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precisely weighted tonearm
on Denon’s turntable say
this is an audiophile com-
ponent. But the USB port
on the front says it’s future-
proofed as well. Plug in
a thumb drive, drop the
needle on that vintage
Coltrane LP, and press
Record. Whatever you’re
spinning is transformed
into CD-quality files that
can be loaded onto your
digital gadget of choice.
Denon DP-450USB
| $689
26 ↘
ORB IT
This app-controlled
robotic ball game is a cod-
ing class in disguise. Kids
can follow the lessons on
the 15 Activity Cards that
come with it by program-
ming the sphere’s move-
ments, or they can just flex
their imagination, building
(then demolishing) towers,
knocking over bowling pins,
and guiding the sphere
through a maze of their
own devising. Sphero Mini
Activity Kit | $80
25 ↘
ANGST-A-GRAM
Michelle Rial’s illustrated
book explores life’s big
questions (Am I eating too
much cheese? Has any-
one seen my sunglasses?)
through a series of charts,
graphs, and diagrams. Her
delightful visuals dissect
modern anxieties with real-
life objects: reliance on
single-use plastics plotted
with a flexi straw, the rate
of climate change mea-
sured on an X-Y graph
using a burnt, upwardly
curved matchstick. Am I
Overthinking This? | $14