Cool Gifts for Christmas 2012

This lens was Blessed by a Squid Angel on November 14, 2010 and again by another Squid Angel on December 6, 2010. I am grateful and inspired that a Squid Angel took the time to review my lens and felt it worthy of a blessing. Thank you for the honor.

The console was conceived in 2001, as the Nintendo GameCube was first seeing release. According to an interview with Nintendo's game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, the concept involved focusing on a new form of player interaction. "The consensus was that power isn't everything for a console. Too many powerful consoles can't coexist. It's like having only ferocious dinosaurs. They might fight and hasten their own extinction."

Two years later, engineers and designers were brought together to develop the concept further. By 2005, the controller interface had taken form, but a public showing at that year's E3 was withdrawn. Miyamoto stated that, "[W]e had some troubleshooting to do. So we decided not to reveal the controller and instead we displayed just the console." Nintendo president Satoru Iwata later unveiled and demonstrated the Wii Remote at the September Tokyo Game Show.

The Nintendo DS is said to have influenced the Wii design. Designer Ken'ichiro Ashida noted, "We had the DS on our minds as we worked on the Wii. We thought about copying the DS's touch-panel interface and even came up with a prototype." The idea was eventually rejected, with the notion that the two gaming systems would be identical. Miyamoto also expressed that, "[I]f the DS had flopped, we might have taken the Wii back to the drawing board."

Nintendo has attributed the success of the Wii to the ideas presented in the business strategy book Blue Ocean Strategy. Within the context of a Blue Ocean Strategy analysis, the key factors of the Wii reflect the Six Path Framework described within the book. While Nintendo has not publicly released the factors used, it is believed that they include "price", "movie playing", "graphics", "physics", "fun", "game library", and "magic wand". Applying the Four Actions Framework would eliminate movie playing, reduce graphics and physics, raise fun and the game library, and lead to the creation their "magic wand": the Wii Remote.

Naming the Wii
The console was known by the code name of "Revolution" until April 27, 2006, immediately prior to E3. According to the Nintendo Style Guide, the name "is simply Wii, not Nintendo Wii." This means it is the first home console Nintendo has marketed outside of Japan without the company name featured in its trademark. While "Wiis" is a commonly used pluralization of the console, Nintendo has stated that the official plural form is "Wii systems" or "Wii consoles." Nintendo's spelling of "Wii" with two lower-case "i" characters is meant to resemble two people standing side by side, representing players gathering together, as well as to represent the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. The company has given many reasons for this choice of name since the announcement; however, the best known is:

" Wii sounds like 'we', which emphasizes that the console is for everyone. Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak. No confusion. No need to abbreviate. Just Wii."

Despite Nintendo's justification for the name, some video game developers and members of the press reacted negatively towards the change. They preferred "Revolution" over "Wii" and expressed fear "that the name would convey a continued sense of 'kidiness'[sic] to the console." The BBC reported the day after the name was announced that "a long list of puerile jokes, based on the name," had appeared on the Internet. Nintendo of America's president Reggie Fils-Aime acknowledged the initial reaction and further explained the change:

" Revolution as a name is not ideal; it's long, and in some cultures, it's hard to pronounce. So we wanted something that was short, to the point, easy to pronounce, and distinctive. That's how 'Wii,' as a console name, was created."

Nintendo of America's then-VP of Corporate Affairs Perrin Kaplan defended its choice of "Wii" over "Revolution" and responded to critics of the name by stating, "Live with it, sleep with it, eat with it, move along with it and hopefully they'll arrive at the same place."

Source from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Electric scooters are great for people at any age! Young adults love riding electric scooters around the neighborhood and can stay busy for hours. Adults can use an electric scooter for different reasons. Even though the gas prices have come down, saving anywhere you can is so important in this economy. Take the scooter out for a ride if you are going short distances. Save money on gas and use the electric scooter for local commutes and errands.
If you're going just a few miles from home, you can quickly and easily take the scooter and feel good about cutting down on pollution and reducing your costs on gas. They make excellent gifts for college bound students who need to get around campus quickly and economically.

Aircraft

Radio-controlled aircraft (also called RC aircraft) are small aircraft that can be controlled remotely. There are many different types, ranging from small park flyers to large jets and mid-sized aerobatic models. The aircraft use many different methods of propulsion, ranging from brushed or brushless electric motors, to internal combustion engines, to the most expensive gas turbines. The fastest aircraft, with gas turbines, can reach speeds of up to 250 mph (400 km/h). Newer jets can achieve above 300 mph (480 km/h) in a short distance.

Cars

A radio-controlled car is a powered model car driven from a distance. Both gas and electric cars exist, designed to be run both on and off-road. The "gas" cars can use petrol gasoline to run or the vast majority are ran on nitromethanol, mixture of methanol and nitromethane, to get their power. Building, driving, and modifying radio-controlled car kits is a hobby enjoyed by enthusiasts of all ages.

Helicopters

Radio-controlled helicopters, although often grouped with RC aircraft, are unique because of the differences in construction, aerodynamics and flight training. Several designs of RC helicopters exist, some with limited maneuverability (and thus easier to learn to fly), and those with more maneuverability (and thus harder to learn to fly).

Boats

Radio-controlled boats are model boats controlled remotely with radio control equipment. The main types of RC boat are: Scale models (12"(30 cm) - 144"(365 cm) in size), the sailing boat and the power boat. The latter is the more popular amongst toy grade models. Radio controlled models were used for the children's television program Theodore Tugboat.

Whatever type of remote control you look into, it can develop into a wonderful hobby at any age. There are so many small parts and ways to tweak it to the right way you want the remote control to look and run. This makes a wonderful gift for the hobbyist to get out doors with the whole family and have some great fun. Parks and camping spots are great places to use your new remote control since there is plenty of room for your vehicle or aircraft to move freely without getting stuck.

Check out all the Hummer editions below for more hours of good ol' fashion fun.

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It's never too early to get the young toddler and preschooler educated and on the road to success. Some of the software out there starts them as young as six months old, getting them used to the feel of the mouse with simple grab and roll into buckets exercises. Then they progress to actually holding the mouse and moving the object around so that it becomes part of a different group. This is all a wonderful start to build up hand and eye coordination and developmental skills.

My son Jeremy, seen here, is 5 years old now and just absorbing everything. He knows how to move the mouse around and wants to sit at the computer and do stuff. His mind is young and like a sponge. I would recommend the Jumpstart Preschool. My three other kids have used it through the years and Jeremy is just starting with it. I would recommend all the JumpStart Software programs by Knowledge Adventure.

Preschool age children are now expected to know their ABC's and colors and shapes before they even get into Kindergarten. Help them out with software that they can work on at home and get them caught up with the norm. Kindergarten isn't like when we were kids and more and more is expected of them and more pre-learning is expected at home.

Webkinz teaches children about saving and spending and purchasing. The Webkins World is an online play area with its own economy. The user receives money (called KinzCash) by adopting new pets, playing online games, answering general knowledge questions, and through daily activities like clicking "I love my Webkinz!", spinning the Wheel of WOW, playing Wishing Well 2, or completing jobs (minigames) available once every 8 hours. Each day, there is a Game of the Day which can be played for bonus KinzCash, and other bonuses are available each hour, full days on weekends and afternoons only on weekdays. With each Webkinz toy purchased, more money, rooms, and items are added to the user's account.

Users can spend their KinzCash at what is called the W Shop, where they can purchase food and clothing for their pet, items for their pet's room or to build additional rooms onto their house, or outdoors areas etc. Users can decorate a room for their pet with pre-made themes, or mix and match their own furniture.

The online world also contains many rare or exclusive items. Some of these items require developing a friendship with the Curio Shop owner to purchase, while others you get for registering other Webkinz accessories you purchase in the real world. Each type of pet gets a special food available exclusively for them. Also, a Pet of the Month is announced at the beginning of each month. If a person registers the announced pet in that month, they will receive other exclusive items.

Many of the tasks in Webkinz World involve collecting items. For example, recipes are released for the players through cookbooks you can purchase or one of the TV Shows called The Secret Chef. Gems can be mined once a day at the Curio Shop, with a full set of gems being turned into the Webkinz Crown of Wonder and buy exclusive items. A similar feature, called Alyssa's Star Hunt, involves users clicking on colored stars to find valuable stars. You can also go to Dr. Quack for a check up on your Webkinz' health.

Some other features of Webkinz include:

1) The ability for players to create their own shows with the Webkinz Studio, and enter to be chosen to appear on the Webkinz television.
2) Buying a swimming pool, where you can have your Webkinz swim around. This increases their health.
3) Sending gifts or letters to friends on a peer-to-peer network.
4) Invite a friend over to your house, where you can chat and interact with some board games and items.
5) Participate in the hourly events, which can earn you prizes, KinzCash, and coupons, among other things.
6) Play Wacky Bingoz, a form of Bingo where you get one, two, and three ball games every day.[2]
7) Brushing your pets teeth, hair, washing paws/feathers/feet etc, bathing.

My son is 16. He is right at that stage where he wants to be an adult and yet he still has the kid in him. He's playing football this year and just tried the Madden 11 and said it's a challenge, but he loves it.

He also loves playing his Guitar Hero and he is now in the expert mode and has excellent eye and hand coordination. He still needs to get his homework finished first, but these both make great gifts, because they are rated G and suitable for any age.
This Christmas the other hot items for your guitar hero expert are new varieties that came out throughout the year and are expected to make a bang this Christmas. The Rock Band -Beatles pays tribute to all the favorite Beatles songs. DJ Hero lets you superstar be a DJ and mix songs. Guitar Hero Van Halen is out this year and should be as successful as the Guitar Hero Metallica from last year. Don't know what to get your teen or your husband who wants to relive his youth, the Guitar Hero is the toy to get.

I found this cool kids website and among a variety of categories is a place where you can learn to make your own gift wrap. Check out their website:
Boowa and Kwala : Make your own gift paper

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There are so many great gifts out there. Shop early and look around. What I've tried to include here is but a sample of all the great gift items out there. Try to use discount coupons and search through the newspaper for mark downs, bundled packages, especially on electronic items. Shop around online and compare.

Don't get me wrong, Christmas is all about tradition and cooking up old favorite recipes and getting together with family and friends.

However, the way the economy is right now, every bit helps. If you can save gas money and buy one more gift, then it's worth shopping on-line.

Order at least three weeks before Christmas at the latest. Try to make your purchases in September, when all the Back to School items are on sale. Then take advantage of the Friday after Thanksgiving. Check back here for huge savings, most of the items here will be on sale after Thanksgiving.

Click, save, shop early and avoid traffic jams. Hectic malls bring about the cold and flu. Stay healthy and save on gas. The internet is where you can shop from home and get everything you need all in one sitting.

Happy Shopping and Merry Christmas.

Jesus is the Reason for the Season. Buy gifts, get together with family and have a happy time. Buy a birthday cake and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. The kids will love it. Then sit back and enjoy the holidays and say a little prayer.

A Christmas Creed

I believe in Jesus Christ and in the beauty of the gospel begun in Bethlehem.

I believe in the one whose spirit glorified a little town; and whose spirit still brings music to persons all over the world, in towns both large and small.

I believe in the one for whom the crowded inn could find no room, and I confess that my heart still sometimes wants to exclude Christ from my life today.

I believe in the one who the rulers of the earth ignored and the proud could never understand; whose life was among common people, whose welcome came from persons of hungry hearts.

I believe in the one who proclaimed the love of God to be invincible:

I believe in the one whose cradle was a mother's arms, whose modest home in Nazareth had love for its only wealth, who looked at persons and made them see what God's love saw in them, who by love brought sinners back to purity, and lifted human weakness up to meet the strength of God.

I confess my ever-lasting need of God: The need of forgiveness for our selfishness and greed, the need of new life for empty souls, the need of love for hearts grown cold.

I believe in God who gives us the best of himself. I believe in Jesus, the son of the living God, born in Bethlehem this night, for me and for the world.

Walter Russell Bowie