I’m not really sure why, but apparently it’s a home improvement kind of day.  That or I have home improvement on my mind and therefore am spotting home improvement gadgets.  With this one, instead of 3-in-1 like the Stanley flashlight I posted not too long ago, this one is 4-in-1.  It also solves several issues when you’re trying to measure something.  It takes care of the pen and paper, so you won’t ever forget a measurement again.  Which would make your DIY projects a little more time efficient since you won’t have to redo everything due to forgetting how long or wide something was.

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Lanterns are great, they brighten up the room and a lot of times have a built-in flashlight.  However, they are overly bulky and are more ideal for camping than for around the house.  Well now Stanley has created a flashlight that has all the perks of a lantern but in a much smaller size.  It would make projects around the house much easier and give a little added flexibility.  It would also give whoever it is you normally recruit to hold the flashlight a break from their job.

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My my, the humble VHS tape certainly took a long time to become extinct, and it has even outlived digital products like the laser disc. Well, all good things must come to an end, and both VCDs and DVDs have taken over the role of VHS tapes in the home entertainment arena for a fair number of years now, rendering VHS all but obsolete. This time round, even newer digital formats and media have been released with Blu-ray making the most noise, but that doesn’t mean your years’ worth of VHS tapes ought to be flushed down the drain, right? Fancy digitize recordings of your VHS tapes in the comfort of your living room before mildew destroys data on those tapes? Roxio has the solution with its Roxio Easy VHS to DVD software and hardware combo.

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With the advent of MP3 files, more and more people are depending on their choice of music, although there is still a certain segment who would prefer the traditional radio station to stay entertained. Tivoli Audio brings the best of both worlds with its new breakthrough Wi-Fi NetWorks global audio system that helps play back songs from an Internet radio station in a crystal clear manner, thanks to Wi-Fi connectivity. Connections around the world have been getting better and faster all the time, and every single day sees new radio stations sprout up over the Internet, leaving you spoilt for choice.

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Want to show the rest of the world that your brain is a cut above the rest? Well, with the ThinkGeek Epoch Clock, you are able to impress geeks with your ability to read binary numbering systems in a flash, while the rest of the room try to figure out just what is that strange looking device trying to say.

Reminiscent of the Rosetta Stone this multi-format alarm clock helps you easily convert between different numbering systems. Do you need to be able to effortlessly read the time in Binary or Hexadecimal? Well that’s debatable – but quickly converting a time display like C:2B into 12:43 (while others stare blankly at this clock) makes it pretty clear that you are a human possessing superior number skills. Like the enigmatic monolith from 2001, this clock will appear only as a mysterious geometric shape to those of inferior intelligence. The more evolved will easily decode the elegant time display rendered by its LEDs. Others may appreciate beautiful words or works of art but your language has always been numbers, the closest expression of eternal truth.

Features of the ThinkGeek Epoch Clock include :-

• Displays the time in multiple formats: Standard, Hexadecimal, Octal, Binary, Roman
• Unix epoch time display
• Day, month, year display
• Date display and Unix epoch display can be turned off/on
• 12-hour (AM/PM) or 24-hour (military time)
• Alarm clock with snooze and two volume settings
• Back-up power from two AA batteries
• USB port on back provides output power
• Awesome LED display

This puppy will cost you a cool $49.99 – know any geeks who need a clock desperately this Christmas?

Atek has just introduced a computer peripheral that will definitely give frequent travelers a gleeful smile if they work on their notebooks a whole lot. When plugged in, it feels just like an actual desktop keyboard despite being able to be packed into a travel accessory size, leaving you with more room in your luggage to store the really important stuff (like souveniers for Aunt Bertha when you get back from your exotic destinations).

Tired of typing slowly, hitting wrong keys, and searching for oddly placed keys on your laptop keyboard? Atek’s OnBoard Travel Keyboard is for you! It’s built like a desktop keyboard with standard size keys, so it provides the feel and comfort you need to type fast, maintain accuracy, and work productively! Unlike wobbly fold-up travel keyboards, the OnBoard Travel Keyboard is solid and stable, yet small enough to fit inside most laptop cases and shoulder bags. And the hard protective cover and cord management system provide safe and simple storage. For extra comfort, you can use the included inflatable palm rest and the cover as a cradle to tilt the keyboard.

You will be able to pick up the Atek OnBoard Travel Keyboard for $29.95. Bear in mind it will lose out on the following keys – Print Screen, Scroll Lock, Pause Break, and right side Ctrl and Windows.

Our next gift guide is aimed at the techie that enjoys making stuff before playing with it.

Magna-Bones 32 pcs – $14.99

Magna-Bones includes the skeletal remains of a Triceratops. Once you dig out your bones, assemble and pose Tri-Tops. Learn about their history and life on the collectable tin card.
- Feel like a real paleontologist!
- Build cool models with bone shaped rods.
- Endless hours of construction!
- An excellent way to develop scientific knowledge and social development.

The Magna-Bones 32 pcs is available from Amazon for $14.99.

Wooden War Engine Kits – $19.99+

These kits let you bring back all the fun of flinging. Each one can assemble in just a few hours, and provides a fantastic scale model of an actual war weapon of yore. The catapult is perfect for chucking balls of paper and other small objects over cubicle walls. The trebuchet is better for long range targets (like the water cooler or networked printer). And, all you need to put them together are some strong fingers (or pliers), a cutting tool, and glue (not included). Both kits are perfect for showing your love of retro weaponry.

The Wooden War Engine Kits is available from Think Geek for $19.99+.

Classic Video Table Tennis Kit – $19.99+

Blocky table tennis with a ball and two paddles was one of the first real video games to make it into mainstream culture. It took an awful lot of high-tech electronics in 1972 to create this classic game. Now however you can cobble together your very own Classic Video Table Tennis Game with a little determination and some basic soldering skillz. This kit contains a pre-printed circuit board and 39 various resistors, diodes, and capacitors. Solder everything together (following the instructions we hope) and plug the audio and video into any standard TV for instant Table Tennis action. You can play against another lowly human or challenge the computer at four different skill levels.

The Classic Video Table Tennis Kit is available from Think Geek for $19.99+.

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I have seen ambitious designers try to update the traditional keyboard before. I once saw a one-handed keyboard that claimed to increase your speed. None of these experimental keyboards ever really caught on, and traditional typing has remained unchanged in the last few decades.

I have to admire the designers of the Grippity for thinking outside the box, as the user must hold it with both hands like a video game controller and click the keys by poking them from behind.

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