Dan, Author at The Red Ferret Journal - Page 66 of 78The Red Ferret Journal

Bizarre May 14, 2009 posted by Dan

Electronic Spin the Bottle Game – party classic gets electronicised

Seriously, is there anything you can’t buy on Amazon? This Electronic Spin the Bottle Game is for those of you who are too, too … well I just don’t know what, words fail me. It comes with 130 built in commands, sound effects and a light to show who’s it. C’mon people what’s wrong with using a real bottle to play spin the bottle? Too analogue? Sheesh! (wanders off muttering to himself). $US18.93 This isn’t your parents’ Spin the Bottle….

Gadgets May 12, 2009 posted by Dan

Aerator Sandals – and you thought Crocs looked dorky

Spring’s here (for you Northerners anyway) so get out in the garden and do some good. These Aerator Sandals strap to your boots and aerate your lawn while you walk around. After you’re done, head down to the golf course and you’re all dressed for day on the green. $US12.99. Aerating your lawn revitalizes hard, compacted soil, and helps prevent thatch buildup, but lawn services charge a mint for this service. Why not do it yourself? Just strap these “sandals”…

Gadgets May 12, 2009 posted by Dan

AquaSafeStraw – simple, portable water purification system

We all know the problems with water purification for travelling or camping. Bulky pumps, funny tasting tablets, it’s all work, work, work. Now there’s the AquaSafeStraw. You use it like a normal drinking straw, as the water is sucked up through the membrane in the middle of the straw, only particles smaller than 0.2 �m are able to pass. This strains out all the nasties and leaves you with hopefully ok-tasting drinking water. The straw just needs a quick shake…

Gadgets May 9, 2009 posted by Dan

Ratchet Allen Keys – Allen keys plus technology equals win

Has building all of Timmy and Sally’s new Ikea furniture got you down? If so then you need one of these Ratchet Allen Keys. They’re available in both Metric and Imperial and come packed with 9 different sized keys from 1.5mm to 6mm. The fold out cover becomes the handle and it can rotate a full 360�. How more super-useful can you get? Where has this idea been all our lives? A bent steel hex-shaped handle (often called an Allen-key)…

Gadgets May 8, 2009 posted by Dan

Blood Tantalum – how our gadget habit affects the world’s war zones

[Photo from Open Anthropology] There’s a fascinating article in today’s Sydney Morning Herald on the illegal world-wide trade in minerals, specifically what has become known as blood tantalum. Most people would be aware of conflict or blood diamonds and how the profits from selling them are used to finance wars in strife-torn areas. As more and more international pressure is being brought to bear on this diamond trade, some of the rebel groups are turning to other minerals to finance…

Bizarre May 7, 2009 posted by Dan

Star Trek Voyager Singularity – every Voyager episode at once, for art’s sake

What happens when you display every Star Trek Voyager episode ever made on the screen at once? You get the Star Trek Voyager Singularity. Artist Arthur Vierkant torrented all 172 Voyager episodes, assembled them in Final Cut Pro and produced a 56 minute long episode showing all of the episodes at once. I don’t think there was any sound. Click through and see a 2 minute, fast forward version. [via Information Aesthetics] Concept: Display each episode of the television series…

Bookmark This! May 7, 2009 posted by Dan

Poladroid – polaroid your pics and party like it’s 1979

If your photos have colour accuracy that is way too good, not enough vignetting and frankly just look too 2009, then head on over to Poladroid and sort them out. Just download the app (yes I know), drop in your photos and wait . . . wait . . shake and you’ll have your pics. Any swooning, overwhelming waves of nostalgia or dizziness is not the responsibility of management. You’ll just have to deal. [Photo by from the Polardroid Flickr…

heh heh! May 7, 2009 posted by Dan

Spreadtweet – it’s Twitter disguised as a spreadsheet

Spreadtweet needs to go on the Red Ferret shortlist for best-named product of 2009. Basically it’s a boss key for Twitter allowing you to receive and view updates while you work, displaying them in a faux Excel (2003 or 2007) or iWork Numbers (OS X) spreadsheet. Needs the Adobe AIR runtime. Or perhaps you should speak to some one about your addiction. So, you work at a big corporate, huh? And you’re not allowed to use Twitter… Wouldn’t it be…

Gadgets May 6, 2009 posted by Dan

Celery – Where are they now?

Celery popped up on the Ferret a couple of years ago and looked like a great idea for the computer-phobic or the computer-can’t-be-bothered. Well Celery is moving onwards and upwards and has added a couple of fairly significant features. For starters the Celery system can now read and transcribe Atom and RSS feeds, so anything you can subscribe to can be added to Celery (better keep that paper tray full). Drunken weekend escapades on Facebook complete with pictures? Sorted. Can’t…

Eco Friendly May 6, 2009 posted by Dan

Solar Fairy Lights – sparkly garden lights without the guilt

Fairly lights are party-lighting gold but no one wants to entertain with eco-guilt weighing on their mind. Enter the Solar Fairy Lights to free you from your ecological and technological burdens. They don’t require an electrician to install, are available in 5 or 10 metre lengths and after a hard day’s charging they’re good for 20 hours of tree lighting goodness. The solar panels, lights and control box are all weather resistant and you can stick them anywhere you like….

Gadgets May 6, 2009 posted by Dan

Mighty Mouse 5 – water proof mouse for off road computing

Forget the other mighty mices, the Mighty Mouse 5 waterproof mouse is a silicone-clad navigating juggernaut and can be used in temperatures from 0�C – 70�C. It’s 100% water and dust sealed to an IP rating of 68. That means you can use the darn thing under water or in a flour silo or even in a flour silo flooded with water. Hmmm damper. Despite their apocalypse-ready pedigree they are also normal USB computer mice, albeit with 5 buttons. The…

Gadgets May 5, 2009 posted by Dan

Army Rescue Tape – do anything repair tape

Hot on the heels of Nuclear Duct Tape, is Army Rescue Tape, tape so good the armed forces use it. Doesn’t say what they use it for though. Made of silicone, the tape permanently bonds to itself 1 minute after adhesion. The tape tears at 700psi so I wouldn’t recommend using your teeth to tear a strip off. It’s acid, solvent and oil resistant and like everything this side of bacteria, it’s resistant to UV rays. A 1″ � 3m…

Awesome May 5, 2009 posted by Dan

Nano Reisen – take a journey through the nano world

Nano Reisen is a fascinating interactive Flash trip into the nano world. The journey takes you through how light is created in LEDs, the structure of computer components and all the way down the biological rabbit hole through DNA and into the nucleus of a carbon atom. There’s a lot to digest and it’s very detailed but do yourself a favour and have look, you’ll need 10-15 minutes to do it some justice. It’s a German site, but multi-lingual with…

Gadgets May 4, 2009 posted by Dan

USB Ionic Lifestyle Generator – USB negative ion generator

If good-looking barefoot people lounging around in loose fitting clothing in sun-drenched rooms is your idea of healthy, then check out the USB Ionic Lifestyle Generator. Just plug it into a USB hole and instantly it will start spewing out the negative ion equivalent of 10 to 20 waterfalls. All from the power of your computer!! But that’s not all, they also claim it eliminates electromagnetic waves from your computer! Presumably it knows which rays to stop otherwise you may…

Awesome April 30, 2009 posted by Dan

Memolio – super stylish digital photo printing service

Memolio is a fantastic new twist on getting your digital photos printed. Simply upload 24 of your favourite digital photos and they’ll print them onto a swish, business card sized (103 mm x 62 mm), fan-out display album. Each page is double-sided and printed on white polyester which is waterproof, tear-proof even compliant with toy regulations so they should be tough and kid friendly. Making the album is easy and everything is browser-based. Just upload 24 photos (.jpg, .gif or…

Author Archives: Dan