Clearly necessary
Here it is, technology testing the outer limits of usefulness again. But you need a lighted toilet seat. Everyone does.
The Galactika Toilet Seat is made of Lucite embedded with LED lights that activate when you lift the lid.
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Sadly, the LEDs do not flash. If they did, you could pretend you were being abducted by aliens or a bomber coming in for a night landing.
You just know Fox Mulder reads the Weekly World News while sitting on one of these.
Details: Galactika Toilet Seat, EUR 249 (about $324). Comes in translucent blue, green, red, white and yellow. Takes four AA batteries. Available online from German retailer Kiss at:
www.kiss-textil.de/galactikaen.htm
From Spider to shark
There are seemingly hundreds of high-tech gadgets to help improve your golf game, but this is the first one I've seen for pool. The Spider is a laser-operated device that rests on your pool table. It consists of a black plastic saucer attached to a curved base.
You place your target ball under the saucer and point one of the laser guides in the device at a pocket. Using additional built-in laser guides, The Spider's internal computer calculates and tells you where to hit the target ball, what direction your cue ball will go after impact and how much force to use for the shot.
Details: The Spider Billiards Trainer, $179.85, available online at:
Text at true typing speed
We use our cell phones these days as text devices, but frankly, they suck at being text devices. Using scrolling menus to select letters one at a time? Forget it!
Want some help? The Stowaway is a folding QWERTY keyboard that can talk to your Bluetooth-enabled cell phone, PDA or even your tablet PC. When you need to get that e-mail out on your phone quickly, just pop out the Stowaway.
Weighing a mere six ounces, with a closed dimension of 5.5 inches high by 3.9 inches wide by 0.5 inches deep, the Stowaway can fit in your pocket or briefcase. And the thing just looks so slick.
Details: Stowaway Bluetooth Portable Keyboard, $149.99. Runs on two AAA batteries. Available at CompUSA or online at:
Cool hat, dude!
Here's another simple idea that's sure to catch on. Make a pretty good-looking sherpa-style ski hat — the kind many snowboarders seem to don these days. Put into that hat a pair of high-quality headphones, and, yo, dude, you've arrived at the crossroads of style, comfort and entertainment.
It's called the Burton Headphone Beanie. It's made of a wool, mohair and a nylon blend. The headphones rest in fleece-lined pockets, and they're removable. Rock on!
Details: Burton Headphone Beanie, $39. Comes in true black, stealth gray and sea kelp. Available at Dick's Sporting Goods, 305 Miracle Mile Drive, Henrietta, or Snow Country Sports, 3349 Monroe Ave., Pittsford, or online at:
www.shorelinesnowboards.com/burton/softgoods/headphone.htm
Shein has been a freelance technical writer and reviewer for the Web and print media since 1998. He also is a contributing editor to and can be heard on What the Tech? on WXXI-AM (1370).
