What every blogger needs ....

I was trying the other day to come up with a definition of a "consumer society", and ended up with the self-contradictory "wanting to have something that, not only do you not need, but you don't even know it exists". The skill of the marketing gurus is then to let you know that it does exist.

Well, what might an inveterate blogger want that he or she didn't know existed?

One or two points from the instructions are slightly amusing. The system requirements are claimed to include 32 MB of system RAM and 50 MB available hard disk space (though there is no software to load and the cup warmer is just drawing power from the USB port). And: "Should the Cup Warmer perform unexpected functions, unplug the unit and then reset your computer".

And, the compulsory for all electrical equipment: "Do not use near water". OK, I'll only drink tea or coffee when blogging.

Saturday's Times included an advertising booklet "Collections". Of note there were the battery powered self-heating gloves (the batteries are located in the cuffs of each glove) and the multi-way socket device which claimed to save 100% of the energy being wasted when electrical devices connected to it were left in stand-by mode.

I'll let you know in due course how I get on with the cup warmer!