Japundit has been running a series on mimikaki, Japanese gadgets designed to remove wax from clogged up ear canals. I'll admit the various vacuums leave me a bit cold (I'm against having any sort of suction-device planted on my head; I keep my brain in there, after all) while other options simply scare me. The bamboo ear picks decorated with cartoon characters (including the omnipresent Hello Kitty), however, I find surprisingly appealing. How can I ever go back to my bland, every day cotton swab knowing I could be cleaning my ears with cuteness? -[Star C. Foster]

Japundit (via Medgadget)

Yes I know, tell you something you didn't know. Somura have been doing some research on PC use and have come up with some interesting observations.

You know those extra 2 hours (on average) that men spend on the internet per week, compared to women (mentioned yesterday)? We can now let you know what our men are doing in those two hours. You say what? Porn? Our survey says....

          *** BING!  22%! ***

Now personally I'm about to get a new phone with a specifications list which almost challenges my first PC (1998) and laptop, so I'm not likely to be the first person buying myself these. However, I am a fan of minimalism and think it's daft how every phone out there nowadays feels obliged to be much more than 'just' a phone. MP3 players, radios, organisers, cameras, games consoles, books, portals to the internet...

... I do keep a Nokia 3100 as a backup and I must say I love it - the battery life is phenominal, it survives all kinds of abuse, glows in the dark, and makes phone calls. Brilliant.

Worried that maxing up your iPod's volume may lead to irreversible hearing loss? Apple have announced a new, free, download that will allow iPod users to set volume levels to a personal maximum. Parents can also set volume controls on their childrens iPod's and lock it with a combination code. The download is available for nano models and those with video playback capabilities.

Or you could just not turn the volume up. Just a thought. [Camilla Chafer]

I can't believe I haven't posted about this yet! It wasn't till I saw a piece on The Whiz over on Popgadget that I realised I'd entirely failed to write about it. I got sent one of these plastic willy things last year, after talking to the company's hilarious marketing manager (and before that, I gave it a brief mention on Shiny when I wrote about the She-Pees at Glastonbury) She told me to give it a go in the bath first (!) and then try it out in the loo before moving on to outdoor vegetation sprinkling.

Personally, I've always opted for the taste test when checking the temp of my vino. Not always the sure fire way to get the optimal temperature but after three glasses you will probably have stopped caring.

Of course being gadget minded, we still like stuff like this electronic wine thermometer. Insert it into any open bottle, choose the right wine on the panel and the LCD display will tell you the current temp and what the wine should be, so you know whether to warm or cool it. £14.95 from Gadgeter.com [Camilla Chafer]

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Navman's latest wheeze is this GPS in-car Sat Nav device that will take you to your destination using only the power of photos. Snap a photo of - say - your mum's house on your next visit using the in-built camera, and the unit will record the co-ordinates. Next time you want to be a good daughter and pay a visit, you can just bring up the pic of the parental abode and the Navman will guide you in (though really you should know where your parents live by now).

Johnanna Hyrkas' Valomatto is a glowing throw rug, which I personally think would be the piece de resistance in a bathroom outfitted with LEDs in the  sink faucet and bath. 

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be for sale, but going through the project photos, it looks like a fairly straight-forward DIY job for you ambitious crafty types: some flexible tube lighting, crochet hooks, loads of yard, and, of course, and some basic hand-eye coordination; (the latter of which I sadly lack).  The sleeping dog, although adorable, is entirely optional. - [Star C. Foster]

Johanna Hyrkas (via the Cool Hunter)

The Capsule is a neat pigment-happy case for your frankly rather easily-scratched iPod Nano. However, not just a case they say. They include a lanyard to hang it round your neck and show off its new-found glorious colour ("Helllooo! Muggers! I don't think you saw me the other day, look, today I'm lime green!"). Or you can attach it to your handbag, which incidentally makes it much easier to find the thing in there if it's looped round your shoulder strap.

I'd like to suggest a new verb, "to geek". This generally involves being engrossed at the PC; maybe posting to forums, chatting over instant messengers, online shopping, researching a new toy, gaming, trying to keep up with new trends, laughing at celebs who don't, editing blemishes out of your photos, looking for new knitting patterns... You know. The usual.

And you know what, not only are we slowly catching up with the men, we're just about to overtake them. Yes, we female geeks are no longer in the minority.

Being somewhat of a magpie I quite like shiny, sparkly stuff but hate it when it starts to look a bit weathered.

If a bit of elbow grease isn't quite your thing, the Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner promises to get your gold, diamonds, rings, pins and general bling professionally clean in five minutes. [Camilla Chafer]

I've been having a little go with the three new Nokia phones that make up the L'Amour Collection recently, so I thought you might all like a bit of a review. First up, the 7370, which I'm currently loving with an intensity bordering on the illegal. Full review after the turn.

This is the phone that, out of the three, comes properly loaded with features.

Need a pen that astrounauts use? Space pens have been around since the US astronauts went moon side. You can use it on wet paper, in freezing temperatures, extreme heat and from any angle. According to the boysstuff blurb "One question we're often asked is 'why can't girls have good gadgets too?'" Who writes this stuff and who answers it?

As we all know by now the key to a good gadget is to obviously make it pink. And in this case, make into a proper girly set by adding a penknife. Inspired... not. £34.95 (Out of curiousity, would you buy a gadget purely because it was pink or do you find it patronising? Leave me a comment...) [Camilla Chafer]

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Swiss army space pen

Being a bit that way inclined, I already have a healthy (or should that be unhealthy?) collection of Swiss Army knives littered about my abode. Not a great idea to carry them around with you at all times, however, since it may end with you getting more intimate with airport security than you'd strictly like.

For those girls who can't face the thought of using a bog standard pen knife, this Miss A Kit should keep your girly girl credentials in order whilst still giving you access to a corkscrew, keychain, tweezers, bottle opener, screwdriver, scissors, ruler, nail file. flashlight and knife (or "and even a knife!" as the press blurb puts it - as if we've never conceived of such a notion).   

Chocolate or gadgets? Chocolate and gadgets! We all know by now that choccy fountains are the cheese fondue of the noughties. I tried out a three foot one at a show a couple of weeks ago and it was marvellous. So glad I didn't have to clean it later. Anyway, I digress. This little electric chocolatiere is of the put in the blocks and gently simmer them variety but if you prefer your chocolate cold there is the option to pour it into the included moulds. £19.95 from Boysstuff. [Camilla Chafer]

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Chocolate fountain

If you thought the Picturemate 100 was pretty nifty then you'll probably like it's grown-up swanky sibling, Epson Stylus Photo RX640. It can do everything the Picturemate can and more as it's a printer, scanner and a copier. Pics can be created from the original negatives or slides as well as via bluetooth or memory cards. This one can churn out A4 photos as well as print directly onto the surface of CD's. It looks a little like a George Foreman grill but I don't think that was intentional. [Camilla Chafer]

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Picturemate 100

I got a shiny new computer recently and took the opportunity to finally jump on the Firefox bandwagon. Thing is, I still haven't quite got round to exploring all the neat little extras that set Firefox apart from the rest of the browsing crowd. If you too have yet to discover those extra delights Firefox has to offer, Propellerhead has gathered together some unpublished tricks especially for people with a wheel mouse, including quick launches, speedy tab closure and easy highlighting.

Easy Firefox shortcuts and Tips
 

Maplin Electronics is one of the few places I can be truly geeky without being stuck in front of my computer.

I can wander about coo-ing at cables, connectors, soldering irons and computer bits without being stared at. Well, I like to think so, but I'm sure the fact that there are never any other girls in there when I go in means that I may be slightly unusual all the same. Thank goodness Shiny Shiny exists, proving I am not alone in my girly-geekdom.

I'm not alone, am I?  am I?   am I?    am I?

I don't mean to sound like a paranoid lunatic, but your technology maybe be betraying you.  First it was hidden microphones in your mouse, and now it turns out your SIM card may be selling you out. The Active Spy Shop is selling this USB SIM card reader which, with its companion software, will reveal the last ten to twenty SMS messages stored on the SIM whether the messages have been deleted or not.  Apparently it's time to stop swapping state secrets via text message, and return to those cold war, cloak and dagger days of cryptic messages in public places.

This bit of privacy infiltrating tech will run you £159.  And, of course, the crow flies at midnight.

Deleted Text Message Reader (via Red Ferret)

My goodness, these things have come on a bit. Writing this post has led me to get my own old mini-telly out of its box. With its 2" screen and insatiable desire for AA batteries (lost the AC adaptor years ago), it's actually behaving fairly well - it's even receiving channel 5! Never again will I complain of not having a telly at uni...*

Anyhow, these portable tellies from Roadstar come in screen sizes from 1.8" up to 9", which allows much more comfortable viewing. They can be powered by batteries, mains or in-car 12v supply, if you're lucky enough not to be affected by road-sickness.  [Sara Wallen]

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* Battery-powered pocket TVs are covered by mum's licence, woohoo!