Here’s 80 of the most dangerous geeks in the world. Otherwise known as attendees at the Linux Kernel Summit 2007. Why dangerous? Well they spearhead a billion dollar program to bring down civilization as we know it, and deliver Open Source software to the modern world. Sticking it to Microsoft is only part of the equation, folks. If these people have their way we’ll all be using nothing but free, high quality software in a few years time, and goodness knows where…
Read MoreMonthly Archives: September 2007
Ferret posts this week
Here’s a quick round-up of Ferrety posts from the past week for anyone who missed them. Enjoy. Rearchitecting the Music Business – how to stop piracy by getting rid of the record companies – A First Monday paper which… Intellicot Cot – the baby bed revolution? – Intellicot Cot. Only four men… Dialogue Speaker – make your television sound more audible – The Dialogue Speaker may look like… Gamercize Pro Sport – exercise while you’re having fun gaming – The…
Read MoreLaser Combat Cars – and let the toy wars continue…
Laser Combat Cars. Nowadays you can’t turn round and spit without hitting some laser equipped piece of junk running at you, skulking in corners, flying overhead or looking balefully down its nose. These little doozies go one further by letting you indulge in two player fun all by yourself (all together now, aaahhh..) That’s right, switch one to auto-pilot and use the other to zap and blast at will. It’s interesting to remember that there’s probably more intelligence in these things…
Read MoreWall Projection Clock – classic Roman gets the digital treatment
Wall Projection Clock. At last, a projection clock that looks as though the designer had a sense of humour. Or a hangover. Anyhoo, the full face Roman numerals and analogue look also shows some creativity, so big hugs to the marketing department. $129.95. Celebrate the intangible nature of time with this projection clock, which creates a large clock image on any wall surface. * Projects a bright and elegant clock on wall or ceiling * Accurate quartz clock * Sweeping second hand…
Read MoreTicTalk Kid’s Phone – children will applaud your thoughtfulness…honest
The TicTalk Kid’s Phone is a Web connected, function restricted mobile phone designed specifically for the little children in our midst. It’s a Pay-as-you-Go GSM/GPRS handset which you need to activate first and which provides 8 hours of talk time per charge. The big theme to remember?Control. And Parental. That sort of thing. Just the kind of product to foster more understanding between the generations, eh? $99.00. TicTalk Enables Parental Control Once your phone is activated, use MyTicTalk.com to set up…
Read MorePricePirates – compare and contrast eBay prices with the marketplace
PricePirates is a cool piece of Windows freeware which you use to compare prices in eBay auctions with other online shops and markets. We’ve all seen examples of where an eBay auction price is actually more expensive than elsewhere, now you can check first before bidding your auntie’s inheritance on that original Picasso. The program includes Amazon and Shopping.com marketplaces, which means you’ll cover a pretty good selection of online stores in your search. Well worth a download and play. Pricepirates is…
Read MoreCriticker – work out which film critic you can trust
On the face of it the new Criticker looks like just another ho-hum movie recommendation service. But dig under the skin a little and you learn that it’s actually a great way of identifying which newspaper and magazine film critic has tastes similar to you (using something called a TCI or Taste Compatibility Index), which means you can actually rely on their recommendations when you read them. Because that’s the problem, isn’t it? We simply don’t know which critic to trust most of…
Read MoreSealand returns from the dead – record industry screams in terror
The folk at Sealand have apparently just received a ‘multi-million dollar investment opportunity’ to fund the launch of a new communications satellite. Nothing new there, you think. Well the backers are Moscow based. Yeah, now you’re listening right? So let’s see, the Russians are stepping up the war of words with the US and Europe, AllofMP3.com is coming back online and suddenly a Moscow based ‘venture group’ wants to launch a satellite ‘to enable content to be delivered to the internet…
Read MorePaper Critters – make your own paper toys for free
Paper Critters. Design and print out your own paper creature for free, or even share them online with your friends. Nice way for the kids to while away some time on a rainy afternoon. Tags: paper+critters, toys, education
Read MoreR2-D2 Home Theater System – movies on the move, it can…
The R2–D2 Home Theater System is not new, but we had to feature it anyway simply because of the Millennium Falcon remote control. Actually everything about this tickles our chuckle bone, from the DLP projection system located in the ‘radar eye’, to the iPod dock, memory card slots, DVD player and 20W internal speaker. In fact the only thing that dampens our unalloyed enthusiasm is the price…$2,799.95. Next week, the 3CPO vacuum cleaner. R2’s head houses a DLP projection system with superior 1,500:1…
Read MorePlush Puppy Cam with Receiver – liddle cutie tickletums watchum mama?
The Plush Puppy Cam with Receiver not only looks unbearably cute, but could be useful too, if you have child watching duties while the other half goes out pot-holing of a night. The camera in nose is wireless, so no nasty cables cluttering up the nursery, and the receiver is designed to accept both audio and video so you can hear the screams as well as see the tears flowing during tantrum time. Perfect. $149.00 and no his name’s not…
Read MoreHorntones FX-550 – play your own sounds from your car horn
The Horntones FX-550 System is a three part kit of control panel, speaker and amplifier which you bolt in to your car so you can scare the living bits out of everyone on the road with loud and obnoxious audio clips, music, sound effects and general mayhem. You get 27 ‘horntones’ in the box, and you can add your own MP3 recordings as you wish via a USB flash drive. 256 MB of memory, nine preset buttons and some very dodgy…
Read MoreTenori-On –
The new Tenori-On from Yamaha is billed as a ‘digital music instrument for the 21st century’ and actually that description is spot on. If you were asked back in the ‘70s what kind of new musical instrument we’d be playing in 200x, you’d probably come up with a synthesizer type, flashing light, cold sounding techno machine similar to this. It’s not horrible, it’s just so cliched. Why couldn’t they have come up with something wooden, thunky and ever so rich in…
Read MoreRadioTime – online radio listings and recording
RadioTime offers a pretty cool listing of Internet radio stations along with a scheduled recording function so you can grab shows like a Tivo. The site is free, but the recorder will set you back $29.00. Nice clear interface and good choice of stations. Worth a bookmark. RadioTime has a unique RadioGuide that provides listeners with a quick and easy way to find radio content from 36,000 global outlets. We monitor more than 50,000 programs, 100 networks and 800 sports…
Read MoreJunior Gym – you’re never too young to pump iron, son…
The Junior Gym range of kids exercise equipment is proof that there’s no such thing as too young in the exploitation exercise game. Fitness bikes, treadmills, weights bench, rowing machine; it’s all ready and waiting to help your toddler in their ongoing battle with health and fitness. And just think of the savings on club membership fees for the little tyke! Priced from around £41.99 and upwards. [Thanks Dan!] Designed specifically for children the bright new Junior Gym range includes a stepper,…
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