To keep you busy until our next proper post, check out Wordle.net – a website that allows you to create works of art from website text, or any words you wish to use.

We created the image below by typing in the URL to Gadget Spectrum, and created a colour palette based on our logo.

Admittedly, this particular garish ’materpiece’ is unlikely to ever be seen hanging in the Tate, but for a two minute job we don’t think it’s too bad.

See how creative you can be by visiting Wordle and having a go.

The BBC’s Click website has published a simple guide to getting the best from Facebook’s new privacy settings pages.

Facebook have been forced to make their privacy settings more transparent and easy to use after months of pressure from the media and users over the way that their personal information is handled.

To view the BBC Click guide, click here.

If Facebook privacy is something that concerns you, you may also want to keep an eye out for a new social networking website, which is currently in development, called Diaspora.

Diaspora are aiming to create a “privacy-aware”, open source social networking experience that hands the control of personal information entirely back to the user. The initial launch date is set for September 2010.

To find out more about Diaspora, have a look at this page from BBC News, or visit the Diaspora website here.

As you will most probably have already heard, the Apple iPad has launched in the UK today, as well as in Europe, Australia and Japan.

It has been reported that eager Apple fans have been queuing outside Apple’s flagship London storesince yesterday afternoon in order to be one of the first in the country to own the new iPad.

To read a detailed review of the iPad, check out this page from the Gadget Show’s website.

Or click on the store names to find out if your local PC World or Currys stores are currently stocking the iPad.

Generations of children around the world have grown up knowing the pleasure gained from building their first Lego structure, then going on to build bigger and better houses, aircraft, spaceships or anything else they could think of.  

But in more recent years, as more traditional toys have been replaced by computer games and other electronic gadgets and gizmos, Lego has perhaps become less and less commonplace in our homes.  

But Lego have been fighting back and taking advantage of the current ‘retro is cool’ wave by bringing out some of their own electronic gadgets.  

For instance, the Lego Man torch and mini keychain light.  

Standing at 19cm tall, the Lego Lights Torch is an oversized replica of the traditional Lego Man, complete with moving arms and legs and the underside of one foot rammed with bright LED lights.  

Or if you prefer something closer to the original size, there’s the Mini Lego Man keychain torch. The mini version is 7cm tall and has one LED on each foot. Handy to keep with your keys so you can find the front door lock when coming home drunk.  

But if you are not in need of a torch, how about a Lego Radio and Alarm Clock?  

Made to ten times the size of a standard 2-stud brick, the officially licensed Lego Radio Alarm Clock features twistable circular studs on the top – one to control the volume and one to tune the radio.  

Another official product in the Lego range is this digital camera. Perhaps not the greatest specification in the world, with 3 megapixel detail and 4 x digital zoom, the camera is more of a novelty and fun item, rather than something that the professionals will be queuing up to use. 

But if you are looking for something quirky, retro and that will be a great ice breaker at a party, this will be the camera for you!  

And now for a couple of unofficial products. Firstly there’s the iPod dock with built in volume controls and speakers, which looks suspiciously like the above mentioned building blocks.

And lastly, the wireless, optical Brick Mouse, available in red, white or blue, as shown on the left. If you like your mice to be curvy then this possibly won’t be the most comfortable mouse to use, but if you are just looking for something to brighten up your office desk and remind you of a better time, this will do the job.

Click on any of the images or the links below for more details about each of these products and to find out where to buy them.

	Firebox: Lego Mini Keychain Light
	Firebox: Lego Lights Torch
	Firebox: Lego Radio Alarm Clock
	IWOOT: Lego Digital Camera
	IWOOT: Block Speaker Dock
	IWOOT: Wireless Brick Mouse

The eagerly anticipated release of the follow up to the hugely popular Super Mario Galaxy is almost upon us. Due out in the UK on the 11th June 2010, the game can now be pre-ordered by visiting the websites below.

But first, here’s the official game blurb from Nintendo:

In 2007, Super Mario Galaxy took the world of videogames by storm. Now this first true Mario sequel in years re-energises the franchise with new levels and new Power-Ups. Plus this time Mario gets to team up with his dinosaur buddy Yoshi, who adds new possibilities to the gravity-defying gameplay. It’s everything you love about the first game and more.

Mario collects Stars as he travels from Galaxy to Galaxy. Every level is new, but the game retains the charm, sense of wonder and beauty in line with Mario’s history. Mario works his way through the various levels, sometimes upside-down, sometimes floating from place to place.

On some stages, Mario can find an egg, smash it open and hop onto the back of Yoshi. Yoshi can use his tongue to grab items and shoot them back at enemies, or to snag attach points and swing across chasms. Yoshi has an interesting diet. When he eats a Dash Pepper, he gets so hot and frensied he can run up steep inclines and vertical walls. When he eats a Blimp Fruit, he inflates like a balloon and floats to new heights.

New Power-Ups include a drill that Mario uses to tunnel through the planet’s surface all the way to the other side, and skilled players will want to collect new Comet Metals, which will unlock harder levels with even more challenges.

 You can also click here to watch the demo video on the Nintendo website.

	HMV: Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Pre-Order)
	Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Pre-Order)

The BBC’s on-demand iPlayer service is set to get a dedicated Wii Channel from next week.

The channel, launching just after midnight on Wednesday 18th November, should greatly improve the already popular iPlayer access on the Wii console, which can currently be viewed using the Wii’s Internet Channel.

Anyone who has already used the iPlayer in this way will know how clumsy it can be to use, with a very low quality video stream and a screen that goes dark every ten minutes or so if you don’t keep pressing a button on the Wii Remote.

The BBC’s Director of Future Media & Technology, Erik Huggers, said “We’re pleased that we’ve been able to work with Nintendo to evolve BBC iPlayer on the Wii, providing a faster, high quality and improved viewing experience.”

You can download the iPlayer Channel when it has launched, free of charge, by going to the Wii Shop Channel on the Wii Menu screen. The iPlayer Channel will only be available in the UK.