Boring conversations often trigger the urge to check the time, but it’s hard to do without being rude. Designed with blind users in mind, the Bradley can be read with only the fingertips. Ball bearings on the face and rim indicate minutes and hours. $195
Zoogami
In this book, origami artist Mark Bolitho teaches those with a flair for folding how to craft their own wildlife refuge, complete with frogs, tropical fish, and more. $15.29
Simon Swipe
A game of memory and mimicry, Simon had its heyday in the seventies and eighties, so it’s due for an upgrade. On Simon Swipe, touchscreens swap for buttons. Players follow commands to tap and swipe their way to the toughest levels. $20
Craftsman Mach Series Driver
This new screwdriver gives DIYers more power and speed. An offset shaft allows users to crank rather than twist, which makes for swifter driving with more oomph in every turn. $15
Kingdom of the Apes
This Nat Geo WILD documentary is a different sort of reality TV. The stars are chimps at Gombe Stream National Park, where Jane Goodall studies ape interactions; the chimps’ power struggles remind us we aren’t so different.
Entrain
Don’t let jet lag spoil a vacation. Built by University of Michigan researchers, the Entrain iPhone app creates algorithmically optimal lighting schedules based on destination and planned activities. It helps users acclimate about three times faster. Free
littleBits Space Kit
LEGOs for the modern age, littleBits let you build electronics without any soldering or wiring. The new Space Kit, made in partnership with NASA, has parts to make working models of a satellite dish, a rover, and eight other space-themed objects. $189
Lensbaby LM-10 Sweet Spot
Forget Instagram; Lensbaby lets users snap stylized smartphone shots with an exaggerated focal point—no filter required. The lens attaches to the back of a smartphone with a magnetic mount. $70
Droplet
Lawns don’t need watering if rain’s coming, but most sprinklers don’t know that. Droplet sources real-time data from more than 10,000 weather stations to determine where and when to water. $300
Gibson Memory Cable
You just improvised the perfect guitar solo, and now you can’t remember how it went. Gibson’s new cable will save your Clapton moment. It has an embedded 4-gigabyte solid-state recorder, which can capture up to 13 hours of uncompressed music. $99
