In honor of leap day I’d like to invite you all to start jumping to conclusions. Thanks to modern science we are all able to easily jump to conclusions by simply leaping forward in a particular direction. Simply amazing. Also included in the official Office Space Kit is a mini red stapler, Initech mug, TPS reports, starter “flair”, “Is this Good for the Company” sign, and a sticker for a copy machine that says “PC Load Letter.”

All this for only $12.99.

What does this mysterious “Jump to Conclusions” Mat look like? Find out.

Gadgets are a part of daily life for pretty much everybody in 2007, so gadget gifts aren’t just for computer nerds anymore! We’ve rounded up some great tech gift ideas for everyone on your list. Whether you’re shopping for a business professional, social network butterfly, or any gadget-lover in-between, keep reading for some retail inspiration.

6 Device Electronics Charger: This little beauty is going to simplify a lot of lives. It’s six tentacles contain “six adapters that fit most portable devices, allowing an entire briefcase-full of electronic office tools to be fully powered in an average of two hours”. Comes with a regular and car charger so that you can also power up on the go.

Roomba 500 Series Robot Vacuum: It’s December 2007, and jet packs are still not available yet. The next best thing would definitely be the cleaning robots available from iRobot. Not only is the new 500 series vastly improved from earlier models, but there are also robots that mop your floors, vacuum up your shop, and clean your gutters. Also, with no AI chip* there’s no threat of your Roomba leading an electronic revolt. *(You’ll need iRobot Create developers kit for that)

Chaotic-Artistic Gadget Organizer: Shopping for an oxymoron? This beautiful tangle of wires is named Harry, and he is as unique and tech savvy as his future owner. Inside his guts you can have fun nestling not just gadgets, but keys, wallets, and whatever else you’re likely to throw on the table as soon as you get home.

DIY Laptop Sleeve/Bag: The laptop bags that we featured in our Indie Christmas part 1 post were amazing, but sometimes totally custom is the way to go. Let your laptop lover design every detail of their bag with the Skooba customizable sleeve that also cleverly transforms into a handled bag.

Bluetooth Rear View Mirror: Between cell phone laws and sloppy drivers, Bluetooth devices continue to prove themselves invaluable for traveling. The only question is, which will make you look crazier: talking to an earbud or talking to your rearview mirror?

USB Podcast Studio Kit: Blogging is so 2006. All the cool kids (and pretty much everyone else) know that podcasting is where its at. With this kit, give your nouveau podcaster “everything needed for crystal clear audio recording and editing”, packed up all cool into an aluminum briefcase.

Check back in a couple days for some last minute gift ideas in our Gadget Gift Roundup Part 2.

Remember the 8-bit days of running and jumping from left to right and trying to avoid those carnivorous plants that arose from sewer pipes? Yeah me too. I was a rough life. Well fast forward 2 decades or so and now we are dealing with wireless controllers with like 8x more buttons and visual effects that we swear look totally real. If you or someone you know likes to reminisce of the simple 8-bit days then this pixelated style clip-on tie, dubbed The 8-Bit Tie, is a unique gift sure to be enjoyed. It has a silk-like feel, and each one is handmade for that special touch. Wear it with a button up, regular t-shirt, or snap it on your dog, where ever it goes it screams video game nostalgia and lets others know you are an old school techie fan.

For other novel ties with a techie flair check out ThinkGeek’s “Ties Suck” Tie and their Power Tie.

It’s only natural to be curious about the things around us, especially the little things we can’t see so well. Remember back in science class when we got to look at leaves, bugs, and bacteria up close? Me too, and the only thing holding me back from putting anything I can under a microscope these days is actually having a microscope to use.

This USB Digital Microscope looks like it will satisfy my curiosity quite well. With a zoom capability of up to 200X you can get pretty up close and personal with just about anything you can fit under the lens. You can even capture video straight to your PC at up to 30fps with the included software. The digital microscope comes with its own stand and can be removed for ease of viewing larger objects.

For a little teaser and to see its capabilities check out the images of this digital microscope in use on some US currency. This microscope would make a great learning tool for kids and inspire some good experiences with science.

$179.99

OK, so who’s going to be the first one to be brave enough to zoom in on their own skin? I want to know what my skin looks like at 200x zoom, but I’m afraid to look. If you’ve got one of these bad boys, or are going to purchase one, I’d like to see some more pictures, so please feel free to leave a comment with a link to where we can all find them.

If you haven’t already noticed it’s the 30th anniversary of Star Wars (1977-2007); so we all have a reason to celebrate the entire year. Well, at least Star Wars fans, like myself, have a reason to. What’s the universal sign of celebration? Cake! Everyone loves cake, and most people love Star Wars, and I just want to bring those two things together.

If one were so inclined they could adorn their Star Wars costume and fly hundreds of miles to the official Celebration IV to be surrounded by Force sensitive people and the creators of Star Wars. Or perhaps you can join me and others with bad motivators and just buy a Star Wars cake pan off eBay and celebrate at home with friends and family.

I can envision multiple weekends being filled with Star Wars movies and cartoons coupled with delicious cake shaped and frosted like Darth Vader, R2-D2, C-3PO, Boba Fett, and more.

Does your sweet tooth require more than just cake? Check out the Star Wars cookbook or the Star Wars Party Book and supplement your celebration with Wookie cookies and other Galactic specialties.

Ever used your sink directly after someone else and were unpleasantly surprised with scalding hot water? Well now you can color code your water with this heat sensitive LED faucet adapter from ThinkGeek. Just to state the obvious; red water means hot (89 degrees or higher) and blue means cold.

I’m a little leary about the fact that this extends your faucet quite a bit (2.25 inches), but if you have the room in your sink, then I’d definitely join the cool kids on the block and get one. Midnight trips to the bathroom, tooth brushing, even simple face washing would become fun just by using this technological marvel. This LED faucet light attachment comes with two universal adapters for use with almost any standard faucet in the USA. Be sure to check out the customer action shots to see all the fun others are having.

$12.99 – $19.99

When a simple hand gesture just isn’t enough, use an emoticon to tell them exactly how you feel. The driving LED emoticon suction cups to your rear window and is controlled via the included wireless remote. This handy little gadget has 5 different messages: smiling face, frowning face, “Thanks”, “Back Off” and “Idiot”. Just be careful which button you press when the fuzz is behind you. Watch this YouTube video to see it in action.
$29.99

I’ve always wanted something that could express my true feelings or send a message out to others while driving, but I always envisioned some scrolling text. Another option in road-based communications is the scrolling LED license plate frame. Most geeks prefer blue LEDs because of their elite status, and this license plate frame not only has all blue LEDs, but is made of rust proof aluminum alloy for that extra bling. Programmable with up to 120 characters per message it can hold 5 messages and is controlled via included remote control.

39.99

This is only the beginning since it looks like Volkswagon’s Electronics Research Laboratory has designed a programmable electronic bumper sticker that can be used to communicate in real time with an unlimited amount of messages. [via] – Link

Want to learn how to use the Force? Need to lift your X-Wing from the swamp? You want to be a Jedi.
Now you can learn from the best, just like Luke, every time you wear this Yoda plush backpack.

Warning: wearing this backpack may result in large muscles, rock balancing abilities, and freaky visions in a cave. Well I saw it in a movie once, OK more like a hundred, but every time I watched it the same thing happened, so it must be true.

$37.99 at ThinkGeek

Related: Most Jedi build their own, but they probably didn’t have the Internet, so get your very own lightsaber replica to complete the look.

Are your USB ports working for you? Usually we connect a boring printer, web cam, or mouse to these ports, but chances are you have a few ports not being utilized. Manufactures have taken advantage of the fact that USB can deliver power from your PC to a small device by creating fun toys that plug into our computers that don’t even involve the rest of the computer.

You can get a USB powered beverage cooler, a beverage warmer, or an Air Purifier and Clock. Add some fun into your work day with a USB powered missile launcher. If you like the missile launcher make sure to check out this Circus Canon Launcher as well.

For the ultimate in computer desk decor try a mini lava lamp or a 6 color cycling mini Christmas tree. A more useful USB powered item might be a personal fan, or a reading light with just enough light to brighten up your keyboard for all your midnight surfing. For added decor try a mini lamp complete with retro orange lamp shade.

If you don’t have any spare USB ports you can always plug in a USB hub that turns 1 port into more. How many more? It’s up to you, add 3, 4, or up to 7 more ports. 7 free USB ports would allow for quite the arsenal of missile launchers.

Bring these toys along for the ride in your car with a FirePod that converts your any 12V automotive DC power source (lighter) into a USB and Firewire port.

I think everyone can look back on their childhood and remember a time when they had a couple board games they liked to play over and over. I can even remember playing some board games 2-3 times a day with my little sisters because they were into them so much. But now we hardly play those older board games anymore, and it’s not just because Tiddly Winks or Mouse Trap lost their fun. If you’re like most people, chances are that some of those board games have missing pieces or aren’t even in your closet anymore.

Every now and then I’d like to play the games of yesteryear partly for the memories, but also for the fun of it. After raiding your game stash and your grandma’s closet for all the vintage board game fun you can find you might want to check out some places online. There is the obvious VintageGameStore.com that sells all kinds of board games, even newer ones, but they don’t have much for product descriptions, so I’d recommend finding the game you want first and then trying them. Finding that special board game from your past can be made easier by checking out the great resources at BoardGameGeek.com. You’ll find pictures, suggestions, and in depth reviews of some classic and new games.

eBay is always a great choice for finding the exact board game you are looking for at a reasonable price. That is why we put a live feed for a search on “vintage boardgames” directly to the right. As of this writing there are vintage games like a copy of Go to the Head of the Class made in 1967, RISK from 1959, Charlies Angels from 1977, and an all time classic Hi-Ho! Cherry-O from 1960. Being the huge Star Wars fans we are here at Mable’s we picked up a vintage 1977 Escape from the Death Star off eBay a while back and played the heck out of it. After finding out it doesn’t have too much replay value, we put it back on eBay and now someone else gets to enjoy it’s nostalgic value all over again.

Vintage board games can also make a great gift idea for a sibling with whom you used to always play a certain game with. Or perhaps another family member and yourself played a board game every Thursday night and you’d like to recreate that. Sending a vintage board game to that unsuspecting person would sure bring a flood of memories back, but actually being there to play it would absolutely make their day.

You might have to fight over the board games on eBay with all the craft peeps who want to take old board games and turn them into something different and useful. Useful like an end table, a purse, or a notebook.

If you have a dedicated game room check out this post over at RacketBoy for a creative idea on setting up some board games based on vintage video games.