Bill Gibson turned me onto this one. This festive, juvenile, over-the-top magazine is your one-stop shop for Asia Pop Culture. Asia as in India, China and California -- you know, the future. Pop culture as in Filipino urban superstitions, Japanese vending machine food, Chinese tattoos, Korean dating booths, Thai Scrabble champions, thumb tribes, Viet rock and roll, and all things anime. It's so fast-forward that it is outrunning Wired by a decade.

-- KK

$24/year
Giant Robot

This 8-part (4 DVD set) series is a National Science Foundation/PBS production that is the most taxonomic of any presentation I've seen. The Shape of Life addresses the 8 major categories of animal life -- phylum by phylum. Starts with sponges, heads toward round worms, and so on. You get the full diverse view of life -- all intelligently organized around a taxonomic framework (without the vocabulary), and expertly illustrated with great (mostly undersea) BBC-type footage. Despite the wonderful nature photography, the creators work really hard to convey the innovations offered by each phylum, and it works. This series cured me of a rather vague notion of animal diversity, despite my work at All Species. I'd love to ingest the same mind-opening treatment for the plant world, as well as the other 3 kingdoms.

Four discs, $80
From Amazon

Several nerdy friends of mine who feel naked without their pocket knife have independently discovered that this handy mini-knife disguised as a key will both work in a pinch and -- shhhhhh! --pass through airport security checks unnoticed. Here is a way to travel with a knife at the ready. Just hand them your keys when you go through the machine!

I've had one, and when I bring my keys I have no trouble getting through security on international and domestic flights. I was surprised to find the other little gizmos incorporated into this miniature thing -- particularly the philips screwdriver -- are just as useful.

-- KK

Utili-Key
$7
(0.5 oz,)

Available lots of places including Amazon