Gifts for Geeks IV

Estes XB-39 RC spyplane with 26-shot digicam

 

We still like the idea of hooking up a digital camera to a kite to take aerial shots, but if you?re more into actually scoping out the territory than creating a DIY device that?s as likely to crash as it is to fly, you may want to check out the XB-39 Eagleye from Estes Rockets. The $150 remote controlled toy spyplane has a 55-inch wingspan, can reach altitudes of up to 1,000 feet, and can shoot up to 26 pics from its onboard digicam. Just be careful not to fly it too close to bridges, dams or nuclear power plants, unless you want it shot down by homeland security forces. Read more about it here.

RubberMaid Paint Buddy

We currently have about fifty cans of old paint in the basement, just waiting to rust, bust, and collect dust. This, therefore, is a clever little solution. The Paint Buddy can hold a small amount of paint is is useful for touching up messy spots where the dog began chewing on the wallboard to escape from the closet. These fellas won BusinessWeek?s IDEA awards, and rightly so.

Rubbermaid Paint Buddy
 

Automatically, a Smart Dish That Feeds a Hungry Pet
By J. D. BIERSDORFER
 

Leaving a pet at home during the workday or a weekend trip isn't easy for most people, especially if that pet has a particular eating schedule or is prone to gobbling all its chow at one sitting. The Viatek I-Pet Intelligent Pet Dish addresses those concerns; it can be programmed to open each of its four food compartments at specific times.

A digital display on the side of the dish allows the user to program a feeding schedule. Each of the four trays holds half a cup of moist or dry food, and the dish has a separate water compartment on top that can also be used to hold ice packs for chilling any moist food inside.

The I-Pet requires four C batteries and sells for $60 or less. It is available on the Web at www.viatekproducts.com and from online shops like www.smarthome.com.

Although some pets park themselves next to the food dish out of habit and don't need an invitation, the I-Pet comes with a digital chip that lets you record 20 seconds of your voice to call your pet to dinner - or to tell Mr. Piddles to get off the couch right this instant - as the lid slides open.