The Discovery Channel Store is so cool, it will make the most jaded businessman regress into his eight-year-old self. Adults perusing the merchandise exclaim things like, “I wish this existed when I was a kid!” before glancing around sheepishly and unfolding their wallets. “It’s for my nephew,” they weakly claim. Sure it is—but really, there’s no shame in grabbing a few grown-up gadgets for yourself.

The Color-Changing Volcano Sculpture is a dynamic creation, a miniature mountain that spews multicolored lava beads, perfect for your desktop at work. Discovery Ant Gel Habitat, the ant farm of the future, is also desktop-sized. Based on a 2003 space shuttle experiment, the ants plow through a transparent gel specially formulated for their nutritional needs instead of sand, so there’s no need to feed them. The farm is inherently self-sustaining. Or if you’re looking for a buddy that’s inanimate yet no less animated, the iDog Musical Companion is the perfect pup. He rocks his read and ears as his built-in speakers broadcast tunes from your MP3 Player or stereo. His mood even changes with the music’s type and timbre.

If you’re looking for a more practical gift, take a look at the La Crosse Touch Screen Weather Station. With one tap of a fingertip, the LCD screen displays temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, and whatever weather each day brings. The store also vends DVDs of all your favorite exciting and educational Discovery Channel shows, like Dirty Jobs, Mythbusters, and Deadliest Catch, perfect to play while you enjoy those gadgets that your nephew didn’t really want, anyway.

San Diego
Horton Plaza
174 Horton Plaza
San Diego, CA 92101
619-231-1185

San Diego
Fashion Valley
7007 Friars Road Suite 321
San Diego, CA 92108
619-297-9010

http://shopping.discovery.com/