Let’s face it, if you’re an Internet retailer there’s no way you’re going to lose out by selling a geeky toy for your pet kitten is there? Cue the Bolt Interactive Pet Laser Toy, a magnificently technical piece of…um…technology which guarantees to entrance your little furry friend for all of 10 minutes or until the sound of a can being opened occurs, whichever comes first. Bonus points for including an automatic mode. $19.99. This little device a sophisticated piece of feline-laser technology…
Read MoreMonthly Archives: November 2009
eBoard Neo – new electric skateboard say, follow white rabbit
The eBoard Neo is a new electric skateboard which accelerates from 0–20 mph in 4 seconds. Which is strange since it has a top speed of 14mph. Mmm…’K, whatever. Range is 13 miles and it’ll take you around 4 hours to recharge the thing. Dunno about you, but I’m not too sure I’d enjoy propelling myself around the planet at 14 miles every hour on a plank of wood. Especially on our infamously dodgy paved streets and walkways. Xero’s 400w…
Read MoreSpy Tools of the Cold War – Another martini Mr Bond?
LIFE has a great little pictorial expose on the Spy Tools of the Cold War. These aren’t your laser beam firing Omega watches, these are the real deal, including the infamous great seal bug and a very cute radio bug that fits into a martini olive. Now that would be a good one for good ol’ you-know-who. Spying is a dangerous business. Whether “the operative” is an international man of mystery, a private dick, or a crack-shot G-man, the job…
Read MoreClimbStation – the computer controlled motorised mini mountain
The ClimbStation is a computer controlled motorised climbing simulator, which provides custom flavoured climbing for all-comers. Not only does it offer various levels of difficulty (up to 12 levels), but the touchscreen interface also provides feedback on calories burned and toe-nails lost. Or something. The unit is priced from €29,900, which is probably cheaper than buying a mountain. The simulator brings the hobby of genuine climbing closer to consumers in a way that is both safer and more economical than…
Read MoreSIM Book – the address book that thinks it’s a SIM card
SIM Book. Oh look, it’s a contact address book which is designed to look like a large SIM card. How clever. I guess that’s to make sure you remember it’s for your friend’s phone numbers, address and stuff rather than their hat sizes. Now if only the thing made phone calls too. Priced at £3.49. Get all your phone data backed up in one of our funky iconic SIM style address books. Styled on the design of SIM cards from your…
Read MoreTV-Browser – neat free electronic program guide for your fave television channels
TV-Browser is a free web browser based Electric Program Guide (EPG) which comes with all the smarts you need to track and manage your television viewing from day to day and month to month. To say it’s chock full of features is an understatement, from reminders to favourites to ratings and multi-lingual support. The only slight problem is the interface which feels as if it was born back when 8–bit was the state of the art. You almost expect the thing to…
Read More7 Fun Games Which Are Also Good for the Brain – go figure…
Here’s a selection of 7 Fun Games Which Are Also Good for the Brain. What, puzzle based casual games which are fun to play, and yet exercise the brain? Sounds too good to be true, don’t it? But actually it’s true, they are definitely cool games and they do make you think a bit. Which is Good! Prior to the emerging of Sudoku as global phenomena in 2005, some of us have made the mistake in believing we can keep our minds…
Read MoreWorldmapper – world maps get the cool specialist subject treatment
There’s no reason why maps should be boring, and Worldmapper proves it. The idea is to deliver a range of maps – over 700 in fact – which reflect interesting datasets, rather than just supplying bland generic information. So for example there’s a map which focuses on population and has a bloated Asian section and a skinnier Europe and US to reflect the different population densities. It’s a clever way to grab a quick visual overview of a dataset. There…
Read MoreHid.im – turn a Torrent into a .png image
Hid.im turns your .torrent files into a ‘regular PNG image’. Why? So people can find and use your file but it’s hidden away from search engines and stuff. It’s a cool idea although there’s a file size limit of 250 KB currently, so you’re not going to be sharing anything multimedia that’s for sure. There’s also a Firefox extension to make the conversion process easy peasy. Fully open source and worth a look. A Hidim turns a torrent into a…
Read MoreTrompe l’oeil art – awesome 3D artists and their works
Trompe l’oeil – or trick of the eye – art can be absolutely extraordinary when produced by a master. Here are some of the most amazing demonstrations of the art around. John Pugh produces ‘monumental’ scale art on walls, buildings and interiors which are so realistic it sometimes takes your breath away. Astonishing stuff. Ron Francis is a universally acclaimed master of the art and it shows. This window with children playing outside in…
Read MoreCyberBank Personal ATM – bring the joy of shopping slots home to the little ones
The CyberBank Personal ATM takes the concept of home cash machine as piggy bank one step closer towards digging a hole in the kitchen wall. Not only does it look very realistic but you also get a card and PIN number, and can deposit paper notes as well as coins. It’s obviously designed for kids, which makes it even more creepy in a ‘punch in the PIN darling and grab the cash’ kind of way. $37.95. Check out the features –…
Read MoreCouchSurfing – Facebook meets Lonely Planet for a fun filled weekend of mirth
CouchSurfing is a super cool social network which takes social interaction off the computer monitor and returns it firmly back into the realm of real life. The non-profit works by helping travellers hook up with locals to share accommodation – or sometimes just a friendly chat and drink – on their journey, but it seems to go much further than just finding a cheap place to crash. According to the site they’ve helped facilitate 1.25 million stays, 1.5 million new friends have…
Read MoreUSB SuperCharger – hands on review of this awesome flash memory tool
[Photo from Flickr] USB SuperCharger is a brilliant little bit of software that will transform the way you use your USB flash drive by improving its performance by some 300% and more. If you move lots of small files around or you’re a heavy user of Portable Apps, then you’ll definitely want to read what it can do. For once the hype is actually matched by reality!
Read MorePeerBlock – Safer P2P
PeerBlock is a little piece of software that you run in parallel with your torrent software that stops it connecting to peers in suspect IP addresses. It’s not just for safer peer-to-peer downloading, you can also use it to prevent your PC from accessing ad-servers, or a range of addresses belonging to entire countries. The software doesn’t guarantee anonymity or protection or anything like that but as some band once said, it’s just another brick in the wall. [Via Freeware…
Read MoreBowers and Wilkins MM-1 – Hi Fi speakers for your PC
If you’ve been lamenting the lack of hi-fi speakers designed for PCs then these Bowers & Wilkins MM-1 speakers should do nicely. They’re fully active, with a digital amplifier, 2-way speakers with 3″ woofers and 1″ tweeters and a headphone output. They accept a 3.5mm input or USB 2.0 digital streaming with a frequency response from 57Hz to 22kHz. They’re not available until February 2010. MM-1s aren’t like other computer speakers. They’re true hi-fi speakers, shrunk to fit on your…
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