Oh! Gizmo

By Evan Ackerman

Want to know where the whole dog versus cat thing got started? I’ll tell you: allergies. Dogs are allergic to cats. Think about it, it makes so much sense, especially for us humans who also have cat allergies. Allergies turn you in to a crazy feral beast who sneezes. The solution to this, obviously, is to get your dog a personal ionic air purifier, which will virtually guarantee harmony with all other animal species. But wait, there’s more.

In addition to cleaning the air that your pet breathes in, the purifier will also “instantly neutralize smells,” a feature which I’m sure all dogs will appreciate. And if they’d rather not have one of their senses denozzified, you can pop in preloaded “scent cartridges” which are “available in many different scents to relax, calm, soothe & energize your pets.” Brilliant, brilliant I say.

The mini wearable ionizer air purifier for pets is a fabulous value at only $17.20.

[ Uxsight ] VIA [ Techchee ]

By Evan Ackerman

Yes, this fishbowl leaks. No, don’t send it back, it’s supposed to do that. There’s a hole in the side that continually spills water into an understandably thirsty fish at the base, where it’s cleaned and recycled back into the bowl. Some kind of filter apparatus keeps the fish from getting out, however much an array of color changing LEDs in the bottom of the bowl may drive them to suicide. I imagine that the water coming out of the bowl probably has a decidedly fishy aroma, but mabe that’s something that you’re looking for, you know, to lend a little bit of oceanic atmosphere to your life.

The Spillarium holds 5 gallons of water, and comes with “artificial fish” and “artificial plants.” And, for some reason, a real net and some real fish food. It’s $130 at Hammacher Schlemmeleakybowl.

[ Spillarium ] VIA [ Coolest Gadgets ]

By Andrew Liszewski

In addition to new 135 degree wide angle lens models and a 720P ‘HD’ version of their camera-equipped scuba masks, Liquid Image has also unveiled snow and swim goggle versions of their products just in time for CES 2010. The Summit Series Snow Camera Goggle model 335 has a 5MP still camera that can also capture D1 resolution video (720×480) to its 16MB of built-in flash memory. (Which can mercifully be expanded to 16GB thanks to a microSD/SDHC card slot.) It’s also got oversized glove-friendly mode and shutter buttons on the side of the frame as well as a set of LED lights inside the goggles to indicate when it’s recording. (Available late Summer 2010.)

What’s even more impressive is the company’s new Freestyle Series Swim Camera Goggle model 330. While it’s only got a 1.3MP camera that can also capture VGA resolution videos (640×480) the whole unit is barely larger than a regular pair of swim goggles. And unlike the Snow Camera Goggles, the swim model has a healthy 4GB of built-in memory which is good for about 90 minutes of video, while the rechargeable lithium battery that should last just as long. (Available April 2010.)

[ Liquid Image ]

By Andrew Liszewski

If you’re looking for a new way to justify that $1,000+ DSLR you just bought, and have run out of objects to stick in front of your macro lens, you might want to give Kirlian photography a shot. It uses high voltage applied to everyday objects to create unique exposures of the corona discharge, and thanks to this $295 Kirlian Imaging Device you don’t need a mad scientist-esque laboratory to make them!

Now normally an exposure is created by placing a piece of sheet film on the metal discharge plate, but since you probably bought your DSLR so you wouldn’t have to get film developed anymore, there’s also an optional $129.95 transparent discharge plate that allows you to take photographs using your digital camera. The whole setup looks reasonably safe, though it’s cautioned that you’ll need to deal with a ground wire if you’re photographing inanimate objects, which leads me to wonder what living creatures this could actually be used with.

[ Kirlian High Voltage Imaging Device ] VIA [ Random Good Stuff ]

By Evan Ackerman

This is a PC. There’s no good reason why it’s a PC, but it’s a PC. Or if there IS a good reason why it’s a PC, there’s no good reason why it looks like this. From Artopz (”Technology In Design,” which is as literal a motto as I’ve ever seen) comes this series of three designer weird-ass desktop computers, each one of which is also a lamp.

A lamp!

As far as I can tell (and I can’t really tell), all of the PC bits are stuffed into the aluminum base, with the designer weird-ass lamp on top. The lamp is somehow connected to the PC in that it changes color depending on what the computer is doing, although it can also be controlled independently. The PC itself is decidedly lower midrange, with an Atom processor, 4 gigs of RAM, a DVD burner, and over 600 gigs of SSD storage. It comes with Windows 7 and no monitor, and you can buy one (after a seven week wait) starting at about $2500.

[ Artopz ] VIA [ Gizmag ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I found this photo of someone’s Game Stop Duke Nukem Forever pre-order receipt rather amusing. It appears to be dated August 2001, and as you can clearly see the years have left it a bit yellowed, faded and if I’m not mistaken, even a little sad looking. I wonder if they’ve got a pre-order for the Gizmondo or the Phantom console lying around too?

[ imgur ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

By Andrew Liszewski

The mere mention of an official iPhone LEGO app might make you excited about building virtual police cars and pirate ships during your commute in the morning, but I’m afraid you’ll have to put those dreams on hold. LEGO’s first venture into mobile apps is actually a photography program that will pixelate any photo you take, or shots already in your iPhone’s Photo Library. Tapping a LEGO-ized photo also refreshes the color palette of the bricks being used if you’re not happy with the apps first conversion attempt, and the modified shots can be saved out to your Photo Library once you’re pleased with the results. Free from the iTunes App Store, available right now.

[ iTunes - LEGO Photo ] VIA [ Gizmodo ]

By Andrew Liszewski

With 200 MB/s read and 170 MB/s write speeds, A-DATA’s new N002 flash drive makes a convincing argument to upgrade to USB 3.0. But if you’re not ready to take the bleeding edge plunge just yet, the drive is also equipped with a SATA II connection and is even backwards with USB 2.0, though you’ll be taking a bit of a speed hit there. A-DATA claims the drive will be hitting the market sometime in January of 2010 and will be available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB capacities, though pricing information has not been announced yet.

[ PR - A-DATA N002 Combo Flash Drive ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Hailing from the Midwest means that I’ve really never had a reason to own a wetsuit. However, for those of you that happen to spend a lot of time in waters that require such protection, I give you the Star Trek Wetsuit. If you have the need to show your love of the original series even while underwater, then these are for you.

These 7MM suits are tailored specifically to your exact measurements and supplied by JMJ Wetsuits.  At $470 a pop, you’ll be paying around a hundred bucks extra for the Star Trek theme. The traditional yellow, blue and red uniform colors are available, though no sane person would dare jump in the water in a red suit. That’s just asking for trouble.

[ Roddenberry ] VIA [ Dvice ]