As someone who lived in the South from my birth to my mid-twenties, I can tell you without a doubt that we like to fry up any food we can get our hands on. It’s a stereotype that I gladly ascribe to, mostly because fried foods are just insanely delicious. Hush-puppies, chicken fried steak, fried okra, coconut shrimp, fried pickles, chicken-fried bacon, fried Twinkies, fried jelly doughnuts, deep fried pizza…yes, please. All of the above. When the heart attack comes, I’ll die with a smile on my face and extremely greasy fingers.

That being said, it never occurred to me that it would be a good idea to deep fry my iPhone 5 or my Dell laptop. Photographer Henry Hargreaves, on the other hand, thought it would be an excellent idea for a photo shoot. My guess is that he watched this video of a Japanese kid attempting to deep fry and chomp down on his Sony PSP for a bit of inspiration. In any case, here is his series of deep-fried gadgets:

Deep Fried Game Boy

Deep Fried LACIE Rugged Hard Drive

Deep Fried Headphones

Deep Fried iPad

Deep Fried iPhone

Deep Fried iPod

Deep Fried MacBook

Deep Fried Gadgets, What’s Not to Like?

The recent boom of smart home technology has made it easy for anyone with a smartphone to upgrade their home. Here’s 12 gifts that should be at the top of the list of any smart home enthusiast.

Buy This Gift for Someone That Gets Lots of Visitors

Linking your doorbell to your mobile device, the Ring Video Doorbell 3 allows you see and speak with anyone that comes to your front door. You don’t even have to be in the house to speak to the person at the front door.

Interestingly, you can power the button with a built-in rechargeable battery or you can wire it directly to your existing doorbell wiring to power it. In addition, the Ring gadget can send your smartphones when motion is detected at the front of your home.

• MSRP: $179 / Lowest Price on Ben’s: $100

Check Price on Amazon

Buy This Gift for Someone That’s Awful with Routers

Combining smart home feature controls and Wi-Fi access, Google Nest Wi-Fi is a fantastic device that provides Gigabit speed and reliability as well as a simple-to-use design that anyone in the family can setup, not just the tech-savvy of the bunch.

• MSRP: $269 / Lowest Price on Ben’s: $150

Check Price on Google

Buy This Gift for Someone That Has a Bad Memory

Can’t remember if you closed the garage door after leaving home? Enter the Chamberlain Smart Garage Hub, a Wi-Fi enabled device that allows you to monitor the status of your garage door. Linked to a smartphone app, you can also open and close the door from the app.

In addition, notifications will be sent to your smartphone each time the garage door opens. Regarding compatibility, the MyQ opener works with most major brands of garage door openers made after 1993.

• MSRP: $39 / Lowest Price on Ben’s: n/a

Check Price on Amazon

Buy This Gift for Someone That Likes to Ruin Dinner

Ideal for novice chefs that burn food often, the Nest Protect is a combination smoke and carbon monoxide detector that allows you to simply wave off the alarm rather than seek out your step stool to reach the ceiling.

Connecting to your mobile devices over Wi-Fi, the advanced hardware sends messages when the batteries are running low as well as constantly runs a test nightly to make sure everything is working. It also uses a human voice alert to specifically identify the problem as well as the area of the home that set off the alarm.

• MSRP: $119 / Lowest Price on Ben’s: $80

Check Price on Amazon

Buy This Gift for Someone That Likes Design

Connecting your home’s lighting to your smartphone or tablet, the Philips Hue A19 Bulb Starter Kit includes three smart bulbs that can be controlled with a mobile device. If you have an iPhone, it integrates with Siri and includes voice control support. The same goes for anyone with an Echo device & Amazon’s Alexa.

• MSRP: $199 Starter Kit / Lowest Price on Ben’s: $143

Check Price on Amazon

Buy This Gift for Someone That Already Has Smart Home Gadgets

Attempting to simply control within a smart home, the Amazon Echo 15 is a smart device that creates a central hub for controlling smart home functions like lighting and security as well as offering household management tools. Utilizing a 15″ touch screen, users can check temperature, humidity, and proximity sensors as well as turn smart devices on / off.

The bad new is that’s it’s not quite available yet. You can sign up for an early invite on Amazon.

• MSRP: $249 / Lowest Price on Ben’s: N/A

Check Price on Amazon

Buy This Gift for Someone That Has Tons of Mobile Devices

Want all the benefits of USB charging without swapping out outlet hardware or setting up a USB charging station? Take a look at the SnapPower USB Charger, a simple outlet covering that adds a single USB charging station with just a turn of a screwdriver. The unique design of the outlet plate draws power from the screws on the side of the existing outlet.

The SnapPower USB Charger comes in two designs and three colors, based off the type of outlets in your apartment. When moving to a new home, it’s easy to retrieve the hardware and replace it with the old plates.

• MSRP: $20 / Lowest Price on Ben’s: n/a

Check Price on SnapPower

Buy This Gift for Someone That’s Away From Their Pets

Fantastic for dogs that don’t like being left alone, the Furbo Pet Cam is a Wi-Fi connected device with a camera to keep an eye on your pets. Using the connected smartphone app, you can speak to your pet with the attached speaker as well as release one of the treats stored inside the device. The camera delivers 1080p video to your smartphone (w/ night vision) and the Furbo can be positioned on a shelf out your pet’s reach.

• MSRP: $169 / Lowest Price on Ben’s: $101

Check Price on Amazon

Buy This Gift for Someone That Wants to Save Money on Heating / Air

Releasing the 3rd generation of the popular Nest Learning Thermostat, Nest has improved on the device yet again. The new version offers a 40 percent larger, brighter, high-resolution screen, notifications when a home’s furnace is having issues, integration with the Nest Protect for carbon monoxide monitoring and new display settings to show the current temperature or time.

Over time, the learning thermostat saves users 10-12% on their heating bills and about 15% on their cooling bills. Similar to other devices on this list, the Nest thermostat is compatible with Amazon Alexa for voice control. Tip: Check with your power company for additional rebates.

• MSRP: $249 / Lowest Price on Ben’s: $170

Check Price on Amazon

Buy This Gift for Someone Without Central Air

This Wi-Fi ready connected air conditioner is a 10,000 BTU, smart window air conditioner that was developed by LG. Compatible with Alexa, Google, & ThingQ, you can turn the unit on or off, change temperature, control modes and adapt fan speeds all using voice control. You can also use the app to access these functions on mobile devices.

• MSRP: $409 / Lowest Price on Ben’s: $309

Check Price on Amazon

Buy This Gift for Someone That Carries All the Grocery Bags at Once

While there are multiple types of smart locks that interact with your smartphone, the Kwikset Kevo (2nd gen) is one of the few models that provides a physical key to carry. Using Bluetooth connectivity with your mobile device, all you have to do is tap the lock when you arrive home and it will unlock due to the proximity of your smartphone.

You can also provide access to guests by supplying a guest eKey that expires after 24 hours. Basically, you can let someone into your home without having to be physically at the location. Of course, if your smartphone dies, you always have a physical key as a backup to unlock the door. (Also compatible with Alexa)

• MSRP: $229 / Lowest Price on Ben’s: $149

Check Price on Amazon

Buy This Gift for Someone Just Starting with Smart Home Tech

You really can’t go wrong with Amazon’s new revision of the standard Echo. With multiple design options to choose from, you will have all the benefits of Alexa as your disposal. And if you have mulitple units, you can take advantage of features like multi-room music streaming or whole home intercoms. In addition, there are a vast number of devices in the Echo family that you can choose from; the $50 Echo Dot up to the $199 Echo Studio.

• MSRP: $100 / Lowest Price on Ben’s: $60

Check Price on Amazon

2021 Holiday Gift Guide: Best Smart Home Gadgets

The Consumer Electronics Show is always filled with plenty of amazing gadgets, and this year was no exception. However, within that mix of exciting new technology, there are always a few standouts that will fail spectacularly at launch. Here are our seven picks for the worst gadgets of CES 2014

Eyelock ID

While I stopped for a moment to check my emails on my smartphone, a PR agent at the Eyelock booth spotted my press badge and lured me into a conversation about computer security. Since I was between meetings, I played along and walked over with her to check out the product demo of Eyelock ID. Conceptually, this handheld device is designed to increase security by requiring identification of multiple unique points in both of your eyes. After scanning, the Eyelock ID uses software to perform actions like logging you into Windows or launching your personal email account.

Unfortunately, the prototype was fairly buggy and didn’t actually work for me. You basically have to hold the device six inches from your face and seemingly go cross-eyed while staring at the mirror at the center of the device. I spent a good five minutes trying to get the darn thing to work, but it was never able to log me into the system (after the account was initially set up with my eye-print, which also took about 5 minutes to scan correctly).

I really don’t care if a fingerprint scanner is less secure. Pressing my thumb down on a scanner for a couple seconds is much faster than the Eyelock ID, and fingerprint scanning tech is much further along in the consumer space than eye scans. If I recall correctly, they also told me that it was going to be released in the $200 to $300 range. Nope, my wallet just closed.

Neptune Pine

This is a smartwatch for Andre the Giant. Jumping directly into the ridiculous pool with a big splash, this smartwatch is like strapping a smartphone to your wrist. It’s like those old TV channel changer watches released in the mid-’90s, but much bigger (2.4-inch screen) and less cool.

Granted, it does have a ton of functionality and as much storage space as your smartphone. But no one will be able to wear it without looking like the emperor of the uber-dorks. And it’s got an insane price point at $335 for the base model. You would be much better off going with the newly announced Pebble Steel at $250. You get a stylish watch and you can keep your dignity.

Netatmo JUNE

Sticking with wearables for a moment, the Netatmo JUNE takes the cake for one of the more useless gadgets at the show. Starting at $100, this device can be worn as a bracelet or brooch. The purpose of the Netatmo JUNE? It talks to your iPhone to warn you if you have been in the sun for too long. Because, you know, telling time is difficult.

Why anyone would pay for this is beyond me. Granted, I’m not the target female audience, but there are plenty of free iPhone apps that will provide users with UV and sun exposure information.

Brookstone’s iTOi BOOTH

I don’t have the slightest idea why anyone would need this. The Brookstone iTOi BOOTH is a phone booth of sorts that’s designed to work with an iPad for video calls. My only conclusion is that it provides a slight bit of privacy, but that’s not really a huge deal. It looks like a weird periscope and you know that it’s going to be priced at Skymall levels since it will be sold at Brookstone. No thank you.

Mother

Do you want a creepy plastic doll that smiles at you when you brush your teeth? Meet Mother, the device that helps track your life in order to keep you on the ball with tasks during the day. Using sensors called Cookies, Mother can track time spent walking, if you watered the plants, how often you are taking your pills, etc…  All of this creepiness comes at a price, of course. $222 for Mother and four sensors at CES, but the price goes up even more after this week. Yikes…

TrewGrip Mobile QWERTY

Don’t you want to re-learn how to type correctly? Doesn’t everyone? The TrewGrip takes the traditional keyboard, splits it and flips it over so you can’t see the physical keys that you are pressing. While it does include a light-up display on the opposite side to show the keys that are being pressed, I had a heck of a time trying to use it properly.

I’m more of a self-taught typist, and this had me scratching my head. Hypothetically, it could be useful during a meeting when taking notes and attempting to keep eye contact with the person that’s speaking, but I definitely wasn’t a fan. And it’s expected to retail for $250 to $350…

PhoneSoap Charger

Talk about a useless gadget. The PhoneSoap Charger is a product that’s designed to charge your phone and clean it at the same time. Attempting to sell these things with a ridiculous amount of hyperbole about scary germs, the $50 charger is being marketed as a device that kills all bacteria with UV light. But what do I know? It will probably be huge with the hypochondriac crowd. Or you could just wipe off your phone from time to time with a 10-cent antibacterial wipe.

Put Away Your Wallet: Here are the Worst Gadgets of CES 2014

What’s the future of video games? 3D? Virtual Reality? Nope, the future of video games has even more advanced technology… electric racing tracks from 20 years ago.

The cars are real. The track is a 3.5 x 8.5 feet mat. The controller is your iDevice. But this is far from the old-school electric racing experience of watching your car travel around a fixed track for twenty minutes until you get bored.  Anki DRIVE adds something… new.

AI drivers. Virtual weapons. Experience points. Anki DRIVE blurs the line between videos games and just plain games. Right away the experience starts with a personal feel:  the first thing you do is choose your car from the different classes, each with their own stats like Speed, Acceleration, and Agility. That customizable strategy option us gamers love so much just gets better, though – the more the drive, the more points you acquire, and the better your car gets! We don’t remember that from those clunky ’80s slot cars.

We know what you’re thinking: how similar to a video game could it be without any violence? In our modern times, we’ve grown accustomed to hurling deadly projectiles at the people in front of us… isn’t that what racing is about? Well, fret not road ragers, Anki’s got that covered… sort of. The game features a multitude of virtual weapons to make sure you’re in first, or else. Unfortunately, the technology isn’t advanced enough to include real lasers or tiny rockets (or blue turtle shells with wings); the weapon system exists, but it’s invisible. You fire the laser from your controller, and if the enemy is in the line of fire, it will spin out. If you don’t think that sounds gratifying… try it.

Up to 4 cars can race at one time, but only 2 come with the starter kit. If you can’t drag your friends over to your basement, you can still play against AI drivers (who will probably give you more of a challenge anyway).  Have we piqued your interest? Check out the video below to learn more.

Shut Up and Take My Money: Anki DRIVE Starter Kit

With the waning of the summer sun and fewer daylight hours, it’s time to make the most of that yellow orb in the sky. With any luck, you still have a few opportunities to spend time outside and less time away from your computer. While you’re enjoying the end of the season lounging around, why not do something extra awesome, like harness the power of the sun! Beyond making Mother Nature your b*tch, using these solar powered gadgets will also allow you the convenience of your favorite electronic gadgets and gizmos when you’re nowhere near an outlet.

1. Eton Rukus Bluetooth Solar Powered Speaker (Amazon, $129)

No outdoor hang is complete without tunes, and no matter what you choose to listen to, it’ll sound much better out of a speaker than your iPhone.

2. Soji Solar Powered String Lights (Brookstone, $40)

Enjoy the benefit of the sun long after its set with these string lights that charge during the day to set the mood at night.

3. Waka Waka Solar Charger and Lamp (Waka Waka, $79)

It usually happens that your cell phone battery is dangerously low right about the same time that the sun sets. Here’s your answer to both a dying battery and the inability to find your charging cord in the dark.

4. Solar-Stirred Sun Tea Jar (Amazon, $19)

 Sun tea is a treat any time of year, especially if you don’t have to do the ‘work’ of stirring it yourself.

 5. Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard (Amazon, $50)

It’s great if you’ve got a job with enough flexibility to take work outside every once in a while. Sure, it’s a bummer to be working on a beautiful day, but at least you can do it outside with this keyboard.

6. Solar Cluster Patio Umbrella (Target, $150)

Shade yourself from the sun while still taking advantage of its rays to charge this solar powered umbrella, which will let you enjoy the evening in a soft glow.

7. LED Solar Power Flashlight (Lazerpoint, $17)

Practical for boy scouts and festival goers alike, a solar powered flashlight always comes in handy. Just be sure to take it out of your bag while the sun’s out to get juiced up.

8. Solar Powered Clip-On Mini Fan (Amazon, $7)

If you’re spending time in the sun, chances are good that you’ll get warm. This small but mighty fan has a clip to attach it to your chair, a tent pole, or even the brim of your hat.

8 Solar Powered Gadgets for Outdoor Fun

While there are plenty of gadgets that are useful to high school and college students, there are a handful that simply aren’t great options anymore. We’ve broken down what you shouldn’t be spending your money on and options to replace that older tech. Check out our list of gadgets you shouldn’t buy for a student this year:

Desktop Computers

There’s a reason desktop sales are plummeting year after year. People don’t want to lug giant computers off to college. Flashback to 1997: I was more than happy to haul my sweet 133 MHz Pentium Packard Bell down to college. Having a computer in the dorm at that time was a luxury, especially for taking advantage of illegal downloads. However, these days students are taking their laptops and tablets to class to take notes, something that’s clearly impossible with a desktop computer.

While desktop computers still provide a superior gaming experience, it’s not going to be ideal for the majority of high school and college students. Look for some solid laptop deals on Ben’s prior to the start of the school year. Also, Microsoft is running a crowdsourcing project to allow students to hit up friends and family to help pay for a new laptop computer. Microsoft kicks in the first 10 percent, however it will be at full retail price.

Check Ben’s for Laptop Deals

USB Drives

Prior to cloud storage, having access to a USB drive was vital as a student. While this is an inexpensive gift idea, it’s going to collect dust due to nonuse. Beyond simply emailing documents to yourself, cloud storage like Dropbox, Microsoft SkyDrive and Google Drive allow you to access files from any Internet connected location. These services also provide significantly more storage space than the standard USB drive.

If you are interested in picking up a more useful type of physical storage, consider a portable hard drive over a USB drive. The latest batch of drives, like the Western Digital My Passport Ultra, are nearly as thin as a smartphone and hold a minimum of 500GB of data. It’s ideal for backing up a hard drive, especially a good idea when working on a semester-long project for a class.

Check Ben’s for Portable Hard Drive Deals

Printers

I loved having a printer in my room during college; however, it was also a giant pain. Beyond the insane costs of printer ink (third party options weren’t as readily available as they are today), the printer would constantly jam and spit out endless error codes. I would still end up having to go down to the computer lab from time to time in order to print off my most recent paper.

Fast forward to today, and computer labs are much more common on high school and college campuses. In addition, professors and teachers are shifting to digital copies over physical ones. If your student’s school uses a service like Blackboard, it may be a requirement that all assignments are submitted digitally. Even if they have to pay for printing somewhere, it’s still going to be considerably cheaper than keeping a printer stocked up with ink.

Point & Shoot Cameras

It’s not surprising that the smartphone has replaced standard point & shoot cameras. There’s no reason to carry around a second camera when a smartphone accomplishes the same thing. In addition, camera applications have surpassed user interfaces on point & shoot cameras, both in features and responsiveness. That being said, a DSLR is far superior to a smartphone camera in nearly every way.

Unless your student is studying photography and needs a DSLR, skip the traditional point & shoot camera and take a look at the most recent batch of smartphones. Nokia is doing some interesting things with picture quality in the Lumia line, but your best bets are probably going to be the Samsung Galaxy S4, Apple iPhone 5 or HTC One. Be aware that iPhone 5 prices will drop when Apple announces the new model later this year. If you can wait until October, you can purchase the latest model or the iPhone 5 at a discount.

Check Ben’s for Smartphone Deals

Alarm Clocks

I can’t remember the last time I used my alarm clock over my smartphone. I can pop into the alarm application and set a time for the morning in just a couple seconds. That’s a task that takes significantly longer on my alarm clock, especially when I blow past the time when setting it for the morning.

If you really want to purchase an alarm clock for your student, simply purchase an App Store or Google Play gift card for them. Paid alarm apps are usually between $1 to $4. My personal favorite is called Wake for the iPhone. Wave Alarm is also popular for Android users.

Purchase App Store Gift Card /  Purchase Google Play Gift Card

Voice Recorders

Once again, the smartphone has replaced another device. Popular over the last 20 years, digital voice recorders have been useful for recording lectures in class in order to review class content prior to a test. However, this can be accomplished by using the default voice recorder application on an iOS or Android smartphone.

Consider purchasing a Livescribe pen for your student. Transcribing notes into a digital form can be invaluable. You can also spring for some smartphone applications that have more robust features like cloud storage and quality settings. Be sure to check out Smart Voice Recorder for Android and Voice Recorder HD for the iPhone / iPad.

Purchase App Store Gift Card /  Purchase Google Play Gift Card

Six Back-to-School Gadgets That You Probably Shouldn’t Buy

Summertime is here! It’s such a treat to plan a trip and get out of town… until you get to the airport and realize you’ve got anywhere from four to fourteen hours of potential discomfort in front of you. As a frequent traveler, I’m often reminded that many people aren’t used to getting on an airplane six times a month. (Said reminder usually comes in the security lines while watching people try and get past the TSA with power tools in their carry-ons.)

Here are a few of the best travel-friendly inventions on the market today to turn a necessary inconvenience into a smooth transition to your vacation.

1. Mophie Juice Pack Reserve Micro (Mophie, $40)

Never be caught with a dying battery. A USB hub allows you to plug a variety of chargers into this backup power source.

2. Flybag (Flybag, $16)

Ripping a flimsy plastic bag as it catches on your suitcase zipper and spills your toiletries everywhere will seriously delay your security screening. This bag is durable, capacious, and TSA approved.

3. Travel Hoodie Pillow (Hoodie Pillow, $20)

A neck pillow always just seemed like one more thing to carry, but the hoodie on this one makes it invaluable for blocking light – especially on overly warm airplanes when wearing a sweatshirt isn’t an option.

4. Travel Grid-It (Container Store, $15)

Organize your cords, cards, jewelry, snacks, and really any odds and ends in this grid of elasticized bands.

5. JVC Noise Canceling Headphones (Amazon, $94)

Why no, I didn’t want to hear about your daughter’s cheer competition – and now I don’t have to. (Poor man’s alternative = ear plugs)

6. Magazine – Vanity Fair (Amazon, $20/year)

I love reading books on my iPad, but I can’t use it during takeoff or landing, so having a magazine passes the time and keeps my neighbor from thinking I’m free to chat. I like the long reads in Vanity Fair, but anything you bring will be better than SkyMall.

7. Unisex Circle Scarf (American Apparel, $28)

Available in over 70 colors, this simple tube of fabric works as a scarf, blanket, pillow, hood, shrug and number of other things. It’s surprisingly large for its lack of bulk and has helped me regulate temperature and sleep comfortably on countless flights. Bonus for the ladies – get creative with it when you land and you can turn this into a top or dress!

Seven Travel Products for Your Summer Trips

The 3D printer is, like, the coolest thing ever. Really.

3D printers are controversial, too, which naturally ratchets up their coolness vibe. Yes, they can make real guns (Brazilians love it), but they still can’t make building bricks as good as LEGOs. Go figure.

Now here are nine of the most awesome uses of a 3D printer… so far. And, I promise, no iPhone cases on this list—the world has enough of those!

1. Gastronomic Delights

Like the food machine in The Jetsons, the 3D printer uses raw ingredients to create cool-looking food. Let’s hope the operators are wearing hairnets.

Yes, that is a miniature space shuttle made of scallops.

2. Model Cars

This 1:3 scale model of James Bond’s signature Aston Martin DB5 was made by a 3D printer, then blown up in Skyfall.

Printer… 3D Printer.

3. Musical Instruments

Music demands unique voices and even more unique, um, spider guitars.

Does what a spider can.

4. Clothing

In addition to food, the 3D printer can provide other basic needs. It just may be clothing you’ll never wear. Ever.

It’s not too late to return the printer.

5. Bicycle

You have not lived until you’ve been seen flossin’ on your 3D-printed ride.

The seat could use some work.

6. 3D Photos

3D Photo Booths are here. (Guess where. Yeah, Japan.) You can be made into a little action figure. And… this technology will soon be horribly, horribly corrupted.

You know people will collect these things.

7.  Beaks (And Other Prosthetics)

Beauty the Bald Eagle got a prosthetic beak a few years back. Just think what it will do for human rhinoplasty.

Before… and after. Sign us up!

8. Combs

Who uses a comb, you say? Pets? Well, dear hipster, you might start if you had one of these beauts.

Wait till the Fonz gets a load of these!

9.  Grumpy Cat Figurines

This 3D-printed Grumpy Cat figurine graces our reviews on The CheckOut. Shapeways sells many other artist-designed creations, including our very own Sad Keanu and Success Kid who’ve also appeared on our reviews.

Grumpy Cat hates 3D printers.

9 Best Uses of a 3D Printer (So Far)

Summer’s coming, which means BBQs galore! If you ask me, no finger-lickin’ meal is complete without some corn on the cob. Heck, I used to get so excited to have this summertime staple on my plate that one time each and every time I obliterated parts of my fingerprint trying to hold steaming cobs. Then my Mom bought us corn cob holders. And while they might be a little ridiculous, corn cob holders are quite handy (ha! get it, handy?).  Because when it comes to things that already make me feel silly using them, the wackier the better.

Here are 10 Corny Corn Cob holders to save you from singeing your fingers and make you smile.

1. Ninja Swords (Amazon, $11)

Could a ninja even eat corn on the cob? Seems like it would  be too noisy for someone so stealthy.

 2. Uni-Corn Holders (Amazon, $8)

By far the corniest option in this roundup, but also the most magical.

3. Cob Holders by Lana Filippone (Available for preorder)

The most awesome corn cob holders of all time, hands down – and also the inspiration for me to get my hands on some unique holders this summer. Notice how the t-rex holds the corn with his mouth because his arms are just too tiny. Poor T-rex.

4. Cows Corn on the Cob Holders (Kattzs Closet, $13)

In case your burgers and steaks need some bovine buddies. Actually, the thought of looking at a tiny cow while eating one of its fallen brethren is a bit disturbing. Maybe save these for when you’re eating chicken.

5. Flip Flop Corn Holders (Amazon, $15)

Nothing says summer like freedom from socks and corn on the cob!

6. Dachshund Corn Holders (Amazon, $9)

These are pretty cute, and they allow you to make horrible puns about wieners after you’re a few beers in. Always a plus.

7. Cowboy Boot Corn Holders (Sur la table, $15)

Kick those greasy fingers to the curb with these bad boys. (Oh, the corny puns, they really never end.)

8. Mr. Bar-B-Q Corn Skewers (Amazon, $6)

In case anyone was confused about what type of event you’re serving delicious corn at, these self-referential holders feature the BBQ classics.

9. Ocean Waters Corn Holder Pick Set (Amazon, $7)

Beach barbecues and crab boils and clambakes all call out for these nautical corn cob holders. If you’re lucky, pick your pair first and go for the lighthouse since it’s the most ergonomic.

10. Large Corn-on-the-Cob Skewers (Amazon, $2)

Nothing compares to a classic — especially at a measly two dollars. There’s a reason these are the corn cob holders everyone you know owns.

10 Corny Corn Cob Holders

Have you ever wondered how much that sweet, gigantic phone Zack Morris carried around in Saved by the Bell would cost in 2013 dollars adjusted for inflation? What about an old school Compaq computer from 1993 with 20MB of RAM? What about a Sony Walkman? We know you used to rock out with your killer CD collection.

We checked out popular gadgets for grads across the decades from 1983 to 2013, and found that when you adjust these costs to today’s dollars, it actually now costs LESS for new grads to set themselves up with electronic gizmos than it did in decades past. Even better, grads are not only spending way less, but they’re getting a ton more bang for their buck in terms of functionality.

You can check out all our research in our Gadgets for Grads Through the Decades infographic below. Click anywhere on the infographic to open a larger resolution version. For anyone using a 1080p monitor or dual monitor setup, here’s a super high-res version just for you: LINK.

Gadgets for Grads Through the Decades: An Infographic