You could buy your kid a whole bunch of Hot Wheels cars and track sets, only to step on them late at night and break your leg… Or you could simplify things and buy this inexpensive kit that lets you turn just about anything into a track.

Sound awesome? It is. No, it really isn’t. The “My First Autobahn” Tape Kit doesn’t actually keep your cars’ wheels on the track, but it’s still a cool way to make roads wherever you want. The tape won’t damage floors, and can be easily removed from most surfaces.

You probably haven’t used a cassette tape in ages, but chances are you are nostalgic about them. Well, you can always buy the Funkyfonic Cassette MP3 Speaker to bring back some memories.

It’s an external speaker that you can plug into any standard 3.5mm headphone jack, and it’s powered by two AA batteries. The retro speakers are just $22. Why not go for it and put a giant cassette tape head on your iPod?

You know what’s annoying? All of that excess cord you have when you wear your headphones. What can you do? Well, you can hide that spare cord and add a little retro flair to your look with this little gadget. It was designed by Jason Amendolara for Fred & Friends and is called the »REW cord caddy.

It looks like an old-school cassette tape and lets you conceal all of that extra wire inside. No info on pricing or a release date yet. Hopefully it will be available soon so you can get rid of that extra cord.

You wouldn’t want to be tied up with this stuff, that’s for sure. Most guys know that duct tape is great to have around as it has unlimited uses in all sorts of situations. But up until now we really haven’t had a stronger version of the stuff. Well, 3M’s nuclear-grade duct tape is strong.

Believe it or not, 3M’s Performance Plus Duct Tape is designed for use in nuclear power plants. It works at temperatures of up to 200 degrees and can be removed without leaving residue. Not enough? It’s also waterproof, and you can write on it easier. And it’s even available to you and me for just $14 a roll.

I don’t know who had the idea, but all I can say is that the end result is pretty awesome looking. It’s like wearing a mix tape on your wrist, without the often annoying music of the era. It’s made of sturdy stuff, namely stainless steel and features twin dials. One for hours, one for minutes.

The detail on the cassette face is really awesome and authetic looking. The hands almost look like they are advancing the tape. The only way it could possibly be any cooler is if it played real music, which it doesn’t. It will cost you about $70. Expect an 8-Track watch in the near future.

That’s right, it’s 2008 and Sony is releasing a tape deck. Wtf you say? Me too. I’m not sure what they are thinking here, but I’m betting an 8-Track deck is around the corner. This dual tape recorder has a nice modern look, at least. It also features a CD player and a FM/AM Radio Tuner. It comes in two shades of gray and is available only in Japan for around $145.

There must be a surplus of tapes in Japan that I had not heard of. Either that or they just collectively discovered the magic of the garage sale cassette. Seriously, alot of people still use tapes. Mostly because they are cheap. The tapes, not the people. OK, them too. Still, I would be curious to find out how many of these units Sony is able to move.

Just when you think everything that could go digital has already done so, another old standby gets a makeover. The tape measure has been the workman’s best friend for ages. It too has now gone digital. It looks like a standard retractable tape measure, but it includes an LCD display on the top that can display and store measurements down to 1/16 of an inch. It includes several different units for measurement and can take into account the length of the casing, when you are measuring in tight places.

When you pull the tape out it will automatically turn on and retracting it will turn it off. That way you don’t forget about it and find the device drained when you really need it. It’s only $25.