The Cyclaire Hand Pump does away with convention and uses a clever push/pull system, like the hand crank of a lawn mower, to pump air. There’s a small cycle pump version and this one, which they say will inflate a full sized air bed in under a minute. Clever stuff, but do keep the defibrilator nearby just in case, won’t you? From £8.99. Every time you pull Cyclaire’s handle, the pull-cord unwinds inside and drives a pulley mechanism. The pulley…
Read MoreMonthly Archives: December 2006
Service Bell – home sweet moan
The Service Bell. Now let’s not get all sensitive or anything, but maybe this is not the best present to give the other half if you’re working your way through couples counselling or the like. Know what we mean? $4.95. The base of the bell is 3-1/2″ in diameter and just like the bell on the counter of a hotel, you push down with your palm to make it ring. Why strain your voice with yelling or nagging when you can ring the bell as…
Read MoreWebFTP
WebFTP. Well lookee here, WebFTP is back. One of the most useful little web tools around disappeared a few years back, but now has returned with a new face and hopefully a new business model. Unfortunately there’s a filesize limit, which is a shame, but it should still be useful in an emergency. With web2ftp.com, you can access any FTP account through a Web interface – no matter whether there is a firewall or not. You can use webftp for…
Read MorePartyStrands – interactive moible fun?
PartyStrands. Billed as an interactive music and entertainment service for bars and clubs. You enter the party zone in a club, text the system and interact with everyone there on huge screens dotted around the venue. You can request songs, chat up the DJ or send photos to the screens. Check the blog. It sounds wild. Doesn’t it? Hmm… partyStrands runs on a single or multiple flat panel television screen or projector, and shows the current song and album art,…
Read MoreThe ‘Poi’ Mouse – fish faced rodent
The Elecom Poi Mouse. Cute little beggar. Design can still attract the eye as well as the hand, eh? Comes in blue, gold and black too. Awww…
Read MoreEarmuff Headphones – for really cool tunes
Earmuff Headphones. Comfort and practicality are clearly the order of the day here. No trendy white plastic and silver trim. If there’s a trend setting, hip-hop artist currently working in Alaska, this is probably what he’s wearing. Puff-jacket Daddy. $34.95. This headset combines three layers of all-weather protection with a high-quality pair of mini-speakers, allowing you to enjoy your iPod or any other portable audio device without exposing your ears to the cold. Layers of lightweight polyester fleece, Thermolite, and…
Read MoreMicro-helicopters – rotor motor floaters
We first wrote about the Gen H-4 ultralight helicopter last year, but now it looks like they’re actually shipping the kit to customers for $29,900.00 a pop. What you get is clearly a beta version of the ultralight craft, which would make me a little nervouse. Flying beta software is one thing, flying at a higher altitude is totallllly another. There are, however, other alternatives you can look at, if you’re one of those brave souls who believes that a thing…
Read MoreScribble – fabulous free game
Scribble. If you *really* really want to waste a huge chunk of your life you’ll lock the doors, turn down the lights and play this free MiniClip Flash game immediately (you might want to turn off the music if you’re in the office). It’s an utterly utterly addictive cross between Lemmings and Line Rider, and you may never find time to eat again. I apologise for introducing this to you all, honestly.
Read MoreEssay Generator – cheats never prosper
The Essay Generator. Type your topic into the blue box and press Go. Don’t try this for your PhD folks. Simply type your topic into the blue box and press GO. Makes an essay on anything. Different every time! e.g. ‘investment banking’, ‘Michael Jackson’s moth collection’…
Read MoreLaCie Huby – the USB and Firewire hub with attitude
The La Cie Huby. Props to the Frenchmen for bringing a genuine bit of style to a muchly boring genre. The result? A non geeky design triumph that wouldn’t look out of place in your trophy cabinet. The device incorporates 4 x USB 2.0 ports and 2 x Firewire ports and comes complete with a passel of cables and attachments. Neat. $79.99. Experience the art of connectivity with this fun, stylish USB & FireWire combination hub for your PC or Mac. Designed…
Read MoreSpeakerCraft TIME Five Speakers – drop down, turn around
The SpeakerCraft TIME Five Theater in Motion Speaker System. Embed these speakers in your ceiling and they’ll drop down on demand and point towards a pre-selected point in the room to give you that really immersive audio experience. Is it a gimmick? You betcha. Will they sell? Does a cat lick its paws? $749.99 each. Unique in concept and revolutionary in design, the Theater In Motion Experience is the most dramatic advancement in custom audio since we invented the inwall…
Read MoreMag-Lite UV LED retro-fit bulb – security checker conversion
The Mag-Lite UV LED Retro-fit Bulb. Convert your vanilla Mag-Lite flashlight into a fully fledged UV torch with this bulb kit. Why? Well then you can use it to check currency, credit cards, diamonds and…ahem…’Find urine stains (i.e. at the hotel before you hop in bed!)’. Right. Thanks for that. That’s really good to know. <shudder> Convert your Mag-lite flashlight into a money-saving, super-depandable, solid state light source, it is manufactured using 32 high quality, state of the art UV LEDs,…
Read MoreKotoridayori – your solar powered desk friend
Kotoridayori. With the winter days drawing in, what you really need is a tiny solar powered friend to sit on your desk and keep you company. C’mon, admit it. And she tweets when you pick her up, which is more than you can say for the dinner lady. Yours for just $29.00. Kotoridayori is a little bird that gathers energy from the sun. She tweets when picked up. (And sometimes, she just tweets because she’s in the mood.)
Read MoreMonk-e-Mail – silly simian messaging
Monk-e-Mail. A little bit of viral marketing for y’all on a Monday morning. Choose your chimp, select your environment, create your audio and forward to a friend. Or enemy. Or relative. Or anyone except the person who interviewed you for a job last week.
Read MoreMake your own animated LED sign
Make your own Signbot Scrolling LED Sign. Hey, it’s fun and it’s December, so lighten up. Write some text and click Generate Sign to make your own animated scrolling text LED sign to use on MySpace, as your forum sig or avatar, or anywhere else.
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