You know those little half-page-sized catalogs that your parents always get at home? The ones you'd scan through just for fun or boredom whenever they arrived in the mail? Some would have silly gag gifts, others would be filled with eccentric housewares or art in a variety of media or just random things which someone somewhere found interesting.

What on Earth is one of those catalogs, and still my favorite. Fortunately, they have a comprehensive Web site at www.whatonearthcatalog.com so I don't have to steal them from my parents' house any more.

The stuff they sell is mostly national themes: clothing, desktop items, and beer steins related to the country of your choice. They have the single coolest collection of pub t-shirts I can imagine (look under "Shop by Theme: Beers & Pubs" online). They sell funny t-shirts that are actually funny ("If I throw a stick, will you go away?").

Think of them as a non-geeky version of ThinkGeek, and you'll just about have it.