We've been able to burn messages into toast for weeks now. If that method of communication was just "too convenient" for you, try this: burning messages into seeds so that when they grow, the resulting plants will have words and pictures on them. A Message Bean is a can of soil that you can give to a friend, and as she waters it, a bean plant will grow bearing the message of your choice — as long as your choice is "love," "thank you," "good luck," or "happy birthday." The plant can then be re-potted or moved to the garden. Since it's such a slow way of communicating, the Message Bean might be more suited to delivering breakup messages like "seeya" and "by the time you can read this, I'll be in Tahiti." But that's opening a whole new can of worms — er, beans. — S.E. Kramer