Here's a way to have endless batteries for your holiday gadgets!

Batteries! Our gadget can’t live without them. Well the ones that take batteries, that is! Batteries aren’t very sexy, but thanks to a Daily Giz Wiz fan (whose email I can’t find) told me to check out this new LaCrosse Battery Charger from Think Geek. (Yep, the same LaCrosse who make neat weather gadgets!) This battery charger has lots of geeky features! It works with all NiCd and NiMH "AA" and "AAA" rechargeable batteries and it can charge AA & AAA batteries simultaneously. The LCD display shows the capacity for each of the batteries when charging is complete. It won’t charge defective batteries and has overheat detection to protect over-charging. But wait there’s more! The battery charger can also be put in one of four different modes: Charge, Discharge, Refresh and Test mode. The Refresh mode can help to restore old re-chargeable batteries to their optimum condition. The LCD display provides an individual readout for each of the four compartments and can show charging current (in mA), time elapsed (in hh:mm), terminal voltage (in V) and accumulated capacities (in mAh or Ah). But wait, there’s even more! You not only get the LCD charger, the kit also includes: 4 ”AA” NiMH 1.2v Batteries and 4 ”AAA” NiMH 1.2v Batteries! Yep, there’s more still! , You get a durable Nylon Travel Bag, AC Power Adapter, plus 4 ”C” Size Battery Adapters, and 4”D” Size Battery Adapters. That means you can use your charged AA or AAA batteries in devices that take C or D batteries! (Model BC-9009) Price is a very reasonable $39.99!

http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/travelpower/b7fd/

The MAD book I showed on the air is called 1001 MAD Pages You Must Read Before you Die! It's a new hardcover book that is available only at Barnes & Noble for under $10.00. I have several stories in that book including The Calamityville Horror and a take off on the popular game show I call We'll Make A Fortune! If you're a Barnes & Noble member, the book is under $9.00. Now that is CHEAP!

Here's a synopsis from the Barnes & Noble website:

MAD is the world’s leading satire magazine published under that title. Started in 1952, it was the brainchild of William M. Gaines, who has been operating on a reduced work schedule since his death in 1992. Although MAD Magazine has never won the coveted Pulitzer Prize, its writers continue to use many of the same words as the award-winning authors!

1001 MAD Pages You Must Read Before You Die (Crammed into 864 Actual Pages) is the ultimate critical collection of the best MAD Magazine articles ever, spanning 500 issues of outstanding humor and satire. (Granted, we set the bar extremely low!) Featuring classic movie parodies, Spy vs. Spy, Don Martin, and more, this is the one book—as its title suggests—that you must read before you die. Best of all, once you’re done reading it, you can die in peace, with a smile on your stupid face. We’ll miss you, but we’ll still have the memories…and your money!

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/1001-MAD-Pages-You-Must-Read-Before-You-Die/Staff-of-MAD/e/9781435122680/?itm=1&USRI=1001+mad+pages+you+must+read+before+you+die+crammed 

An easy to avoid germs -- wash your hands often! This gadget makes it easy.

This is the latest Touch-Free soap dispenser from Simple Human. With a really bad flu session upon us, there’s whole new awareness of washing hands often to get rid of germs. That’s why this gizmo could be a welcome addition to your kitchen or bathroom. If you have trouble getting your kids to wash their hands, having this “magic” gadget will most likely have them washing their hands often. Simply place your hand under the sensor and it will dispense a measured amount of soap automatically and stop. An LED display lights up when the sensor is activated. By pressing a button on the unit you can select any of the four volume settings that allow the pump to dispense preset amounts of soap or lotion. I’m using Dial Antibacterial Liquid Soap and I found the lowest setting works best. You can use it to dispense hand soap by the bathroom sink or dishwashing soap by a kitchen sink. It can also be used to dispense hand lotion or hand sanitizer. But it’s not recommended for very thin liquids or exfoliants. It operates on 4 AA batteries, which are not included. Right now it’s available only on the Simple Human website, but it will be available in stores like Bed, Bath & Beyond soon. Price is $29.95 on the website, but that might be less when it’s in retail.

http://www.simplehuman.com/products/soap-pumps/sensor-soap-pump-2.html

Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw954

Verilux says this CleanWave Wand can even eliminate 99.9 of viruses.

Safe at home. Or at least Safer!

Verilux says that required laboratory tests prove that the CleanWave UV-C eliminates up to 99.9% of viruses (including H1N1), bacteria, molds, dust mite and flea eggs from beds, upholstered furniture and other household surfaces. So you can have chemical-free sanitizing in minutes. Hypoallergenic sanitizing eliminates germs from surfaces that don’t tolerate chemicals such as mattresses, upholstery and electronics. This wand has a built-in LED count up timer. Each surface requires different amounts of time to kill germs via the UV-C light. A computer keyboard might require just 8 seconds, while a standard bed could take six minutes. But you don't need to carry a stopwatch. As you turn on this wand by holding the on button down for a few seconds, a count timer also starts. The hang tag and the instruction booklet give you the times needed for various surfaces. Since it's harmful to look into UV-C light, the unit as an automatic switch that turns the light off if you turn it to face up towards the face. And because it’s rechargeable, the wand is cordless, so once you charge it via the included AC cord, it’s easy to use anywhere around the house. The suggested retail prices is $89.99, but when I wrote this on November 22nd, it was on sale at the company website for $69.99. You can also do a web search on a shopping site like Amazon to see if there's even a lower price. There are many versions of this wand, including a travel version, but only this model - VH01WW4 - is said to eliminate H1N1 virus on surfaces.

http://www.verilux.com/uvc-allergy-relief/uvc-sanitizing-wand

Do you ever worry about placing your head against an unknown headrest?

With airlines cutting services and expenses who knows how often the seat headrest is cleaned. The answer, bring your own. TravelKleen has a customized adhesive seal so it can be reused. You uncover the adhesive and there’s a place right on the TravelKleen to store the piece of plastic you just removed. Then use your TravelKleen for the entire trip. Use it on the bus to the airport, then on the flight and then in the rental car. If you’re really worried about germs you can even use them in a movie theatre. When you’re done for the day, or the trip, or the movie, you recover the adhesive tabs with the plastic tabs you removed, so you can continue to re-use it. There are two in a pack.  The TravelKleen headrest protectors weigh about as much as a few sheets of paper towels and take up very little space. On their website, a package of 2 is $8.95, plus S &H. At travel stores, there’s $9.99 a pack.

www.travelkleen.com

Everything you need to help keep your hotel room germ-free!

From the Magellan’s Travel Catalog: The Hotel Sanitation Kit. Feel safer when you travel with this hotel room hygiene in a compact kit. Pack a little peace of mind with these travel size germ killers. Kit includes Lysol Disinfectant spray, Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, Safe2Touch Surface Cleaner, Febreze fabric freshener spray, Charmin Fresh Mates cloths, and Purell Hand Sanitizer. And if you need to use a public drinking fountain there’s also a pocket size device the small of a small compact that opens to reveal a collapsible drinking cup. I put water it in and it works fine. All these germ fighting aids are tucked into a TSA-accepted 3-1-1 clear plastic bag for carry-on convenience at the airport. Under $30.  Actually is $29.85, plus S & H. And it can be gift wrapped.

http://www.magellans.com/store/Toiletries___Toiletry_Kits___ToiletriesTP115?Args=