Today's item I pulled off the wall in my living room. A lot of promo items hang around and are neat to have but serve no real purpose. This one sits on my wall keeping me up to speed, at least when I remember to pay attention, and just generally makes the walls of my place a bit geekier than they'd otherwise be.

The clock is about 11" across, which is plenty large enough to serve its purpose. Oddly enough, the picture of the GBA SP behind the logo is pretty subtle. In fact, it's almost unnoticeable unless you're looking for it. The blue neon circle light, though pretty, is also fairly impractical. It's definitely a great blue, no question, but it also makes it hard to read the numbers when in use. Great for a bar, not so great at home. On the other hand, it's a rather cool freebie promo item that gets daily use, so it's not like I've got room to complain.

And now for today's irony: The GameCube gets a travel alarm while the GBA gets a wall clock? They're both useful, both nice pieces - it's just an odd mixed message from the Nintendo marketing department. The next thing you know they'll start making fun of online gaming or something.

· · · James Cunningham