England, more England and then a touch of France, Belgium and Switzerland gave Gadget Guru Ian—who lives by his first name alone—that special international flavor he brings to gadgets and other Useful Stuff. Whisper this one: he studied physics, so he really does know what makes things tick. Some people say he sells watches on the side, an unsubstantiated rumor.

He’s a busy man, always fiddling with his gadgets, but he has learned one Very Useful Thing in Switzerland: to relax. He remains particularly good at telling people how things work, and offers this Extremely Useful Advice: “If at first you don’t succeed try, try and try again. If all else fails, read the instruction manual.”