Kaboom Candles add an explosive touch to any party (without the explosion part). These clever candles were designed to resemble cartoon and video game bombs and have a sparkling wick that adds even more authenticity.

Found at Spoon Sisters

These Salt & Pepper Robot shakers are your servants. Next time you need to pass the salt, wind up the salt robot shaker and have him do the walking for you. The robot won't break the sound barrier, but it will be a fun distraction at your dinner table.

Found at ThinkGeek.

If you have kids you likely go through dozens of batteries on toys. My wife and I have a 16 month old who loves her toys. We were throwing our money down the drain by buying batteries every time we went to the supermarket. Not having a good experience in the past with rechargeable batteries, we were skeptical about purchasing the Energizer 15-Minute Battery Charger.

The charger pictured here is also available with an AC adapter which is the one that we used for the review. It really does take less than 15 minutes to charge and gets you up and going in no time. Even the Energizer bunny himself couldn't catch up with the speed of this charger. The charger typically sells for about $30.00 and comes with 4 X AA batteries, but is also compatible with AAA batteries (great for remote controls). Currently the highest ma rating available is 2500mAh and a pack of four AA will run you about $13.00. We found a good deal on amazon of 2 X 4 AA packs for under $20.00.

The included AA Energizer rechargeable batteries are not as long lasting as the regular Duracel or Energizer batteries you find on the shelf, but they do save you a lot of money in the long run. These batteries can be charged hundreds of times and although the battery life decreases as time passes, the effects are not noticeable until the end of a long life cycle.

A few hints when buying the batteries, make sure that you purchase the highest mAh (milli Amp Hour) rating you can find. The batteries will be more expensive, but will have more power and last longer per charge. Also label and charge the batteries in sets. They tend to last longer when charged as a set. I use a sharpie to label which helps me see which batteries are older and have degraded life. Finally, remember to check with the toy or appliance you are going to put them in to make sure it allows you to use these type of batteries. I have been able to use them on toys, cameras, and remotes without a problem.

If I had to buy this kit again I wouldn't hesitate. It has saved us a ton of money. The instant gratification of having fresh batteries in 15 minutes is also a plus. One last thing to note is that you are reusing these batteries so it is great for the environment.


IN THE BOX
- Energizer 15-Minute Battery Charger.
- 4 X AA Energizer rechargeable batteries
- AC Adapter

THE GOOD
- Saves you money over the long run
- Charges four batteries in under 15 minutes
- Batteries can be charged hundreds of times

THE BAD
- Initialialy expensive
- Batteries tend to degrade after many uses

WHERE TO BUY
Amazon

MANUFACTURER
Energizer

Our favorite past time is now frozen in time thanks to designer Martin Zampach. The Icebox is an ice tray that turn everyday water into ice Tetris pieces. The 100% food grade silicone Iceblox goes for about 6.90 EUR at the designer's web site and it is worth every penny, specially for those of us who used to arrange Tetris pieces in our sleep.

#5. 80's Cube Clock
An alarm clock designed to work almost like a rubik's cube. You twist the top and the display changes between date, time, alarm and temperature. The tamest of the bunch, but one that brings back nostalgia.

Found at Amazon


#4. Sonic Bomb Alarm Clock (AKA "The Bomb")
Designed to wake-you-the-hell up, the Sonic Bomb alarm clock puts out an ear-piercing 113 decibels at the highest setting. In other words, its like being in a front row of a rock concert, but a thousand times more annoying. If sound doesn't phase you, perhaps the included bed shaker will do the job.

Found at ThinkGeek


#3. Puzzle Alarm Clock
For those of you with Josh Nash Jr envy, the solution to waking up perhaps involves a bit of mental stimulation. The puzzle alarm clock wakes you up by ejecting into the air four different puzzle pieces scattering them everywhere as the alarm is blasting. In order to shut the alarm off, you must put all 4 pieces of the puzzle back in the right place.

Found at Bam Bam Banana


#2. Clocky Alarm Clock
Clocky is an alarm clock on wheels. When the time comes (and it will), Clocky starts up his wheels and runs around your house like mad (steer clear of lamps and cats) as the alarm beeps over and over. The only way to stop the mayhem is to get your lazy bum off your bed and turn Clocky off.

Found at Amazon


#1. Flying Digital Alarm Clock
And the overall craziest alarm clock is the flying digital alarm clock. Though not the prettiest of the bunch, it certainly presents the biggest challenge. Be ready in the morning because as soon as the alarm goes off, the propeller is launched up into the air and it flies around the room. Your only recourse is to put the propeller powered device back into the base. Good luck staying awake after that.

Also found at Amazon

This 3" x 3" 80s puzzle cube clock is the definition of nostalgia. As you twist the top row, the display changes from date to time to alarm to temperature. A fun take on what is usually a boring product.

Found at Fred Flare

If you sit at your desk all day long typing away like a little robot you might like the Gravitonus. The Gravitonus is a state of the art computerized system, created to provide for optimal ergonomic conditions at work or play.

The system is an ergonomic dream. It has moving parts all over the place that will conform to your body to give you the most relaxing workstation you have ever tried. "The system constantly changes position of the user to maintain comfort in relation to the Earth Gravitational Field vector." The monitors are aligned perfectly to give the user the best field of vision. Although this product won?t make your work any better it sure will make it more pleasurable.

The Gravitonus also features onboard LED lights array that help eliminate glare. In the event that you get hot you have an active ventilated seat. Feeling cold? No problem they got you covered there also with the heating feature.

The keyboard glides in three dimensional spaces to give you the ultimate comfort. Finally they complete the system with a 5.1 surround sound system to keep you engulfed in your experience.

The Tuttuki Bako Poking Box is made exclusively for those of us who must touch every button on a gadget when we go to the local electronic stores. You put your finger in the hole and poke animated low res images. Hey, it's fun to poke stuff.

Found at Geek Stuff 4 U for a little bit over $48.

Mark Brown is a bad motha and his Robo-Clock showcases his talent. Made out of metal, tin, wood and reclaimed materials (like utensils, dominoes, ceramic insulators, poker chips) his Robo-Click is a prime example of creativity. You gotta have an imagination to create this kind of product out of every day materials.

Found at Uncommon Goods.

The Earfun clips are a bit on the useless side, but it does add more personality to those dull iPod earphones. Our personal favorite: flower power.

Found at The Afternoon.