THE AIR UP THERE
The Blueair AirPod is probably the stylish—and one of the most efficient—air purifiers around, as it comes with a whole selection of accented bases. There's even a pink one in honor of breast cancer research. ( $99 for bases; www.blueair.com )
SAY CHEESE
On your way home from shopping, swing by Radio Shack, which offers everything from lasers travel mouses to robot toys to the Olympus FE-210 7.1MP Digital Camera, which features 16 shooting modes and a 'My Favorites' feature. ( $129.99 for the camera; multiple locations; www.radioshack.com )
TAKE COVER
For that person who always wanted to be a cover model, why not make that wish come true? Your Cover allows you to personalize a magazine cover with a picture of that budding Gisele, Kate or Tyson. ( $49.95;www.yourcover.com )
UNDERCOVER
Everyone knows that Undergear has an extensive selection of men's underwear and activewear, but did you know that it also offers items like Anthony Logistics for Men skin-care line and a mega-hot 2008 calendar that will definitely keep the winter chill at bay? ( www.undergear.com )
THAI ONE ON
Gift certificates are almost always the right thing to buy, especially if they're for eateries. With the gazillion restaurants in Chicago, your recipient could go for an old favorite or a new adventure, such as Thai Urban Kitchen, 500 W. Madison, which features such dishes as open-faced ravioli with shrimp and squid in sweet soy vinaigrette. ( www.thaiurbankitchen.com )
PHOTO OP
Nikon has new D40x digital SLR camera that is designed to allow users to take spectacular photographs with very high-resolution at the touch of a button. The D40x maintains the same compact size, portability and ease-of-use as its already successful sister camera, the D40, and adds features like a higher 10.2-megapixel resolution—making it the equivalent of hi-def TV. ($729; www.nikon.com)
FEEL THE FIRE
Fire Island Pines Arts Project (FIPAP), a non-profit organization promoting the arts in the legendary gay beach community, has released its first-ever cookbook, Into the Pines Kitchen, filled with recipes from Pines residents gay, straight, young and old. Into the Pines Kitchen contains 200 recipes from 100 contributors, including Pines notables Scott Bromley, Gilbert Parker and Hal Rubinstein. ($20; www.fipap.org)
GOODBYE, RED-EYE
How many times have you taken pictures of your friends, only to have them looked possessed because of problems with red-eye? That's where Photobot, the first zero-click, automatic digital photo correcting software, comes in. Photobot launches when you start your computer and begins continually searching for pictures. You can set it to scan your entire hard drive or only specific folders. Whenever it detects new images, Photobot immediately applies image-correction technologies that automatically brighten dark pictures, reduce red-eye and improve color. ($29.95; www.photobot.com)