I’ve not seen one of these in ages, a fully working minature steam engine (and I’ve never seen a model engine with so much shiny brass).

The classic Locomobile is works like a real steam engine but is 1/8 the size. You fill the boiler with water, light a dry spirit tablet and when the boiler is hot enough the steam powers the engine (and the all important whistle).

This is one of those toys that as well as being fun and educational is also a pretty good investment IMO (though bear in mind I have a shed full of 2000 AD comics that I thought would be worth something one day (Sylvestor Stallone (Judge Dredd) has a lot to answer for)). You can get the Classic Working Steam Engine Locomobile for $549.95 from Hammacher.

I didn’t grow up with Pong, but I know a lot of people did. And a lot of people loved it. If you were one of those people, you surely will go out and buy a Plug ‘n Play Atari video game keychain.

Modern technology puts all that great Pong action into something that can fit right on your keychain. Just think, you can take Pong with you everywhere.
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Like to listen to music while you work but find your workplace a little too dangerous and dirty for your fragile little iPod? Bosch, a company more famous for their power tools than stereo equipment just might have the perfect solution for you.

The Bosch Power Box is a feature-rich stereo system that not only sounds great, but has a protective roll cage that keeps it safe in busy commercial and outdoor work environments. When used with the Bosch Power Box iPod Dock (sold separately) you can bring your job sites into the digital music age. The Bosch iPod Dock easily connects to the Power Box where it not only protects your iPod but recharges it too.

The Bosch Power Box and iPod Dock sound like a powerful combo, but let’s take a look at all the features of each item and how well they perform together in a busy work environment.

Review: Bosch iPod Power Box

digg story | methodshop

In 1983 for my 13^th birthday I received my first computer – a Commodore Vic-20. It came with one game cartridge, I don’t remember the game however I do remember it was terrible. Included in the box was a book called “BASIC Language Reference” and soon I was writing my own games. It didn’t take long before the persistent “Out Of Memory” error prompted me to plead with my parents for an upgrade and the following year I received a Commodore-64.

In the middle 1980’s personal computers hadn’t quite found their niche and most people were still asking the question: “What do I do with it?” In an attempt to answer that question PC makers inundated us with a barrage of peripherals and add-ons hoping that one of them might be the thing that would make everyone want a personal computer. The Commocoffee-64, an espresso maker that is controlled by your C-64, is definitely one of the strangest.

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I hope you all remember the arcade game Pacman! It was an arcade game that was a huge hit in the 80’s, so much so that it even took its developers by surprise.

 As you might recall, the object of the game was to gobble up as many dots as possible, avoiding the four ghosts (who had names, but I can’t remember them now).

The original Pacman ghosts were computer-controlled, but in this version of the game developed by a Dutch student, Wim van Eck, the ghosts are “controlled” by insects.

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In this day and age with all our mod cons and lazy gadgets, it’s hard to keep fit and healthy as we do less exercise than ever. Obesity in England has greatly increased since the mid 1990’s.

Someone, somewhere, realised that something had to be done and thus, the Slam Man was born. I’m sure you recognise him from ITV’s Celebrity Fit club, if not, let me introduce you.
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It’s hard to imagine that the Daleks have been around since 1963! Now, to capture some of the interest in the new Dr Who episodes, these super-looking remote-controlled models have been released.

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What will they think of next? Forget your average shaver kit that you thought was good enough. I’m here to tell you that it’s not because I have found a vacuum that hoovers your hair to cut it.
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