Weird gadgets

Ever played in a tree house? If you lived in Dhaka then that answer is probably a 'no'. Dhaka does not even have trees considers the political fight against greenery.

The point is kids would love to have a tree house. It's one of those surefire guaranteed things like the way everyone needs to breathe. Some kids grow up and still feel the need to play in a tree house and for that they go to Daniel Woodland. Now, there are others who offer similar services like Woodland except he is the only one with such an appropriate name. This guy builds swanky tree houses mostly for loaded adults. His designs include anything from a pirate ship to a spaceship on a tree. Also he builds castles and actual houses.

These custom-made luxury tree houses sell for around $7,750 - just for a "basic" tree house. That's about 5 lakhs that you can use for a down payment on an actual apartment. That's without wide screen LCD TVs and servants quarters. For the right price he will even provide the tree. The Daniels Woodland website has more.

Two-Person Hovercraft
Hovercrafts have a weird sci-fi feeling as they ride on a cushion of air. That also makes them hard to control but should be extremely fun as seen on TV. Originally they used to be huge but now you can find ones as small as a car with seating for two people. Just imagine going out on a date on a hovercraft.

This particular two-person hovercraft is powered by a 60 hp engine and 12 V battery. It can carry up to 400 pounds while going 60 mph on land or water. It sounds like the perfect solution to the pothole strewn roads of Dhaka. The one minor glitch is that the device blows up a lot of dust so you might just want to carry along a couple of plastic hair coverings like the ones used in showers.

This mode of transport will cost you roughly 9 lakh taka.

Water-Proof TV
Speaking of showers, ever have the feeling that you just may be missing out on a very important Kahani Khau Khau soap episode while you shower? Heck, you might even stop bathing all together due to such nail biting loss of you regular suspense dosage. Well, worry no more because with a the water-proof TV you can watch in the shower. Yep, no idea why anybody would need that much entertainment, these are available with screens up to 40". They even have a "mirror option" that turns the screen into a reflective surface when not in use.

Barefoot Footwear
Innovation in the world of footwear has not seen such highs (or rather lows). Because shoeless joggers keep dying from discarded needles and landmines (well, there is nothing anyone can really do about that one), here comes Barefoot Footwear. Designed to simulate barefoot running without allowing skin to touch the ground, this new footwear from Five Fingers also provides extra grip on slippery surfaces as well as individual toe pockets to enhance the running experience.

Much more useful than those stupid "bareheaded hats" with just a brim on the front. These cost about $70.

By Gokhra

The review given above sort of sums it up, but to go into details, Vernon God Little is absolutely amazing! After you're done with it, you will be grateful for the normal usual life you have. The story revolves around a 15 year old boy Vernon Gregory Little, who lands himself into a lot of trouble after his best friend shoots 16 of their classmates to death, and then kills himself. Although devastated by the tragedy, Vernon has bigger issues in hand as police round in on him and CNN hacks try to claim some fame by finding a 'culprit'- namely Vernon, since the real culprit is already dead! Eulalio Ledesma in particular sniffs out his opportunity to make good at Vernon's expense and as the media net tightens, and the twisted desires of the townsfolk for a scapegoat reach fever-pitch, Vernon finds himself drawn into a series of increasingly bizarre circumstances which get harder and harder to get out of. Since this 15 year old has a talent of being at the wrong place at the wrong time, and taking wrong decisions most of the time, the case against him strengthens, the plot thickens, and at this point of the story you won't be able to stop reading even if you want to!

This masterpiece has won DBC Pierre The Man Booker Prize 2003, as well as the Bollinger Wodehouse Award for Comic Writing 2003. I got it from British Council, but this book is quite well known, so you might get it in the local stores as well. Read it, laugh all you can (if you don't then you really need help), and after you're done, thank me for telling you about it!

Reviewed by Fahmina Rahman