As of this coming December, The Simpsons will have been on the air for 25 years. The very first episode, 'Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire' (that's the Christmas episode in which Homer and Bart adopt Santa's Little Helper at the dog racing track), premiered on 17 December, 1989, almost a quarter of a century ago!

So...how to celebrate this auspicious occasion? Well, for starters, you can load up on cool Simpsons stuff - from cufflinks to mugs, we've got plenty to go around here at Gadget Inspector.

Still, this is one heck of an anniversary, and we figure that simply hawking our wares would not be doing justice to those endlessly influential yellow folk. So, in tribute to 25 years of The Simpsons, here are Gadget Inspector's Top 5 Moments from America's funniest TV show:

5. Mr Snrub (from 'Marge vs. The Monorail')

In this classic episode, Mr Burns gets fined several million dollars for dumping nuclear waste in a city park. A town meeting is called to decide how the money should be spent - the people of Springfield eventually opt to buy a monorail, but not before Mr Burns has tried to get the $3 million back in his own vault:

Mr Burns [wearing cunning disguise]: Hello, my name is Mr Snurb, and I come from...uh...someplace far away. Yes, that'll do. Anyway, I say we invest that money back in the nuclear plant.

Smithers: I like the way Snrub thinks!

4. Strapped for Cash (from 'Rosebud')

Another vintage Burns moment. The frail old billionaire is searching for his beloved teddy bear, 'Bobo', and Homer realises that Maggie is playing with the tattered old toy. He takes the bear to Burns, expecting a big reward:

Mr Burns: Naturally, I can't pay you much of a reward because I'm strapped for cash.

[The ceiling collapses, showering Burns with gold and jewels. A crown lands on his head.]

Mr Burns: As you can see, this old place is falling apart!

Well saved, Monty.

3. Not the Elephants! (from 'Cape Feare')

When most people think of this episode, they think of the infamous 'stepping on rakes' scene. If you ask us, though, there's a funnier moment in 'Cape Feare', and it arrives when Sideshow Bob confronts his nemesis Bart while lying in the road:

Sideshow Bob: Surely there's no harm in lying in the middle of a public street?

[Bob is then trampled by a large parade, including a marching band and several elephants]

2. So Long Dental Plan! (from 'Last Exit to Springfield')

Dental plan!

Lisa needs braces!

Dental plan!

Lisa needs braces!

Dental plan!

Lisa needs braces!

etc.

1. Ghost Car (from 'Marge on the Lam')

Yep, this is our all-time favourite. Marge and her friend Ruth are driving down a dark highway with Chief Wiggum (and Homer) in hot pursuit:

Ruth: Look Marge, there's no reason for you to get dragged into this. Once we lose the cops, I'll let you out.

Marge: Well, I don't think they'll be that easy to lose. These are professional lawmen, and-

[Ruth switches off the car's tail lights]

Wiggum [in the other car]: OH MY GOD, IT JUST DISAPPEARED!! IT'S A *GHOST CAR*!!

It's the Chief's completely horrified reaction that really sells this one. Classic.

What do you think of our choices? Agree? Disagree? Let us know on Twitter!

Buy Simpsons stuff here!

Most of us leave the shopping 'til December, but we're wondering how much stress an early start could prevent...

We know, we know - it's August, the kids don't even go back to school for another few weeks, and the last thing you want to think about is bloody Christmas.

But while you've been enjoying the summer sunshine (or lamenting the lack thereof), some folk have been making premature plans for that magical day in December. Hamleys were trying to forecast the top toys of Christmas 2014 all the way back in June, and a quick Twitter search for the word 'Christmas' reveals that hundreds of people are already having visions of sugar-plums:

You can almost forgive Hamleys for getting into the Christmas spirit a little too soon - they're a huge toy retailer, after all, and forward pla nning is important for businesses like that. But what about these kooks on Twitter? Are they merely Yule-crazed anomalies, or should we all start worrying about Christmas at the height of summer?

Well, August may be a little too early, but a surprising number of people seem to think that it’s perfectly acceptable to start one’s festive preparations months in advance. According to a 2013 article from the North Devon Journal, more than ONE THIRD of people in England have started their Christmas shopping by the end of September – most folk haven’t even started planning their Halloween parties by that point!

Still, perhaps those people are on to something. Here are three reasons to give yourself a head-start on the Christmas shopping this year:

1. It's cheaper

A lot of retailers see Christmastime as an opportunity to jack up their prices. If Santa is supposed to be coming down the chimney in a matter of days – and your children are counting on him to deliver something specific – then you can’t really afford to worry about price tags.

If, on the other hand, you start your shopping in September/October, you’ll have a lot more freedom to shop around, and you may even beat the aforementioned Yuletide price spike. This will leave you with more money for food and other Christmas expenses.

2. It's less stressful

Some people love hitting the high street just before Christmas, but these people are in a minority – most sensible folk would rather not get trampled half to death by a horde of desperate last-minute shoppers, or spend two hours in a queue at their local HMV.

And yet, as much as we all despise the Christmas crowds, few of us actually bother to avoid them. This year, why not buy your presents before December and beat the inevitable throngs?

3. You're more likely to find the right gift

Allow us to paint you a picture: Christmas is coming, there’s a new video game coming out, and little Billy/Sally simply has to have it – no substitutes are acceptable. So you pop into Game on December the 21st and – surprise, surprise – they’ve sold out.

Allow us to paint you a second picture. You’re in town a couple of days before Christmas, doing a spot of last-minute gift-buying. Little Billy/Sally hasn’t actually told you what they want to see under the tree on the 25th. You’re completely on your own, and you’ll probably end up panic-buying something that they won’t even like.

In either scenario, you’ll end up wishing that you’d been more prepared. Getting an early start on your Christmas shopping gives you more time to think up decent gift ideas, and it gives you a far greater chance of picking up that one must-have.

Nobody’s suggesting that you should go out and get your Christmas shopping done now, in the middle of summer. Heck, that approach could backfire big-time when, in November, your child/partner/distant relative says ‘Hey, y’know what I really fancy for Christmas?’ and you’re forced to say ‘Sorry, sweetheart, I already bought your present back in August. You’re getting Lego’.

But it’s never too early to start planning. Ask your nearest and dearest what they think they might like come December, and if they do have something particular in mind, get it now and save yourself a lot of stress later on.

If you do want to start your Christmas shopping ASAP, pop over to the Gadget Inspector homepage now and fill yer boots!

Image Credit: Alejandro Erickson

Time is an unforgiving mistress. It feels like summer only just started, and now here we are with a mere fortnight or so separating us from September.

Yessiree, summer 2014 has well and truly flown by. It's not over yet, of course, but we're already halfway through August, and before you know it, the leaves will be off the trees and we'll all be swapping our flip-flops for big winter boots.

So when does summer officially end?

September 23 is the closest thing we've got to an 'official' date - that's the day of the autumnal equinox, so that's arguably when summer truly ends and autumn begins in earnest. However, different people will tell you different things - some will say that summer is over on the 1st of September, while particularly desperate people may argue that summer goes on until the clocks go back on October 26!

Still, if we take the aforementioned equinox as our 'End of Summer' date, that leaves us with 39 days to go. Yes, it sounds like a lot, but those five-and-a-half weeks are guaranteed to zip by just as quickly as the rest of summer has.

With that in mind, here are 3 awesome ways to make the most of Summer '14 (or what's left of it, anyway):

1. Have a BBQ!

Summer ain't summer until you've had yourself a barbecue. If you haven't fired up the grill yet, now's the time - don't forget your guitar-shaped BBQ tongs!

2. Go to the beach!

The British beaches won't be much fun once autumn arrives, so go and get some sand in your shoes while there's still some sunshine to be had. We've got a couple of great beach towels that you can take along with you.

3. Hang out at the park with your friends!

If you're lucky enough to have a couple of nice green spaces in your town, failing to make use of them before September 23 would represent a tragic waste on your part. Grab your friends, grab your Chill Out Wedge, and go enjoy Mr Sun before he heads off on his winter holidays!

It's been well over a year since we first found out that a seventh Star Wars film was in the pipeline. And yet we still know relatively little about Episode VII - plot details, character info, and even the proper title are still cloaked in mystery.

Still, we're not completely in the dark. Here's what we do know about the new Star Wars:

• The movie will be released on December 18, 2015 (that's only 506 days from now!) This means that Episode VII will be the first proper Star Wars film not to be released in May ("December The Force Be With You" just doesn't have the same ring, does it?)


• JJ Abrams (of Lost and Star Trek fame) will direct the new film. The screenplay was a collaboration between Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, whose previous writing credits include The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Neither writer had anything to do with the prequel trilogy, which can only be a good sign.
  
  
• The film will be set roughly 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi (which, as it happens, was released just over 30 years ago). This chronological leap makes allowances for the wrinkles of...
  
  
• ...the original cast, most of whom will be reprising their roles from Episodes 4, 5 and 6. Mark Hamill (Luke), Carrie Fisher (Leia), Harrison Ford (Han), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and Kenny Baker (R2-D2) have all been confirmed as Episode VII cast members.
  
  
• It's not all about the veterans - the film will feature a decent number of newcomers, too. Among the confirmed cast members are Gwendoline Christie (Brienne from Game of Thrones), John Boyega (Moses from Attack the Block) and Andy Serkis (Gollum from The Lord of the Rings).

And you thought Gollum was CGI.

• Much of the film will be shot at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire. Other filming locations: Iceland (that's another leaf this film is taking from the Game of Thrones playbook)and Abu Dhabi.
  
  
• Even though Episode VII is still a solid 16 months away, we can already be relatively certain that Episode VIII and Episode IX will follow soon afterwards. Rian Johnson - director of Looper, Brick, and several episodes of Breaking Bad - is reportedly pencilled in to direct the eighth instalment.
  
  
• Finally, are you wondering what role (if any) George Lucas will play in the seventh episode of his beloved sci-fi brainchild? He's a creative consultant, which basically makes him a walking, talking series bible. He tells everyone else the rules of the SW universe (e.g. "the cars don't have wheels, they fly with antigravity") and makes sure that they stick to them.

Even with all these exciting details (more or less) set in stone, the actual movie is still a long way off (consider bookmarking howmanydaysuntilstarwars.com if you're keen to keep track of exactly how long). If you're struggling to get your Star Wars fix in the meantime, check out this cool Star Wars stuff:

• RC Inflatable R2-D2
• Darth Vader Mug

In a world that's full of fear and loathing, few things warm the heart like a good old-fashioned bromance. Many a life-affirming bromance has been forged on our TV screens; here are five of our favourites from recent years...

Note: We'll do our best to keep things spoiler-free but do proceed with caution if you're still catching up on any of these shows.

Samwell Tarly and Jon Snow (from Game of Thrones, 2011-Present)
It's hard being a man of the Night's Watch, but it would be even harder without a friend. Jon - the handsome bastard of Ned Stark - took fat, cowardly Sam under his wing and they soon became the best of buddies. Not even wildlings could tear them apart!

Defining Bromance Moment: Jon and Sam kneel down to 'take The Black' (i.e. swear an oath of duty to the Night's Watch). Once finished, they are told to 'rise now as men of the Night's Watch' - Sam can't quite get to his feet, so Jon helps him up, and they hug.

Joey Tribbiani and Chandler Bing (from Friends, 1994-2004)
They weren't supposed to be roommates in the first place - Chandler's first choice was a photographer whose sister was a model - but we're glad that things happened the way they did. Even when Chandler moved in with Monica, they remained stone cold bros until the end (well, until Joey got his own spin-off, at least).

Defining Bromance Moment: In the final episode of the series - the one that, like, ten jillion people tuned in for - Joey and Chandler are saying goodbye (Chandler and Monica, who have just adopted two babies, are preparing to move to a new house in the suburbs). They wonder aloud whether to part with an "awkward hug" or a "lame cool-guy handshake"; initially, they opt for the lame handshake, but then they hug and ten jillion viewers well up.

Christopher Turk and John 'JD' Dorian (from Scrubs, 2001-2010)
Being a doctor, like being a brother of the Night's Watch, is not without its trials and tribulations. But JD and Turk got through them all - even when Turk found out that JD had been sleeping with a lawyer who was suing him (Turk) for malpractice, their bromance didn't sputter out.

Defining Bromance Moment: This song. How could it not be?

Abed Nadir and Troy Barnes (from Community, 2009-2014)
Troy and Abed are our favourite bros, simply because they're even bigger TV/Movie geeks than we are. When Abed discovers Inspector Spacetime (a show-with-a-show that's seriously indebted to Doctor Who), he and Troy immediately start playing The Inspector and his sidekick, Constable Reggie, with surprising levels of dedication. They also have their own friendship handshake, not to mention their own fake morning show ("Troy and Abed in the mooor-ning!")

Defining Bromance Moment: When Troy decides to head off on a round-the-world cruise in Season 5, Abed organises a school-wide game of 'Lava Floor' to see him off. The results are...well, epic.

Sherlock Holmes and John Watson (from Sherlock, 2010-Present)
And finally, how could we have a blog about bromances without mentioning the internet's favourite crime-fighting couple? John's bromance with Sherlock (a lot of Johns in this list, aren't there?) isn't always plain sailing - sometimes, in fact, he seems to very much dislike the man - but the interplay between these two (along with the regular hints that they may, one day, take things to the next level) has had tumblr users in hysterics for several years now.

Defining Bromance Moment: When John (okay, this one definitely warrants a SPOILER ALERT) visits Sherlock's grave in the final episode of Season 2, he is very, very not happy. It's a tearjerker all right, and the 'aaw' factor is only somewhat alleviated by the knowledge that (SPOILER ALERT AGAIN) Sherlock isn't really dead.

Did we forget your favourite bromance? Let us know on Twitter!