ThinkUnique Store

As one of the editors of the Industrial & Scientific blog, I need to get this off my chest -- As a middle school and high school student I thought Science was stupid. And I thought Science Fairs were the height of stupidity. I looked at my science teachers with pity and disdain. But then I also used to spend a couple of hours a day watching the Banana Splits (who could ever forget Snorky?) and Speed Racer (who could ever forget Chim-Chim?). Let’s just say I was slow to come around to science.

But now, partly to make amends for my past science-related indiscretions and partly to shamelessly promote the Industrial & Scientific store, we are sponsoring a Science Fair Contest.

There are 3 things you should know about the Science Fair; The first is that Amazon.com’s Industrial & Scientific store is sponsoring the Science Fair on instructables.com. The second is that prizes totaling $3,000 in Amazon gift certificates will be awarded. The third thing I had written down on a piece of paper, but spilled coffee all over it, running the ink together like some poorly conceived Rorschach test, with the only semi-legible words being ‘twiblop’ and ‘kzanker’ and at this point I’m drawing a blank on those references.

In any case I’ve come to realize – Science is Hip. Geek is the New Cool. And if your project happens to be selected as the Grand Prize winner, you’ll receive $1,500 in Amazon.com gift certificates.

For Science Fair contest rules and regulations go to the Industrial & Scientific homepage and click on the instructable.com link.

–Bill B.

My inner couch potato didn’t need any more reasons to love our family’s TiVo remotes and all the joy they bring (when they’re not lost). But it just got one: I can now order Amazon Unbox movies and TV directly through my TiVo — no computer of any sort is needed (except to set up an Amazon account). And I’m not the only one who digs it. If you haven’t tried the whole “video download” thing, it doesn’t get any simpler. Click, buy, and boom. True, downloads aren’t immediate, but I like that I can buy a TV show, download it, delete it and re-download it as much as I want.

Here’s my initial “buy on the box” impulse purchase list:

Close Encounters of the Third Kind — still jaw-dropping

The Closer – I’m just flat-out addicted to this smart, surprising cop show, and can’t wait for the next episode

Wisecrack — kickass comedy from Alec Mapa and Judy Gold

Life with basic cable just got a whole lot less basic …..

– Stephanie Reid-Simons, TV Freak

Since I’ve been blogging about toys, I’ve been meeting more and more grownup toy collectors. (I’m sure I’ll be introducing you to some of them in the weeks to come.) Some of them are pretty, um, specific about what they like. Whether it’s Star Wars, LEGO (or both for some people), Webkinz or Pez dispensers, people are passionate about what they collect. One thing I’ve seen a lot of adults collect, especially men, are McFarlane figures. McFarlane encompasses everything from the NFL to Napoleon Dynamite…something for everybody. (They sold like crazy during Father’s Day, by the way.) They’re an interesting way to keep the kid inside of you alive and kicking…just like Napoleon D. — E. Christian Moore

This is something I’m giving a try. There will be different categories at the top of the page where you can shop. Some pages may just include links to vendors, and others will be stores filled with Amazon products.