So, I seem to have this strange attraction to USB devices. From the World’s Smallest Microwave to USB Rocket Launchers and more, I tend to find a lot of cool gadgets and toys that work by being plugged into a USB port.

The gadget that I am about to write about will make you feel like a secret agent. I am not sure how ethically right having a little device like this would be or why you would need to have one in the first place, but they exist and they do sound pretty cool. What is it? Well, it is a portable GPS tracker that has been disguised as a USB stick. So, yes, it does work as a USB stick, but in reality, you would not be using it as a USB device.

It is a cross between a GPS receiver and a USB memory stick. What it does is store wherever you take it on the flash memory. However, the person who is borrowing your stick to copy a file over or something does not know of the little GPS’s powerful capabilities. Well, who says that you even have to have someone use it? You could just throw it into a car or plant it on a person because who would suspect a little USB stick to be such a sneaky”‘toy”.

You do need to eventually get the stick back in order to grab the data off of it. If you do not get it back, it will not be any use to you! Once you have it, all you have to do is connect it to your PC and download the data. The data then can be plotted on Google Earth, Google Maps, mapquest.com, and even virtual earth.  Once you have the data, you can know where the USB stick went, how long it was where it was, and how it got there.

Of course, you could just use it to track where you’ve gone on a vacation. We don’t all have to be evil masterminds.

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The music lover has just hit the jackpot.  The Droid and Droid Eris have three applications for anyone who loves music.  In this new age of gadgets and gizmos, it is refreshing to have some flexibility for cell phones, especially in the arena of music.

Pandora, Shazam and iMusic are all great apps that can’t be ignored, if you like music.  Each of these is unique and allows for you to enjoy the experience that you always imagined.  For example, have you ever heard a song on the radio and wished you knew who sang it?  I have even called radio stations and walked through some of the lyrics or melody to try and figure it out.

Shazam is the answer to this dilemma.  When you hear a song playing on the radio or wherever you may be, start the program and hold up your phone.  The “Tag Now” feature listens to the song for about 10 seconds and then tells you the artist, song and album.  It is a great program and has known almost every song I tested it on.  I have had fun with people playing music who thought I would never guess who it was.  They would freak when they heard not only the artist but the album, too.

Once you know who is playing your tune, there must be a way to get that song.  iMusic is a great app for that.  Knowing the name of the artist or song, you can search all day.  Most of the songs are free, and you can download them right to your phone.  They are not able to be transferred from your phone, and that is why it is free.

Lastly, when I love an artist I want to hear similar music.  Pandora is the answer.  I can type a band and create a channel.  Pandora searches Internet radio stations for that artist or song and plays songs from artists in the same genre.

These music apps make you feel like you’re in the future.  The only thing better would be all three combined.

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So, this article may be a little late in getting to you, but just because the shirts are “intended” for Valentine’s Day does not mean that you have to get them for that day, right? It could be a gift that shows your love for someone or a shirt that you just want to satisfy your geeky side. It’s okay, I want one, too.

What shirts am I talking about? Well, you really should buy them as a pair, but you pay for each one separately. They are about $17 a piece– which is not to bad considering that technology has been incorporated into the shirt.   These 8-Bit Dynamic Life Shirts were created by ThinkGeek, and they feature six hearts lined up in a row on each shirt. Essentially, it is a “love meter.” The closer you are to your loved one, or whoever is wearing the other shirt, the more illuminated are the hearts! For instance, if you are far away, only two and a half of the hearts light up and when you are within hugging distance, all six of the hearts glow a steady red. Cute, huh?

How does it work? Well, for starters, the energy comes from three AAA batteries that are in a small pack that has been concealed in a small pocket inside of the shirt. What else is involved? Besides your and partner shirt wearer’s intense sparks of emotion, of course, a proximity based radio frequency transmission/detection system is used.

What’s also neat about these shirts is that the animated decal is removable so that makes washing the black cotton shirt extremely easy. If you are wondering how it is attached to the shirt, it is attached by hook and washers.

To add in to the fun, if you do not have a significant other or another loved one to share the beauty of this shirt with, you always can buy a transmitter. Now you can pretend that your loved one is nearby! Who knows, maybe you can use the shirt to strike up a conversation and find a new relationship!

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The Droid Eris, just like all the other smart phones, offers numerous applications for their users.  Recently, I downloaded a few new ones and want to share them with you.  Grab your phone and play along with Calvin and Hobbes, Age of Conquest and a great Bible app.

The LifeChurch.tv Bible app is a great one for all those who want the scripture right at their fingertips.  You can access any verse you like while standing in line at the bank.  Just pull up the book, chapter and verse.  Readers even can change the translation from all the different choices to get a better understanding of what is actually being said.  I really like the fact that by selecting the verse, I can email it to a friend or see links to commentaries others have made about it.

If you can’t decide what verse to read, there is a daily read with a few random chapters.  When you find a verse you really love you can bookmark it and come back to it over and over again.  Finally, there is a search function to help you find the verse on the tip of your tongue.

After enjoying the great theologians of the Bible, it is time to enjoy a modern one.  Bill Watterson to the rescue.  The Calvin and Hobbes comic strip is available as an app that updates daily.  Unfortunately, there are no more new strips because Watterson is retired, but the archives are plenty large for a daily grin.

Finally, a game for those with aspirations of world denomination.  Age of Conquest is the only app that I have purchased to this point.  This is a game likened to Risk, where you choose a nation and place your armies to attack and conquer the neighboring nations.  There are numerous options, such as nation and difficulty level to help you customize your experience.  The easy is not too easy but challenging and, the hard is enough to stretch your military strategies.

There are thousands of apps on the Android Market, but I think you will find these three entertaining.

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After recently coming back from spending a weekend on the slopes at Sunday River in Newry, Maine, I decided to look into some skiing and boarding gadgets. I had seen people using their iPods, attaching cameras on their helmets, and even pulling out their Blackberry phones to use as trail maps. I suppose the phone is easier to pull out than a paper trail map that will rip as you open it, but this is just more proof that technology will continue to make its way to the slopes. I am personally against technology on the slopes, but unfortunately, I do not think that we will be able to keep our slopes technology free in today’s world.

That being said, here is a gadget that I could be convinced of supporting. Called the SlopeTracker, this three ounce gadget straps to your arm and then proceeds to  spend the day logging your coordinates and calculating all kinds of interesting information. The SlopeTracker can log vertical feet, distance ridden, top speed, number of runs, the average grade of the slopes, and difficulty rating. To make this gadget even more effective, the SlopeTracker allows you to get a full print sheet of your performance. You even can get a GPS map of your skiing or boarding adventure.

If you want to talk about costs, I should let you know that the SlopeTracker is  available for rent at a number of resorts including Winter Park, Park City, Telluride, Keystone, Copper, Deer Valley, and Sunshine Village. However, if you are looking to buy this gadget, you will have to look for a version of the device, STATS, that  is available for purchase. As of 2009, this gadget is able to operate at over 640 resorts. Something like this is a great tool to have to see how you have improved, but it also is a luxury gadget.

The SlopeTracker is “the DNA of your extraordinary snow day.”

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