Green Gifts

I've always been a fan of saving the environment, and now the general populace seems to be catching on. (Thanks, Al Gore!) There are tons of green gift options being circulated this year; here are some of my faves.

For the kids, there's the nifty Power House: Sustainable Living in the 21st Century Science Kit or the equally awesome Fuel Cell Car and Experiment Kit. Both seem like they could be edutaining. And I mean that in a good way, not in the way that edutainment usually resembles neither education nor entertainment.

These solar chargers would make practical, useful, and relatively inexpensive gifts for, well, anyone with a mobile phone/iPod/DS/other gadget. If you feel particularly generous, of course, you could give one of these Voltaic Solar Backpacks/Bags. That'd be nice, too.

For environmentally friendly stocking stuffers, try Clif Bar Cool Tags: For every $2 Cool Tag you buy, Clif Bar invests $2 in a wind farm.

And perhaps the coolest green suggestion yet: Adopt a sheep in the Abruzzo region of Italy. There are three price options ranging from 80-190 euro, but I think the 140 euro option sounds pretty excellent. For the approximate equivalent of $201, you get not only the satisfaction of knowing that you're helping fund organic farming, cheese-making, and sheep-herding (and becoming the adoptive parent of a little Italian lamb—baaaa!), you also get:
1) adoption papers and photos of your sheep
2) 3 kilos of pecorino cheese
3) 1 kilo of juniper-smoked ricotta
4) 1 kilo of sheep salami (or caciocavallo cheese if you’re vegetarian)
5) 1 pair of 100% virgin wool hiking socks

You know you want the cheese. I know I want the cheese. I've always wanted to adopt....

Toys for (Spoiled) Tots

If you have a) oodles of cash and b) a certain little someone who you long to spoil, I've got some awesome suggestions.

Let's face it: We all want a Pleo of our own. At least I know I do.

Alternately, if Pleo's out of your price range, you could opt for one of the FurReal Friends. Some of them are pretty cute. The pony might be a bit much, though.

If you want a beautifully constructed, classic stuffed toy, you can't go wrong with Steiff. My pick is Admiral the Penguin.

For a more active sort of kid/kid at heart, check out this rad folding sled; it's nuts (and looks like the Terminator).

And if you must encourage the budding geeks, how about a authentic(ish) lightsaber?

Just don't get this scary-ass Robotic Panda. Eek.

The 25 Most Baffling Toys From Around the World

Okay, I'm not sure these are the 25 most baffling toys ever, but they're certainly on the list. Needless to say, don't buy them for any impressionable children. I can think of a few adults who might appreciate them, but only ironically, like how most of us enjoy Journey.

A Toy Box of Weirdness

On a lighter note than my earlier post, please to be enjoying this awesome assortment of toys that should not exist. (Via, of all places, Cribcandy.)

News From the Pleo Front

Bloody hell. Remember how I first posted about the afreakingdorable Pleo a year ago? Well, I've been following the trials and tribulations of our favorite elusive little dinosaur ever since. And now his release has been delayed again, plus he's going to be more expensive. Dammit.
The essay contest does seem like a good idea, though. Now I just have to think of something brilliant (and brief) to say about how robotic life forms will influence my life in the future.
Oh, incidentally, I meant to blog about this Wired article about Pleo ages ago, but forgot.