Weren’t floppy disks a cool invention? You could store tons of stuff on them and pop them out at the end of the day so you didn’t waste memory space on your precious computer. USB flash drives are the new floppy disks, except they’re smaller, cooler, and more portable.

They now come in tons of novelty shapes and sizes, because computer geeks like to have fun too. I think one of these puppies would make a cool gift for someone going away to college or someone who just purchased their first computer.

Pictured: An Owl USB Drive, USB Sports Shoe Drive, Sushi USB Drive.

Kidrobot, designer and retailer of art toys and apparel, has been around for 7 years and, since then, has collaborated with top international artists to create hundreds of limited edition, collectible toys that merge urban/street trends with fashion and pop art. Kidrobot doesn’t stop at toys, either. Founder, Paul Budnitz introduced vibrant men’s and women’s apparel lines in ’06, along with tons of Kidrobot accessories to choose from (keychains, books, backpacks, shoes, home décor, jewelry, posters . . . The list goes on).

That all being said, I love the unique aesthetic of the entire Kidrobot collection and have compiled lists of my favorite picks on Kazowie. You should definitely check ‘em out:

Click here to see Cool Kidrobot Clothes for Guys.
Click here for Girl Kidrobot Apparel.
Click here to check out My Favorite Kidrobot Toys.
Click here to view Random Kidrobot Stuff.

Shop Webcams Now.

If you have friends and loved ones who live in far-off lands (a.k.a. you don’t see them as often as you’d like to), I highly recommend investing in a webcam, if your computer doesn’t already have one built-in, that is. It makes everyday chatting with friends more fun, too. Trust me, it’s a hilarious good time. I did some research on the best cameras on the market and came up with a Top Desktop Webcams buyer’s guide, with cams for your desktop computer ranging from about $26 to $130.

The Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 is overwhelmingly listed as a top performer, and I’ve got it on my list at a really sweet price. If you want a less expensive cam that’s listed among the top budget webcams, go with the Logitech QuickCam Communicate STX. Learn more about webcams, view prices, and snag one of your own on my Top Desktop Webcams guide. Happy chatting.

Webcams from left: Logitech QuickCam Orbit AF Auto Focus System, Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000, Logitech QuickCam Communicate STX, Microsoft LifeCam VX-6000.

“Do you recycle or do you destroy the Earth?” A friend once asked me that question, and now I’m asking you the same. Earth Day is in about two weeks. It will be here before you know it, people. And I think it’s pretty cool to Recycle, Reduce and Reuse every day, not just on the one day out of the year that is dedicated to Mother Earth.

It’s also the fashionable thing now to show off your recycling skills, so that others take the hint and do the same. (Lots of people still don’t recycle, even though you can recycle almost anything!) I found some cool recycle-show-off products that are now part of the Recycle, Reduce, Reuse buyer’s guide on Kazowie. So, shop, show-off, and save Earth. Now.

Everyone has someone in their lives who is just impossible to shop for. Either this person already has everything, likes nothing, or has the strangest taste of anyone you’ve ever met. He’s your geek friend. Shopping for his gift does not have to be a chore, however, as there are many awesome gadgets out there that are unique, cooky, and fun, just like your favorite geek.

I have selected a few of my shopper’s guides that I think might help anyone in search of a generic, yet unconventional, gift to purchase for a friend like the one described above. You can’t go wrong with any of the products from: Bobbleheads, Entertaining Coffee Table Books, Gifts for Your Favorite Geek, Keychains (trust me, they’re cool), or Monkeys. This is no laughing matter. Check out the guides. Trust. Holla.

I spend lots of time in the kitchen, mixing up new concoctions that my dinner guests are usually hesitant to taste. But that doesn’t discourage me from cooking! If you spend lots of time in this room of your house too, it’s only natural to want functional utensils that are also cool-looking and unique, especially if you’re cooking with friends, family, or your significant other. I find that cool kitchen stuff always makes a great gift, too.

A pair of rubber frog oven mitts goes great with some onion goggles and only serves to make your cooking experience more fun and enjoyable. Some other Things That Belong in a Kitchen are included on my Kazowie buyer’s guide, such as The Cannabis Cookbook and a magnet bottle opener.

Guys have bad hair days too. I wear the same hat to work every day so I no one can see my messy crop of hair. Because I wear a hat so often, I’m very aware of other peoples’ hats, and have, as of late, become obsessed with all the crazy ones that are out there.

Some are crazy in a cool way (to see what I mean, check out the Bay Fitted Hats guide, which features fitted hats that represent the Bay Area, and the Pop Culture Fitted Hats guide, which are for those with very unique tastes), some are crazy in a not-cool-anymore way (see I’m So Cool, I Can Still Wear Trucker Hats guide) and some are just crazy in a crazy way (see Crazy Party Hats guide).

P.s. I love hats.

The lack of features on this video recorder outnumbers the features that it does have.

The Flip video recorder is simple, no doubt, but that’s what makes it SO COOL! Some of the perceived “cons” of the Flip: You can’t take still photos, there’s no video light, no optical zoom or special effects, you have to upload your vids to your comp when the memory’s full, and the memory only holds 30 or 60 minutes of footage, among others. Nevertheless, this fun-sized camcorder has become popular in the world of video recording. In its first year, it alone took something like 13% of the camcorder market!

I like Flips because you can tote them around in your pocket and operation is as easy as 1. Turn on, 2. Press red button once for record, once for stop, 3. Press Play for playback, 4. Press Trash for delete, and 5. Slide a button to pop the U.S.B. jack out. Plus, it comes in different colors and several cool designs. You can even customize your own, which is the hot thing for electronics these days. The Mino HD is the newest model. I’ve chosen a couple of my favorite pre-made Flip designs and included the accessories (such as an UNDERWATER CASE?!?! Whaaaaat!) on My Favorite Flip Camcorders and Accessories shopper’s guide on Kazowie!

All the hep cats have touch screen cell phones these days. If you’re looking for a top notch one for yourself, I’ve done the research for you in my Top Touchscreen Phones shopping guide. The original touch screen, the Apple iPhone is still considered the best of its kind on the market in terms of touch navigation. It has the biggest screen and is the most accurate when typing. Internet connection is strong as well. It also has tons of fun and useful apps to download.

Clockwise from top left: HTC Touch Diamond, Apple iPhone, BlackBerry Storm, LG Vu, Sony Ericsson Xperia, LG Incite

The T-mobile G1 is fairly easy to navigate and it has a real keypad that slides out for those who prefer typing on keys to typing on a screen (like I do). The BlackBerry Storm has a good e-mail program and you can edit Word and Excel docs on it, which is a big plus for business users. The Verizon 3G network for BlackBerry is also very reliable, but Storm has no Wi-Fi, so the internet connection is slow when out of network range. Not too many people seem happy about the no Wi-Fi thing.

It’ll be sweet to see if the upcoming Nokia N97 is able to compete with Apple’s forerunner.