Energy is something that everyone has to struggle to think about daily, because of wasted fuel and high costs, but what if it did not have to be that way? What if the heating and cooling brain in the consumer’s living space, the thermostat, could program itself?

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.

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There are many everyday items that we as a society that have yet to really make any sort of progress in the ingenuity department. But sometimes someone comes along and breaks the mold of how we use these average household items. Take for example, the piggy bank.

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.

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It seems everything can be powered or charged by USB today – we have cameras, cellphones, iPods, RC helicopters, and even the ridiculousness of fondue sets but, what do you do when you can’t find the wall socket adapter plug or never had one to begin with?

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.

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COFFEE!

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).

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The geniuses over at ThermaCELL have come up with an amazing device that lights the way (pun intended here, people) toward a fun outdoor experience:  the Mosquito Repelling Outdoor Lantern scares away the bugs!

This incredibly small and light lantern’s base fits in the palm of the hand, yet provides enormously bright LED-powered light while it deters insects for a 15 x 15 foot radius.

Does it work?  Well, yes it does!

This lantern is small, gives off a good amount of light on my deck but is not overbearing and is the best thing that I have ever witnessed for getting rid of the vampire-sickly mosquitoes and their friends.

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For a long time people have looked at their plain ice cubes and gone, “eh.” But with Fred’s unique trays, you’ll have your BBQ guests screaming, “That’s so cool!”

Fred has a collection of ice cube trays that will put your buddy’s choice of ice to shame. There are the CHILLBOTS, frozen robots and screws that are here to take over the human race cooling one drink at a time. Or, if you’re into bugs you can purchase the CHILLIPEDES. They resemble caterpillars, but if you know anyone who is terrified by insects, I recommend choosing something different.

These ice cube trays are perfect for different occasions. It’s summer and everyone needs time to chill. So get the CHILLPILL and give your closest friends a good dose of relaxation.

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For those of you who are not aware, LED lighting is the future.  The amazingly bright LEDs use very little power and last somewhere close to forever.

Many new laptops (especially the Macs, which only have two) are slimming down their design by eliminating USB ports.  So nearly every desk now has two fundamental needs for computing:  light and more USBs outlets.

Welcome the SIIG AC-H40112-S1 USB LED Lamp w/4-Port USB 2.0 Hub!

Yes the product’s name is uncannily long, but the SIIG LED Lamp’s benefits far outweigh the ridiculousness of the name.  This LED Lamp is sleek, stylish and bright, as only a USB cable powers it.

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Every morning I get up, make some breakfast and hot coffee, and then sit in front of my laptop checking emails and Facebook. Admittedly, the plethora of online activities often distracts me and after I gulf down my cereal I realize I’ve completely neglected my coffee and it’s become cold. I know, I know, shame on me, but Brookstone apparently has an answer to my problem: the coffee cup warmer.

This little device looks like a simple, metallic, high-tech coaster, but it can be any coffee lover’s best friend. If you’re worried that you’ll have to buy any special accessories for this product like a specific mug to fit the cup warmer, let me put your mind at ease. Any standard sized cup or mug that has a diameter of 3.5” is acceptable! Just stick it into the holder, which has a heating pad at its base, hit the power button, sit back and enjoy a nice warm cup of joe.

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Now it is true that Gadizmo.com covers gadgets and gifts to the utmost degree of intelligence (and if I may say so) awesomeness.  And without further ado, we now cover some more of the coolest gift ideas ever:  Leslie’s Ditto’s art!

Who would not want a terrifyingly thrilling “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” fine art print?  How about one that is on sale for twenty-five bucks?

Anyone looking to spruce up a living room or office will have a fun time selecting from the vast subjects that Ditto has tackled, from “The Princess of Pop” (Gaga anyone?), to a girl with a “Dragon” tattoo, to the technology of flight gone wrong in “the Pilot”.

Ditto’s work is to this point new, innovative and indicative of creativity.  Aside from appearing at galleries all over the US, Leslie’s new version of surrealist art is available for unbelievable prices at Metro Orange Art.

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Think about it 21^st century computer users and perusers:  what does every desk need to function properly?  In one word…robots!

Funko, the makers of all things fun (pun intended), have been releasing alarmingly detailed bobble-heads for obscenely low prices.  They specialize in popular culture characters from movie, TV, comic books and more.  Whose desk would not be instantaneously more enjoyable with a 99-cent Iron Man bobble-head?

Most of the Funko bobbles are about ten bucks on Amazon.com, but the prices vary from “very” cheap to “the shipping costs more than dirtily unbelievable funko” cheap.  Take the office space or cubicle hell and turn it into a robot battleground as the detailed Terminator T-600 battles with the pointy eared Spock (from Star Trek) and our very own grinning President Obama!

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