Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Which Gadget Websites Have the Best Cool Gadgets For Men?

Whether you are buying for Father's Day, father's birthday, boyfriends birthday or just to show a man in your life how much he matters to you, gadgets are the best gift for men. Men love gadgets as they never really want to grow up and find it hard to let go of that child like fun feeling you get from playing with toys.

There are of course many gadget websites and shops online, so it is a bit of a mind blowing project when trying to find gadget gift ideas for the man in question. The best thing to do is narrow it down first so work out what the man in question enjoys the most, it might be fishing, soccer, biking, gaming or something high brow like literature or art. But believe me there are cool gadgets for men of any kind.

So once you have narrowed it down to say for example soccer, Google it as 'soccer gadgets' and see what you find. There are many great gadget shops and gadget websites which have search facilities but again it is still advisable to narrow down to at least two subjects before searching or you will find just too much choice and it will blow your mind and you'll end up buying nothing.

Beware of the delivery times when buying online as they will sometimes say two weeks or ten days but once you order, it may take longer, so give yourself plenty of time. Try and avoid Chinese copies as invariably the items appear to be the same and great copies but they generally don't last as long as the real thing and develop problems within six months of the purchase. Its false economy and you really don't want to have to explain to your man when his gadget stops working that it's a cheap Chinese copy.

My advice would always be, shop on the main gadget sites with established histories or online gadget shops that are backed by big organisations of which there are many. eBay isn't really the place for gadgets as they are mostly Chinese copies or refurbished. By the way 'refurbished' is the new marketing speak for 'second hand'. It is a great way to get a bargain for yourself but not for someone very special in your life. Again you really don't want to be explaining that it's refurbished (second hand) if it goes wrong.

Probe a bit when chatting to find out what the man in question is missing in his gadget world. If he really wants a particular thing, by finding out you have just made your job a whole lot easier. Don't forget men get preoccupied easily so it will be quite easy to find out what he wants without giving it away that you are buying it for him as a present. As long as you are vague in the conversation he won't realise. Besides us men forget what you said within 10 minutes of the conversation changing.


Source : Ezinearticles

Simple Girlfriend Gift Ideas to Help You Out

Women love gifts whether they are for a special occasion or not. When you are out shopping for the perfect gift for your girlfriend, make sure you have done your home work beforehand. It may seem hard to think of the perfect gift, especially if you think she already has everything. But, don't let this thought discourages you. Here are some simple girlfriend gift ideas that will definitely be of great help if you cannot think of one.

Cosmetics are great gifts that can never go wrong. If she wears full makeup to work and never leaves the house without a slap of a red lipstick, she will not mind having a few more makeup stuffs especially coming from you. Make sure you do your research well and find out the kind of colors that she loves to use before picking up a makeup set.

Women love to be taken out for a romantic dinner date on special occasions. A romantic candle dinner date at home is a nice change from the norm. You can add in a gift basket and a massage treatment as part of the dinner package at home. This is very thoughtful gift idea that will be enjoyed thoroughly by your special woman.

Gadgets are also appreciated by women but take care in selecting one that is easy to use and practical. A portable video or music player is the perfect choice as your girlfriend gets to use it while she cooks or jogs. Though women don't necessarily need the biggest TV or latest stereo set, you may not know if this is true unless you ask them.

You know your girlfriend is into arts. Use this advantage to turn a favorite photo of both of you into an amazing piece of artwork. If you are not inclined to art, don't fret as there are always art stores that can actually perform the artistic interpretation of a simple picture. A personalized art such as this is thoughtful. She will want to show cast it by hooking it to the wall, for all to see.

Use your imagination and understanding of your girlfriend's needs and you will be amazed at the gift ideas that you can come out with.

Source : Ezinearticles

Gift Ideas from South Africa

Are you looking for gift ideas to give to friends on your return from South Africa or gifts with a traditional African theme? There are a number of different ideas that you may choose to give and the advantage with these gifts is that most are handmade and therefore no two products will be alike.

South African Beadwork

Beadwork is a popular choice of gift from South Africa and can include anything from beaded key-rings to beaded bowls, ornaments and other items. Beads have long been used in the African tradition and amongst the Zulu people were also used as a means of communication.

South African Art

Artwork from South Africa including both paintings as well as sculptures and other artwork is another popular choice. Pictures of women walking with pots on their heads or tribal warriors are commonly associated with South Africa and can be used in any room where you want an African-inspired theme. South African art may come as prints, originals, or made into cards, etc.

Wirework

Wirework, although not part of the traditional African heritage, has become very popular in Africa today and you can get many different items done in wirework and often you will find items that contain a mixture of both wirework and beading. Wirework decorative motorcycles and bicycles are quite common amongst wirework from this region and show the western influence in this nation.

African Prints

African prints such as the Big 5 animals and South African flora and fauna can be made into clothing, kitchen items and other fabric items with an African-inspired theme.

Why South African Gifts?

The advantage of these gifts is that most of them are unique, each handcrafted individually by the artist; this of course, does not however apply to fabrics or art prints. Another advantage of buying South African gifts is that you help to support people who are often in extreme poverty and use these as a means of supporting their families. To many people the ethnic appeal is also a strong reason for their purchase.


Source : Ezinearticles

Make My Photos Into Pop Art

Have you heard about Pop Art? Maybe you've heard the word thrown around lately, or have even had the privilege to see a few classic works from famous artists like Warhol or Lichtenstein, but did you you know that you can have your very own photographs turned into custom works of pop art for a surprisingly affordable price? With photo manipulation programs, tools, and skills becoming prolific, it is easier than ever to have your own treasured photographs transformed into cutting edge works of custom art.

Pop art has its origins rooted in the 1950s, and was originally a movement in the art world that sought to embrace the mass produced visual media of the time and integrate it into fine art pieces. It has seen a resurgence in recent years, much of which is due to the wide spread use of photo manipulation in every day life. Loosely defined, this style involves isolating objects from their environment and arranging them, often with other pieces, in new surroundings. The pieces are meant to inspire thoughtfulness, and many famous pop artists used these works as an almost satirical commentary of the transitional times they lived in. In the modern day, when dealing with photographs and digital photo manipulation, this typically means using a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or other editing tool to cut subjects out of digital photographs and place them against a different or created background. American Pop Art pioneer Andy Warhol made the art form synonymous with bright colors applied to the same image, arranged in multiple panels on one piece in complimentary color schemes, though that certainly is not the only interpretation. Warhol styled photo art is the most prominent in creating custom pop art from people's photographs in the modern day.

So how does one go about acquiring their very own custom pop art work? It's easy. An internet search turns up several different offerings, all with different options and styles, as well as finishes. Some companies will stylize your image and return it to you as a digital file, while others create posters, others print on photo paper, and still others create it and print on canvas. Pop art on canvas is one of the most striking options, since it further merges fine art into the process. These custom canvases are hand stretched and created using archival materials, so you know that your piece of custom photo art will last a lifetime and beyond.

Source : Ezinearticles

Know About Natural Coral Sculptures

Coral sculptures are a delicate and requires a lot of patience for sculpting. Being a hard material to work with, artists need to have skill and time to handcraft unique works of art. Natural ocean coral is a delicate but hard material to work with. Red ocean bottom coral is the precious material, most common artistically used form for coral sculptures. This formation of natural coral is found at very deep depths of our marina ocean sea bottoms. Red Coral is one of the most desired types of ocean coral to work with sculpting artists for density. It sets within the deepest of the ocean depths with low sedimentation and in very dark cavern and crevice depths. The original species and several other related marine coral species are mainly found on ocean bottom at a depth of 10 to 30 meters below.

The Atlantic was at one time, the main original gathering grounds for Red Coral until close depletion of the main Red Coral areas from harvesting. Within recent years, there has been a healthy harvesting of the discovered material, near the Strait of Gibraltar and next to the Taiwan oceanic area close by the strong currents. Red Coral has a gift of past and present beauty for the collectors desiring this gift of earthly nature.

The Red Coral preferred for sculpting, grows upon the deep rocky bottom in very dark environments, most often resembling small leafless bushes measuring up to a meter tall. The Red Coral is a skeleton mixture of hard calcium carbonate. This is a natural product that can be polished to a fine glassy shine with a flowing range from a range of warm pink to the darker reddish color tones, many items from jewelry to sculpture are derived from this product of nature.

With this naturally intense glossiness and permanent vibration of colorization, natural oceanic Red Coral has historically and is presently manipulated into many forms of sculpture. Coral jewelry has been discovered archaeologically in ancient Egyptian and prehistoric European burials, along with crafted modern desired collectible items of our modern day. Due to the softness and opacity, coral is commonly molded into beads along with formative types of animated sculptures.

Historically coral is connected all the way back to Greek mythology. Within the Greek story of Perseus inadvertently concurs the sea monster Andromeda with Medusa's blood that turns to coral. Perseus place Medusa head on the riverbank while washing his hands after the concurring aftermath of Medusa. As the blood of Medusa flowed, coral was formed, adventitiously defeating Andromeda. Within the Roman culture, there was belief of protection from harm by coral as well as a cure to wound made by snakes and scorpion along with diagnosis of diseases by the coral color changing.

Today, various types of coral are well manipulated into a wide variety of beautifully designed items, from jewelry to delicate sculptures. From historical Romans to our current artistic worldly cultures of today, the oceans gift of this precious material is manipulated, designed and sculptured into a welcome beauty of for us to enjoy from some of the deepest depths of our world.


Source : Ezinearticles

Gift Ideas - For the Man Who Loves Gadgets

If you have to buy an interesting gift for your friend, father or even boyfriend, here's a list of cool gift ideas that are ideal for the man who loves gadgets and gizmos and always knows what he wants.

The irreplaceable iPod. Every man wants an iPod. This is not because he actually wants to listen to music all day, but because now he can. He can listen to music in his car, at work, at the gym and even at home - but best of all, he can listen to the music that he wants to listen to! The iPod is the irreplaceable accessory of the 21st century, and whether you want a Nano or a Mini, every man knows the social benefits of having this great little music player. Here's a tip: the bigger the better! And if it has a full color movie screen, this will make the perfect gift for someone special.

The automatic toilet seat. This is not a joke. Ask any man what he hates most about living with his wife or girlfriend and he'll tell you that he hates being yelled at about leaving the toilet seat up. The automatic toilet seat is a nifty gadget that automatically lifts up when it senses that there is someone standing in front of it, and will automatically flush and put itself down again when that person has moved away. Not only is this great for avoiding potential toilet-seat fights but it is also really smart for mid-night bathroom excursions when you sometimes forget to check if the toilet seat is up at all (because really it should be at all times anyway!).

A set of stylish novelty cufflinks. Cufflinks are the hallmark of the sophisticated individual and the true gentleman. Also, they make every man feel like he is James Bond for a night. Forget about those stuffy crest cufflinks that have your initials on them and get a set of sophisticated novelty cufflinks that are actually miniature working dice, or a light up poker chip, or even working carpenters levels! Endless fun is had by all when pairing these cheeky cufflinks with a stylish French cuffs shirt.

The remote controlled helicopter. Every man is actually a little boy trapped inside a man's body, and that boy wants big man toys. Don't fool yourself - remote control helicopters are the most awesome and most incredible big man toy around! You get to pilot your own helicopter through the treacherous swamps of your home and safely get those little paratroopers to their secret mission in your living room, and sometimes (when your girlfriend is out of the house) you can invite your friends over and have helicopter wars and try to avoid obstacles like the ceiling fan and expensive artworks!

The totally awesome Space Pen. This pen is more than just a simple ink-filled pen! The legendary Space Pen can write upside down, under water and can even work in space! The first and only pen designed to withstand the anti gravitational forces, this pen is ultra cool and looks awesome too. Enough said!

Source : Ezinearticles

Five Great Ideas For Imaginative Or Exotic Gifts

We've all experienced that moment of being faced with the prospect of having to buy a gift, but being at a loss for what to buy. Another gift card seems too impersonal. A shirt or a sweater seems too humdrum. And cologne or perfume is unimaginative. Sometimes, you just need inspiration to find unusual or exotic gifts. Here are five great ideas to get your imagination going.

Games: If the person on your gift list loves to play games, consider getting him or her a game that reflects his or her interests. Say, for example, that the chess player in your life also happens to be a Civil War buff. Why not give a chess set where the Union and Confederacy battle it out on an etched glass board? If she's an amateur Egyptologist, she'll love chess sets that feature Pharaohs and warlords. There are chess sets and other games that feature Chinese warriors, African animals, and medieval knights and dragons. These exotic gifts serve double duty, since they are both collectors' items and usable games.

Arts and Crafts: Arts and crafts sets make wonderful gifts for children. Whether the gift is a sticker book, a set of beads, a jewelry maker, or a bucket of fuse beads and instructions, craft-oriented gifts engage the imaginations of children and allow them to create something with their hands. Adults also enjoy crafts; even those who aren't already avid hobbyists may enjoy the challenges and rewards that a craft set will bring. A new grandmother, for instance, might find a new hobby with a scrapbooking starter set, while an avid baker would appreciate a decorating set and high-end food colors.

For the Garden: Whether your gift recipient has an acre of land or a small patio, you can give an imaginative present that is perfect for the outdoors. Consider a folk art wind chime, a beadwork stepping stone, garden statuettes, or a miniature park bench that seats potted plants.

Contemporary or Classical Art: Although it's sometimes difficult to determine a person's taste in art, you can't go wrong with art that reflects an interest or a hobby. If the person on your gift lists collects angels, for example, she'll be delighted with a sculpture of an angel with a harp. If she loves sea creatures, she'll treasure dolphin figurines. As long as you know what brings her peace and joy, you can't go wrong with art that reflects her passion.

Relaxation Bliss: With the hectic pace of today's lifestyles, virtually no one takes enough time for himself or herself. Use your imagination to come up with exotic gifts that encourage your recipient to unwind and relax. A basket filled with mint and sage bath products will both relax and rejuvenate, while a tote filled with tropical bath products like lime and coconut will seem like an island vacation. If your gift recipient has kids, tuck in a handmade coupon good for a few hours of babysitting to make your gift even more memorable.


Source : Ezinearticles