Fetish
Retro Techno
Introduced at the Chicago world's fair back in 1893, the Blickensderfer was then a state-of-the-art word processor. The first portable typewriter to offer interchangeable fonts, the "Blick" also boasted inventor George Blickensderfer's proprietary "scientific" keyboard layout, his "improvement" over the QWERTY layout. (Upon request, you could get the QWERTY design, but you first had to sign a release stating you'd been warned that QWERTY was inefficient.) You can buy your very own beautifully restored Blick - and other steampunk office equipment - from This Olde Office. Blickensderfer typewriter: US$595. This Olde Office: (800) 246 8558, +1 (619) 328 7876.
Joy Riding
Think you're a whiz with a joystick? Try your hand at this sleek hydroForce jet craft, with its beefy 120-horsepower Mercury SportJet engine. This lightweight watercraft is controlled with a joystick, allowing you to make 360-degree turns at full speed (45 mph) or spin 180 degrees in about 2 seconds flat. Luxury features include a removable canopy to ward off the elements and two food and drink coolers. hydroForce: US$11,995. Anchor Industries Inc.: (800) 344 5110, +1 (616) 946 2760.
This Sucker Blows
I can't help it: I refuse to buy those cans of pressurized air used for blowing dust off camera lenses and computer equipment. I don't like the idea of paying for air. The miniature Electric Duster from Metropolitan Vacuum Cleaner Co. is more my style. This AC-powered, 1�2-horsepower unit is designed to remove dust, lint, and debris from keyboards, camera lenses, and other delicate equipment with good, old-fashioned free air. The Electric Duster: US$49.95. Metropolitan Vacuum Cleaner Co. Inc.: (800) 822 1602, +1 (914) 357 1600, fax +1 (914) 357 1640.
Use Your Head
I've always wanted to videotape my biking, skiing, and motorcycle adventures. But hey, I've only got two hands! Just when I was about to search for a sympathetic genetic-engineering lab, I heard about HeadTrip, a "look, no hands" videocam system designed for nuts like me. The 3-ounce color camera attaches to a headband or optional helmet mount, and the 4.5-pound recorder and monitor fits in a fanny pack. I might even start wearing this around town - who knows, a Hard Copy scoop could be just around the corner! HeadTrip: US$4,200. HeadTrip Inc.: (800) 443 2387, +1 (303) 827 4288.
Sun Food Tube
Do you like to bring along plenty of "boy scout water" on camping trips to make sure you can start a fire, no matter how wet the conditions? Next time, keep the starter fluid at home, and use the Solar Capsule Cooker instead. Fill it with up to 6 cups of liquid, meat, or veggies, and stick it in the sun. On a bright day, the temperature inside the cooker can reach up to 300°F, but the outside remains cool enough to handle. The 9-pound, 48-inch, solar-powered cooker comes with a stainless steel endcap that doubles as a drinking cup, and the shoulder sling makes it easy to haul around. Solar Capsule Cooker: US$169. Sun-It Enterprises: +1 (619) 728 5254.
Notebook Origami
Do computer manufacturers really believe your hands shrink when you go on the road? With those tiny keyboards they put on their laptops, they must. IBM's solution is the ThinkPad 701C. This baby's keyboard automatically expands from the center as you open the case, providing ample finger room. ThinkPad 701C: between US$3,700 and $5,600 depending on the configuration. IBM: (800) 772 2227.
Gobs o' Gigs
Attention all well-heeled artists, digital designers, and out-of-control GIF freaks: Sony's new WDD-531 optical drive will give you all the storage you need (at least until holographic digital video comes along). Each WORM (write-once, read-many) disk holds a whopping 15 Gbytes. Not enough, you sniff? Then try the 76-disk, WDA-550 jukebox, which will organize and store over 1 Tbyte of info. WDD-531 disk drive: US$21,000. WORM disk: $410. WDA-550 76 disk jukebox: $112,500. Sony Electronics Inc.: (800) 222 7669.
A Satellite in Every Orbit
Now you can e-mail around the globe; track vehicles, equipment, or livestock; and monitor polluters and poachers ... all from the comfort of your own personal satellite! AeroAstro's Bitsy weighs only 2 pounds and is about the size of a bloated PDA. This itty-bitty bird is packed with onboard processor, GPS receiver, pointing-and-tracking system, camera, radio, and power supply. Educators, business people, and rich dilettantes are all likely customers for the satellite, which is 0.1 percent the cost and weight of its more conventional neighbors in the ionosphere. Bitsy: US$100,000. AeroAstro: +1 (703) 709 2240.
They Don't Suck
The Elite Barracuda swim goggles don't use eyeball-popping suction to form a seal. Instead, the hydrodynamic "cat's eye" design fits under the bone of your eyebrow, creating a comfortable, watertight fit with very little drag. No more red rings around your eyes when you get out of the pool! The Elite's polycarbonate lenses are laminated with a fog-resistant material that electrostatically repels moisture and blocks 100 percent of harmful UV rays. Fog Resistant Elite Barracuda: US$20. Barracuda Sports Products/Skyline Northwest Corporation: (800) 547 8664, +1 (503) 241 0528, fax +1 (503) 227 7814.
Pictures from Your Pocket
Choosing a travel camera just got a lot easier. The hand-sized Minolta Freedom Explorer, the world's smallest 28-70mm zoom camera, allows you to shoot both panoramic scenes and portrait shots without a lens change. It has all the features you'd expect from a modern camera (built-in flash, autofocus), and, weighing in at only 9.25 ounces (with battery), it stashes neatly in your shirt pocket. With a camera this size, you'll be snapping everywhere you go. Minolta Freedom Explorer: US$308. Minolta: +1 (201) 934 5308.
Bye Bye, Beige
In the late '40s, The 3M Corporation ran a series of tests to find out how colors in the office affected worker productivity. It turns out a beige office is an efficient office. But I'm sick of beige! I use my computer a lot at home, and the color clashes with my cool digs. I want the new black AcerAcros PC. This Goth baby comes with a Pentium under the hood, screams along at 75 MHz,and has a built-in 14.4 Kbps modem. Gimme gimme. Black AcerAcros: US$1,999. Acer America Corporation: (800) 368 2237, +1 (408) 432 6200.
Power Shower
The Home Cinema Monitor is just one reason Rock Solid is the fastest-growing loudspeaker brand in US history. The Monitor's plate-metal components and plastic-coated drivers allow you to stick it anywhere - in the yard, by the pool, or even in the shower. The Monitor is magnetically shielded, and the 1-inch ferrofluid-cooled tweeter and 5-inch woofer can handle up to 150 ear-splitting watts of power. And don't worry about damage from overload; you can crank it all the way up, because Monitor's fast-acting thermal switch will shut down before any damage is done. The Monitor: US$199. Rock Solid Sounds: (800) 370 3742, +1 (508) 664 3406.
