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If you’re the type that enjoys tracking your movement and activities, you’ll want to know about the Misfit Shine. There’s a lot of fitness trackers to choose from nowadays, and the Shine stands apart for its size (slightly larger than a quarter), ease of use, no charging needed (it has a battery), and overall pleasing visage. It’s also water-resistant up to 50 meters- perfect for those swimmers among us.

The magnetic clip-on ring allows you to easily wear it in multiple places- on your shirt, pocket, sock, etc.- or you can wear it on a wrist band or necklace. I wore one for a few days to try it out and, thankfully, it doesn’t look like an obvious fitness tracker. It’s small enough to fit in a pocket or clip on to your clothing without being too bulky. It won’t show you your exact steps in numbers, which I rather miss as I’m used to a Fitbit, but you do see your progress via a halo of LED lights. It’s an elegant, minimal solution for a tracker, and, of course, the corresponding Shine app on your smartphone will store your overall progress per day/week. See the video below, or visit Misfit Wearables for more info.
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When a modern lamp has a USB port and costs $150, it’s worth a look. Designed by Studio 1A.M and sold by CB2, this little task light has an inset panel of LEDs for a warm glow and a red woven cord and switch for a primary pop of contrast.
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I’m a little in love with this simple vase. It has a series of interchangeable caps that complement the simple receptacle, giving you various options to display your floral arrangements. Or maybe you’d prefer just a vase caps to add to any glass you currently have for a quick modern update? Several designs are available.
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Need a gear upgrade? Backpacks aren’t just for school kids, and Incase proves the point with its Campus design. Now, if you don’t mind a pinky-clay color, it’s on sale over at The Ghostly Store ($34.95!), but if you’d prefer another color ($79.95), take a look over at Incase for the full collection.
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If your coffee table isn’t doing you any favors, maybe this Index Table with its integrated magazine holder will help keep periodicals tidy. A stainless steel frame keeps things slick while the fine leather pouch and wood top warm things up. This is the year you’ll have all that clutter under control, right?
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It’s back to work for most of us, and let’s ring in the new year by getting your calendar sorted. How about tracking the date with a perpetual calendar that’s also a metric ruler? Sebastian Bergne’s Monthly Measure fulfills both duties with its die-cast star and sawtooth-edged ruler. Placed at one centimeter intervals, the date can be marked by rolling the star along the edge.
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Happy New Year! If you’re a typography aficionado, you’ll be glad to hear that the 365 Calendar is back again for 2014. Each month features one typeface (chosen by a prominent designer Stefan Sagmeister, Ivan Chermayeff, Tom Geismar, Massimo Vignelli, Michael Vanderbyl, Louise Fili and others, all members of the Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI)) and includes a description and biography of the typeface designer. As with previous editions, the major holidays are noted as well as the birthdays of the typeface designers.

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Straws! Did you know that with Jix, a modular connector by Patrick Martinez, you can build all sorts of sculptures in a matter of minutes? Not many of us will go to the extent of the environment shown in the picture above, but a table-top sized sphere or a rhombohedron, sure. That imagination needs to be exercised, after all, and maybe even your friends, family, or coworkers will get involved building larger shapes.
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There are worse things to aspire to than to be true and brave, so if you’re short of new year’s resolutions, this door mat will remind you each and every day to be your best self. ‘Lead by example’ can be your new mantra for 2014.

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Happy Holidays to you and yours! Here’s hoping you’ll have an excellent holiday break, full of good food and fun. We’ll be back with regular posts whenever we feel like it. Enjoy yourself!

Shown above, for next year’s festivities: Infinite Tree, approximate ship date 3/15/2014.
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Okay, here’s the last random smattering of gift ideas for you, but you’d best be quick to order anything with overnight shipping as today is really the last day with any chance for something to arrive on/before Christmas.
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That is all. Enjoy your weekend.

As we’re in the last throes of shopping frenzy, let’s throw some random stuff together and give one last jolt, a therapeutic dose if you will, to your dying interest of finding just the right thing. Don’t give in to the general malaise of oh-this-cheap-pair-of-gloves-will-do, for you, my friend, are better than that (you are reading this site, after all). A thoughtful gift is out there, and some places are even offering free shipping today in time for the 25th.

Items in these ‘random’ images aren’t even numbered, thus showing you that I’m also pretty tired of the whole gift frenzy, and you’ll have to use your brain to figure out which items match the list. Hint: items are listed from left to right, top to bottom, just like you read a book.
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More random gift ideas for you…
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And here’s the last random gift idea list today, more on Monday…
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