Dr. Mark Brickley schools you on electronics with the use of a compact mint box. Whether you’re taking up a course or training related to electronics, or if you’re simply an electronics nut, you’ll find the Minty Geek ($25) to be both fun and educational. It came to fruition when Dr. Brickley brought his home-built “Electronics lab 101″ kit into work and challenged his lab assistants to complete it in an afternoon. Of course, they didn’t have a fighting chance in conquering the mint box as they have had 0 training and the prototype model had no instructions along with it. Where the assistants failed, Dr. Brickly prevailed as it spawned the idea of sharing the Minty Geek with the world; educating one electronics noob at a time.

One of the most ambitious, yet simple-looking product we’ve encountered, Twine ($100 and up) is looking to hook everything up on the web – that includes your front door, the ref, the dish you’re cooking, and your dog. Virtually anything can now be online; the only limitation would be your imagination. Twine basically “animates” any object you can think of, bestowing it the ability to alert you as long as there is a Wi-Fi connection in their area. Let’s say there’s someone knocking at the door. By placing Twine near it, the device can send an alert vial text, tweet or email letting you know that someone is at your door. Fancy stuff, eh? What’s amazing about it is that there is no programming required – even the technology illiterate can easily make the most out of Twine’s capabilities.

Keep your Mac relatively clutter-free with the Machook ($15). Headphones and the like could be kept out of your way when they’re not in use with this hook that you can place atop/on the side of your Mac. It sticks to your Mac like an adhesive – even though it isn’t composed of it at all. Minuscule craters on the strip generate a strong attachment with any smooth surface. Despite this, it can still be effortlessly removed and repositioned without leaving marks of sticky residue. It’s a simple yet handy tool to maintain your workstation organized.

The Cosmonaut ($25) is the perfect buddy for your iPad or tablet. As an owner of these devices, you’d have that want or need to own a functional stylus along with it. Cosmonaut is that kind of stylus as it provides ease-of-use for its owner. It feels much more like a dry-erase marker rather than a slim pen, enabling you to have more control over its navigation. Cosmonaut’s comfortable rubber grip also ffers a more accurate result when writing or drawing on your tablet.

Sinch ($16)

If you haven’t made the switch to wireless headphones, keep your headphone cord in check with the Sinch ($16). The Sinch is designed to eliminate tangled cords. It’san elastic band fitted with magnets that stows your headphone wires. To use, simply attach it via the headphone jack on your phone, MP3 player or portable media, wrap the cord around your device and fold the Sinch to secure the cord.

Bluelounge’s Sumo ($12) is a sleek cable weight that will keep your cords in check. It features two grooves to organize your cables neatly and prevent them from sliding off your desk when not in use. Along with its weight, the Sumo is securely held in place by a pair of micro-suction pads that can be cleaned and reused.

Here at GC, we don’t like to judge. Especially since we’re certain you’re checking out this vaporizer for aromatherapy purposes to promote physical, physiological, and spiritual well-being *wink*. The Wispr Vaporizer  by Iolite ($270) is a truly portable butane-powered vaporizer that fits in the palm of your hand and is easy to use. Features include a retro pattern facade, silicone pop-out mouthpiece, fast heating chamber, simple ignition system and a fuel gauge window.

We know $70 can buy you a lot, but wouldn’t you rather pick up a device that can harness the power of the sun to charge your power hungry devices? Weighing a mere 5.3 ounces, the Solio Bolt  ($70) features two high-efficiency solar panels, an on-board battery that can hold enough charge for two smartphones up to a year, and an included pencil to prop the Bolt up and for… um, writing stuff down. Simply connect your drained device to the Bolt using your device’s USB cable to charge. When the Bolt needs recharging, lay out facing the sun, of course, or plug it in to an outlet or a USB port.

What makes field training with projectiles so effective is the pain that comes with getting hit with one. The StressVest ($2,500 an up) takes the projectiles out of the equation while still delivering the same stressor needed to take a gunfight training seriously. The system ultilizes a laser insert that goes on a real gun and fire an eye-safe laser pulse with each pull of the trigger. When the StressVest takes a hit, depending on your settings, it delivers a vibration or a localized shock to the abs that intensifies with every successful hit.

Anyone who’s tried capturing a moving video will attest to how difficult it is to keep the camera steady without an expensive rig. And since some the folks at MIT Media Labs had the same trouble to solve with limited budget, they created the CineSkates ($150). The CineSkates are four wheels that attach to a GorillaPod Focus, a tripod made for DSLRs. This smart contraption will allow you to capture smooth, fluid video without breaking the bank.