Not a blog post about a gadget but I thought it was important to write about the new American President. Never before in the history of the United States has there been an African-American in the seat of power. It truly is history in the making.

I feel that Barack Obama brings hope to the American people at a time when they need it. He is a great and fascinating man who can deliver an impressive speech to the people. Barack Obama won the US Presidential election by getting more than double the votes of John McCain. The figures I’ve seen are: 349 for Barack Obama and 162 for John McCain.

Barack Obama’s campaign to become President has cost millions of dollars, let’s hope that the money was spent wisely and that Barack Obama will be the leader the US needs and no doubt want. Obviously he will also bring hope to people outside of the US.

The American people have spoken; It’s now time for Barack Obama to deliver.

I’ll blog about a gadget later on tonight and promise to make it a good one.

Today was a bit of a weird day here in Wales. Well, it was in my part of Wales. It has been bitterly cold and wet here for a few days now, but earlier on this afternoon the snow began to fall. Can you believe it… snow in October! I’ve never known anything like it in my life.

I did take a photograph of the snowy mountains that are close to my home to show you guys. It wasn’t just a little bit of snow that dissappeared as soon as it hit the ground either. There was plenty of it and actually, there is still pleanty of it. I’m quite sure it is still coming down.

You can see quite clearly that the mountains and rooftops have a good layer of snow upon them. If you notice on the rooftops there is one house with a light on in the attic and to me that looks kind of warm and inviting where all the other houses look cold. Now, I took this picture with my Nokia N95 Mobile which has a 5 MegaPixel camera in it and as you can see, it takes pretty good pictures. But, having said that, my contract comes up for renewal in March and I am getting an iPhone 3G hopefully. I am still deciding on the costing on that one.

So the cold weather is finally upon us and I will be getting a new hat and scarf soon. PriceGrabber has some nice woolen hats you can choose from, and they’re reasonably priced, which is always a bonus.

As part of my Uni course I have to design things is a 3D environment. The program that we use is Blender 3D and it relies heavily on using the keypad to change viewing angles. Obviously all desktop PC keyboards have these as standard, but laptops are lacking. So I’ve had to get my hands on one of these; a Belkin USB Numeric Keypad.

Having the Belkin USB Keypad means that I can do my 3D design work anywhere as long as I have power. There’s not much to say about this nifty little gadget really, after all it is a keypad. The keypad doesn’t need any drivers installed either, you just plug it in and it is ready to work straight away. The thing I like about the Belkin USB Numeric Keypad is how it’s weight. It feels like a sturdy piece of kit that isn’t going to break if you drop it. This is a good thing if you’re going to be taking your laptop back and forth between different locations. You need to know that any additional gadgets you have to help you with your work are going to be up to the job.

I paid less than £15 for my Belkin USB Numeric Keypad, and I thought it was a bargain. I’m always on the hunt for a good bargain to be honest what with me being a poor student. My workflow has increased since I got this keypad though, and if you’re struggling to cope without one you should seriously consider getting one.

Now I know that the North Face Messenger Bag isn’t a gadget as such, but it does help to protect my gadgets. Well, it will do when it arrives. You see, I wanted a bag that I could use everyday and was tough. The North Face Messenger Bag ticks both of those boxes, and then some. For starters it is large enough for me to fit my A3 sketchpad and laptop in to it, as well as pockets for smaller items such as a pencil case and iPod. The dimensions, if you really want to know are 38 cm x 45 cm x 13 cm. This gives the North Face Messenger Bag a 25 litre volume.

The one pictured above cost just under £45. Now I know that seems very expensive for a bag, but you’re paying for quality here. I know that in a few months time, the North Face Messenger Bag will still be in one piece. The North Face are renowned the world over for the quality of their merchandise, which is why I have faith that this bag will become a vital part of my everyday travels.

I have a rucksack at the moment, and whilst it does a fairly good job of carrying my folder and notepad, there simply isn’t any room for much else. With the winter and cold weather on the way I’ll need a tough, waterproof bag. So getting the North Face Messenger Bag is more of an investment for my needs rather than a want. I could quite easily spend £20 on a bag, but I wouldn’t be getting the quality and durability of the North Face Messenger Bag.

Folks, a good bag is essential for anyone who does a lot of travelling on a daily basis, so why not get a bag that’s going to last a good few years?

Are you tired of your traditional wallet always making your credit, debit and membership cards damaged? Well worry no more; the Jimi Wallet is now available.

No longer will you have to worry about your cards being rendered un-useable because they have been bent or split. There’s nothing worse than finding out that there is a crack in your cash card when you are by the cash point trying to get some money out to go to the pub with your mates, or worse still, when it comes to paying for that lovely romantic meal you had with your partner and finding out that the card is being declined. It is a major embarrassment when it happens.

The Jimi Wallet is the answer. Made of really tough plastic, it can hold 5 cards and about 4 notes, so obviously it’s not much use if you carry your entire life around with you in your pocket. But, if all you are doing is going out for a few drinks with your mates you don’t need that huge bulging wallet.

The Jimi Wallet is one of those gadget you should really be looking at buying if you are the outdoors type also as it is water resistant. We all know there’s nothing worse than soggy bank notes that tear easily.

Costing just under £10 you’d be a fool not to get one of these and let us not forget that Christmas is just around the corner. The Jimi Wallet would make an ideal stocking filler.

Although not really a gadget, the Miracle Fruit Tablets definitely should be made into honorary gadgets. These small red tablets are absolutely amazing.

I’ve been meaning to get some of these for a while. I remember seeing them on a television program a while back and being absolutely amazed by them. The Miracle Fruit Tablets are made from a natural berry that’s native to West Africa, containing a glycoprotein molecule which attaches itself to your taste buds. This in turn makes everything you eat taste sweet. Imagine the fun you could have with a packet of Miracle Fruit Tablets.

Obviously if you are eating something that is sweet already, these tablets are going to make it even sweeter. The Miracle Fruit Tablets‘ magic will last for approximately two hours, more than enough time for you to eat sour lemons and grapefruit. I can see these being a hit down the local too, with people daring each other to try and eat food and drink that are usually too intense to consume in large quantities.

Having had a look on the internet for some interesting comments about these tablets, I learned that the sugar industry tried to sabotage research into the Miracle Fruit Tablets back in the 70s.

The Miracle Fruit Tablets cost less than £10 too, which also makes them a great buy.

This is a blast from the past. What a joy it was to find the My Own Morph toy. It brings back so many great memories from when I was a child sitting in front of the television at teatime watching Take Heart. It was one of those programs that you never missed. We didn’t have the 200+ channels that are available today, all we had were four. Tony Hart would create these fantastic things that we could all have a go at doing ourselves.

As part of that program there was an animated section called Morph. Morph was a Plasticine character who lived in a wooden art box. He was created by the world famous, Oscar winning studios of Aardman. Now it’s your chance to own this great little character. My Own Morph will bring a smile to the face of anyone who can remember it on the television. So what do you get in the kit? There are 3 blocks of terracotta-coloured Plasticine and 5 fun accessories; a cricket bat, wizard’s hat, skateboard, beard and comic book. You will also get an instructional DVD with 15 Morph adventures on it. That’s quite a treat in my book.

The really special aspect of the My Own Morph kit is the fact that you have to create and build your own Morph. There are no moulds at all. You have to use your own skill to recreate the famous character. You could also buy some white Plasticine and create Morph’s friend, Chas.

There are hours of fun to be had with the My Own Morph kit. And it costs under £15, which is a real treat.

I suppose we all have moments when we get a mental block. Thinking putty is quite unique because you can stretch it, bounce it, tear it, make it drip and even shatter it. It is perfect for stress relief, and we all get a bit stressed sometimes. The Thinking putty is perfect for the office or home, even students can make use of it.

In all honesty I can’t think of any practical use for the Thinking putty. I do know however that it does pass the time quite nicely. It can even help those grey cells get working again by giving them a rest for a while. Everyone needs to take a break from the daily grind and Thinking putty is ideal for that. It definately is great fun.

Give it as a gift to the stressed out members of your family. Costing less than £7 it is the ideal novelty gift to give.
The Thinking putty comes in a variety of colours. There are even magnetic and glow in the dark versions of the Thinking putty.

Christmas is just around the corner, so why not start getting those stocking fillers in now. Kids and adults alike will love playing with the Thinking putty. I promise you, you’ll not be able to put it down.

It’s getting close to that time when students are starting or going back to University. Students are notoriously bad cooks; well quite a few of them are anyhow. But most of them know how to use a toaster, so what better gadget to get for them than some Toastabags.

These miraculous little bags cook food in a toaster. Yes, you read correctly, they cook food in toasters. Isn’t that great?
So what can you cook in the Toastabags I hear you ask. Well, quite a lot actually. You can cook toasted sandwiches, burgers, beans, scrambled eggs, fish fingers and even oven chips. I think that these are a godsend because you don’t really have to think that much with them. Grab the bag, put what you want to cook into it, stick it in the toaster then eat. What could be easier?

You can also re-use the Toastabags too. They’re easy to clean and dishwasher safe too. Much more economical than getting all those pots and pans out to make a meal, right. At only £6.95 you could buy two and utilise both slots of the toaster at once, which will in turn save electricity. Not only do they cook your food, they save you energy and money. Money you can use for more important things like course books or materials.

You’re not going to become the next Jamie Oliver with the Toastabags, but you can be safe in the knowledge that you won’t go hungry.

This gadget is one for the ladies. I bet you’re thinking how the WineRack bra is going to save you money, right. The answer to that is quite simple; you can fill the WineRack bra with your favourite beverage. Be that alcoholic or non-alcoholic, the choice is entirely up to you. It’s a fantastic way of carrying 750ml of your favourite tipple, and it has a drinking tube that’s long enough to route to wherever you wish. No longer will you have to pay vastly inflated drinks prices at festivals, gigs, or special events, just take your own. You can even use it down your local pub or club.

The WineRack bra comes in stylish black, and is available in two sizes; small and medium. The small size will fit 32A to 36A and the medium will fit 34B to 38B. And that’s not all; the WineRack bra will increase your cup size by 2.

With prices going up in pubs and clubs across the UK, and supermarkets being so much cheaper, this is the ideal solution. No longer will you have to sacrifice your much loved night out because of the cost. The WineRack bra will make your partying can become cheaper than ever before. Costing under £20, this will pay for itself over and over again. It will probably pay for itself on the first night that you use it. Grab yours today.