ALL IN ONE No matter the status so far this hurricane season, several dangerous months lie ahead. And anyone who has been here through August and September knows the drill: Have a plan and keep hurricane supplies on hand. You'll need food, water, medicines, light and information—those last two are particularly difficult in the absence of power that often follows hurricane destruction. Enter this flashlight/radio. It has a powerful five-LED white beam and features a built-in radio that tunes in NOAA's Weather Band radio for storm information, along with a digital clock and calendar. It can even be set to trigger a siren for emergency bulletins. The radio also tunes AM and FM stations. If batteries fail, this can be powered from a hand crank. It's $49.95 from http://shopping.discovery.com.

START FROM SCRATCH No doubt your teen will appreciate a device that can repair the scratched surface of CDs or DVDs. But you might appreciate it as well, if a precious data disk skips or won't play properly. The Automax Disk Repair System comes to the rescue. It's battery operated and completely automated. A patented radial wheel in the device resurfaces the disk's protective layer on the play side, without affecting music or digital content. When it's done, it ejects the fixed disk. The whole process involves spraying the disk with resurfacing fluid, using the radial wheel and then buffing the fixed disk. It's $39.95 from www.smarthome.com/90011.html.

BLAME IT ON THE RAIN A wireless rain bucket is not just for the lazy. Summer showers pop up under skies that were blue minutes before. Maybe you left the car windows down. The Wireless Rain Gauge not only measures rainfall and keeps track of totals for up to six months, but can be programmed to sound an alarm when rain begins. Now you can dash to your car and prevent that magnificent leather upholstery from being spotted. The reading device works up to 80 feet from the rain bucket that is in an open area or attached to a wall. Mounting materials are included in the $59.99 price. Oh yes, it has a clock with date and month display, too. www.smarthome.com/19413.html.

BAMBOO VIEW Finally, an acceptable use of grass at the office. Yes, bamboo is a grass, like St. Augustine and Bahia on steroids. To kids, it can be sectioned into terrific pea shooters for the (poisonous if cracked and swallowed) red and black hard-shelled peas that grow along fences. With this product, bamboo has been carved to surface a new line of LCD monitors sold by the British company PlayEngine. Bamboo "adds a nice touch of warmth," the company says. Yes, it does. The monitors are available in sizes from 15 to 19 inches. This bamboo has been treated and is as durable as plastic. A monitor begins at $432; a bamboo keyboard is $63; and a matching bamboo mouse is $44.98. www.playengine.co.uk.