‘You-know-what’ day (Feb. 14) is just around the corner, and if you were hoping to create some ambiance wherever you end up, this miniature rechargeable lampshade could be just the thing. I assume it’s got an LED in there, and the colors or ambiance it creates is completely dependent on what objects you place it over, and somehow that’s where the name ‘Whose Leg?’ comes from. Yeah, I don’t get it either.
Oh, and when I mentioned that you can get this for ‘You-know-what’ day, I meant ‘You-know-what’ day 2010, since the Whose Leg? Lampshade won’t be available until November. But you can pre-order one now from MollaSpace for $70.00.
As if raising kids wasn’t already expensive enough, ThinkGeek now wants you to get them addicted to the gadget high-life before they can even walk with the Combi iPod Bouncer. It looks like your standard infant bouncer, albeit with a slight designer twist, but the ‘killer app’ is the input for your iPod, or presumably any MP3 player. Not only does the Combi bouncer have some manner of built-in speakers allowing junior to enjoy your playlist of choice, but there’s also a vibration unit that’s driven by the music, because I guess babies like vibration.
Other features include a 3-point padded harness, a weight capacity of 25 lbs, a removable bar with hanging toys and electronic controls in the back allowing you to make adjustments without disturbing the child. All for $79.99 from ThinkGeek.
This little hamster is wearing a special jacket with a nanogenerator in it that harvests the biomechanical energy that the hamster creates as it moves. Each generator module can produce up to 70 milliwatts, and researchers are hoping to make them smaller to power nanoscale devices, as well as to integrate them into clothing to allow you to recharge stuff just by walking around. Too bad that sounds like soooo much more work than plugging things into the wall and then lying on the couch and watching them charge that way… But I guess I could just outfit my pet rats with biogenerator jackets of their own and replace their drinking water with Jolt.
[ The following concerns a paid campaign currently running on the site. ]
As the week draws to a close, you can tell that love is in the air. Everywhere you go you’re hearing and seeing plenty that suggests that Valentine’s Day is almost upon us. You can bet that plenty of people will be popping the big question tomorrow. You can also bet that people are asking questions every day over at the Laptop Experts site. Check out what I’ve been up to this past week.
On Monday I’ll be back on the scene answering 6 per day, so if you’ve had a question or two that is in need of answering, head over and ask. While there are several experts such as myself that are answering inquiries on a daily basis, we’re always happy to see others contributing their own answers to the community, so head on over and answer a question or two.
In the last month we’ve seen a digital camera and mobile phone that appear to have been constructed of LEGO bricks. While we’re not exactly sure why LEGO is venturing into the gadget world, it appears that the company has more bricked-out products up its sleeve. This time they’ve crafted a video camera.
The camcorder looks a little less like it was actually constructed of LEGO bricks than the camera, but it still isn’t half bad. I guess I’m just a little stumped as to why they are making these. Sure, it’s fun to mod your own gadgets and recreate them with LEGOs, but to actually buy a device that looks like it’s made from those colorful bricks isn’t nearly as cool. Not sure if this is actually going to end up on store shelves, or if they just made it for kicks.
I’ve been checking out Windows 7 since the beta opened up a little while ago, and have thus far been fairly pleased with it. I’m not a huge Vista hater (I can’t say that I’m in love with it either) but I’m looking forward to the new OS so that I can go ahead and upgrade. I always hate this period of time between operating systems because end-users are sort of in limbo. Everyone is hearing how great the new version is going to be, but they want to upgrade their system now. So what does one do? Well my suggestion this time around would be to wait until July 1st of this year to get a new computer.
Seems like a pretty specific date to be buying a computer, but it’ll definitely be worth the wait. You see, if you purchase a computer after this date, you’ll be able to upgrade to Windows 7 for free (once it is released, of course). The only snag here is that some OEMs may not opt to participate in this promotion, so you’ll need to read the fine print. For those that do take advantage of it, you’ll be in a win-win situation. You’ll have your new hardware now, and you’ll get the new software when it hits without paying extra. Even better, if for some reason Windows 7 ends up worse than Vista (at this point it would take a lot to make it that bad), you can keep Vista.
What is it about designers that drives them to create objects that are just plain annoying to use? I’m sure that a lot of things sound good in their heads, but aren’t actually practical when put to the test. Take this weird Eyeclock for example.
Sure, it’s kind of cute to look at. It looks like a pair of crazy eyes, but what time is it? After staring at it for several seconds, you’ll probably be able to figure out the time. However, if you’re sitting more than a few feet away, you’ll only get a rough approximation at best. Personally, I don’t want to have to stare at a clock for more than a second or two to figure out the time. Since this is merely a concept design, there’s a good chance I won’t actually ever have to look at one.
Created by Mytton Williams Design, these calendar pencils will have you looking forward to the start of each month. Why you ask? Well the pencils feature the days of the month listed vertically, and to ‘cross-off’ each day you simply sharpen it a little bit. But by the time the 28th to the 31st of each month rolls around, you’ll be writing or sketching with a nub of a pencil until you can switch to the next month. Oh, and the pencils are also color coded to reflect the average temperatures experienced in each month, as long as you live in a part of the world where July and August are hot while December and January are cold.
The 2009 Pencil Calendars are still available from the Mytton Williams Design website for about $17.
Related Tags: Lighting
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