Do me a favor, willya? Put down the Wii controller, take a look at the new site and let us know what you think.

This redesign is a slicker, updated version of our present layout. You'll still get all of the breaking news and daily Advertiser content that are at the core of our services.

But we're also introducing a suite of social networking tools aimed at giving you a virtual space to be on stage or connect with friends and family.

You can build a personal page, exchange messages with friends, upload photo galleries and contribute to our gazillion forums.

What we'd like to see here is whole crowds of people building communities of interests, whether they be around iPhones or extreme skateboarding or the meaning of meh — get some pals together and start building infrastructure. I've always wanted to plop that word in a sentence.

I'd especially like to hear ideas on how to use these networking tools for business and personal productivity. Post your comments below or e-mail us at feedback@honoluluadvertiser.com.

Anybody want to start a Fisher Hawaii fan club?

My usual antidote to days that turn blue is to listen to the Daily Giz Whiz, a funny podcast about tech gadgets. It's how I learned about the Clocky, an alarm clock on wheels that jumps off the table squawking at your wake up time, forcing you to chase it down the hall to shut it off. Owning the Clocky means never having to ask, "Are you up yet?"

It was fortunate last week, just when I had run out of new Giz Whizzes to plug into my ear, that the ThinkGeek.com catalog arrived in the mail. I frequent the Web site on the pretense that I need to shop for co-workers, but the catalog is much better. You get the full experience thumbing through its pages, filled as they are with screaming monkey slingshots, wi-fi detector T-shirts, 20-sided fuzzy dice, USB rocket launchers and the like.

I'm seriously considering the $22.99 marshmallow shooter because there are several people I really, really need to take out with peeps. The Airzooka also caught my eye, until I read the blasts of air it shoots are harmless.

For those who wonder what all of this has to do with productivity, I direct you to allegedly valid studies that suggest workplace humor increases output and creativity.

Laughing 'til you get the hiccups may not boost widget sales, but it feels a lot better than throwing yourself under a bus. Plus, if you do the latter, the e-mail tends to stack up.

So, what's your sure-fire way of pulling yourself out of the doldrums, and do you work better as a result? Do share.

Taking a few steps ahead of time will save you or your family considerable heartache at the end, so skip the ball game this weekend to put things in order.

Here's what you need:
--Health care power of attorney, to give your family the authority to make decisions about your medical care if you are unable to.
--Health directive or "living will," to let those close to you know if you want life-sustaining medical treatment in the event you are incapacitated.
--Your will, just so your obnoxious nephew doesn't get the high-def TV.
--Social security numbers, IDs, financial accounts, insurance policies, veterans benefit information, funeral plans, trust documents and anything else that your family will need to know about.

Put these in a binder tucked away in a safe place and tell your trusted family members where to find it.

The University of Hawai`i Elderly Law Program has sample forms and information on health care power of attorney and advanced health care directives.

Consult an attorney to draft a will or trust and arrange for a funeral plan if you want dye-colored pigeons flying overhead at your service.

Have you any pre-need insights to share? Let us know.