shipping

Can pirate ships be preppy? Our sources say yes

Motorized pirate ships are all good and fine, but sometimes we need something a little bit classier and old-fashioned to satisfy our high-seas ambitions. Take this toy pirate yacht, for example. It retails for the U.K. equivalent of about $35.

It's a lovely, tasteful little wooden boat, made of plantation-grown wood with genuine sailcloth for the sails, and would look perfect either on the mantelpiece of your expansive parlor's fireplace or gently bobbing in your backyard koi pond as you sit on the porch drinking mimosas after a morning of squash at the local country club. But … Read more

Shopping for a private jet

There have been several stories in the news this week about airplanes and spacecraft. I'm an Air Force veteran myself, and I've been an Aviation Week subscriber for over 20 years, but you don't have to be in the industry to keep up with the latest in aerospace technology. Even CNET covers this kind of thing today, and some of the stories I've seen this week have gotten me thinking about buying a private jet.

I think Esther Dyson deserves a lot of credit for bridging the computer and aerospace industries. In 2005, Esther inaugurated her … Read more

Crave TV: Space Bubble Episode 2

Hey, Bubblenauts! It's the second episode of Crave UK's new gadget show, set aboard a little Bubble Ship, floating in space. This week we investigate the gluttonous power consumption of modern gadgets, and prove that "digital" doesn't necessarily mean "more advanced."

We also take a look at a laptop made entirely of bamboo, and kick one particuarly obnoxious mobile phone out of the airlock, where it explodes into a billion shards of ill-concieved plastic resin.

Climb aboard the Space Bubble, a geostationary satellite high above the surface of Earth, crewed by a solitary … Read more

Another pirate ship pool toy? Count us in!

Summer's coming, which means that this year's arsenal of outdoors-oriented kiddie toys is already being rolled out. And, as we've already seen, pirate-themed pool toys are going to be huge this year. (At the root of this trend, naturally, is the impending final installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, as well as Steve Jobs' anti-DRM vendetta--a high point for the other kind of pirate.) The latest in pirate fun is the Jolly Roger PT400, an inflatable pirate ship that comes with a squirt gun and two "cannonballs" to go in its built-in catapult.… Read more

Speaking of outsourcing: Shipwire outsources the warehouse

Lick and stick, or pick and pack? I don't know. And if you don't either, and you're trying to start an online store, you might want to check out Shipwire, which will handle your online business' shipping needs for you. Instead of having your suppliers ship goods to you that you then have to warehouse and ship to your customers, you ask your suppliers to send everything to Shipwire, which will handle all the heavy lifting, licking, sticking, and packing.

Unrelated: Eyejot is presenting right now. We posted an Eyejot review yesterday.

Want it by the 25th?

Do you know there are only 18 shopping days left? I have been so busy lately and only started putting together my shopping list yesterday. Yes, I am starting to feel a bit of a panic. I really need to start shopping. If you wanted a gift to be delivered by the 25th, here's a handy page we put together that showcases our online stores and their guaranteed shipping schedules. Click here for the Holiday Shipping Schedule. Also, if you aren't sure what to buy your loved ones. Check out CNET's Holiday Gift Guide.

Deal of the day: Free same-day gadget delivery (SF only)

LicketyShip, a.k.a. Kozmo 2.0, is offering its service for free today. LicketyShip combines the best of online gadget shopping (easy browsing from your office while you appear to be working), with the one good thing about physical retail: You get the product right away. Today and tomorrow, LicketyShip is free. Use the code LSFREE at checkout.

When you buy something on LicketyShip, the service gets the product for you at a retailer it has a relationship with and delivers it into your hands by courier within four hours. At the moment, the service is in beta and … Read more