Most of us are pretty good at wrapping a cube or cuboid box, but this handy video shows how to wrap a bunch of weird shapes, including pyramids, cylinders, and those annoying cardboard-backed blister packs for things like tools and action figures.

I needed to wrap a popcorn tin the other day, and this was very handy. It looked way better than my gifts usually do! And as for opening the package itself, that's another matter.

• How to Wrap 10 Challenging Shapes! (YouTube / Paper Guru) Read the rest

Lucky Shot's .308 Real Bullet hand-blown Shot Glass (Amazon), we are assured, "does not contain gunpowder or lead residue," making them safe to drink from. Described as the "ultimate gift," not without unnerving connotation. They also make tumblers and pint glasses, but, come now... shot glass.

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More Christmas fun with the British middle class!

Previously: When gifts are for the giver. Read the rest

This video encapsulates every British middle-class family's Christmas since at least the 1960s. Read the rest

This holiday season give the gift of history.

My friend Kevin Segall runs the greatest movie and TV memorabilia shop around, Collector's Shangri-La.

Kevin has some amazing additions to his collection of signed movie posters, as well as scads of collectables from all our favorite shows.

Check out Collector's Shangri-La! Read the rest

In the age of omnipresent keyboards and computers and the internet lurking behind all of them, the idea of a handwritten journal might seem quaint or pointless. But there are good reasons to keep one, writes Alan Henry.

Writing can do wonders for your health. Beyond keeping your creative juices flowing—a separate topic we'll get to shortly—regular writing can give you a safe, cathartic release valve for the stresses of your daily life. We've discussed some of those mental and emotional benefits of writing before, from the angle of creative writing—but you don't have to write fiction to get them. For example, we've mentioned that keeping an awesomeness journal can do wonders for your self-esteem. Not only does regular writing make you feel good, it helps you re-live the events you experienced in a safe environment where you can process them without fear or stress.

Using a brightly-lit, internetworked, general-purpose consumer computer for everything puts everything you do just a single decision away from being in the same place as everything else. So I strongly recommend a paper journal over an app, at least for those looking at journaling as a way to shake free of the spell of life spent constantly reading and writing online.

Skip Moleskines, at least the expensive ones, if you're just starting out. Cheap is the freedom to experiment. You can buy a box of 25 notebooks for about $30 shipped at Amazon.com, and they're just fine. Heres a box of ruled ones. Upgrade to a nice hardbound A4 journal as a reward for getting through the first set! Read the rest

Here's this year's complete Boing Boing Gift Guide: dozens of great ideas for stocking stuffers, brain-hammers, mind-expanders, terrible toys, badass books and more. Where available, we use Amazon Affiliate links to help keep the world's greatest neurozine online.

If an entire 3x3 Rubik's Cube is too much, but a 2x2 one too plainly insulting, try this 2x3 one that you can get for about a fiver at Amazon. That's four ninths of a real Rubik's Cube for nine tenths of the price!

The product page assures you in its first bullet point that this puzzle contains "no fabrics." SOLD. Read the rest

This charming line of sneaker-shaped candles and soap by Russian company What the Shape was surely created for "the sneakerhead who has everything."

Each one measures a little over 5 inches long and costs $15.

The project WHAT THE SHAPE is, above all, our passion for sculpting. The photo shows the way of creating of a small sneakers. The desire to replicate the original, pay attention to details, search for artistic and technical solutions - all this is a fascinating process of creating the master model. As the model will serve for casting the silicone mold, there is some rules and limitations when it is created. Consideration of all the nuances without losing the similarity with the original, is making the work doubly interesting. If you buy, for example, candles WHAT THE SHAPE, you will get not only paraffin sneakers but also a piece of our soul and painstaking handmade work. Thank you for your interest to our project! Your team of enthusiasts. #WHATTHESHAPE

A post shared by WHAT THE SHAPE (@what_the_shape) on Nov 7, 2017 at 2:47am PST

Some are even dyed and scented like fruit.

Check out their Instagram for more styles/colors. (Ufunk) Read the rest

The British Half Pint Beer Glass [Amazon] is the perfect all-purpose drinking glass, and a set of 12 should immediately replace all other small- to medium-sized glasses in your cupboards.

It's like a traditional nonik pint glass, complete with elegant bulge for gripping and safe stacking, but miniaturized to contain only half a pint. It's adorable and is the perfect measure for just about any drink other than weak beer: wine, mixed drinks and decent ale are only the beginning, as they're an excellent vessel for nonalcoholic beverages and even hot drinks. (The wide, accessible character makes them good for experimenting with cocktails, too.)

Since I got a set, they've become my daily driver for my favorite sawbuck reds, both expanding their influence on my palate even as they moderate my consumption. Yes, Orwell would be displeased, but such is life, and life is not much for the opinions of the dead.

There are a few cheaper sets you can find, but most are trash, either merch for Britishy franchises or cheap, thin glass that's liable to chip or crack quickly. Get the high-quality tempered-glass set here. You won't regret it.

British Half Pint Beer Glass [Amazon]

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Though it looks like a normal sponge, the Gonzo Pet Hair Lifter – a brick of latex mattress material – has a peculiar tacky texture. It's easy to mistake for other "clever" sponge products, such as those covered in suede, cellulose or microfiber or whatever, but it's much better for dealing with fuzz. It's the most effective thing for dealing with dog hair I've ever tried, in fact, and I'll never go back to adhesive lint rollers or static brushes after risking $6 on it. Read the rest

I've tried all sorts of bacon-preserving polyhedra, but this one's especially great as you can hang it in a sunny spot and see your bacon being preserved, day in and day out. I put one just outside my office window and have enjoyed watching all the little bacon angels come and dance flavor into it.

Amazon suggests the alternate uses of "planter" and "tea light candle holder" but frankly the notion that plants would grow in it strikes me as nonsensical pseudoscience, and the latter purpose is clearly unsanitary.

Hanging Clear Glass Pyramid [Amazon Link]

A contemporary terrarium art piece made of pieces of clear glass arranged on a pyramid-shaped metal frame. Perfect for bacon, prociutto, and pancetta as well as turkey and other meats you would like to preserve. Also great as a store or restaurant display for merchandise or decorations. Features one open side for perfect airflow and easy access to the bacon and other items within. **Official MyGift® product** Bacon not included. Approximate Dimensions: 6" W X 7.75" H X 6" D.

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According to the product description at Amazon, these fluorescent unicorn stickers will apply to any flat surface, can be removed and replaced, and "need to absorb light in daytime" if they are to glow in darkness. So be warned: just as fans left on at night slowly remove all the oxygen from the air, throttling the life from young and old alike, too many unicorns may result in Dyatlov-like irradiated corpses strewn around the bedroom.

Each unicorn is 7cm x 10cm and you get 10 for $6.15. Read the rest

William Turton took note of the bizarre ads for inexplicable items — mysterious geometric forms, molded plastic thingies, confusing wooden components — and investigated. Thankfully, his investigation goes no-where, leaving us in the speculative realm of data-driven and maybe AI-curated advertising.

I would have bet the item above was one of those marbled salt slabs you cook food on instead of a baking tray, but it turns out to be a foam mattress topper.

P.S. I'm quite sure that the "bare image" aesthetic is part of the Amazon Interesting Finds thing, a frequently-updated grid of tchotchkes and oddities such as this $4 USB drive in the shape of a chocolate bar and these soup ladles in the shape of the Loch Ness Monster. Read the rest

Sadly, it's already sold out, but Trump tweets toilet paper is perhaps the gift of 2017. While you're waiting for stock to replenish, you can instead wipe your arse on his face. Read the rest

In Los Angeles, Lowell Farms offered a limited number of lovely cannabis floral bouquets for delivery today, Valentine's Day. The price was $400/ounce. The Lowell Farms site still shows the bouquet on their front page with an email address to place your order so perhaps this fine gift will continue to be available!

(via LA Weekly)

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At Boing Boing, from time to time, we enjoy stashing folks bonuses in puzzle boxes. This 3D puzzle by UGears is beautiful.

Safe by Ugears Is Mechanical 3D Puzzle Wooden via Amazon Read the rest