As I watched my Inventor Sim crank away at his workbench, I started wondering which items had the best ROI.  ROI stands for "Return On Investment," and it's a useful way to compare several different items to see which is most profitable.  


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Father’s Day is June 20, giving you plenty of time to find something Dad will enjoy. (It seems to come much later in the month than Mother’s Day does, which is just plain unfair; shouldn’t we have an extra week to plan out what we’re getting Mom, too?) Here are a few cool gadgets that will knock Pop’s socks off this year.

The Big Screen: If Dad hasn’t upgraded to a flat screen TV but has been dying to, maybe you can help him out. This gift is a great idea for siblings to go in on together, making it easier on your wallets while simultaneously getting something Dad will love. There are even good-sized 37-inch screens available for under $500 these days.

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1. Book Sorting Machine

My dreams of being a library book-sorter in New York City have been destroyed by yet another automated machine. For the past two months, the New York Library has had a gigantic book sorting machine to send books to different branches. I am not kidding when I say the machine is large- according to the NYT, one side of the machine is roughly two-thirds as long as a football field and contains 132 bins, each representing a specific branch of the New York Library System.


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Next week is a very important week in America—a week during which we all unplug ourselves from our computers, video games, televisions, and other electronic devices and get outside (or on the floor—or whatever) and turn ourselves off!

Okay, so this isn’t feasible for everyone. Many of us work on our computers or on telephones and require these things to make our living. But we can still turn off the things that we don’t vitally need for the week. For example…

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Today is Inane Answering Machine Day—what better excuse is there to be as idiotic as humanly possible on your (or someone else’s) voicemail? And do I need an excuse; I’m one of those people who is constantly stammering, “Ummm”-ing, or otherwise making an idiot of myself on my voicemail messages. I’ve taken to simply not leaving a message, much to the irritation of many; but today is a day for people like me to celebrate and leave the most horrible messages possible.

Need some ideas to kick off your weekend of vague voicemail or mumbled machine madness? Here are some ways you might want to celebrate:

Channel Your Favorite Idiot. Whether it’s your school guidance counselor (“Mmmkay, Mr. Mackey.”), a favorite (or least favorite?) actor, or simply Elmer Fudd, leave your message in his or her voice.

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All the coffee nerds are salivating over the latest advance in espresso generating technology, THE SLAYER.  I'm sorry, I can't help putting it in all caps.  The machine is called SLAYER.  Grar!

At a mere $18,000 The Slayer is not the machine for everyone.  In fact, less than 20 of these hand built machines are in use in coffee shops today.  What would lead a coffee shop to pay nine or ten times as much for an espresso machine, compared to typical commercial espresso machines?  Aside from being absolutely beautiful, The Slayer allows for a degree of customization unheard of in today's espresso marketplace.


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Obama Figurine

It seems like there was a new round of 'weird Japanese products' making its way to my inbox this past week. By inboxes I meant in email form from a good friend with a bit too much time to spare and not the product itself. But then, I must admit that the dissection keychain would be worth owning.

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Apple Takes a Green StandI love Apple. I write these blog entries on my Apple, I go take free classes about how to use my machine even better at the Apple store, and I proudly raise my hand as one of those people who thinks Apples are just better than PC’s and can’t understand why anyone would be using a PC- I mean, you do what you want, it’s not a judgment of anyone as a person- but for me, Apple is the only way to go. And I love the statement they are making, joining with other Utility companies in walking away from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. I feel like it’s similar to some EU nation walking away from the UN or something.

Apple sent a letter of resignation to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO Thomas Donahue. Here is some of the text, quoted from the Reuters story:

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Robots are officially ready to invade your home and make the future- today! Robots of every kind, but mostly for play- are available at Hammacher and Schlemmer. Full size movie robot exact replicas to small toy sized robots are part of the wide selection available for you to choose from.

Robots for sale! My favorite is The Animated Emotive Robotic Companion who expresses himself through his animated face, which is a full-color LCD screen. He has 64 MB of memory and multiple personality traits. His hands are able to hold small objects and he is able rotate 360 degrees on his all-wheel base as well as detect if anything is in his way by recognizing obstacles. Be sure to watch the video!

The Animated Emotive Robotic Companion

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