In the dark corners of every American garage, attic or closet lies piles of antiquated electronics. With the transition from analog to digital broadcasting, it's likely that some old TVs will be making their way to these dark corners as well. While fun for all, gadgets and electronics are chock full of toxic chemicals and components like mercury. Dump these into a common landfill - as was, until recently, the regular practice - and these chemicals will eventually leach into the ground causing who knows what kind of environmental damage. So don't toss your gadgets - recycle them. Of course,...

You may be asking yourself, how many kids play video games? Well, let me answer: all of them. Or more precisely, 97 percent of them according to a Pew Research survey. My kids are too young to play video games, but I know there's a certain unease among my similarly situated friends about letting their kids play video games. I grew up in an era of Atari and Nintendo. My folks held out against both, but I just went to a friend's house for my gaming fix. Just like watching too much TV, video games are one of those battles some...

Looking for a great Father's Day gadget gifts? Of course you are. Check out my review of the D-Link video surveillance kit - great for the paranoid pops out there. Or maybe the intriguing new Olympus E-P1 digital camera? Jamie Sorcher has a pretty good run down on some more Father's Day gadget gifts on Cold Pizza: Happy hunting. And happy Father's Day!

So Best Buy is going to start promoting the "smarts" of its consumer electronics sales staff as compared to mega-retailer Wal-Mart. As someone who has shopped at both retailers often, I can attest that this is a woeful mismatch. Not because Best Buy has a knowledgeable sales staff (they don't, although your mileage may vary) but because they have a sales staff. Wal-Mart, as far as I've been able to tell, has people that mill around and/or wander aimlessly. The truth is, if you walk into a retail store needing to be sold a product, you're on your way to...

In one of my first posts here, I pooh-poohed the idea of subscribing to Netflix. I'd like to amend those comments slightly. LG said last week that it was shipping pair of 1080p HDTVs with Internet connectivity that could access Netflix's online library of TV and movie titles, including HD titles. You can stream that content (with a Netflix subscription) to the 47-inch LCD (LH50, $2,100) and 50-inch plasma (PS80, $2,100) series sets without a set top box, just an ethernet connection. You can also access Yahoo! Widgets on the sets, if you were so inclined. We're really at the...

Aside from yours truly, no dad deserves more reverence than America's archetypal pop - Homer Simpson. Now, through the beauty of relentless commercialization, TomTom will let you download the voice of Homer Simpson (aka Dan Castellaneta) to their navigation device through this website. It will cost you $12.99. Homer won't simply give you directions, but pepper you with hillarity as you drive. Frankly, I'm holding out for Darth Vader.

I've said it before, but parenting certainly changes your outlook on "Big Brother" technologies. It's in that spirit that GuidePoint's new GPS vehicle tracking product - the VTAC GPS - is so intriguing. Check out the features: GPS Vehicle Locator: Log onto www.vtacgps.com and track the whereabouts of your vehicle at any time of the day over the internet. Stolen Vehicle Recovery: Real-time Internet Tracking of your stolen vehicle 24/7 by trained Response Center personal for faster recovery. ...

Ever get phantom thumb, wrist or elbow pain? I present to you, cell phone elbow, guitar hero wrist and texting thumb.

Nothing quite gets the blood racing like spending a few quality hours converting analog video to a digital format, am I right? Eh, I know. It's grueling, gruesome work. But sometimes we're called to duty. Roxio's new Easy VHS-to-DVD makes the task slightly less onerous. The PC version was announced late last year, but a new Mac-compatible model was introduced last month. The Easy VHS-to-DVD connects to a computer via USB and to an analog video device (a VCR or camcorder) via RCA or S-Video cables. The included software allows you to import your analog vids and burn them to DVD....

Heading to the zoo this summer? Going on that long awaited jungle safari? Tripod maker Bogen is hosting a free webinar with Julie Larsen Maher, a staff photographer with the Wildlife Conservation Society, on June 19 from 2-3 EST. Get the details here. You can win a few things, learn a few things, and will probably hear a pitch for some Bogen products, but hey, free is free. Photo of Julie Larsen Maher courtesy of Bogen.