Sharpies have a reputation for being “the best permanent marker in the world”. You can use them to write on almost anything at all — on CDs, on plastic, on glass. There are several different sizes, the latest being the Sharpie Mini. The Sharpie Mini is very portable, only half the size of normal highlighters. Its cap has a clip that you can attach to key chains, bags, etc.

You can get the Sharpie Mini Assorted 4 pack Black Blue Green Red for less than $6.

Sharpie

You can survive three days without food, but you won’t last long without water. Why not carry a bottle with you? Water is cheap — almost free, in fact — if you don’t buy it at the store. You can boil water at home to make sure it’s safe from bacteria. Once the water has cooled down, bring it along with you in a Nalgene Water Bottle. Get the WideMouth version, so that it’s easy to fill up (including with ice) and easy to hand wash.

Nalgene water bottles are made from near-indestructible Polycarbonate plastic. It can withstands temperatures from -135ºC (-211ºF) to 135ºC (275ºF). It’s also available in many colours, and the price is right, too. You can typically find the Nalgene 32oz WideMouth Water Bottle for less than US$8.

Gifts, Water, Nalgene

Who doesn’t like the X-Men? You can now get the Ultimate X-Men Complete Comic Book Collection on CDROM for only US$9.99. It works for both PCs and Macs. This Ultimate X-Men Complete Comic Book Collection includes 70 issues from February 2001 through May 2006, including annuals.

What is Ultimate X-Men?
Ultimate X-Men is the wildly successful relaunch that jettisons over forty years of continuity and sets the clock back to the beginning for Marvel’s first group of mutant super heroes. This is a fresh start for the X-Men that begins when they’re still teenagers just becoming a part of Charles Xavier’s School For Gifted Youngsters and chronicles their new first encounters with villains like Magneto, the Sentinels and Juggernaut.

X-Men Comics

It’s almost the end of the year — which means it’s both time to give (and receive gifts) as well as time to think about next year. This is a great gift that does both. The Far Side Gallery 2007 Off The Wall Page-a-Day Calendar gives you 365 daily cartoons, so that you can start every day with a chuckle. It’s for a good cause, too : all of Gary Larson’s royalties from the sale of this calendar will go directly to fund Conservation International’s work, especially its efforts to halt illegal trafficking in wildlife, from turtles to tigers.

The Far Side, Conservation International, Calendar

Bored on a rainy afternoon? Have some fun with the family, thanks to the SET Game. SET is a card game of quick recognition and deduction. Each card contains one of three symbols (squiggles, diamonds, ovals) in varying numbers (up to three), colors (purple, green, red), and degrees of shading. A dealer arranges 12 cards, face up, and the players–without taking turns–hastily scrutinize the images for logical “sets” of three cards linked by combinations of sameness or difference. It’s not as complicated as it sounds: examples include a trio of paired ovals with increasing levels of shading between cards, or disparate symbols in different colors which increase in number on each card (card one has a green squiggle, card two a pair of purple ovals, card three a trio of diamonds).

The trick is to keep calm while trying to make the rapid connections. Each game should last you around 30 minutes.

Games, Gifts