Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Skorder
Johanna Eliason, a student at the School of Design and Crafts at Göteborg University, has created a classy shoe rack called Skorder (sko is shoe in Swedish). The rack resembles a stack of shoeboxes and each shelf or cubby is covered in gold leaf. Perfect for any shoeaholic. Skorder spruces up any shoe collection by providing a display venue that makes shoes look as good as they once did in the store.
Get Grandma An Aibo
A scientific study published this month shows that the robotic dog Aibo is as effective as a real dog for treating loneliness in nursing homes. It has long been known that animal-assisted therapy (longhand for bringing a dog to visit long term care facilities a few times a month) can help reduce loneliness, but researchers decided to study whether it was really the furry pet that mattered or if a harder, plastic computerized object could do the job just as well. Turns out that when compared to a control group who didn't get any animal or robot attention, the patients who interacted with the robot improved just as much as those who got visits from a real dog.
If you have an elderly relative who tends to get lonely, we recommend purchasing a friendly robot for her (Aibos aren't on the market right now, but a Pleo could work). It may take a while for her to learn to charge it, but think about how much easier that is than taking care of a hungry, needy and messy cat or dog.
If you have an elderly relative who tends to get lonely, we recommend purchasing a friendly robot for her (Aibos aren't on the market right now, but a Pleo could work). It may take a while for her to learn to charge it, but think about how much easier that is than taking care of a hungry, needy and messy cat or dog.
Facade Vase
The designers ask of consumers: "Do we really need a beautiful vase, or do we only need a beautiful facade for the vase?" They've created that façade so that you'll never need to buy a vase again: it's basically an industrial wool felt condom to cover your standard-issue plastic water bottle.
It's a great idea, with one serious flaw: the water bottle for which the skin is designed may not exist much longer. Already, Nestle-owned water labels Poland Springs and Deer Park have changed their half-liter bottles to a more bulbous but environmentally-friendly shape that uses less plastic. And trendy bottled waters like Fiji and Fred won't work with the Façade either. Perhaps the designers should have shaped the felt for a more reliable mold: wine and beer bottles aren't going anywhere. Yet.
It's a great idea, with one serious flaw: the water bottle for which the skin is designed may not exist much longer. Already, Nestle-owned water labels Poland Springs and Deer Park have changed their half-liter bottles to a more bulbous but environmentally-friendly shape that uses less plastic. And trendy bottled waters like Fiji and Fred won't work with the Façade either. Perhaps the designers should have shaped the felt for a more reliable mold: wine and beer bottles aren't going anywhere. Yet.
Sonu PCM-D50
Whether you're honing your podcasting chops to become the next Leo Laporte or in need of a robust recording solution for your next independent film the Sony PCM-D50 is a rugged device likely to suit your needs. The 24-bit recorder is fitted with stereo microphones for content input, offers MP3 playback capability and boasts 4 GB of internal flash memory.
The Mac/Windows compatible device also features USB inputs and the whole thing is powered by two tiny AA alkaline batteries—nice. The only downside to this thing is that you'll have to watch where you point it lest some nervous rabble-rouser thinks you're trying to Taser him ("bro"). Assuming you're ready to pay iPod level prices, the PCM-D50 can be yours for just $499.95 here.
MiniGod Speakers
The age-old conundrum of deciding between something that's highly functional or highly stylish is back again, but this time it's in the speaker department. This is kind of like deciding between the classic supercar and something a little more fuel-efficient.
Here is the MiniGod, a limited-edition speaker system designed to be paired with a computer or audio player. It's obvious the MiniGod has a tiny speaker and includes an amplifier. The fact that it only requires a 9V battery to operate proves the speakers aren't the highest quality, but on the other hand this thing looks cool as hell. Just imagine it sitting on your desk warding off the bad demons of the nine to five cubicle life.
On the other hand, would you rather opt for something that doesn't look nearly as cool, but definitely sounds better, like the Logitech Z10s? Sorry, MiniGod. You're mighty cool, but high-end audio will always reign supreme. The MiniGod speaker is available with prices in the $120 range.
Here is the MiniGod, a limited-edition speaker system designed to be paired with a computer or audio player. It's obvious the MiniGod has a tiny speaker and includes an amplifier. The fact that it only requires a 9V battery to operate proves the speakers aren't the highest quality, but on the other hand this thing looks cool as hell. Just imagine it sitting on your desk warding off the bad demons of the nine to five cubicle life.
On the other hand, would you rather opt for something that doesn't look nearly as cool, but definitely sounds better, like the Logitech Z10s? Sorry, MiniGod. You're mighty cool, but high-end audio will always reign supreme. The MiniGod speaker is available with prices in the $120 range.
Optimus Mini 3
At this point, in the age of the iPhone, it takes a lot to wow someone with a gadget. It used to be that a RAZR could draw a crowd, but these days there are very few gadgets out there that are unique and cool enough to make people take notice. The Optimus Mini 3 keypad might just be one such object.
Taking the presentation clicker to the next level, the Mini 3 has three buttons, each with a small OLED screen that changes dynamically. That means your email button could show how many new emails you have unread, or the button to go to the next slide could show a preview of what is to come. Such flashiness won't come cheap, however, with the to-be-determined price sure to make you think twice about impressing the neighbors.
Taking the presentation clicker to the next level, the Mini 3 has three buttons, each with a small OLED screen that changes dynamically. That means your email button could show how many new emails you have unread, or the button to go to the next slide could show a preview of what is to come. Such flashiness won't come cheap, however, with the to-be-determined price sure to make you think twice about impressing the neighbors.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Single Person Cooker
The Single Person Cooker is is portable kitchen — everything about its design helps you cook on the go or in a tight space. It's lid is actually a cutting board, and the unit has a space for cooking utensils, a heated range, bowls and a Wi-Fi enabled viewer that will allow the chef to pull in recipes from the Internet.
Gakken Vacuum Tube Amplifier
Those looking for that 1970's high-priced audiophile feel in the age of digital simplicity have a new toy in the form of the Gakken Vacuum Tube Amplifier. The device even comes unassembled, allowing you to put together the amp and ultimately feel some false sense of hi-fi geek accomplishment. Once assembled the amp can be attached to an iPod or almost any other audio device, helping you fake out most with a techie desktop setup for the paltry price of just 139,000 Korean won ($145) here.
Mixtape - Fear Of A Black China
Super Dups and Willy Chin from Black Chiney Soundsystem just dropped a bumba-red menace on their MySpace. The latest much-anticipated installment of the mixtape series that made them infamous—the first in almost 4 years!—it’s the usual onslaught of clash vocals over rap beats interspersed with weird Miami humor. (This seems to consist mainly of Bobby Chin cranking grocery stores Jerky Boys-style and saying things like “Badman nuh friend fish” and “Mi wan put me dick in yuh fat bread” ).
Get it From HERE!
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