Not that we recommend becoming an assassin or anything, but if you're looking for ultra-low-noise BB shooting with pinpoint accuracy, the UTG Model 700 FPS-325 Accurate Shot Competition Master Sniper airsoft gun is for you. It's a spring-loaded air gun that shoots .20g BBs, and it must be cocked every time you shoot it, but that can be done with just one finger. Its effective range is between 150 and 170 feet, perfect for some challenging target shooting.
Now we'd never shoot this anywhere near any human beings, but we've seen far too many garden-hungry varmint rabbits marauding around the premises here that could use a good plinking. Save the cheerleader, save the world and save the azaleas for $86.95. – Charlie White
Know somebody who is a non-stop chatter? Whether it is instant messaging or text messaging—they feel the need to constantly use smiley faces to correctly express their emotions? The karma will be mighty thick when you smother the chatty Cathy in their sleep with these emoticon pillows. Just kidding, we don't condone murder here at the Gizmodo—just love and friendship and rainbows and bunnies! These emoticon pillows will set you back $30 or so for the pack of six. – :) Travis Hudson :)
The art of making beer has always been interesting to me in a vague, I'll-never-really-do-that kind of way. I don't know anything about hops or malts or whatever, I just enjoy the final product. But there's always that satisfaction that goes along with making something yourself that I'm sure would feel just great alongside those feelings of euphoria and enhanced self-worth that comes with drinking beer.
Enter Beer Machine 2000. You don't need to know anything about how to make beer with this bad boy. Just put in the "beer mix" powder and presto-chango, you've got beer. I'm not sure where on the delicious spectrum beer that was made in a plastic machine from a powdered mix would fall, but my guess would be somewhere between Schlitz and Genny Cream Ale. I'll stick with the Brooklyn Brewery, thanks. –Adam Frucci
Take pleasure in freaking out kids and adults alike with this weirdo egg cuber. Not exactly cutting edge, this egg cuber takes in a still-warm egg and squashes it into a cubic shape, all without leaking out the yellowy inside.
Simple, cheap, and fun, which makes it a neat stocking-stuffer for the kids. – Jason Chen
Product Page [Egg Utensils - Not the one pictured, unfortunately.]
Although a dog bowl that plays back a recorded message for your dog may seem like a good idea at first, it really isn't. Sure, the "comforting your pet while you're away" angle is nice, but what about when you're home?
Will Fido understand that no, you're not hiding near the dog bowl? Or will he spend hours searching your house, tearing apart your newly-purchased sheets and blankets in a costly game of hide-and-seek? If you're truly up for punishing your pets, the bowl costs twenty bucks and you can order online. – Jason Chen
As much as we love gadgets, we probably wouldn't read our vows off a UMPC, much less convince our wives to do the same. Then again, we're not blogger Chris Pirillo.
We suppose a UMPC is classier than a PDA—you don't want to make a mistake and say the wrong name thanks to the PDA's tiny 320x240 display. But our general non-interest in UMPCs could also play a factor. In any case, congrats Chris and Mrs. Chris! You two are dorks of the year. – Jason Chen
Apple's latest preview of OS X 10.5 had a little bonus over the usual glitch fix. Inside iChat was a new preference pane, called Answering, a feature that lets you record a video away message with your iSight.
Also Macrumors.com is claiming that this will be linked to the rumored iPhone Call Ahead feature. Interesting.– Brian Lam
The most dangerous toy our parents gave us when we were kids was a potato. That, perhaps, explains our current obsession with shiny objects. In the spirit of reminiscing, Radar Mag has a roundup of the ten most dangerous toys in the last half century. These honestly don't stand up in comparison with the depression-era "Razor Flying Disc"—which was just one giant razor—or "Little Johnny's Smallpox Infection, Diagnosis, and Treatment Kit" that was so popular at the turn of the century.
Some of the more notable items Radar's list are Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy lab with actual radioactive specimens, Bat Masterson's belt gun that went off when pudgy kids relaxed for just a second, and the Fisher-Price Power Wheels Motorcycle that resulted in some Steve-O-like trips around the neighborhood cul-de-sac. – Jason Chen
High time for some navel - sorry - crystal ball gazing in the tech sector. Highly paid wizards at Gartner have been offering up their yearly blood sacrifices and divining to see what’s coming down the celestial pipeline.
Like everything else, there’s a certain margin of error with all of this but some of them will probably pan out.
Law of averages really, but one thing it seems sure of is that the blogging phenomenon will level off, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Apparently, there are 200 million ex-bloggers that have ran out of stuff to say or the time to say it well.
Here are the Giz highlights – jump for the full text though.-Martin Lynch
1. Blogging and community contributors will peak in the first half of 2007.
2. Vista will be the last major release of Microsoft Windows.
3. By 2010, the average total cost of ownership (TCO) of new PCs will fall by 50%.
4. By 2009, corporate social responsibility (CSR) will be a higher board- and executive-level priority than regulatory compliance.
5. By the end of 2007, 75% of enterprises will be infected with undetected, financially motivated, targeted malware that evaded their traditional perimeter and host defenses.
6. By 2010, 60% of the worldwide cellular population will be "trackable" via an emerging "follow-me Internet."
7. Through 2011, enterprises will waste $100 billion buying the wrong networking technologies and services.
Yesterday I covered some of the top damage reports for Wii consoles, from breaking straps to gamers being just too damn exited and leaping about the place damaging property, friends and pets.
We've had Wii black eyes and Wii TV disasters but for some reason in the listing yesterday we were missing some smashed lamps/lights. Hard to believe that lamps and lights were escaping the domestic carnage and destruction going on in many living rooms.
Giz reader Gordon though pointed me to Wiidamage, a smaller version of Wiihaveaproblem, but here we have the inevitable smashed lights.
Feel free to report any of your Wii incidents.-Martin Lynch
When it comes to testing the cutting edge in CGI characters – particularly the notoriously difficult facial expressions – it seems there’s no harder taskmaster than The Bard himself. The man who put the ‘T’ in tragedy has made, and broken, many actor’s reputations on stage but, getting animated characters to portray all of those emotions, is seen as the Mt. Everest in computer animation.
Pendulum Studios has taken a decent stab at it though with its CGI Mark Anthony and the recreation of [one of] the betrayal scenes in Antony and Cleopatra. There are over 30 facial expressions on display here but while it is good, there are too many emotions going on and the swapping between those emotions is a bit jarring.
Still, if you want to see the first hammy Shakespeare rendition from a CGI thespian, play the clip.-Martin Lynch
Know somebody who is a non-stop chatter? Whether it is instant messaging or text messaging—they feel the need to constantly use smiley faces to correctly express their emotions? The karma will be mighty thick when you smother the chatty Cathy in their sleep with these emoticon pillows. Just kidding, we don't condone murder here at the Gizmodo—just love and friendship and rainbows and bunnies! These emoticon pillows will set you back $30 or so for the pack of six. – :) Travis Hudson :)
Although a dog bowl that plays back a recorded message for your dog may seem like a good idea at first, it really isn't. Sure, the "comforting your pet while you're away" angle is nice, but what about when you're home?
We've had Wii black eyes and Wii TV disasters but for some reason in the listing yesterday we were missing some smashed lamps/lights. Hard to believe that lamps and lights were escaping the domestic carnage and destruction going on in many living rooms. 
Editor and Contributor | Martin Lynch
Contributor | Tamlin Magee
