Philips Shoqbox

When it comes to portable Bluetooth speakers, you've got a lot of options — but few as rugged as the Philips Shoqbox ($180). This roughly tube-shaped speaker features two 4-watt neodymium speaker drivers, dual bass radiators, an eight-hour rechargeable lithium battery, Bluetooth for wireless audio streaming, a water resistant cover to protect the USB charging port and 3.5mm aux jack, a shock- and splash-proof design, and a built-in metal loop for clipping it to your bag or belt using a carabiner.

Google Nexus Q

If you're an Android owner that's been looking with envy at the Apple TV, your device has arrived. The Google Nexus Q ($300) is Mountain View's answer to Apple's little black box, but isn't a total knock-off, either — it packs dual ARM Cortex-A9 CPUs, 16GB of storage, 1GB of RAM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, a 25W amplifier with banana jack outputs, micro HDMI and optical audio outputs, Ethernet, a Micro USB port for service and support, and Android 4.0, all into a crazy, orb-shaped body that sports 32 LEDs that bounce to the beat of whatever you're playing. The craziest part? It's interface-less — just fire up Google Play or YouTube on your device and go.

Google Nexus 7

In its never ending fight to gain control of the world, Google, with the help of Asus, has announced the Google Nexus 7 ($200-$250). Powered by Android 4.1, this less-than-a-pound tablet features a 7-inch 1280x800 HD display, front-facing camera, the Tegra-3 chipset with a quad-core CPU and 12-core GPU (good for gaming), and comes in 8GB and 16GB flavors. It packs in all of the standard Google apps and works seamlessly with all of the Google Play content. And it is said to get over 8 hours of HD video playback, 10 hours of web browsing, or 10 hours of e-reading. Hey Apple, where's our iPad mini?

World Beach Art Festival

I took part in the Island of Jersey's World Beach Art festival (lies between England and France). There were 3 other artists. We each chose a beach from the many fine ones on the island. I 'won' my beach in a coin toss. I was psyched. The location gave me something that would give life to the designs I had been working on.

The design started from the back of the cave, interacted with the rocks as it emerged, turned into vines and then flowers, which created 'fruits' that were then floating away.

It was an honor to create art for the event. Thank you to the MyMemory.com and the Jersey tourism board for making the event possible and providing the participants with such fine accommodations and hospitality. Its a beautiful island with great people and fabulous beaches.