By Luke Anderson

When I’m out driving, I usually try to be as friendly as I can to the other drivers. Doing things like letting someone out of a driveway when they’ve already been sitting there for a while is just courteous. When someone returns the favor I tend to give them a nice wave, but I don’t know that they always see it. Here’s a cool sign for the back of your vehicle that you can use to tell someone that “they rock” or a number of other sentiments that can be expressed with a single hand.

Sure, the first thing that jumps to mind is the good old middle finger. However, usually when I fly the bird, it’s to the guy that just cut me off, in which case this sign wouldn’t help much. If you do happen to be angry with the car behind you, do make sure it’s not a cop before sending them a one-fingered greeting, I don’t think they’ll take kindly to your gesture. This 9″x6″ remote controlled sign will run you around $40.

[ Perpetual Kid ] VIA [ RGS ]

By Luke Anderson

Since I type for a living, I’ve learned to move my fingers quite quickly over the past several years. However, when you’re first learning to type, you don’t move nearly as fast. If you need a little encouragement to get your WPM (words per minute) count up, here’s an entertaining little device that should do the trick.

We’ve all seen those little exercise wheels that you can put a hamster or mouse in, well this is one for your computer, complete with a mouse (don’t worry, it’s made of plastic). The speed of the wheel is determined by the speed at which you are typing. Sure, it would probably get pretty annoying for an adult, but if you have a kid that’s just learning, it might be a good way to encourage them.

[ GiftWhole ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

By Luke Anderson

I’ve been using Windows Vista for quite some time now, and one feature I’ve never taken advantage of is SideShow. If you’re not familiar with the feature, it allows you to have a small screen which displays a variety of useful information. I remember hearing about this and thinking how cool it would be to use. Unfortunately Vista has been out for close to two years, and there aren’t a lot of devices that work with SideShow. Those that do will generally set you back more than your primary monitor. Fortunately Mini-Box has created an excellent device that won’t break the bank.

The PicoLCD 4×20 Sideshow is a small SideShow LCD screen that can display up to four lines of 20 characters. It works with a variety of Gadgets such as Windows Media Player, WeatherBug, Stocks Plus and more. You can program each gadget to display a variety of information, and in the case of Windows Media Player, navigate through your music library from the device itself. The best thing about this screen has to be the price. At $50, this is the least expensive Sideshow product I’ve seen.

[ Mini-Box ] VIA [ EverythingUSB ]

By Luke Anderson

There’s something that I’ve wondered about for many years. Why does Peter Pan have his own brand of peanut butter? Sure, it’s pretty good peanut butter in my opinion, but I’ve yet to find any really good why it even exists in the first place. If you’re extremely picky about your peanut butter, and don’t trust a flying boy with your food, you might be interested in making your own stuff.

With the Peanut Butter Machine, there’s really no reason to buy jars of peanut butter from the store again. Just pour in two cups of peanuts, select whether you want crunchy or smooth, and you’re all set. The best part of all is that the result is an all-natural product which doesn’t contain any additives. If you’re big on all-natural foods, or are just picky about your peanut butter, you can get one of these gadgets for $50 starting at the end of the month. Given how cheap the stuff is to buy by the jar, I think I’ll just stick to that.

[ LighterSide ] VIA [ RGS ]

By Luke Anderson

Toast is one of those foods that’s so easy to make that anyone can do it. But can you do it from the comfort of your computer? Yes, you can in fact make toast while sitting at your desk. How you ask? With this simple PC Toaster Bay, you can pop in a slice of white (or wheat, if that’s your thing) and have it heated to perfection.

Honestly, if it weren’t the end of August, I’d think that this were some kind of April Fool’s gag. Well, despite the late month, it is indeed a springtime prank. The product listing seems legit, however, the thought of installing something in my desktop whose sole purpose is to generate heat just didn’t sit well. Upon clicking the button to order it, I was informed that I was had, and the product is a phony. Oh well, looks like I’m still going to have to walk all the way to the kitchen. And here I’d already stocked my mini-fridge with butter and jam.

[ Crazy PC ] VIA [ Crave ]

By Jonathan Kimak

I’m not surprised that there’s yet another new reality show in development, they spring up like Starbucks. I am a bit surprised about what it’s about though.

Gadget or the Girl will begin airing on Playboy TV on Monday, September 1, at 7:30 p.m. EDT. The show, hosted by Iliza Shlesinger(pictured), will start by having a guy meet 3 beautiful women. He will choose two of the ladies to take on a date. Eventually he will have to choose one of the women to be his only companion for the rest of the evening.

Then he must make one more decision which is the main premise of the game: go on a romantic weekend getaway with the lady or ditch the girl and bring home a brand new gadget.

The guy won’t learn what the gadget is until he has made his choice. Possible gadgets include a 60-inch plasma TV or a home arcade game. I think for the women it would be quite devastating to be dumped for a TV.

So, which would you pick?

[ CNET News ] VIA [ New Launches ]

By Jonathan Kimak

The Dallas/Fort Worth airport has a new vending machine to go with the Coca-cola cans and Kit Kat bars, only a purchase would likely require more than 400 quarters(or a credit card). Best Buy has put in Best Buy Express machines that will dispense a variety of gadgets for the consumer on the go.

The vending machines, located past security at Terminal B’s Gate 29 and Terminal E’s Gate 32, have items like iPods and all the needed accessories for sale. A fast and easy way to spend hundreds of dollars means Best Buy will be raking in the money from these machines, especially from parents who forgot to get their kids a present while they were away.

Since these are in an airport, I’d suggest not kicking the machine if your item gets stuck or you might get a free taser demonstration.

[ New Launches ] VIA [ Slipery Brick ]