This Cybug Solar Fly 2 is a solar powered robot that skitters around looking for the brightest object it can find. According to the comments on the site, it also exhibits group mentality in numbers, herding together at night. Now we don’t care how benign you think that is, we think it’s creepy. $49.95. Once assembled, simply put your Solar Fly 2 in direct sunlight and watch it go! The Solar Fly has sensitive infrared eyes that cause it to…
Read MoreMonthly Archives: October 2010
Radio Controlled Football Boot – surreal soccer at the touch of a button
There are certain things which make sense and others that are…well a little weird. Like this Radio Controlled Football Boot. Sure we can see the logic, “Hey Hank, we’ve got a great idea for a tabletop game…” but really? You actually make the things in a factory? And people buy them? Wow. £49.50 for a set of two. Chase after the ball with the remote control in your hand. Skillfully outmanoeuvre your opponents. Amaze them with trick back-heel shots. Make…
Read MorePiano Tie – play it again, Sam
The Piano Tie is a tie. Which is a piano. Duh! Forget the Rachmaninov, but chopsticks may be a possibility. Impressive, eh? $9.99. Be a hit at your next party with this retro piano tie that actually plays notes. Touch sensitive polyester fabric plays eight notes with a plastic speaker in the knot at the neck. Adjustable cord with magnetic closure, fits any size. On-off switch. Requires two AG 13 button batteries, not included. 18½” long. Tags: gadget, novelty, piano+tie
Read MoreInforad Deluxe – smallest GPS camera warning device in the world
The Inforad Deluxe is billed as the smallest GPS camera warning device in the world, which means it’ll warn you if you’re approaching a speed camera and tell you if you’re exceeding the speed limit. You get a 5 colour LED display and warning beeps as you approach the target, and you can set up your own points of interest warnings too. £79.95. Inforad is the smallest GPS camera warning device in the world. It uses GPS satellite technology to…
Read MoreHarnessing electricity from the air
From Benjamin Franklin to Nicola Tesla, scientists and great thinkers have dreamed of pulling electricity from the sky and harnessing its power. Now researchers at Brazil’s University of Campinas (UC), led by Professor Fernando Galembeck, a UC chemist, may be a step closer to doing just that. The research team is studying the ways electricity builds up and spreads in the atmosphere, and how it could be collected. Calling the process ‘hygroelectricity’ – meaning “humidity electricity” – the team has…
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USB Flash Copy – freeware backs up your flash drive on the fly
USB Flash Copy is a freeware program which copies the entire contents of a USB flash drive to your hard disk automatically when you insert the key into the USB port. You’ll need to buy a license if you want it to do the job without onscreen prompts, but the basic version looks useful enough without. Oh and you get the option to retain old versions of files, if newer updates are copied across. USBFlashCopy is a small Windows utility to back…
Read MoreTimer – online timer does it instantly, minimally
This online timer, countdown and count up, is so minimalist I don’t even know its name. So let’s call it the CD:Timer for the sake of argument. Features? It’s instant, just access the URL to start the clock going. Fab. The countdown feature is triggered by using a different URL (with the time period as the ending). E.g. try cd.justinjc.com/5 to countdown 5 minutes. Tags: online+timer, countdown, online+application
Read MoreRUBBISH – it’s not what you think!
Old used up tires are finding new life as a number of things – art, garden bedding and roadway paving. But a company called Minarc has transformed them into elegant sinks. RUBBISH is a classy-looking sink made from recycled rubber tires. Thr tires are melted down and stripped of particulates and impurities, then stretched into a lightweight layer to cover a sub-material for the sink’s surface. Consumers can choose from a 1/8 inch sheet of rubber or get a RUBBiSH…
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Wilson SignalBoost MobilePro – improve the signal to your mobile phone
Suffering from too few bars on your cell phone signal meter? You might need one of these Wilson SignalBoost MobilePro things, which promise to increase the signal strength to you handset by up to 2x. All you’ve got to do is plug the device into the nearest power socket and the amplifier will automatically boost the cell tower signal somehow. Without even having to connect to the phone. Miracle. $299.99. Ideal for laptop data cards, can be powered by a…
Read MoreAir Guitar Pro Infrared – strum and hum with a pum pum pum
The Air Guitar Pro is a novelty gizmo that helps you play air guitar like Keith Moon (what?) using an infrared beam as your strings. Just press the buttons on the neck for the chords, and strum with the action hand. Result, tinny naff guitar. We, who are about to mock, salute you. $10.99. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h669MUc-kY A compact electronic guitar, only the guitar part of the Neck. Neck part of the guitar chords of seven (AG) select button, adjust the side to…
Read MoreCrystal Lipstick Mouse – the ultimate geek girl accessory
This Crystal Lipstick Mouse is a very clever combination of elegant handbag couture and teh geekery. A fully working wireless computer mouse with scroll wheel and dongle, with rechargeable battery and nice little case. The price may cause some worry lines though, at $131.00. The Crystal Lipstick Mouse is an attractive portable mouse shaped like a lipstick. Decorated with genuine Swarovski crystals, it fits neatly in an attractive carrying case and is the perfect accessory for the fashionable businesswoman on…
Read MoreBuzzing Mosquito Box – hide in room, retreat, profit…?
The Buzzing Mosquito Box is a ‘darkness activated’ sound device which automatically mimics the sound of a mosquito when the lights are switched off. Turn the light on, and the sound disappears. Maddening, no? £3.80. Description Darkness activated sound box …. Where is that buzzing coming from?An infuriator box – Turn out the lights and listen to the mosquito buzz, when you turn on the lights he disappears! Comedy novelty value product…annoy your friends Tags: gadget, buzzing+mosquito+box, novelty
Read MoreCloudmark DesktopOne – freeware anti spam program keeps your inbox clear
Cloudmark DesktopOne is a free anti-spam program which hooks into your email client to block spam messages before they hit your eyes. The free version is geared towards a single email account, while the Pro version lets you manage multiple accounts from one window. Funnily enough, I’m finding that it’s not spam so much, but ‘ham’ that’s causing me grief nowadays. That’s the constant flood of email newsletters and notifications from the online services I’ve signed up to. I’m starting…
Read MoreJournalism Warning Labels – bringing the fight to sloppy reporting
I have to take my hat off to Tom Scott, the chap behind Journalism Warning Labels. We’re entering into a new gruesome age of ‘churnalism‘ such as the world has never experienced, which makes it as good a time as any to help fight the disease. The idea is to print off stickers and stick them physically onto free newspapers in the cities, to ensure that at least some folk understand how little information in newspapers is actually genuine, rather than PR…
Read MoreThe AudioScope could let you reach out and listen in
Wouldn’t you love to focus in on someone in a crowd on your favorite TV show and hear what they’re really saying? That may be possible soon. Squarehead Technology of Norway is developing the AudioScope, a dish system that will let you acoustically zoom in to someone in a large area and follow them. Similar to sonar, this device has an array of up to 315 small microphones, each pointing slightly different directions. A wide-angle camera displays the coverage area….
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