Anyone notice how the Sharper Image catalog has seen better days? (I'll pass on the nose-hair trimmer with built-in flashlight, thank you.) Nowadays, the truly trick tech is found in the unassuming Improvements mailer. Witness the universal garage-door opener with the programmable Motorola processor.
My favorite gadget is the caller-ID box that verbally announces your calls and can also be set to play customized answering messages for specific callers. ("Hi! I'll be in France with no phone for the next five years.")
Sure, you have to wade through pages of strange pest-control devices ("Eliminate Ants by Helping Them Kill Themselves!"), but, oh, what rewards! Where else can you get a water filter for your shower? I was left flat, though, at an offer of a US$100 credit for any of my marketable product ideas. I think I'll stop at the US Patent Office first. And Sharper Image is likely to offer me more for my portable laser bidet.
Improvements catalog: (800) 642 2112, on the Web at www.improvementscatalog.com/.
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