Learning VB.NET: Going wit' da Flow

Roy Osherove and Scott Hanselman, to name but two, have recently blogged their list of tools they couldn't live without.

I also have lots of tools I couldn't live without. Here are my top must-have's to bear in mind, particularly coming up to the festive season...

Screwdriver - Want to pop the back off your case because it's started making that horrible whining sound again? Need to take out an IDE drive to give it another tap on the side of the desk? What better tool to use than this functional beauty. Whips components out of a cheap box in literally just a few minutes. The perfect tool to help you while away a long rainy afternoon.

Coffee grinder - Waiting for your friendly supplier to deliver that new drive to replace the one lying in bits next to your desk? Give your hands something to do with a fantastic Coffee Grinder. Works for all varieties of coffee, plus as an added bonus, drowns out the horrible whining sound you just tried to fix, but which seems to have got worse.

Long-Nosed Pliers - Dropped something small but expensive-looking into the one area of your 'quality' case that you can't bend out of shape to find? (It's OK. With these modern wafer-thin tinfoil cases, you can pop it right back in!) Well not no more, with a pair of long-nosed pliers. Just a lick of the wrist and you can have the front end of them straight through the side exposing the lost object. Bonus Bonus!!!! Improves ventilation WHILST making your machine more accessible. Who could argue with that?

Glass of Water - Seen a bit of fire leap from your new case vent onto the carpet? Minimise injury or loss of property with a cup of water. Beautiful.

Glazier's Putty and Glass - Need to replace a computer-sized pane in your window? Nothing's more useful than glass and putty. It's almost as if it was made for it!

Sleeping bag - Not going to be allowed back in the house for a while? Need to wait for your significant other to change the locks back/cut you a new key? Stave off hypothermia with a nice snuggly sleeping bag. N.B. You might also need a rollmat and bivvy bag, depending on the season - There's nothing like being caught short with a sodden sleeping bag in the rainy season.