The Buzz: Tools, Trends, and Gizmos

Printable Comics
Comic generator site MakeBeliefs Comix has a new offering. A printables feature now lets creative visitors of all ages download graphic handouts. Print a comic strip or single illustration and let ELL and other students fill in the blank speech and thought balloons. Also new is a Teacher Resources page with tips on how to use comics in the classroom.

LaCie’s Rugged New Drive
The LaCie Rugged All-Terrain external hard drive is now bigger, in terms of both physical dimension and storage capacity. Sporting the same cool design by Neil Poulton, featuring a rubber bumper and tough, scratch-proof aluminum case, the LaCie Rugged XL measures 5.11 x 8.46 inches and has an increased capacity of 1TB. $160.

LOC Debuts a Special Sneeze
The Library of Congress has arrived on YouTube. About 70 videos have been uploaded to LOC’s channel, arranged in various playlists, from the 2008 National Book Festival to early movies created by Thomas Edison. Among our faves: one of the first moving images (pictured at right), that of a man named Fred Ott sneezing.

Weights for the Wii
As if the Wii wasn’t fun enough, a new accessory turns the console controllers into a pair of dumbbells. The peripheral, called Riiflex, converts the Wii remote and nunchuck into a set of weights, giving users a resistance workout, while still allowing access to all controller functions. Set to begin shipping in summer 2009, the Riiflex dumbells will sell in pairs of 2- to 4-lb. weights: $34.95 and $39.95.

Crank-Your-Own Paper Shredder
No effort is too small when it comes to saving the environment. Hence the Eco-Friendly Hand Crank Shredder. You could tear up discarded documents with your bare hands, of course, but that wouldn’t be nearly as much fun. Nor would it attract as much curious attention as this desktop device, which shreds 8 1/2 x 11-inch paper into 1/8-inch strips. $8.99, plus $5 shipping at www.froobi.com.

Diabetic Dog
An educational game about diabetes aims to enlighten high school students about this disease that affects millions of people. Diabetic Dog is the newest of about 40 multimedia learning tools created by the Nobel Foundation to help young people explore the Nobel Prize–awarded achievements in an interactive, online format.