mmkay?

So, it’s a tea cup which tells you if your beverage is hot, cold or in-between, and it’s appropriately called Hot Cold Mug. Why would you need something like this? I, for one, constantly burn my tongue and lips on too hot drinks, so I’ve switched to the other extreme – letting them get too cold. I can’t be bothered to pick the cup up every minute to see if the temperature is right, really…

This is a wee bit too expensive for a cup, but hey, what are friends for if not for giving you gifts you wouldn’t buy for yourself?

How much under $29.99?
A little: $25 on CharlesandMarie.com (pre-order).]

I’m a bit puzzled as to how much people can eat (and think it’s normal). My stomach pretty much tells me “stop eating or you’ll not like the results” after a medium-sized meal, but, well, I guess some people don’t have this close a relationship with their stomachs.

For them, there’s the Portion Pals. Which means 5 plastic discs (one each for meat, fish, chicken, bread and dessert) designed to help you measure your food.

I have a few questions. How do you cut chicken in a rectangular shape? What if your steak is 1 inch thick? What if a dessert is a cake full of chocolate and sugar and one is a biscuit? I fail to the how these can be useful. I refuse to think people are this stupid. If you’re going to diet, do it by weighing your food properly. If you’re not, just think before you eat!

How much under $29.99?
Some: $17.95 on Solutions.com.

Via OhGizmo!

Is salt and pepper shakers the new niche for products with useless features? We previously featured the Movers and Shakers (that is, shakers that shake themselves).

Today… the Mini Lantern Salt and Pepper Shakers. The catch: each comes with three white LED bulbs, so they can double as lighting devices. They are not really pointless, but for the very narrow range of occassions they can be used, I don’t know if they’re worth the money. I mean, who regularly throws nighttime picnics or barbecues?

How much under $29.99?
A little: $24.99 on HomeWetBar.com.

Via OhGizmo!