A Gadget geek's best friend...

Is his usb chameleon. Or her usb chameleon. Cos lots of us geeks are wimmin. And we like pets. These are guilt free little sweethearts, as they don't require feeding, or generate catastrophic amounts of odiferous wood-shavings. Hooray for the pet who hangs around when yer online, rolls his eyes in an edgy, but companionable manner but does not judge. Nor does he present you expectantly with a wee-tiny lead, studded with swarovski crystal, or roughty-toughty metal studs. (Whatever the happenin chameleon about the livingroom is wearing these days.)



We say - go get one! they are loyal and charming, and bring a touch of the rainforest indoors, without adding one's carbon footprint to those making the trip to see the actual little fellows in the flesh.

USB petz rock! Only...when you start to muse on feeding him the dead flies on the windowsill, you should start to worry, just a little.



We also quite like the typing-speed treadmill rodent. However, it is a qualified liking, unlike the chameleon, who just 'is'. The mouse is sort of set in competition with something outside of himself - a sort of skeery urban reinvention of the hamster wheel.The faster one types, the harder his little blue plastic cardiovascular system works. It would be fun if the order were transversed, and you could only type at the speed he was cycling at. Still...a nifty little thing. And he doesn't need his cage cleaning, either.

Blow your own Trumpet

Ah...when the editorial team saw this low-tech innovation, I admit we did something of a double-take. We walked around it - a little gingerly, I might add, whilst admiring its yingy-yangy curves and generally tactile form. The ladies amongst us - which makes all of us, let us be honest (our blokey narrative tone and gadgety masculine discourse a little, if necessarily, contrived) read the name, and wondered um, how? And um, exactly where? And um, well - well?

Here is an excerpt from the lively original ad, which we give no apologies for uplifting.

"HYmini Personal Wind Turbine. Buy product online from Nigel's Eco Store
£39.99
HYmini is a small handheld charger and wind powered generator. It''s lightweight, portable and ideal for charging mobile phones, iPods, and most portable electronic devices. Stylish in appearance but rugged in performance, it charges by wind or rechargeable internal battery (mains adapter included).

Ideal for festivals, outdoor life, camping, in fact anywhere that you go. The HYmini has a huge advantage over traditional solar chargers in that it can be left to charge over a windy night, constantly gathering energy from either a light breeze to a strong wind."

A "personal wind charger" is a very wonderful idea. We love it! A great way for peeps who enjoy a good nosh-up of "Heinz Thai Green Curry Mean Beanz" to give something back to society. Something positive. A little personal turbine is a truly wizard wheeze. It seems ergonomically designed to slip comfortably into baggy low-risers without any vcl...visible charger line. Very nice. A clever piece of kit! We suggest several might be placed in political debating chambers across the globe, and thus absorb and recycle the hot air previously contributing to global warming.

It is a little expensive, but we say - yay to innovation! Well, we say it in a quiet, Luddite sort of way, in a manner which isn't contradicting our founding principles. It is, we know you'll agree, a very Luddite-friendly little gadget gem.

Order yours today! free can of Heinz Sweet Chilli baked beans and outdated Blackberry thrown into the pot while stocks last.