The New York Times isn't somewhere you'll often find cool modded hardware, but today is an exception.

The Times features an article about USB drives that are, quite literally, USB sticks. Produced by a small Dutch outfit, the flash memory drives are sunk into bits of wood that are found in a local forest.

Guido Ooms, the creator of the USB stick, told the Times that “The computer stuff that is coming out right now, it is all plastic and symmetrical and aerodynamic in shape, like ‘Star Trek’ stuff... I think there’s no reason for that, really, other than that it looks like it works properly.”

We think the drives look superb, and would doubtless make a great gift for the eco-warrior amongst your friends.

Despite the high price - $99 for a 1GB stick, compared to around $25 for 'normal' 1GB stick - there have been plenty of takers, and Mr Ooms is considering outsourcing production to local prison inmates (!) to work cost effectively.

Making your own USB stick would be pretty easy - get the memory, hollow out a stick, glue it in. Simple, no? Let us know over in the forums!