Posts by Category: cool tech

Funky stuff, man!
cool tech September 20, 2007 posted by
Share

Hexayurt Project – cheap Open Source DIY dwelling for hot climates

The Hexayurt costs around $200.00 to build using basic building materials and rolls of tape. The advantage it gives is cool shade under the hot sun, warm shelter at night and rapid deployment which is great for disaster relief. Clearly it benefits from material cost advantages derived from the current booming US building industry (until the bubble bursts?) but it’s an interesting project, no doubt. Here are some building instructions. It won a Treehugger award too.   You get the boards and you…


Continue Reading »Hexayurt Project – cheap Open Source DIY dwelling for hot climates
cool tech September 17, 2007 posted by
Share

Sun Lizard Ventilation System – cool or warm your home via solar goodness

The Sun Lizard is a new home ventilation system that uses solar power to cool your home in the summer and heat it up in the winter. It works by moving air around the house and warming or expelling it as needed. Quite clever really, although it may work better in a place like Oz than in grey London. The short video gives a good graphical explanation. [Thanks Dan]  Introducing the Sun Lizard, a unique way of heating and cooling your home….


Continue Reading »Sun Lizard Ventilation System – cool or warm your home via solar goodness
cool tech September 14, 2007 posted by
Share

Earth Class Mail – manage your postal mail as easily as email

Earth Class Mail is a new service which lets you stay on top of your snail mail post while you’re traveling. Just redirect your post to one of their PO boxes or street addresses and the company will scan the incoming sealed envelopes as they arrive. You then view the images and choose which ones you want opened, forwarded, left alone or shredded. They’ll scan the letters you want to read and send you the scan remotely. Clever eh? And great for dumping…


Continue Reading »Earth Class Mail – manage your postal mail as easily as email
Bookmark This! September 14, 2007 posted by
Share

A Torrent of television tech – or how to bypass network schedules and win…

Here’s a nice CNET 3 step guide on how to auto-download and watch your favourite television shows using BitTorrent, tvRSS.net and the Open Source Miro player. Warning – in some countries this could get you arrested, locked up, your toe-nails ripped out and several very hot implements placed in surgically sensitive places. You have been warned! [via Slashdot]  NBC’s recent withdraw from the iTunes store leaves the millions of users of Apple iPods without a legitimate way to purchase and…


Continue Reading »A Torrent of television tech – or how to bypass network schedules and win…
cool tech September 13, 2007 posted by
Share

Phonak Audeo – the art of the stylish hearing aid

The new Phonak Audeo has got to be the world’s most elegant and discreet hearing aid. Actually, according to the blurb it’s a Personal Communication Assistant, so we’d better be careful with our words. Anyway it comes in 15 different colour schemes and features two microphones, high frequency optimisation and a shed load of technology to help you hear better in difficult environments. All of which should make you feel much relieved as you contemplate the $4000.00 or so you dropped into…


Continue Reading »Phonak Audeo – the art of the stylish hearing aid
cool tech September 13, 2007 posted by
Share

CatCam – the all-seeing cat tracker camera for sale

Heh, remember that German guy who attached a camera to his cat to see where it went on its travels? Well he’s selling kits or complete cameras for others to play with. The CatCam contains a camera, controller (for timed shots) and a protective housing. You supply battery, SD storage card and the bloody hands from attaching it to cat collar. Priced from $60.00 and available in very short supply (i.e. 4 weeks minimum lead time). Cool runnings.  CatCam, contains: modified…


Continue Reading »CatCam – the all-seeing cat tracker camera for sale
cool tech September 13, 2007 posted by
Share

Simplify Media – listen to and share your iTunes tracks over the Internet

Simplify Media for Windows and Mac lets you listen to your home iTunes music library over the Internet and browse or share your friend’s library. Download and install the free software, select what folders you want to share and connect up remotely when you want to listen on your travels. Streaming only, no download and CD burning allowed, but it’s still a pretty cool app.  Simplify Media software lets you browse and play remote music using the iTunes software interface. Music…


Continue Reading »Simplify Media – listen to and share your iTunes tracks over the Internet
cool tech September 13, 2007 posted by
Share

Joost gets Paramount UK – Trekkies rejoice…

Heck yeah, Joost has just launched a Paramount UK movie channel, which is the first really ‘mainstream’ content they’ve featured. Trekkies will be delighted to know that they can now watch their old stuff for free, and at amazingly good quality considering it’s streaming live. I’m beginning to think that Joost may do to television what Skype is doing to the telephone industry. Astonishing! Tags: joost, movies, online+television


Continue Reading »Joost gets Paramount UK – Trekkies rejoice…
cool tech September 12, 2007 posted by
Share

Free iPhone Unlock released – saucy hack puts Apple in a stew…

Well it took a few months, but finally you can unlock your iPhone for free using a free software kit developed by some rather clever hackers from across the world. And here’s some instructions for you. You may also need the iBrickr utility. Couch potatoes should probably lean back, grab a pack of Pringles and wait for a full blown Windows/Mac installer, and if you’re in Europe wait for an iPhone to arrive too. Probably. This has been a public service…


Continue Reading »Free iPhone Unlock released – saucy hack puts Apple in a stew…
cool tech September 12, 2007 posted by
Share

Phonevite – quick and easy voice broadcasts via your phone

Phonevite. ‘Broadcast your voice’. VoIP meets Web 2.0 meets megaphone. Use it to broadcast announcements, invitations, reminders and other stuff to lots of people via the telephone. The whole thing centres around a slick administration panel on the Web site, through which you organise your address and groups list, as well as view responses to your broadcast etc. Record your message – using either your phone or a special IE browser recording plugin – and then either schedule it for a…


Continue Reading »Phonevite – quick and easy voice broadcasts via your phone
cool tech September 12, 2007 posted by
Share

Your DNA on a stick – getting up close and personal with your body

23andMe is a new biotechnology company funded inter alia via Esther Dyson, which aims to give everyone a chance to read their own DNA. The company won’t uncover the whole of your DNA sequence – that’s a bit £1 million complex – but they’ll scan 23 ‘paired volumes’, which apparently is enough to reveal facts about your ancestry, inherited traits and stuff. Eventually the founders hope that the service will let us take advantage of ‘personalized medicine’ which is tailored to our biological…


Continue Reading »Your DNA on a stick – getting up close and personal with your body
cool tech September 11, 2007 posted by
Share

I-Sobot – the world’s smallest fully functioning robot?

Apparently Tomy’s I-SOBOT  (no not Tony’s, his is bigger) is the world’s smallest fully functioning robot. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t mean ‘functioning’ as in a ‘take me to your leader’ kind of way. More like a ‘17 servo motors and gyro-sensor’ thing. Anyhoo, it’s six inches tall, follows your voice commands and can play air guitar which may or may not be worth $299.99 to you. Here’s a couple of nice videos to keep you amused for a second…


Continue Reading »I-Sobot – the world’s smallest fully functioning robot?
cool tech September 11, 2007 posted by
Share

Inside the world’s biggest plane – Airbus A380 glamour shots

These images from inside the new Airbus A380 550 seater aircraft are just a little unnerving methinks. Why? Well take a look at all those LCD screens for a start. There must be a dozen of them littered around the place. I just hope they keep a damp cloth on hand in case of any nasty spills. And let’s not look too long at the PC joystick masquerading as a ‘proper’ controller either. Is that a red missile launch button I spy?…


Continue Reading »Inside the world’s biggest plane – Airbus A380 glamour shots
Awesome September 10, 2007 posted by
Share

80 of the most dangerous geeks in the world – assassinating Microsoft one clock tick at a time

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…


Continue Reading »80 of the most dangerous geeks in the world – assassinating Microsoft one clock tick at a time
but is it art? September 5, 2007 posted by
Share

Sneaker Power – DIY energy from roller shoes

The Energy Harvesting Sneakers produce power from roller sneakers to drive a small display. It’s part of a Kinetic Shoes art project at the moment, but why not extend the concept and give everyone a chance to produce their own power through motion, or what they call power harvesting? [PDF] Accelerometers, gyros, roller ball mechanisms, even solar panels – parcel them all up into a Personal Power Pack and never have to worry about charging your phone or music player again. Cool. Tags:…


Continue Reading »Sneaker Power – DIY energy from roller shoes