Scottish person.

With those words, the Burns Night Supper is started. It may surprise you to know that I, Murray Stuart Dougall, am a Scottish person. With that in mind, Gadget HQ have asked me to teach you all a wee bit aboot Burns night and whit it entails.

Scottish persons.

As you already ken, Rabbie Burns is the greatest Scottish poet o’ all time, an’ so on the 25^th o’ January every year we hae a big feast in honour o’ his memory. First, the host gives a big speech welcoming one an’ all tae the dinner, which is followed by the Selkirk Grace from the start of the column an’ a starter course that’s usually scotch broth.

Then it’s time for the big yin, the haggis is rolled in an’ the host delivers “Address tae a Haggis”, Burns’ ode to the traditional Scottish dish. I know most non-Scots are squeamish when it comes tae eatin’ haggis, but if you try one new thing this year make sure it’s haggis, it’s honestly one o’ the greatest foods in the world.

After the main course it’s speech time, beginnin’ with a memorial tae Rabbie Burns and then going into the toast to the lassies and the toast to the laddies. Efter this there’s some recitals of Burns’ work, and then we come tae the end o’ the evening. In 1997 when I wis jist 9 years old, my dear mother had taken me an’ ma brither tae Crown Court Church of Scotland fir the big night, an’ at the behest o’ ma elders I stood up an’ sang Flower Of Scotland tae finish off the speeches before the traditional communal singing of Auld Lang Syne.

Burns Night Supper.

An’ that, ye wee Sassenachs, is a Rabbie Burns Night Supper!

We’ll be off Christmassing for a few days now but I’ll be back with you next Wednesday when our sales begin. If you’ve bought or received a gift from us this year, there’s nothing we like better than seeing your bleary-eyed, toussle-haired, wrapping-paper-strewn-across-the-room photos from Christmas morning. And remember, if you upload your photo or write a review on any of our products and you could be in with the chance of winning £50! Just visit the relevant product page to get uploading.

All that’s left for us is to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

First off, we have the AppWheel, a relatively simple idea that does exactly what it says on the tin. There are countless driving games available for the iPhone, and the AppWheel adds a surprising amount of realism to the experience; you’ll be amazed how much of a difference turning a wheel makes when you compare it to just tilting your phone. It’s also designed to make sure you can press all the on-screen buttons without hassle, and for £9.95 is a great stocking filler for anyone with an iPhone.

Next, we come to the AppCopter, a truly incredible piece of kit that uses your iPhone as a controller to send a helicopter soaring through the clouds. You can use it with a standard on-screen D-pad, or for the more advanced pilot, nothing but the accelerometer and a steady hand to guide it safely through the skies.

Finally, my personal favourite. The AppBlaster is easily the most fun you can have with your iPhone, turning your whole house into a battlefield as you defend it from alien invaders. It’s the world’s first ever shoot-em-app, and the Alien Attack is pretty close to perfection. The trigger to touch screen technology is seamless, and for less than £20 I defy you to find a more entertaining game anywhere on the market.

So there we have it: three absolutely cracking gadgets for anyone with an iPhone.

Is it Friday again? That must mean that someone has won the Annoying Monster up for grabs last week. A big congratulations to L Passiful. Your Monster will be in the post shortly.

Which brings us on to this week’s Like It competition. We’re feeling pretty pleased with ourselves as we think we’ve found the ultimate prize for any Facebook based competition. Feast your peepers on these ‘Like’ Tea and Coffee mugs and then win one over on our competition page.

Like Tea and Coffee Mugs

These are a must-have for Facebook addicts. I’m personally now at the point where I find myself wishing I had a Like button for real life. It’s just such a good way of expressing agreement or appreciation and now like all good things, it’s on the side of a mug.

Now if someone is trying to mouth ‘tea or coffee?’at me while I’m on the phone, I can just raise my mug. This tells them three things. 1. Agreement (yes I’d like a drink) 2. Beverage preference (well the mug does say ‘coffee’ on it) 3. Expression of appreciation, just like on Facebook when you ‘like’ a video that someone has shared with the world. Brilliant.

There also couldn’t be a more appropriate way to win one of these mugs. Just like us on Facebook and enter your details on the competition page for the chance to win.

Loquax Competitions
ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions
Free Competitions
UKWins Competitions
UK Competitions

Competitions List

Hello Gadget heads. A very happy Friday to you, especially to this week’s winner of our Like It! competition; Kate Huxstep. Your amazing Floating Bottle rope Illusion will magically arrive (by post) shortly.

So that must mean that we’ve got another gadget to give away. Well Christmas is coming and all the little girls and boys who have behaved themselves this year have been filling two sides of A4 with things they hope to find under the tree on Christmas morning. We thought maybe we could help fill a little tree-space by giving away one of our cuddly Annoying Monsters.

Annoying Monster

These cheeky, colourful monsters are all set to be a popular kid’s toy this Christmas. They giggle, scream, make rude noises and jump up and down so clearly kids get along with them just fine. If you know a little monster that would love to unwrap this on Christmas morning, simply like us on Facebook and enter your details on the competition page for the chance to win.

One of our Annoying Monsters lives in the office here at Gadget HQ. Every time a little one comes to visit (usually kids of friends, sometimes lost tourists… don’t ask) it’s amazing how quickly they spot our colourful critter and begin playing with it. I mean you wouldn’t catch me playing with toys at the office…

There are three Annoying Monsters to choose from and the winner will be able to choose from Infuriating Igor, Pestering Percy and Borthersome Boris (subject to availability). Head over to the Facebook page now and enter your details for the chance to adopt an Annoying Monster.

Loquax Competitions
ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions
Free Competitions
UKWins Competitions
UK Competitions

Regular readers will know that today is normally ‘Murray Monday’ however due to an influx of lovely Christmas orders over the weekend I’m filling in so Murray can concentrate on sorting them all out for you.

Having not posted anything since August plus stepping in right at the last minute I must say I feel a bit rusty and lacking somewhat in ideas of what to write. So hands up I’m going for the easy option and I’m just going to plug a couple of my favourite new products. Well I’ve spent the last few months traipsing round trade shows and trawling through endless emails to find these things for you so I think its allowed!

First up is the Melting Snowman. Being a little over the wrong side of 30 you tend to get disapproving looks when making snowmen unless you have countless kids in tow. Or there’s the comments ‘aren’t you a little too old for that’ to quote my dad when I bought a sledge the other week, thanks dad!

My latest snowman

With this little kit I get to make the perfect snowmen and like the real thing it melts so I can make them time and time again all from the comfort of my desk.

Next is the Nose Warmer, don’t ask me why I like this product I just do. Would I wear it, most probably not, do I know someone who would wear it, most probably not either. Would that stop me from buying one, most definitely not. In fairness it’s a pretty bizarre and strange product however that’s the beauty of it. All though unlike most other crazy products this one actually has a good use should you be brave enough to give it a go!

Tartan nose warmer

Well thats it from me, have a good evening.

M

T’was two months before Christmas, and on our website,

We’ve been slashing our prices left, centre and right,

We wanted to bring you glad tidings and joy,

So we’re making gifts cheaper for girl and for boy,

So mummy and daddy can save up some cash,

And buy party buckets for a great Christmas bash!

Our ice lolly maker is down by eight pounds,

It makes tasty lollies so fast it astounds,

A whole fiver less: the Marmite money jar,

And fourteen ninety five gets a paper guitar,

Yes our cheap festive deals are all guaranteed hits,

If you want Christmas savings, just pop by Gadgets.

If you think my rhymes over I’m afraid you’re all nutters,

You can save a few bob on Pacman cookie cutters,

Or save almost ten pounds on my little friend Dave,

He’s a monkey who’s cheeky and doesn’t behave,

He’s a jester, companion, a funky young tyke,

He’s a mischievous chap the whole family will like.

But the highlight for me is this memories frame,

To see pictures of loved ones again and again,

Because Christmas means families, the people we need,

The people that cook us that big festive feed,

If you want them to smile then it’s easy I’d say,

Buy them something from Gadgets for their Christmas Day.

You can find all these gadgets and more in our Festive Deals section. There’s guaranteed to be something for everyone!

Unlucky #11

Last week, we showed you 10 of the best Halloween costumes from the internet, and today we want you to show us your best costumes. If you dressed up at the weekend, or you’re dressing up tonight, we want to see it, so send your best photos to customer.services@gadgets.co.uk! Please only send the photos if you’re happy for us to feature them either on our website or facebook, and include your full name somewhere in the email so we can give you proper credit for them!

Have you ever wondered why we dress up on Halloween? It all comes from Ireland where the Celts believed that, on their new years eve (which was October 31st), the line between the land of the living and the land of the dead became blurry, and the spirits of the dead would be able to cross over into the land of the living.

Because the Celts were afraid of the spirits, they used to disguise themselves as inhuman, hoping to fool the dead into leaving them alone. They would take to the streets and wander around with their faces covered in ash and wearing dirty rags. Over centuries, it maintained itself as a tradition, and when the Irish immigrated to America in the 1800s they brought it with them. Since then, it’s evolved into the happier form of dressing up that we know today.

Happy Halloween everyone, and remember to send us your photos!

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Of course, if you haven’t got the time or inclination to spend hours of your life constructing an intricate costume for a one-time use, our Flippin’ Frightening T-Shirts are the perfect Halloween costume for you! A casual t-shirt that flips over into a creature of the night, they’re an excellent quirky costume and a cool talking point for those last-minute parties.

I’ve been here three years now, and tonight was the first time I caught a break. I found a bucket full of sweets just sitting there with no reason or rhyme for it. These guys don’t move sweets, they’re into bigger game, you know, miscellaneous electronics, gadgets, the sorta stuff that gets you in trouble if you don’t know what you’re doing with it. But this stuff… this is amateur product, candy with Halloween pictures on them. I didn’t know what they were up to, but I was sure as hell gonna find out.

I found two more buckets of the stuff, same brand, same product. Something wasn’t right. I took a swig from my hip flask and surveyed the scene. Halloween candy… it didn’t make sense. Then I caught my second break. A note at the bottom of the bucket with “trick or treat giveaway” written on it. Something about it didn’t sit right, but whichever way I turned I found myself at the same conclusion:

These guys were giving away sweets.

I checked my pocket watch; they’d be back soon, and I wasn’t in the mood for getting caught. I knew with enough time I could figure this out, but it wasn’t going to be tonight. I took another swig, and slipped back into my hiding place…