On my last trip to Bangkok I was in the equivalent of a Dollar Store at the IT Mall in Pran Tip Plaza, but I guess it was called the Forty Baht Store although I can't read those signs so I'm not real sure, and I stumbled across a little gizmo that I love - and only cost a dollar! It's the Asaki 9000 SD/MMr/RS-MMC USB 2.0 card reader. Short form: usb flash drive, with removable storage. It was only a buck, or 40 baht, depending on the state of the Thai economy, and came in cute colors, so I bought a half-dozen. (Memory chip not included.)
I load them up with all the free SD chips that Adore-a-rama and camera mfgs give away with digital cameras these days, as it accepts anything from 32 megs to 16 gigs. I leave them lying around and whenever I need to transfer a file to a non-net computer, I just grab one of those. It's great for folks who want to borrow a flash drive but you know they are never going to return it. They get the 32 meg version.
But what I like the most about this gizmo is that it's useful, comes in bright colors so my aging eyeballs can find it in dim light (btw, it actually lights up when reading/writing), reminds me of those plastic easter eggs filled with candy, and did I mention, it only costs a dollar! Now that's my kinda gizmo for the global depression.
Ps. If I get back to BKK in time for Easter, I plan on buying baskets full of these and giving away as gifts, and using in the annual Nepali Easter Egg Hunt.
