With Christmas pretty much upon us, we’d like to mention a couple of stocking stuffer ideas that we think would make excellent very last minute gift ideas.  Of course, with all those holiday gift cards, not to mention the cash value of everything you decide to return, you still have ample opportunity to pick up any of our stocking stuffers.  Of course, long after the holidays are behind us, the gifts on this list will still be available, so don’t let the end of the holiday season put a damper on your spending (you gotta support the economy and what not – at least that’s what the guy on TV said).

Turn Your Photos Into Video With Fodeo

This one is for the person on your list who uses digital photography, but has trouble actually turning those photographs into something useful.  Maybe they don’t have time to play around with computer software that creates slideshows or montages, maybe they’re not particularly tech savvy, or maybe they have a special event or occasion coming up and would enjoy having an easy way to capture those memories.

What is Fodeo?  At its most basic definition, Fodeo is a DVD created with your digital photographs.  You are buying a service that turns your photographs into a video montage that is set to the music of your choice.

How does it work?  When you order a Fodeo, you will be sent a digital memory card for your camera.  You take up to 200 photographs using the memory card, then fill out the simple, one sheet form stating your DVD’s theme, music selection and title, as well as your photo selection preferences; you can personally select your photos online, or you can have the professionals at Fodeo take care of the selection process for you.  Send the form and memory card back to Fodeo in the addressed, postage paid envelope and within two weeks Fodeo will send you your professionally edited video montage of 30 photographs on a DVD.  The DVD will contain a folder with all of the photographs taken on the digital memory card, but only 30 will be included in the photo montage (additional photographs can be added to the monatge for an additional fee).  As the Fodeo packaging states, “We keep the card, you keep the memories”; you won’t get the memory card back with the DVD.

Testing Fodeo was easy.  We simply popped the memory card into our camera and starting shooting photos of family and friends.  The hardest part of the whole process was picking out a song for the video that would encompass our theme, our family’s Thanksgiving celebration.  When our completed Fodeo arrived, we found the video to be well put together and we were thrilled that the red eye visible in some pictures had been corrected.  It was easy to locate the other picture files on the DVD when we placed it in our computer, and the video was a really great sequence of pictures from our family event.

I would highly recommend Fodeo for anyone who uses digital photography.  At the reasonable price of $29.99 per Fodeo it is a great way to document your photographs in a usable format.  Fodeo is a fun way to capture memories of sporting events, proms, family reunions, camping trips, holidays, new babies, weddings, anniversaries, retirement parties, and more.  Everyone on your gift list will be pleased to find a Fodeo in their stocking!

Fodeo can be purchased online at Fodeo.net, where you can also watch sample video montages created with Fodeo.

Web Design For Kids (…And Curious Grown-Ups!)

I come to this review from a place of HTML ignorance.  I have a blog, but I’m not the one who maintains the nitty gritty parts of it; I have friends who take care of that dirty work for me (Thanks, Tony).  I was particularly interested in checking out this DVD so that someday I might be able to be the one to make the necessary adjustments to my online spaces.  Web Design For Kids (…And Curious Grown-Ups!) has definitely taken me a few steps closer to that goal by giving me a basic understanding of how code is written and what some of it means.

Brian Richardson, the creator of the Web Design For Kids DVD, is a middle school computer literacy teacher and technology expert.  His instruction on the DVD takes place in a classroom setting in which he is teaching two children, both sitting at desktop computers, about web design.  He begins with the most basic of code-writing lessons, such as setting the title of the page, placing text on the page, and changing the color of both background and text.  Each lesson builds off the previous lessons, creating an easy flowing, general education in basic code.  The video is broken down into seven chapters, making it easy to repeat sections or skip ahead.  The seven chapters are:

• Ten Basic Lines of Code
• Sandwiches and Colors
• Make Subject Stand Out
• Stand Alone Tags
• Designing Backgrounds
• Fonts and Paragraphs
• Pictures

Mr. Richardson is an engaging instructor, and he takes things slow enough that computer illiterates such as myself can easily keep up.  Best of all, the only software tools necessary to start learning are generally included with every PC purchase: Notepad and Internet Explorer.  The simplicity of the DVD presentation and the gentle pace make this a great learning tool for children ages ten and up who have a working knowledge of computers (and I do realize that most ten years olds probably know more about computers than I do).  This DVD would be a great stocking stuffer for any kids on your list, young or old, who might want to learn more about web design.  Also noteworthy is the fact that proceeds from the sale of this video will go to several charities including the Ronald McDonald House, Children’s Miracle Network, The Smile Train, Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, and the American Foundation for the Blind.  You can feel good about giving a useful gift and about giving back.

The Web Design For Kids (…And Curious Adults!) DVD can be purchased online at Web Design For Kids.  It is regularly proced at $40.00, but is on sale for the holidays at the special price of $19.99.

The Panic Button

A panic button (www.panicbuttons.com) makes an excellent stocking stuffer or gag gift for the computer geek, CTO, CEO, or anyone else with a reputation for freaking out at the slightest hint of a computer problem.  Panic buttons can be attached to just about any keyboard using the included adhesive pad.  They’re also easy enough to pull off as well, which means you can attach one to your boss’ keyboard without too much fear about the consequences.  At only a dollar each it’s hard to image a more cost-effective way to illicit a laugh (or in my case, make a point).

The people behind the Panic Button also make an “Any Key”, as well as the world’s lowest cost PC (Pencil Computer).    All 3 items are available from the Panic Button Website.