Meet the Manifold Clock. Created by a team in Tel Aviv, Israel, this gadget aims to encapsulate the ever-changing concept of time.

The silent hands, powered by a single AA battery, are connected to a clock by a piece of Tyvek fabric. As they tick, they cause the fabric to twist and bend in space, changing the clock’s appearance every 60 seconds and turning the concept of time into a three-dimensional reality.

Based on a combination of modern design, simple mechanics and the principle of the Riemann surface, the clock is a fascinating spin on the traditional timepiece. It’s all about perspective, and how we visualize time and space as it changes.

The clock took almost a year to bring from concept to reality. The team decided to post the project on Kickstarter to help fund the expensive injection mold, meet the manufacturer’s minimum order quantity and set up the production line.

At the time of writing, the project is $5,300 away from being funded and becoming a reality sooner rather than later. By pledging $45, you can pre-order a Manifold Clock, which will retail at a suggested price of $69, if the project reaches its funding goal. There’s also a 30″ diameter version available if you pledge $100.

Nothing is static. The Manifold Clock embodies that in an aesthetically pleasing way.

Whether you’re a fan of Dr. Who, or not (and you all should enjoy the time traveling Brit, as his comedy and courage are unparalleled), this coffee mug is the gift that keeps giving.

With every pouring of a liquid hot brew, the Tardis sitting on a typical English street begins to smoke and disappear . . .

This particular English police box is not a place for citizens to run for cover to phone Scotland Yard, but rather the age-old vessel of the Time Lord Dr. Who and is in reality a living – and often arguable as far as the doctor is concerned – time machine.

As the aroma of coffee erupts in the air, the previously empty side of the mug – containing only stars and space – will magically host the Time Lord’s Tardis speeding through the tunnel of time and space; the police box will be completely gone on the suburban street and backdrop of the other side.

Does this mug really showcase the disappearing of the time machine from earth to an unknown time in space? Yes, it does!

For less than thirteen bucks, the wide rimmed mug provides ample room for delicious brews in a sturdy porcelain setting and as the coffee within disappears and reappears, so too will the Tardis leave and show up in England or the wide reaches of space.

Inspector Clouseau would have loved this illuminating toy, if he could have afforded it.

The ambush can be thwarted and the attacker revealed in the unexpected switching on of the Bitplay BANG! light from up to fifty feet away.

For those who like the feel of a toy gun in their hand, this plastic remote will prove entertaining. Just pull the trigger, when the light is on, and watch as the lampshade is knocked askew by an invisible bullet, and the light is put out!

Then tumble forward over the couch, do a somersault (stretching the back is recommended before trying this people), and fire away again to switch the light on and straighten the white shade.

The BANG! lamp does include a traditional on/off switch on the cord, but what would be the point of spending three hundred and ninety-nine dollars on a pretend shooting gallery-light, if you did not act out the Mission Impossible sequences and bust out the cheap looking lamp with a cheaper looking micro plastic gun remote control?

The idea for this Bitplay device is genius, but the price tag is not. The inventors might not be pitching this to the spy movie enthusiasts, but rather to the actual spies of the world who can afford to have such jaw dropping and revealing lamps.

For less than ten bucks the stocking can be stuffed with the power of the Force, or at least the power to make innumerable ice cubes in the detailed rectangular shape of the infamous rebel Han after Darth Vader ruthlessly froze him.

The officially licensed Star Wars tray is a dead nuts representation of the climactic scene in Star Wars: the Empire Strikes Back.

You know the one. Leia finally declares her love as everyman’s hero is lowered to his potentially frozen demise; Han’s response, “I know.”

The badass quarry of the bounty hunter Bobba Fett is faithfully depicted in intricate detail on a tray that creates seven Han Solo Carbonite blocks (one three and a half inch Han and six one and three quarters).

The sturdy mold itself will allow for the creation of jiggling Jello Han Solo’s or even tasty chocolate ones.

The makers of the ice cube tray even brag that it will withstand temperatures of up to forty degrees below zero (which far exceeds a freezer’s levels, but sadly would break on the Rebels hidden fortress on the ice planet of Hoth).

Drop a frozen Han Solo block into a glass and watch him dissolve away into the energy field that connects all living things. And remember, “The Empire will compensate you if he melts.”

Smart TreeKeeper is watering system that finally makes the experience of caring for the Christmas tree a joyous one. By elegantly solving the problem of how to water, with a low tech hose and funnel, and when to water, with a high tech music-playing-water-level-checking-device, the guys at LandMarc have effectively solved two simple problems that give me one big headache.

To get things up and running all you have to do is simply attach the included 3 ½ feet of hose to the green ornament -ish funnel, run it down the trunk to the stand, attach it to the tree next to the magical red box with the included Velcro strap, and enjoy watering your tree without crawling around like a drunken dog.

The device relies on two AAA batteries to electronically measure the water level at, what seems to be, about 10 minute intervals. When the water level drops more than an inch, the speaker plays Jingle Bells to let you know the tree is thirsty but, don’t worry, with it’s built in light sensor the TreeKeeper will not wake you up in the middle of the night.

Once the song is done playing all you have to do is grab the cleverly hidden funnel, slowly add some water, and listen for the overfill alarm. That’s right, no worries about overflowing the stand, the TreeKeeper has you covered on all levels.

I’m only two days into this little experiment but I think I can safely say that this will be the first year my tree won’t spend a few hours sitting bone dry in the stand – maybe we can squeeze an extra week out of it’s limited lifespan and some happiness out of my limited Holiday spirit.

At under $20, the Smart TreeKeeper is an awesome gift for anyone that appreciates the little joys in life.

Wait a second . . . what? There is a cheap way to drink with the President?

Yes, this does require some imagination, and the new collectible is now available, but only through donations to the President Obama 2012 reelection campaign.

Regardless of anyone’s creed, political party, or home country, President Obama’s rise to the Presidency of the United States as its first African American President is a legendary one. With the country still reeling from an economic recession, the President hopes to become reelected and continue to help the nation through its arduous time period.

For just ten dollars (US), a proud donator becomes an even prouder owner of half a dozen gorgeous beer coasters. History is here before us, fellow collectors, and it is up to us to participate in it.

The beer coasters spell out 2012, with Obama’s campaign “rising sun” symbol inserted and also the President and Vice President Joe Biden appear on two additional coasters to lively up the set.

Surely such items as these – that are not available to purchase in retail stores, unless they have already made lucrative donations far outweighing our own slamming down of ten bucks – are to become rare among select beer coaster collectors.

And for any hoarder of United States history pieces, this set of six Obama 2012 beer coasters is sure to be an impressive and welcome addition to an Americana catalog.

So pass the drinks and do not sweat it! The table has coasters to keep the moisture at bay!

Welcome warmly, or coolly depending on the weather, the Nest Lab’s newest creation:  the Nest!

The new company from Tony Fadell, the designer for eighteen iPods at Apple, launches the sexy wall item, the Nest Learning Thermostat, in November for $249.

The Nest, for all intensive purposes, thinks about how the user likes their temperature. All that is required is for the energy-minded to continue to turn the thermostat up and down according to when they leave the home, or go to sleep, or the seething summer heat requires A/C, or the frigid pre-November snow asks for more warmth ASAP.

As the consumer manually sets the Nest thermostat, like they normally do (we are not talking about the complicated and convoluted programming that nobody spends the time doing), the Nest remembers, reasons and then begins to program the thermostat’s temperature for you.

It learns.

In fact, Fadell believes the Nest learns so thoroughly that he says users will save up to 30% off of their utility bills when Nesting.

And let us not forget the minimalistic and gorgeous body of the Nest. Fadell, the iPod designer, knows how to carve out a sexy piece of tech, and the Nest is a prime example. The round face is black bordered and inside is either digitally blue or orange, depending on a rising or lowering of the temperature.

How hard is it to operate? Well, just twist the Nest left or right to plus or minus degrees, like you would any other traditional thermostat.

The Nest is money saving sexiness!

Used by humans since the 18th century, the “piggy bank” is a staple of our childhood money memories. I remember saving my first coins. I couldn’t wait to break open my piggy bank to reveal the riches I had been saving (4 bucks) to get a new toy.

But saving wasn’t the most time consuming part. Putting your change in that tiny little slot was.

This fundamental flaw of the piggy bank has hence been solved with the “Coink Piggy Bank” from Yanko Design.

Got change in your pocket? Just throw it right in! No need to painstakingly insert every single coin individually. Why I, nor anyone else I know didn’t think of such a simple solution like this is mind boggling.

This awesome little funnel at the top also acts as a way to get the change back out. No need to smash it with a hammer, or try to pry those little black plugs from underneath. Just flip it over, empty, and you’re good to go. Simple, stylish, and effective.

If only I can find a way to cause a paradigm shift in how we use cookie jars.

If you want to keep the wire-spider-monsters to a minimum and kill your dependency on that computer to charge your gadgets, the U-Socket USB outlet is the answer.

The U-Socket replaces the typical wall socket you would expect to see in a 110v household system with a socket on steroids that features two 2.1 amp USB ports.

Not only can you charge your USB gadgets wherever you use them most, whether in the living room next to your favorite chair or in the kitchen where you need to keep your favorite recipes handy but, now you can do it all without giving up that valuable power plug.

You don’t need to be a genius but, you do need to understand a little bit about electricity and basic wiring to swap out your standard wall socket for the U-Socket but, word on the street is, you can find anything on Youtube now a days.

With a price of just under $25, the U-Socket makes the perfect gift for any guy with too many “iThings” and not enough outlets.

It is a passion of many…especially mine.  For those who do not yet know:  the Keurig Coffee Makers are possibly the greatest mechanized inventions ever crafted by humankind, including the wheel.

K-cups have been around for a while now, and the Keurig coffee people were and continue to be pioneers in the individual cup of coffee making magic.  The Keurig coffee makers take pre-ground bean, in the form of a K-cup, and within a minute or less brew a steaming draught of the freshest cup-of-Joe imaginable.

Personally, I only drink one or two cups of goodness at a time, and I am a coffee snob:  I prefer medium to dark fresh ground Colombian bean for my caffeinated beverage of choice.  A pot of coffee would not only be a waste of a lot of coffee for me, but it would also be a waste of time and would almost certainly be at a loss for flavor (when compared to the legendary Keurig’s coffee).

At first the machine fires up and heats for close to a minute before it can pour forth a forcefully delicious coffee cup in seconds.  The machine does not need to start up again, so the next cups only take seconds to craft.  There is also an Auto-Off button to safely ensure she shuts down after not being used for an hour.

The K-cups are now made by all of the top coffee brands and distributors – including Green Mountain Coffee (which I highly recommend), Folgers and others – and I recycle them so that there is no wasted garbage, no smelly filters to be changed and no maintenance aside from occasionally adding water to the detachable chamber on the side of the Keurig device.

There are options for multiple sized cups to be poured; the base model (which goes for about a hundred bucks) that I have has a small and large setting, though the nicer brewers have an array of interesting options.

The K-cups come in any form of tea, coffee and hot cocoa imaginable and are now found in myriad supermarkets and Costco-type places (for cheap!).  They can also be ordered online from Keurig’s people, so that a coffee consumer is never lacking, and there are reusable screened cups for making tea and coffee the old fashioned way (but one cup at a time).

Drink up!