Valentine's Day can be nightmarish enough when it's not in such close proximity to Friday the 13th -- which is bad news for all you procrastinators -- so try to keep your luck in play with a few tips from romance and sex expert Ethan Imboden, founder of the imaginatively seductive site JimmyJane.com. He's got some suggestions on gift ideas to "turn it up a notch this Valentines' Day."

BlackBerry is one of those brands that always keeps technophiles at the edge of their seats. The concept itself, when first introduced -- the ability to send and receive emails on the go -- was unheard of. Sure, there was the Palm, but that had to be plugged in and synched. The BlackBerry provided freedom and accessibility, and for some, a pain in the ass. It's morphed from a brick with buttons to flashy rollerballs, a touch screen, and now the Crackberry has officially come full circle with a model for every personality. Introducing the Pearl Flip. That's right -- it's a BlackBerry. It's a flip-phone. It's the coolest piece of electronic genius to fit into your pocket, and starting at $149, it won't drain too much out of it either.

I might be bipolar. The German in me thrives on strict order. On my desk, my Pilot G-2 07 pens are lined up like soldiers, notebooks are arranged at 90-degree angles, and books and magazines are stacked neatly and perfectly edged. Then the yahoo Irish half of me shows up, makes a mess, spills drinks, and introduces an unrepentant slob. Initially, the mess breaks out when I walk in the door and look for somewhere to stash my keys, receipts, and everything else that I find in my pockets. Traditional valets have always seemed a bit too precious for me, little bit too fancy. I tend to throw all my stuff in an oversized crystal ashtray. But that gets messy real quick. Then I came across this hybrid that brings the classic valet storage concept to rugged woodcraft. The Gerstner International Oak Chest is what I've been needing.

Las Vegas, which seems to be stunned at the current reversal of economic fortune, is still hosting the annual Computer Electronics Show starting this Wednesday. Amidst dozens of neato greener gadgets (like the new ELV hybrid scooters) and a keynote address from Ford CEO Alan Mulally (grim indeed), iGo will be promoting their latest all-in-one adapter, the iGo EverywhereMAX. This adapter is a little larger than a BlackBerry (Curve, not Pearl) and can juice up your laptop and a cell phone or iPod from any outlet in the US, UK, EU, and Australia. It also features a card reader guaranteed to accept 39 different types of memory cards. An excellent all-in-one for the technophillic traveler who's loaded down with mobile gadgetry.

After I crossed into Illinois a few days ago, recurring signs mounted to overpasses every few miles stated something to the effect of, "Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich Welcomes You to Illinois." At that point, I sighed, took a sip of something that was either warm soda or cold coffee, and said, "Goodbye Rod." But because every scandal these days comes with a variety of consumer-friendly tie-ins, we'll never have to say goodbye. An Illinois-based jewelry company is selling Senate seats of their own. For a $35 donation -- less than the $500,000 asking price of the original -- you can jangle one of these sterling silver charms at the end of your keychain. That is, until it becomes unfashionable and blasé to skewer the screw-ups of the fallen governor. But looking at Sarah Palin, such a concern seems vague and far-off. It's been months now, and Her Alaskan Highness is still running well past her 15 minutes without showing signs of meme fatigue. So long as Blagojevich keeps the web hits coming, there's nothing to stop you from plunking down some green on a token of extremely limited novelty appeal --not even our wilting economy, which looks poised to bounce back next year.

BlackBook's Holiday Gift Guide presents two gift picks per day through December 19. One comes from our very own YOOX.com store; the other from the world at large. Suggestions? Let us know.

BlackBook's Holiday Gift Guide presents two gift picks per day through December 19. One comes from our very own YOOX.com store; the other from the world at large. Suggestions? Let us know.

BlackBook's Holiday Gift Guide presents two gift picks per day through December 19. One comes from our very own YOOX.com store; the other from the world at large. Suggestions? Let us know.

BlackBook's Holiday Gift Guide presents two gift picks per day through December 19. One comes from our very own YOOX.com store; the other from the world at large. Suggestions? Let us know.

BlackBook's Holiday Gift Guide presents two gift picks per day through December 19. One comes from our very own YOOX.com store; the other from the world at large. Suggestions? Let us know.