Amazon has The Yes Album on sale for .99 for an MP3 download that’s DRM free. This album has the tracks: Yours Is No Disgrace, The Clap, Starship Trooper, I’ve Seen All Good People, A Venture and Perpetual Change. If you haven’t added this one to your MP3 collection, head over to Amazon before the promo is gone. Normal price on this is about $6. The Yes Album Continue reading on Gear Diary …

This 5 x 5 calendar is about a green as you get. The tin that it’s packed in is re-usable. And each page is sprinkled with wildflower seeds. When you’re done with a month, rip out the page and plant it. Within a short period of time wildflowers will sprout from your old calendar page. Simply place the seed embedded paper into soil, add water and wait for Bird’s Eye, Clarkia, Coreopsis, Poppy, Catchfly and Snap Dragon to come to life. The handmade paper is acid and tree free, made from recycled bond paper, cotton remnants and abaca, a renewable leaf fibre. Olive Barn – Eco Friendly Plantable Seed Calendar for 2009 – $24.95 Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I fully expect to see a lot of exciting, intriguing, and wonderfully innovative products at CES next week…even if the very thought of all that walking is already making my feet and lower back hurt.:-P With that in mind, I wanted to tell you all about one of the press releases I’ve just received, for a new collection of stylish bags which will be shown: Cocoon Innovations is launching a new line of computer bags and cases designed specifically to provide personal storage and organization solutions for today’s digital lifestyle. With an intelligent, functional design unlike anything on the market, Cocoon’s full range of products creates a place where the technological extensions of our lives can be kept safe and organized. Cocoon products are an idea solution for protecting and organizing iPods, iPhones, BlackBerries, cameras, mobile phones and more. [Ed. note: this is the bag that particularly intrigues me...] Available Spring 2009, the Cocoon collection will offer a complete line of laptop computer bags, totes, portfolios and accessories that redefine the way consumers stay organized in an ever-increasing digital world. Each bag is designed with an organic shape, which serves as a protective shell to safely transport your virtual cargo. [...]

Select Subway restaurants in New York City are offering the ability to text in your lunch order which avoids the unpleasantness of a lengthy lunchtime wait in line. By establishing an online account with payment information you can skip the cashier. Your food order is waiting and you pick it up and go. Place your order either via the web or once you’ve created an account and loaded it with your favorites, you can link up a mobile phone. Sending a text with the word “menu” to 466626 results in a reply SMS that lists your favorite sandwiches. In return you reply back, receive a confirmation number. Life is grand. Subway Now Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Pigging out at parties is always a lesson in coordination. Until now you’ve had to perfectly balance your drink(s), napkins, plates and any other items that you happen to be carrying as you snack. Now there’s a great invention that makes you the fool life of the party. Take a look at Finger Food Party Plates. You wear these on your fingers like rings. No word on whether these are re-usable and if so what you’d do with them when you’re done snacking. Finger Food Party Plates – $9.95… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Did you receive quite a few gift cards this holiday? There’s a reason that retailers love gift cards – and it’s because so many of us forget about the balance on the card. We may use the card once or twice then discard it forgotten into a drawer. Here’s a cool binder that not only stores gift cards for easy organization but allows you to keep track of balances. This is the ultimate tool for parents with young kids who receive cards and have trouble tracking the balances. Never lose or forget about a card again with the GiftCard log! GiftCard.log includes: • Durable and elegant debossed wallet • Plastic insert for 16 gift cards • Booklet with 30 pages keeps track of each gift… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The folks at my favorite online deal site – Fatwallet.com apparently had a little too much free time on their hands over the holidays and made a crazy fun video. Their production combines: one Segway, one water ski tow rope, three or four employees and a set of carpet skates into what may become a new indoor sport. Let’s call this Segway Skiing – Fatwallet.com style. Fatwallet Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Amazon offers the U2 album – U218 on special via DRM free digital download for $3.99. This album includes lots of U2 hits including Beautiful Day, I still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, Pride (In The Name Of Love), With or Without You, New Year’s Day, Where The Streets Have No Name, Sunday Bloody Sunday, One, Desire, and more (total of 18 songs). U218 – $3.99 via Amazon MP3 digital download and DRM free!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Here’s a good deal for anyone who is already a Sprint user and wants to obtain a new BlackBerry 8830 for use on the Sprint network (this doesn’t work on any other carrier). This is a brand new BlackBerry device and supports the Sprint high speed network. You won’t get any rebates off this, so that’s why I classify it a good deal for anyone who is already a Sprint subscriber and not due for an equipment upgrade. You will generally need to subscribe to a BlackBerry data plan (included in most Sprint plans). By comparison Sprint will take you for $549 to get a comparable replacement device if you aren’t a new subscriber. Sprint BlackBerry 8830 – $365 Continue reading on Gear Diary …

An online social media search engine emerges from a private beta today. Web site whostalkin.com scours thousands of blogs, message forums, news sites, networks (Facebook, Myspace, etc), videos, images, forums and tags for a keyword that you supply (typically your name or your company’s name). The site layout is simple – enter a search term and away you go. What it appears to lack is the ability to sort in any type of order (date would be nice) or to preview the content of the search results (clicking the links shoots you right out to the source site). This is however a great tool for companies to keep track of where their name is being mentioned. In the next year the area… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Parallels is offering a free copy of their Parallels 2.2 Workstation Virtualization Software. This is for Windows or Linux (not Mac) and compatible with 32-bit operating systems only. Understandably this isn’t a smoking hot deal since free alternatives such as Virtual PC are readily available. Still, if you’ve been in the market for Parallels 2.2 for Windows/Linux – step right up and get your free copy at the link below. Parallels 2.2 for Windows/Linux – free via Fatwallet Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It’s become a bit of a tradition around here, that we answer the following questions together at the end of the year. So read them, think about the questions for a moment, and then let’s discuss our answers… YEAR IN REVIEW When you consciously review your year, you may notice how little you noticed it as it whizzed past. To review is to re-view. To rewind, pause, look again. And in looking again, to see more clearly. You may be astonished by how much happened. And how much didn’t. By how much has changed. And how much hasn’t. You may laugh or sigh to notice that your life remains its usual jumble of contradictions. In 2008, I gained _______________________________________. I lost _______________________________________. I stopped _______________________________________. I started _______________________________________. I was hugely satisfied by _______________________________________. And frustrated by _______________________________________. I am so embarrassed that I _______________________________________. Once again, I _______________________________________. Once again, I did not _______________________________________. The biggest physical difference between me last December and this December is _______________________________________. The biggest psychological difference between me last December and this December is _______________________________________. I loved spending time _______________________________________. I should have spent more time _______________________________________. I regret buying _______________________________________. I will never [...]