If you worry about losing your digital camera – or perhaps worse, the images on its memory card – you might want to check out CameraTrace.

For an annual fee of $10, CameraTrace provides a metalized, adhesive tag for your camera which enables someone who’s found it to return it to you. The tag directs them to a website where they can enter a code from the tag, and communicate with you anonymously.  Anonymous communication protects your identity as well as providing the finder with a means of disclosing information regarding your device without risk.

CameraTrace also monitors popular image sites and is often able to extract the serial number from a photo and trace that to your camera. They also have experience in the process of recovering lost and stolen goods, so you don’t have to take as many risks to get it back.

See it here:  CameraTrace

Notes: works worldwide. See website for a list of supported cameras.

An alternative:  Stolen Camera Finder.  Drag and drop a photo taken with your camera onto its homepage, and Stolen Camera Finder will search for images posted to the internet (Flickr, Picasa, etc.) for other images taken with the same camera.  This is likely similar technology to that utilized by CameraTrace.  For what it’s worth, I did this with images from both my Canon S90 and Nikon D80 and came up with nothing, despite the fact that I’ve posted pictures from both cameras to my Flickr account. Not encouraging.

Your best bet? 

Put a contact info/reward tag on your camera yourself, back up your images frequently – including while you’re vacationing or otherwise on the road – and try not to be careless with your camera!  If the unthinkable happens, at least you can try Stolen Camera Finder.

If you’ve tried CameraTrace or Stolen Camera Finder, or have another solution, please comment.  Finally, for a humorous take on this subject, check out Andrew McDonald’s A Pictorial Guide to Avoiding Camera Loss

My Nest learning thermostat arrived this afternoon.  When I arrived home I began the installation process, which took about 10 minutes.  Once Nest was installed, I connected it to our wireless network, updated the unit’s software, inputted our zip code, and named the Nest (I chose the rather imaginative, “Hallway”), and set it on its path of learning our heating and energy usage patterns.  My initial reaction is quite positive.  A full review in another month or two, but for now I’ll share this video about its learning capabilities & features:

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What’s in the box (the item on the left is a Nest screwdriver) –

If you’d like to learn more, visit Nest.com

What would an Apple developer do if he or she had the chance to totally revamp the lowly home HVAC thermostat?  One answer is provided by the new Nest “learning thermostat.”

Developed by two former Apple iPod execs (Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers), the Nest programs itself based upon your actions and actual behavioral patterns, and as a result, anticipates your cooling & heating needs, thereby saving energy.

Want sexy features?  Check out the built-in WiFi capability, which enables you to control your Nest thermostat from any web browser or your iPhone.  The WiFi connection also enables the device to automatically download software updates, as well as monitor local weather conditions and forecasts. If you come home unexpectedly, that is, contrary to your normal patterns, a proximity sensor will trigger Nest to raise or lower the temperature, depending upon the season and the preferences it has learned from your behavior. In addition, Nest will also “teach” you how to conserve energy.  For example, when you change the temperature setting, Nest will indicate how long it will take for your system to reach that temperature; a one or two degree smaller change can make a big usage/savings difference.  Finally, a green leaf icon indicates when Nest is saving energy, further encouraging sensible energy use on your part.

This quick video provides a decent overview:

With its price at $249, payback may not occur until President Bieber’s second term, but you’ve gotta love the sheer sexiness of the thing.

If you’d like to learn more, check out the Nest homepage:  Nest learning thermostat.  And look for a full review including the installation process here in another couple of months.

The Fine Print: I have no connection to Nest

If you’re in the market for an ultra small, insanely bright LED keychain flashlight, check out the new Photon Micro-Light II Pro. First production is limited to 500 pieces; full production won’t begin until late summer 2011.

The Micro-Light II might be tiny, but it boasts impressive specs:

• Simple squeeze-button on/off — Easy operation even with gloves.
  • Squeeze to turn on, squeeze again to turn off
• Quick Release Ring — Reliably attaches to gear for quick release, custom black anodized.
• FREE Accessories! (a $2.00 value) — Photon Necklace Clip included for added convenience.
  • Allows you to conveniently carry your Photon on your person at all times.
  • Tip: Also may be used to prevent accidental turn-on by carrying the Photon II Pro button-side down in the clip.
• Easy Battery Replacement — Energizer lithium batteries provide long lasting service even in sub-zero temperatures.
• Water Resistant — The most water resistant Photon Micro-Light yet.
• Glass Filled Polyurethane Body– Virtually Indestructible.
• 24K Gold Plated Contacts — All battery and switch contacts feature gold plating for superior corrosion resistance and rock-solid reliability.
• Micro-Size & Weight — Hides under a quarter. Less than 7 grams.
• Brightest LED’s Available — Initial production is limited to white beam only.  Additional beam colors coming late-summer 2011.

Here’s a shot of the Micro-Light II that conveys just how small it is:

Priced at $13.95; Lifetime Guarantee. See it here: Photo Micro-Light II Pro

From the TSA blog:

Electronic items smaller than the standard sized laptop should not need to be removed from your bag or their cases. It’s that simple.

Only electronics the size of a standard laptop or larger (for example Playstation®, Xbox™, or Nintendo®), full-size DVD players, and video cameras that use video cassettes must be removed from their carrying cases and submitted separately for x-ray screening. Removing larger electronics helps us get a better look at them and also allows us to get a better look at the contents of your bag.

I trust that you’re familiar with this TSA directive, announced in April of this year.

What’s not explicitly stated in the TSA blog post I’ve quoted here is the fact that the TSA reserves the right to ask you to remove a netbook or iPad if they would like to examine it more closely, or if their view of it was obstructed.

In a half year of traveling with either an Asus netbook or an iPad (but oddly enough, never both at the same time!) both domestically and internationally, I’ve been asked to remove one of these items (it was the iPad) just once. All in all, and I’m no particular fan of the TSA, it’s been fairly painless.

Those of you who still travel with laptops must of course take them out of your bag, unless you’re using a TSA-compliant laptop bag.

How about you?  Have you had any difficulty traveling with an iPad or netbook, leaving it in your bag when going through the TSA checkpoint?