Magnets are just the most endlessly utilitarian application of elementary scientific knowledge this side of electricity – and just think what happens when those two come together!

From picking up big piles of scrap iron and moving them through the air and across a crowded junkyard with a crane, to comically confusing the Insane Clown Posse, and to powering these ingenious magnetic wristbands, their seemingly magic powers know no bounds. Name the small metal part or implement you could easily lose quick as a sneeze or accidentally tipping a bowl or pan over a drain, and this “+1,000,000 Bracer Of Holding” will keep it close at hand.

Nuts? Bolts? Nails? Screws? Washers? Needles? Strap the comfortable velcro strap around a wrist, and go anywhere while safely and conveniently carrying any little metal part you could need. From any position your hand could turn, they’ll stay put in a field of suspended AWESOME!

Don’t chuckle! Magnets of magic science are worth the exclamation point!

Personally, I love the idea of magnetic wristband most just because it eliminates a persistent safety concern I always have. I’ve many times stood atop a stool, chair or shelf fixing something and feared teetering backwards as Gravity laughs in my comical, wide-eyed face as I fall. A busted tailbone or broken neck only begins my worries. Half the time, my chompers are clenching nails and screws that could shred my mouth and throat on the way down my gullet. So thank you, miracle magnetic wristbands, for ensuring a nail will never choke me.

  Magwear Magnetic Wrist Band ($17)

You may remember a post we wrote a few weeks ago on unique headbands for women, wherein I “oohed” and “ahhed” over an assortment of geeky and cheeky noggin accessories. My favorite of the bunch were the adorably sweet teacup crochet headbands from Etsy artisan Priscilla of “You Cute”, and I was delighted when she offered to send one my way. That’s me up there, rocking her violet teacup. I’m such a “teas”. =^_^=

You Cute crochet headbands are such a treat; the level of detail is wonderful, with the teacup sporting a wee tag that says “T” and two sugar cookies on the saucer. But if teacups aren’t your style, Priscilla also creates a number of other whimsical food treats: from s’mores to cupcakes, slices of pie to my favorite – a stack of pancakes complete with a dollop of butter and a puddle of syrup. Nom nom!

You’ll also find a wide variety of floral crochet headbands for women, girls, and even in wee baby sizes. An especially sweet idea for the latter are her “bun covers”: crocheted scoops of ice cream that fit snugly over a little one’s hair bun. All together now: d’awwwww! <3

  You Cute Headbands ($37)

     

Every fascinating item we find has its story. For example: someone somewhere once looked upon an empty beer case and thought “hat.” No one knows who he was, or what he was doing. We can at least guess what he was drinking. Perhaps his roommates gave him one final warning, after his Dance of the Lampshade Hat once more resulted not in rain, or healthier crops, or a Kansas City Chiefs touchdown as he insisted it would. The jig probably instead gave way to the much less productive Crushing Of Another Lampshade Two-Step.

Whoever he was, whatever his motivation, give this genius credit: these lids prove that sometimes brain cells do survive beer baths. These sudsy stetsons are each made from a single 18-can case of Miller Lite, Coors Light or Miller Genuine Draft. Coors and Miller have both respectively officially licensed these hats, and each high crowned, wide brimmed, weather resistant hat includes an elastic band for comfort. One size will fit almost any dome.

Count on this being a conversation-starter. What we wear always makes a statement. And so does this hat: “Member Of The Opposite Sex, I love beer far more than I’ll probably ever love you. But at least I’m upfront about it. Yeehaw!”

  Beer Box Cowboy Hats ($35)

At one point or another, I’m sure all of us have wondered what exactly it was that Alice drank at the suggestion of a paper tag while in Wonderland. Was it a magic potion? Perhaps some brandy? Or maybe some kind of liquid drug found only in Wonderland? Whatever it was, it taught all of us that only good things can come from drinking out of strange containers that are labeled “Drink Me” … Err, right? ;)

That goes double for when those mysterious liquids are in flask form like this special Alice in Wonderland flask. The mushroom design has definite Lewis Carroll-inspired charm; I almost expect the Mad Hatter and March Hare to come running out of the distance screaming about having a tea party. There’s even a little bit of string around the top that completes the illusion of having an actual tag on it. Trippy, I know! Can you think of a more convenient and appropriate way to travel with your delicious drinks through the looking glass? I know I can’t.

  Alice in Wonderland “Drink Me” Flask ($22)

Few ordinary objects embody bored or distracted disinterest quite like the cell phone. It seems the smarter the phones keep getting, the shorter the leash becomes that life keeps yanking. It’s hardly a voluntary reaction anymore: the phone rings, beeps, buzzes or vibrates, and we grab it whether it’s important – or socially appropriate – to do so or not. With so many lines of communication tethered to one gadget, every little string they keep us on that gets yanked jerks hand to phone like a gunslinger’s hand darting for his Peacemaker.

But now you can watch your incoming callers play Dueling Distractions from a more detached vantage point with this Bluetooth caller ID watch. This handsome leather-banded timepiece with a stainless steel casing buzzes softly with every call or text message and displays either the phone number or name of the person who beckons on a discreet LED display. Ideally, whoever’s vying for your attention in the immediate vicinity won’t notice the vibration at all or think a thing of a discreet wrist-ward glance. Pick and choose your interruptions, and never appear disengaged from whatever task or conversation is at hand!

And if even the ever-present vibration gets unnerving, reject calls or mute the ringer with a simple button press. It’s an even more ideal filter of choice for monitoring calls and messages mid-meeting without playing the role of Edward BlackBerry-hands. On those occasions, you’re just another drone trying to Jedi mind trick the hour hand forward just a trifle faster.

If absolutely nothing else, it’s a fine conversation piece. “Oh, you like caller ID watches? I found this one through GeekGems.com. They feature so many wonderful things! I bought this watch, and the cereal bowl that keeps milk and cereal separate, and a wonderful octopus tentacle ring … How they’ve not yet been nominated for a Mashable Award, I just don’t know!”

Or, you know … something to that effect. ;)

  Bluetooth Watch w/ Caller ID ($79.99)

I’m not the biggest accessories afficianado in the world, though I am the cutest. (Megalomania, FTW!) But I digress. The other day, a dear friend of mine asked if she could make me something lovely and sparkly, and I was momentarily perplexed. I adore unique, eye-catching rings, but I couldn’t exactly say “forge me a ring made of gold and awesome, woman!” Then she suggested headbands, and I went, “huh!” It was a particularly deep-thinking moment for me, clearly. ;)

After that conversation, I was on a mission to scout out some cute, stylish, and decidedly unique headbands. And did Etsy’s artisans ever deliver! Their selection of headbands for women is crazy-huge, but these head band styles were some of my favorites:

I especially love the crochet headbands by You Cute. She has an amazing selection of adorably unique items, from teacups to pancake stacks, smore’s and slices of pie. Kawaii in the best possible way! And Janine Brasil offers the cheeky “Pow!” headband, in addition to loads of other comic, retro and geek-inspired styles.

  Lithium Headband ($10)

  Harry Potter Lightning Bolt Headband ($10)

  Crochet Teacup Headband ($40)

  Upcycled Computer Wire Headband ($18)

  Atari Game Headband ($15)

  Comic “Pow” Headband ($23)

Time waits for no man. Likewise, a cataclysmic system crash won’t hold off eviscerating your hard drive while you get around to backing up every file you can’t afford losing. Contrary to the phrase, we can never really “save” time, only spend it. But now when the time to save arrives, you needn’t spend another moment groping aimlessly for a thumb drive. If you can remember what you put on when you got dressed that morning, you can find a memory stick with the MicroSD Card Reader Watch.

Function alone makes this Micro SD Watch a bargain at twice this price. The sleek stainless steel bezel, back cover and buckle offset a basic-black band, and make this versatile bargain-priced timepiece as sexy as it is smart. And is it ever smart! The USB-powered reader conceals inside the band itself and supports a MicroSD card without needing a separate power adapter. The memory expands just by swapping out the card itself. The watch doesn’t come equipped with its own card, but it does include an extension cable, extra USB cable and instruction manual. It’s compatible with Windows 98/2000/XP/Vista/7 and Mac OS 9.1 and up.

Smart and sexy gets many a carbon-based life-form far. But like a rare animal at the top of the food chain, smart, sexy and tough gets this watch everywhere without it developing sudden amnesia the next time you need those PDFs of last year’s taxes. It’s water and shock-resistant with a three-year battery life.

I’m a firm believer that quality watches are rare amongst clothing purchases. A reliable one can prove worth every one of the many pennies that bought it because with the right care, it can be more reliable for years longer than just about any other item of any kind purchased for the same price. It’s also a hint of subtle class that makes a handy finishing touch when one wants a perfect first impression. But finding such a handsome timepiece as this that will do what this watch does for this little coin? That’s not just priceless. That kind of value is, well … timeless.

  MicroSD Card Reader Watch ($9.99)

There are many things that inspire nostalgic memories of the late 80′s and early ’90s – the tender, formative years of my elementary & middle school life. New Kids on the Block, hair crimpers, stirrup pants, Garbage Pail Kids … oh, the good old days! But when it came to accessories, there was one must-have item that boosted your coolness cred like none other: the slap bracelet.

Invented by a teacher (highly ironic, given they were later banned in many schools due to injuries/misuse), “Slap Wraps” were lengths of flexible stainless steel covered in a dizzying array of fabrics and patterns. To wear them, you straightened them out and then slapped them against your wrist with a satisfying “snap” sound. They were inexpensive and accessible (you could buy them just about anywhere) – a genius combination to incite trading frenzies amongst kids my age. And now these fantastic Slap Watches have brought all of those fond memories roaring back.

I love the stylish simplicity of the Slap Watch. It works much in the same way as slap bracelets of yesteryear, but are so much more functional while still maintaining the same playful ‘tude. They’re also remarkably affordable as well, and if you’re one who likes mixing and matching colors, you can purchase package deals that let you swap watchbands and faces to create up to 81 color combinations. The kiddos are covered as well, as the Slap Watch Jr would make an awesome first analog watch for your youngins. And because they come with a long-lasting lithim ion battery, you won’t have to worry about any time lapsing incidents a la Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. (“Ted! Don’t forget to wind your watch!”)

In other words, these slap watches are most non-heinous, dude. ;)

  Slap Watch Collection ($19.99)

When the snow outside is heightening,
I want to leave the house and be so frightening,
and I have no mask to use,
I need Cthulhu, Cthulhu, Cthulhu!

Well, ignoring my not so elegant song writing skills … I’m sure I’m not the only one who believes ordinary ski masks are far too overdone and they severely limit your ability to express your love for Cthulhu, Davey Jones, tentacle monsters, or tentacles in general. The Cthulhu ski mask is a hand-knit bundle of evil warmth is the perfect way to keep your lovely cheeks from freezing during the frost-bitten winter months and bring forth reactions of awe and terror from on-lookers. Don’t be afraid to try and take in a few sacrifices when wearing it; there’s a nifty little mouth hold hidden under the tendrils!

And for those of you who live in a warmer setting, you could don this mask at parties, to job interviews, or on a first date! It is definitely a wonderful ice breaker, and will keep your face hidden just in case. ;)

Cthulhu Ski Hat ($20)

The personalized fortune cookie slippers by SushiBooties are sweeter’n sugar with their extra soft fleece that’s a perfect color match for the crunchy goodness of real fortune cookies. They come in all sizes, and you can personalize your fortunes with any message or “lucky numbers” of your choice. The slippers will even arrive in a Chinese style take-out box, all ready for gift giving.

Y’know, sometimes finding a truly comfy pair of slippers takes a little luck, but thankfully you have the good fortune to be reading this post! (Oh, I went there – yes I did! ^_^)

Fortune Cookie Personalized Slippers ($32)