Of my favorite things to do as a kid was make videos. My step-dad was a TV repairman, and he usually got the newest electronic gadgets very inexpensively. One day he came home with a Panasonic video-cassette recorder. The things was HUGE! It weighed about 15 pounds and was the size of a VCR. It was bulky, but how I loved it! I tried to make “action” films and such. Some, I might add, weren’t too shabby!

My kids are the same way– they love to make skits and to dress up and make videos. The camcorder I got for them a few years ago is smaller than that old Panasonic, but it’s still pretty hefty (and takes mini VCR tapes). I saw this Oregon Scientific Atc2k helmet cam and my heart melted. Look at this thing, is this cool or what?! You can strap it on your helmet and away you go! Think of all the terrific shots you could get! It’s sold at HelmetCameraCentral.com. It’s a little pricey ($120, with free shipping) but it would make a nice “big” gift for that video freak in the family. I know I’d love one, lol!

HelmetCameraCentral.com has some other really cool gadgets– there’s a Video Swim Mask that is very cool, other helmet cams, camera mounts, camera memory, and more! And shipping is free on selected items. Very creative gadgets!

I found some photos of really cool gadgets. Gadgets amaze me because they are so organized. I just love organization. Some of these gadgets are kind of neat and are definitely innovative.

Not much room in your living room? Buy stackable furniture! I could have used this when I lived in my tiny apartment…

This is neat, too. I wonder how fresh it keeps the food? It would keep flies away.

In the “olden” days, there was a similar kind of invention– it was half-dome of wire screening with a cabinet handle on top. It fit perfectly over plates and bowls. I’d like to find some. Come to think of it, they probably wouldn’t be too hard to build.

I did a quick search and found a very large one, only $5!

How about this next gadget, can you tell what it is? It’s a robotic gutter cleaner! It can rake through a 60-foot stretch of gutter in ten minutes.

I’m not much of a toast person, and I hate cleaning the toaster. How about something like this? Hmm, come to think of it, where would all the crumbs go? Probably right onto the counter as the toast slides through the roller. And how fast would this gadget toast the bread? Because by the time the end of the slice was toasted, the beginning side of the slice would be cold already. What do you think?

Here’s another toaster. This gadget is cool-looking, but it would be IMPOSSIBLE to keep clean! I think for a gadget to be realy useful, it also has to be practical. But it’s an interesting conversation piece, it looks like something you’d bring home from one of the gift shops after one of the Disney vacations.

This I LOVE. I sometimes use a vinyl tablecloth, and hot pots placed on it burn the plastic. Pot holders are so tacky. These are neat!

I also love these. I don’t like those kind of backless slippers, but I love the light on them. This is a terrific idea for slippers! No more tripping over those nasty little Legos all over the floor!

These are cell phone holders. I love organization. These are cool!

And finally, this is a really neat gadget that I saw at a store and bought. I love it!! It makes any lamp a touch lamp. Since I use a lamp in the bathroom (no electricity in there yet), I have one of these Touch&Glow things set up. You lightly touch the gold disk and the light turns on. No fumbling with the lamp switch with wet hands or in the dark.

Photo of mesh food cover courtesy of Camping World. Some photos found at WorldwideTravel Blog. Gutter robot from ABCNews.go. Weird toasters from the TecheBlog.

EDIT: So many people have been asking where to find these gadgets! I wish I knew exactly– I got some of these photos from another website,  and he said they were from Germany. I did try to link to the gadgets I knew about (see the paragraph above this one for links to those sites). As for the cell phone holders, one person told me they found them on eBay. A search for “cell phone holders” might give you some success.

I read this at Texas RV Travel Blog.

Does your car have remote keyless entry? If you lock your keys In the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home from your cell to their cell. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button while holding the clicker close to their cell phone. The car will unlock.

Is that REALLY for real? Does that really work?! It blows my mind! I am itching, absolutely itching, to try it out. I guess I’d have to get a car with remote keyless entry first, though, right? :-p Someday maybe! :D

Wow, it’s been SO BUSY for me lately, ugh! This is the time of year when everything renews (domain names, web hosting, ISP services, online backup service, me looking for new and better blog themes, etc). Why oh why do I order things all at once, lol?! Well there is a silver lining to all the busy-ness: I found a cool new tech site! It’s Gadget Advisor. And guess what? You don’t need to be a full-fledged geek to enjoy the articles and reviews! I found a terrific post about the top extensions for Firefox (which, by the way, Firefox now working for me– I’d had problems with it hanging– so now I can enjoy all my extensions again!), and a good and comprehensive review on the Logitech universal remote, something I’ve been considering getting since our old one died.

The site is relatively new, but it’s updated just about every day and has loads of stuff already. It’s organized very, very well. I found some great articles, easily. GadgetAdvisor.com centers on the “best of the best” electronics, gadgets (of course), tech news, software, and computer stuff. I like it because it’s for the “average” computer user and not only for the geeks. The articles are well written. And I love reading reviews, so this site is going in my bookmarks. And I just LOVE the Wordpress theme for the site! Now where can I get one like that!!

OK, if you don’t know me, know this: I am a sucker for gadgets. I know there are a lot of us out there, but I am a REAL sucker for gadgets. I especially love the little USB flashdrives. I can never seem to have enough. They come in such beautiful and funky designs that I MUST collect them! But they do use a lot of plastic, and I am becoming disenchanted with plastic. (I was never very fond of Tupperware).

I have discovered a guiltless way to fuel my gadgetry habit– Printed wooden USB flash drives. Isn’t it beautiful?! I love them! Whoever came up with this cool idea of an eco-friendly printed USB was wildly smart. These things make perfect gifts, not to mention terrific business freebies. You can have your business logo engraved on both sides (it’s free to do so). Wouldn’t these be great for gift shops? The possibilities are really endless. You could get these as wedding favors, baby announcements, birthday gifts or birthday favors, as business “cards” with your name and telephone number on them… And the wood look is so classy as well as eco-friendly. These USB Drives come with free UK Mainland delivery, free engraving onto both sides and free set-up charges. Check out deals on these promotional wooden USB gadgets. And send one my way because I’d love to have one!