When your hairdresser tells you to get something, do you listen? Yes, of course! After all, following his or her advice is sure as heck easier than finding a different hairdresser. That’s why The Flip has got my attention, because Deborah is buying them for all the people in her life (no doubt, using the tips I’m feeding her), and I always listen to Deb.

The Flip, in case you weren’t one of the million customers the company recently claimed, is a video camera that’s four inches by two inches — the size of an old fashioned box of Good ‘n Plenty. And it’s just about as simple to operate.

The Mino, a new release that sells for $145 to $180, gives you 60 minutes of video capture time. The video format is AVI and MPEG 4 and the zoom is 2x. There are no manual settings; you just point and video. The weight is just about three ounces and the body comes in black or white.

When you’re done “filming” and you want to upload the video, you pop out the USB arm to plug it into your computer for uploading to your favorite site. Built-in software lets you send it directly to YouTube, MySpace and AOL Video. Or you can view it directly on the device with its 1.5-inch LCD display or on a TV.

Reviewer Tin53 doesn’t love that you can’t add additional memory (it comes with two gigabytes of on-board flash memory), but does appreciate how easy it is to use, recharge the battery (when the USB arm is plugged in, the recharging takes place), and upload videos. Plus, it has a “compact size that fits easily into a purse or pocket.”

Toastie71 finds sensitive touch button controls a weakness but otherwise considers the “simplicity of this gadget…amazing. Now I can capture all of those Kodak moments in action with the touch of a button.”

The Mino is small, tasteful, easy to use, functional, and relatively affordable. Plus, Deb’s never wrong, is she?

Many years ago, I had a friend visit from Santa Barbara, and she’d changed since we’d last seen each other. The major focus of her interest at the time was colonic enemas and how cleansing they were. Yuck, right? I mean, how much talking can you do about that subject over glasses of wine before the conversation kind of closes down?

That friend, whom I haven’t seen nor heard from since, came to mind when I caught wind (no pun!) of another similar movement (another non-pun!), this one involving foot spas that promise to “cleanse” your body of toxins. You soak your feet while this device plows ions into the water, and voila! During the process, the water changes color, signifying that the bad stuff is leaving your body, to get thrown out with the bath water.

For $190, the Dual Ionic Ion Detox Aqua Foot Spa Chi Cleanse Machine provides you with the capability to detoxify with the one you love (After all, I couldn’t imagine going into detox with somebody you didn’t love…) and says it performs “internal cleansing with full body purge, [enhancing the] immune system.” Plus, it “inactivates viruses, bacteria, yeast or fungus” and provides “relief of joint pains.” According to the description, you will enjoy “increased energy and reduced stress.”

Best of all, it includes a built-in MP3 player, so you can listen to music while getting healthier (or at least a little cleaner).

As the experts in these matters point out, there’s one born every minute (and many of those end up in Santa Barbara). Personally, if I wanted to see liquid change color to prove that the science is working right, I’d go for a Scientific Explorer’s Tasty Science Chemistry in the Kitchen Kit. After all, I’d save about $170, plus I’d get the chance to make fizzing grape flavor-ade.

The iPod nano has a smaller footprint than the Classic, but it also offers less capacity. It’s less expensive and comes in half a dozen colors. Perhaps this is the iPod I should consider getting come Christmas for my spouse. She’s a fan of pink and she’s no song hog — several hundred will probably keep her listening for a year or two.

The nano comes in two hefts — four gigabytes and eight. The larger one holds up to 2,000 songs, or 7,000 photos, or eight hours of video. It sells for about $150 to $225 through PriceGrabber.com.

Says reviewer micheleching, “I love my Nano [because] it’s really small, tiny, and cute. It also connects to my car so I don’t have to change my CDs all the time. And, it fits in my purse so I can take it anywhere with me.”

Diwai complains that it’s not easy to share songs between iPods (she wants to transfer files between her device and the one her son is using). But she says her son’s iPod has been sturdy, and she expects the same of her own.

Finally, pmenna says her 11-year-old daughter hasn’t set hers down since getting it. “The size, color & ease of use are perfect for her.”

I’m thinking the nano is the way to go. Because it’s less expensive, I can buy a big, fat Apple iTunes store gift card to get her started on her library. Because it’s small, it’ll fit fairly well into her purse. And because it’s pink, she’ll never get it confused with the one our son will eventually demand for Christmas himself, once he’s a bit older. Plus Belkin sells a pink flip case for it that’ll be a sweet addition.

Of course, by going this route, I run the risk of having to buy a new car just to be able to accommodate one of those cables between the iPod and the sound system so she never has to turn the radio on ever again and can control exactly what plays. Does PriceGrabber sell cars — and do they come in pink?!

The iPod touch comes only in black. Plus, it has far less capacity than the iPod Classic. So why does it cost about $50 more than the Classic? Because it has a display that’s a full inch — That’s right — an inch! — larger than the screen on the Classic. Plus, it’s a touchscreen — in fact, it uses the same touch technology as the iPhone. Also, the touch includes wireless access via 802.11 b/g.

So here are the details.

You can get models that have from eight gigabytes of capacity up to 32 gigabytes. The larger size drive holds up to 7,000 songs, 25,000 photos or 40 hours of video. Of course, you can mix and match too.

Reviewer nats1956 is “pretty satisfied” with the unit, especially the wifi. Nats says the screen provides “pleasing video viewing” and a “great interface” for Safari web browsing.

sononkyo from CA calls the device “a perfect PDA for music freaks.” Particularly, it appears that sononkyo loves album art, which can be used in place of textual information to flip through the files on the device. “The touchscreen haptics trumps the scroll wheel because I like to interact with my music.” He or she looks forward to the day when Bluetooth is provided too — along with a camera. “Bluetooth is needed so I can stream my music wirelessly and a camera is such a great opportunity to tie in the iLife features.”

Jimmypowder doesn’t care for the touch. It started after the initial charging when his Mac and iTunes install wouldn’t recognize the device. After the third reset, the computer found the touch and suggested that he update its software. He also finds the wifi strength to be weak and unstable at long ranges — anything past 50 feet.

Reviewer mmlsv from Florida resents the fact that he or she has to pay the 2.0 upgrade for the iPhone (which also works on the touch). But since it only costs about $10, relatively speaking, that’s hardly much to complain about.

That said, the touch is definitely for the image-focused user. My spouse doesn’t fall into that category. The search continues!

In my search for just the right iPod, I’m going to start with the Classic. This comes in four models — one with 80 gigabytes and the other with 160 gigabytes, each in either black or silver. No pink here.

The larger capacity iPod can hold up to 40,000 songs, 25,000 photos or 200 hours of video. It weighs in under six ounces, and the battery lasts about 40 hours. Charge time is about four hours. The display is 2.5 inches (diagonal) with an LED backlight.

When the Classic was first released, complaints surfaced regarding the use of “legacy” connectors that people used to dock their iPod to other equipment (for example digital cameras) that wouldn’t work anymore. Likewise, performance in some areas was sluggish — particularly when showing album covers or switching menus. But Apple has provided firmware driver updates, which address some of the niggling problems.

So the general consensus among reviewers is that the latest Classic has a beautiful screen, provides a much longer battery life than older models, and the additional memory is really useful — particularly when you’re a music aficionado who prefers not to download smaller (read downgraded) sized files simply to fit them onto your device. Also, most of them recommend getting a carrying case to prevent scratching your iPod.

Reveiwer boudge reports trouble with the earbuds that come in the box; but those are easy enough to upgrade. All you need to do is figure out what your budget is and go online to order a new pair. A few people have commented on the price (from about $280 to $400), but that seems like a reasonable gift price range for a spouse, so that’s not a turnoff to me.

The question is, should I spend a bit more money and go with the iPod touch or choose an iPod nano, with less capacity but that ever-important pink case? More next time!

You could have blown me over with a whisper. You could have fed me liver and onions, and I would have smiled. You could have sold me an asking-price house with a variable rate mortgage in Stockton — well, you get the idea. I was surprised! That’s because my spouse has decided it’s time she had an iPod in her life. This from a girl who — although she reads about technology practically daily in any number of online publications — prefers to spend her money on shoes, clothes, housewares and our son. And here she was, handing me the best early holiday gift ever — a solid idea for what I could give her for Christmas.

Since I haven’t upgraded my iPod since receiving a free shuffle from a professional contact, the thought of finding out what’s cool from Apple has great appeal for me. It’s gotta be loaded with space, because this will probably be the only iPod she’ll have for a very long time and there are a ton of iUniversity podcasts she wants to tune into. Plus, it has to play video, since she lives with two other human beings who will want to play around with that capability. Last, it would be nice if it came in pink — to match her Dell computer — but I’m guessing that’s of lesser importance than the other features.

So, over the next few blog postings, I’m going to explore iPod recommendations and reviews and figure out which one she’ll find wrapped under the tree come December.

While visiting friends, I was introduced to a vacuum that shows all of its parts — like one of those anatomy models that reveals the bone structure under the muscle structure under the skin structure. The Dyson DC14, which costs from $350 to $516, has two features going for it that are really useful in a vacuum: It doesn’t need bags and it never loses its suction. Plus, it has a telescoping wand that lets you do stairs or walls up to 17 feet. That’s handy, because the machine weighs a whopping 18.6 pounds. (My friend — no weakling — had a tough time hauling it up to her second floor to do a spot cleaning.) The electrical cord is 35 feet long, and the manufacturer’s warranty a remarkable five years (even though PriceGrabber reports a two-year warranty, which may be what the seller offers).

Reviewers are mostly quite positive. Caicom98 from California ran a test, vacuuming over an area with a “$60 Hoover,” then following up with the Dyson. The conclusion: “It truly sucks up the leftovers.”

Errickson from Texas finds it easy to empty the canister, and littlelovinghome reports, “It works great with pet hair and with little children’s crumbs.”

But all is not perfect in VacuumLand. Several reviewers comment on the weight. Marinedjp doesn’t like the fact that the vacuum can’t be adjusted for different carpet heights — one height fits all. Gijoelavan from Maryland wishes it had a wider path, so the work could get done faster. Fluker from Arizona wishes the cord were retractable. (It just winds around little arms on the back side of the unit.)

Bottom line: pricebullet from Nevada says it best, “This vacuum really sucks, which is actually good in this case.”

Remember that high-tech collar worn by Astro, the talking dog on the Jetsons? Now we know what it was — a GPS from Garmin for tracking him down when he got lost in space. And now you can get one too, especially useful if you have a dog like my ol’ Lab Mocha, who delighted in disappearing in the tall grass to track down a squirrel, coyote, or foxglove (a sure sign of summer).

The Garmin Astro system includes a handheld GPS device and the DC-30 collar, which has a GPS transmitter and is weighted in such a way that the antenna always points skyward. To use it, you haul the two pieces outside, turn on the handheld and transmitter, and wait for satellite signals. Then you attach the collar to your dog and turn him or her loose.

Every few seconds, your pup’s position is transmitted to your handheld, and you can see his or her current position on the map page of your handheld. A Dog Tracker page provides current status: whether the pooch is running, sitting, on point, or bounding around the base of a tree.

If you have multiple dogs, you can track them all on a single device — up to 10 at a time — at a distance of up to seven miles away (depending on what the terrain is).

Rat Raway, Reorge!

School’s already begun in some parts of the country. That means you can hear parents gnashing their teeth, wondering how to get their teens out of bed in the morning. Here’s an intriguing idea: a flying alarm clock.

When the alarm sounds, the propeller kicks into action and rises to fly around the room randomly. To turn off the alarm, the recipient of this particular gadget needs to get out of bed and retrieve the propeller to plug it back into the base. (Perhaps this has the double advantage of forcing the snoozer to keep his room picked up enough to find the propeller too!)

The alarm is digital and includes a backlit display, along with an easy to set snooze function. The only disadvantage: It requires four AA batteries to run — no electricity here. So consider getting rechargeable batteries too.

If black isn’t an amenable color for your teen’s décor — or the thought of consuming batteries gives you pause — perhaps this “princess version” in silver will do. It works the same — but you can buy an optional AC/DC adapter for it.

Time to rise and fly!

Here’s a cool gift idea: a waterproof action camera from Oregon Scientific. The ATC2K is a hands-free digital camera that attaches to your helmet or handlebars and lets you capture video and audio clips of your recreational activities. Think snowboarding, mountain biking, even inner-tubing.

The captured footage can be replayed on a television or you can edit it on a PC and either share the action with friends through an Internet connection or copy it back to the camera.

Even with two AA batteries (not included), it only weighs half a pound, which means your headgear won’t be shuddering back and forth like a bobblehead. Video is delivered in 640 X 480 VGA at 30 frames per second, and the output can be edited with most video editing software. The 32 megabytes of on-board memory is expandable to 2 gigabytes with the built-in SD card slot (also not included, even though the photo shows otherwise).

And you don’t have to worry about wipeouts. The ATC2K is shock resistant and waterproof up to 10 feet for extreme conditions. Play hard and prove it to your friends!