Fresh Gear, Tech TV, Tuesday nights at 8:30pm (eastern)

This show is all about new gadgets. Digital photography, gaming gear, computing gear, cell phones, all sorts of fresh gear. Here, you see a variety at the latest gear.

TechTV has other programs worth checking out. The ScreenSavers covers the geeky side of computers. XPlay covers the latest computer and console games. TechLive is the latest technology headlines. TechTV is carried by both satellite services, and on many cable services.

Next@CNN, CNN, Saturday afternoon at 1:00 pm (eastern), repeated at 4:00 pm Sunday

This show is also about new technology, though they lack some of the passion and fun about widgets that marks Fresh Gear.

Junkyard Wars, TLC, Tuesday nights at 10:00pm (eastern).

One skill any gadgetmaniac needs is the ability to put gadgets together that were never meant to be together, to do something brand new. Junkyard Wars takes this skill (called Bodging) to the extreme--two teams are set loose in a junkyard to build something. It can be a dune buggy, a submarine, a rail-road car, or a trash collector. Creativity and improvisation are on display

Monster Garage, Discovery, Monday nights at 10:00 pm (eastern), repeated at 10:00 pm Wednesdays

This is another bodging show, but in this case, you have professionals working in a well-equipped garage able to purchase parts necessary (up to $3000). They have turned a minivan into an automated garbage truck, a stretch limo into a firetruck, and (though they blew the budget for this) a Geo Tracker into a hot air balloon. Most of us may not be modifying cars, but any gadgetmaniac should be able to recognize the creativity applied.

WareHouse Warriors, DIY, Weekdays at 9pm (eastern)

This has two teams competing in a warehouse fully stocked with building materials to make something--a porch swing, a deck for a hot tub, a picnic table. The judges put the most points on creativity, so again you get to see creativity in action.

DIY is not as widely available as the other channels I've mentioned, but it's worth looking for.