Review: USB Pet Rock

I've always enjoyed looking through geeky online catalogs for items I wish I owned, and one of my favorite places to do that is ThinkGeek. I recently gave in and made a rather large purchase from them that allowed me to use a coupon I found online for a free USB Pet Rock. For those of you who don't know, this is essentially a 1970s toy that has been revamped for the digital age. Sure, I could have used a coupon for $20 off or something boring like that, but that's way too easy. I decided to take the leap into being a responsible pet owner. More after the break.

First of all, you'll notice that the rock...err.."Gary" (that's what he likes to be called) comes in a little pet carrier. While this might be a little weird, it helps set the mood because, let's face it, you just bought a rock, and you need to get your money's worth out of it. When I opened the carrier, Gary greeted me with great big eyes that said, ... ok, I don't know what he was trying to say, he's a rock, but he was resting peacefully in a bed of straw.

Gary, and all other pet rocks, come with an instruction manual, and surprisingly, it's one of the best parts about the USB Pet Rock. This isn't your typical throw-it-away-without-opening-the-cover instruction manual. This is a very thoughtful guide on how to take care of and train your USB Pet Rock. For example, it likes to eat pizza and hamburgers. There is even a list of games you can play with the USB Pet Rock.

The USB Pet Rock is a different kind of toy that anyone with an extra ten dollars, an open USB port, and extra space on their desk would be lucky to have. It's a pet that doesn't die when you don't feed it. You don't have to pick up after it. And it loves unconditionally. Unfortunately, you get bored of it quickly. However, if you can handle a little bit of guilt you can have yourself an interesting conversation starter (or ender) and one dangerous weapon.