Oh! Gizmo

By David Ponce

With the summer here, I bet many of you would appreciate the Mosquito Mega-Catch, a lean, mean, mosquito murderer. It uses

a strip of octenol (to generate a scent that resembles breath), a UV bulb, and flashing LEDs (oscillating frequencies determined to coincide with spectral sensitivities of many mosquitoes).

When mosquitoes get close to the trap, the patented airflow system that disperses the attractant sucks the insects inside, where they are collected in a mesh catch bag or a liquid catch pan that is easy and safe to empty. In a USDA suburban test, our trap captured up to 1,200 mosquitoes in a single night and diminished mosquito populations over an entire acre.

So, not only are you ridding yourself of these suckers, you’re doing your neighborhood a service. And at $200 from Hammacher-Schlemmer, it’s not completely unaffordable.

Lovely.

[The Mosquito Mega-Catch] VIA [Uncrate]

By David Ponce

From the unlikeliest of places comes news of the world’s thinnest ePaper. Indeed, Bridgestone tires (yup, yup, the tire people) has announced that they’ve developed QR-LDP e-paper (Quick Response – Liquid Powder Display) that’s 0.29mm thin. That’s a little less than a third of a millimeter, if you’re fractionally inclined.

Of course, this news coming from Japan, we’re low on details. As in, that’s all I know. I’m including a link to a Japanese press release, so if anyone feels there’s something there we should know, we’re all earses.

[Press Release] VIA [Akihabara News] VIA [Xataka]

By Bruce Eaton

Man and machine, Power Xtreme! Straight from the Centurions is the Gryphon Single Man Flying Wing. When strapped to a freefalling paratrooper, the 1.5m (4.9ft)-span delta wing and two micro-turbojets can propel a paratrooper a horizontal distance of 200km. Controlled by servos and holding 2 litres of fuel, you turn what would be a normal trooper drop into mini-man planes flying in from out of nowhere.

A German company is developing the technology and has yet to test it with the engines… but they have used non-engine models that allow for 50km glides. Long gone will be the days of the HALO jump to sneak in spies: just drop them from outside a country’s borders and they can fly themselves in. Obviously no price but I know what you’re thinking: how long till I can strap one on?

[Gryphon Single Man Flying Wing] VIA [Double Viking]

By Andrew Liszewski

This durable case holds something called ‘music CDs’ and a ‘CD player’ and also has a built-in flat-panel speaker allowing it to function as a sub-par boombox I assume.

It comes with 16 removable CD storage sleeves and an elasticized pouch for holding the CD player so by removing all the sleeves you can probably use it as an oversized case for your MP3 player instead. The speaker connects to your audio source VIA a standard headphone jack and there’s even an additional headphone jack on it so that you can… well to be honest I’m not sure but it’s there if you need it.

The CD Case Speaker is powered by 2 AA batteries and is currently available at SolutionsCatalog.com for $14.00.

[CD Case Speaker]