If you’ve seen the World’s Most Famous Calamari-Endorsing Ad (see above :-) ), then prepare to be blown away by one of the Net’s top technology sites at

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6452_7-6477851-1.html?tag=vid&autoplay=true#mgallery.

Kidding aside, gadget addict or not, Internet updated or not, convergence convert or not…We can be sure that ten years ago, nobody would have imagine how technology would evolve to accommodate radical imaginations of the few with the practical needs of many. Read on to learn more of the world's latest and hottest gadgets.

Subminiature photography is the practice of using unusually small cameras with unusually small film formats to make photographs. The exact boundary between cameras and formats that are "subminiature" and those that are merely "small" is the subject of debate among enthusiasts. The term "miniature" was originally used to describe the 35 mm format, so cameras that used a format smaller than 35 mm were referred to as "sub-miniature". The smallest of the small are often referred to as "ultra-miniature". In the interest of specificity, cameras that produce an image on the film smaller than the standard 135 format (24x36 mm) are usually included in the genre, but some do not consider half-frame 135 (18x24 mm) cameras "subminiature", since the cameras can be almost as large as a regular 35 mm camera.

Arranged according to increasing size, the best known subminiature formats are: Minox (8x11 mm), Kodak disc (8x11 mm), 16 mm (10x14 mm), Super 16 mm (12x17 mm), 110 format (13x17 mm), Tessina (14x21 mm) and half-frame (18x24 mm). The best known brands, like the ones above, had to compete with very inexpensive ones that matched their specifications, yet produced unpleasant results. Because of their small size and light weight, subminiature cameras are perfect in a pocket or purse, and can be used anytime.

The late 1800's saw the world’s first small cameras being used for espionage. a subminiature camera craze developed soon after WWII when many consumer markets required small, inexpensive cameras. The result overtime was plenty of cheap and substandard cameras sitting in the shelves side by side with fine quality ones. Nevertheless, many subminiature cameras today offer top-quality lenses and a comprehensive line of features, such as variable apertures, selectable shutter speeds, focusing lenses, not to mention accessories.

It used to be that resurrecting your map-reading Scouting skills was the only way to read a GPS reading mechanically flashing out your North and South coordinates in the middle of nowhere.

Not so in these LCD days. Things are now a far cry from a dot matrix digital readout. Aside from a 2D depiction of your location (or the location of the object bearing your tracking device), hot GPS devices nowadays are capable of showing real-time traffic data and local gas prices. And, would you believe: help you find lost objects? Click here to know more about RF locators.

For the parent who wants to take vigilance in television viewing to a higher level, language filters for the television—yep, filters for the boobtube—are available. Fro example, TV Guardian, a popular brand decodes and monitors the hidden closed-caption text, an option that can be made available for the hearing impaired. A built-in dictionary of offensive words and phrases monitors the text, and when an offending word or phrase is detected, TVGuardian immediately turns down the volume on the offensive language. Ask and do some research at your favorite store regarding any of the known technical issues, such as the reported low picture quality when the filter is active.

View other tech-related hubs by this author:

Cobbling the Cozy Home Theater,

Maximum Video Performance Through Digital Interconnects,

Reviews of Best GPS devices,

Choosing the Best Audio Cables,

The Lowdown on High End Car Audio,

A Hi-Tech, BUT Bargain DVD player,

Bargain TV Shopping,

The World's Secret-Smart Gadgets.