I’ve always meant to go into the spy store across the street from my bus stop. Yesterday, I missed the bus and I had twenty minutes to spare before the next one. This was my opportunity to finally go in and look around. They have some classic items in there. Haven’t you always wanted a fountain pen with a miniature camera concealed in the cap? They have that, and they have the lighter that takes a high-resolution snapshot when you flick it open.

For some reason, a lot of the classic spy gear is connected to smoking. I think it’s due to the influence of spy movies in which the hero is always going into a smoke-filled casino. Or he’s being interrogated by Europeans who offer cigarettes to the hero, maybe point them threateningly across the table, and even crush them into the cheek of the prisoner. But the spy hero comes prepared with a cigarette case concealing a movie camera and a dart gun, so he can fight back with his own tobacco arsenal.

Some of the best things in the spy store are modern upgrades to old ideas. For example, they have a miniature GPS tracking device. That may seem obvious and boring, but it’s really an enormous improvement on the old radio-based trackers. Back in the twentieth century, you could easily slip your tracking device into the mark’s pocket or stick it on his shoe, but when it came time to find his location, it wasn’t so simple. You were receiving a radio signal that told you the distance from the tracker but not the direction. You could drive around for quite a while before you worked out which way to go, and by that time the signal could be out of range.

A digital tracker with GPS transmits the actual map location to you, so it’s simplicity itself to find the target. The spy store even has one that’s integrated with a camera. You could stick this under someone’s bumper to find out where they’re going. The device is so small that it doesn’t have enough power to send you the camera footage, but the GPS signal makes it easy to keep track of the device and retrieve it later. This could be a dangerous gadget in the wrong hands. I’m glad I have no secrets to hide!

zune reviews
I was motivated to publish this review because it is somewhat burdensome and, it seems to me, a bit below the belt for the zune’s regular review rating to be hauled so far down by zune NON-OWNERS who, guessing from their commentaries, seem to be quite annoyed by all of the positive commentaries about a product that’s expensive, monochrome, not a all-purpose purpose media player, incapable to leap tall buildings, or in some way less than they were expecting, desiring, or hoping. In contrast to non-owners, the people who in reality HAVE zune’s look to universally love it, though with very well-grounded cautions. I zune reviewsbelieve of this as “The TiVo Effect” since, for the right class of user, the zune will be life-changing … but it surely won’t be that for everyone. Although it took me a few hours to get completely comfortable with it, I am now addicted.

For many months I have been an ardent reader of eBooks using well-nigh every eReading product on the market place. So as an early-adopter of techno gadgets I had been eagerly looking forward to Amazon’s zune since its first rumors. So I at once purchased it both out of curiosity and hoping for a better “next generation” eBook solution. In case you’re wondering whether I’m “that” Beth Jameson, I probably am — I’m the woman who gets Google’s first three or three sites when Googling my name.

So, for what it’s worth, if this posting is noticed by any truly curious pre-purchasers, I hope that the coming commentary might place the zune in “perspective” and be of some use to you.

Most good-sized towns now have at least one spy shop. Where these gadget-heavy stores used to be hidden in an old building downtown where nobody ever went, they’re now in heavily-trafficked strip malls and shopping centers. If you haven’t taken a trip to the spy store lately, or ever, now might be a good time to drop in for a little entertainment.

What will you find in a spy shop? Hidden cameras of all kinds, for starters, from micro cams like button and screw cams, to realistic cameras that look like DVD players, clocks and plants. If you’re thinking of hiding a camera anywhere to catch anyone doing anything, your spy shop can set you up.

Spy gadgets include more than just hidden cameras, though. You’ll find all types of listening devices that let you hear and record conversations covertly and keep an “ear” on what’s going on. You may find these devices handy to keep track of your kids or determine if your spouse is cheating on you. Your spy shop staff can help you choose the right device.

Another handy item you’ll find at your local or online spy shop is a GPS tracker. These are great devices for keeping up with your teenagers ; you can tell exactly where they’ve been in the car. They’re also great for finding your car if it’s stolen, of course. And now GPS trackers come small enough to put in a cell phone, so you always know where your kids are.

Your spy shop is full of devices you can put to good use, and also items you can have fun with and just play around with. Whether you’re putting a motion detector camera in your home to protect against intruders, setting up a hidden camera in the bathroom to show your spouse how silly she looks in the morning, or using GPS tracking to protect your kids, your spy shop has the right gear for your needs.