Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

I’m not entirely sure where the idea to develop a video game based around oral hygiene and dental care came from, but it almost seems like Commodore was trying to make up for the other… let’s say… ‘less educational’ titles available for the system. And this was 1982, well before video games became the scapegoat for the majority of society’s woes. As I recall, Tooth Invaders was included with certain Commodore 64 bundles since I’m sure it would have had a hard time competing with other more exciting titles on store shelves. I mean it’s hard enough to get kids to brush every day as it is, I can’t imagine too many would have been thrilled with the idea of doing the same thing in a video game.

But it turns out that Tooth Invaders was one of the first games my uncle actually had for his Commodore 64, and whenever I visited it was usually the best option. In the game you play a kind of an oral superhero who goes around brushing small parasites off a set of 8 teeth. You had to be fast though, as the parasites were spread by a small army of roaming green meanies who were quick to undo all the work you had done. Once you had a tooth completely cleaned you could call for a fluoride rinse which would permanently protect the tooth so you could concentrate on cleaning the others. Of course if you didn’t stay on top of things a tooth would quickly become so covered with parasites that it would basically fall out, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make an impression on a 5 year old kid who felt brushing was a waste of time. Though it did take our family dentist quite a few years to convince me that my mouth was free of those roaming green meanies.

[ C64.com - Tooth Invaders ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Anyone who’s ever spent time waiting at a bar for their drink will appreciate the Trufill beverage dispenser concept from Scotsman Beverage Systems. The device is apparently set to revolutionize the beverage dispensing industry by filling glasses from the bottom instead of the top. Besides looking like a nifty parlor trick, the Trufill can apparently fill 10 pints of beer in just 10 seconds, which will not only increase the amount of hooch that can be sold in a given time, but will also reduce labor costs by up to 80%.

Now the details on the how the Trufill system works are a little vague right now, but I’m going to take an educated guess and say that Scotsman has somehow managed to manipulate matter on the quantum level, overcoming such issues as the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, to essentially transfer the beverage from a holding tank directly into the glass. Kind of like the transporters they use on that popular star trekking show. If I’m right, Scotsman’s new technology will have other groundbreaking uses, like filling Twinkies with cream or even Caramilk chocolate bars with caramel. What a time to be alive…

[ FOODBEV - Scotsman turns the beverage world upside down ] VIA [ UberReview ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I’m sure there are plenty of gearheads who would jump at the chance to buy their kid this Wing Man child seat that features a body made from carbon fiber which everyone knows is extremely lightweight and strong. Unfortunately though the childseat is just a prototype created by Rory Craig, a student at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. And while you might think the seat is just another piece of eye candy, the Wing Man is actually quite functional. It can be reconfigured for all 3 stages a child goes through when it comes to needing a car seat, which means you don’t have to keep upgrading to a new model each time. And the race-inspired harness is adjustable thanks to a set of holes on the back, so it will properly fit and secure your child as they grow.

All in all the Wing Man prototype cost Rory about $4,000 to create, and he’s trying to pitch the idea to Sparco Motor Sports who are already known for their line of seats, safety harnesses and other racing-related gear.

[ Carbon Fiber Gear - Carbon Fiber Children’s Car Seat Prototype By Rory Craig ] VIA
[ Jalopnik ]

This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

Sometimes I run across a product that I think would have been awesome, had it come out a decade earlier. Usually these are themed products, featuring a character that hasn’t been popular for years. Sure, the likes of Pac-Man, Mario and the Space Invaders can stand the test of time, Sonic The Hedgehog really hasn’t been cool for a while now.

I’ll admit that I had a bit of Sonic merchandise back in the day, and even watched the cartoon show (featuring the guy that played Steve Urkel), however, I just can’t get excited about this Reactor Mini Chair featuring The Fastest Thing Alive. Not to mention the promise of “a full-body sensory experience” from Sonic just creeps me out. If that’s your thing, then you’ll be able to experience such pleasures on November 21st for $69.99.

[ UltimateGameChair ] VIA [ GamerFront ]

By Luke Anderson

Am I the only one that craves ice cream when it’s cold out? I believe I’ve stopped by my local Dairy Queen three times in the last week. What’s even stranger, is that ice cream is the old cold treat that I actually enjoy more when it’s already cold out. Popsicles and the like just don’t sound good unless it’s the middle of summer. Well, whenever it is that you enjoy such frozen treats, you can now make your own Freeze Pops.

I’m sure that everyone remembers those plastic tubes filled with what I can only imagine to be frozen Kool-Aid. Well thanks to the Freeze Pop Machine, you can make them yourself. Normally, I’m all about these sorts of things, since they generally save you money. However, you can buy a case of 100 Freeze Pops at the grocery store for around $15. Honestly, it’s going to take a long time to make back the initial $33 investment on the machine itself.

[ LighterSide ] VIA [ RGS ]

By Luke Anderson

How many times have you wanted to take a nice picture, but found that you really needed a tripod in order to pull it off? I rarely ever tote around a tripod, since my DSLR is cumbersome enough by itself. While I’ve seen several rather portable tripods, I’ve yet to see anything quite as interesting as this Bottle Cap Tripod.

Everyone close to me knows that I’m a big Mountain Dew drinker, so there’s a good chance that I have a bottle close by. Now if I just had one of these little caps in my pocket, I’d be all set. This tiny gadget screws into the tripod mounting screw hole on the bottom of your camera, then you slide it over a bottle cap. Sure, it’ll be a bit top-heavy, but in a pinch it would serve its purpose. For just $10, I’d say that it’s a worthwhile investment.

[ CharlesAndMarie ] VIA [ GearFuse ]

[ The following concerns a paid campaign currently running on the site. ]

By David Ponce

So here I was, thinking my low-qual video was at least moderately entertaining, despite being, well… horribly low quality (not so hot for an overhyped N96 video, to tell you the truth). But the more I look at it, the more I think it cruel and unusual punishment to subject you to any more of me this way. So instead, I’ll just include a little gallery of blurry iPhone pics after the jump. If you want to see the full article, with descriptions and stuff, hit the link at the end.

Does anyone here think I have an obsession with low quality?

Read the rest of this entry »

By Andrew Liszewski

Like the metal plate x-ray messages I wrote about a few months ago, these ‘weapon suitcases’ designed by PinkWolf (I assume) are basically just another way to get yourself a one-way ticket to an airport’s holding cell room. The suitcases feature a faux weapon like a knife, a handgun and even an ax molded into the lid and are actually available for sale by mail order. And while I have no idea how much they cost, you’ll also need to factor in the price of the ticket for the flight you’re going to miss if you decide to bring the suitcase along on your next trip.

[ PinkWolf's Weapon Suitcases ] VIA [ NOTCOT ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I’m going to file this one under ‘things I wish I’d thought of when I was in high school.’ I can’t tell you how often I relied on a graphing calculator to get me through a boring class, whether it was high school french, or even university-level script writing. But Mark Bowers has taken things one step further by sticking an old Game Boy Color into a broken Texas Instruments TI-83 calculator. (Even though that’s actually a TI-84 in the photo.)

What’s particularly cool is that he actually mapped the TI-83’s 4-way directional pad and various other keys to the directional pad and A, B, Start & Select buttons on the Game Boy Color. While the screen on the final product suffers from a bit of letterboxing on the sides because of the smaller GB display, and the underside features an unfortunate bulge because of the batteries, from the top I doubt of any of Mark’s teachers would discover his clever ruse.

[ MarkBowers.org - GameBoy Color inside a TI-83 series calculator ] VIA [ MAKE: Blog ]