This week on TGWP I wanted to dig back through my gaming memories as far as I could go, all the way back to the beginning in fact. Like with most families, the Commodore 64 entered our home because my parents thought it would help me in my grade school career with tasks like word processing and what-not. And like with most families, the C64 ended up being a video game console more than anything. Now I’m not sure if the cartridge came bundled with the system or not, but I do know that Radar Rat Race was the very first video game I ever played, on any system. And you know what they say, you never forget your first.
In the game you played as a rat, racing through a maze, trying to collect pieces of cheese while avoiding other rats and randomly placed cats that served as stationary traps more than anything. Besides steering your rat around the maze, the only trick you had to avoid nasty confrontations was to leave a trail behind you that other rats couldn’t cross, and if you were cunning enough, it could be used to trap them as well. Because it was the first game I ever played, I have a lot of very distinct memories of Radar Rat Race, and if you’ve ever wanted to get that Three Blind Mice song stuck in your head, I highly recommend checking out the ‘gameplay’ video I’ve included below.
There’s no doubt about it, those ‘pillows’ they distribute on airplanes during long flights just don’t cut it if you’re in the need for some serious sleep recovery. I’m pretty sure the bags of peanuts they hand out (or used to) have more stuffing in them, so that’s why you need to start bringing your own. And what could be easier to travel with than this Take Me Anywhere suitcase pillow made by Etsy seller Olive. It comes complete with a carrying handle and a luggage tag that can be custom stitched with any destination at no additional charge. Sure, it would probably count as one of your carry-on items and sure, at $40 it’s an expensive alternative to something the airlines hand out for free, but anything that makes economy class more enjoyable is worth it in my opinion.
Even though they’re still in the prototype stage and not terribly efficient at this point, I still think these solar powered rechargeable batteries are a brilliant idea. Designed by Knut Karlsen, the SunCats are basically a set of old NiMH rechargeable batteries wrapped in a flexible Photo Voltaic cell created by the Institute for Energy Technology. When the batteries are drained, you simply leave them sitting in a windowsill or anywhere with ample sunlight and they’ll recharge themselves.
The PV cells were simply glued onto the batteries and wired up using a conductive silver pen and some flat wires scavenged from a broken canon lens. At the moment they only provide a weak trickle charge to the batteries, but Knut envisions a second version with built-in capacitors and electronics to make the charging process more efficient.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the GSM Association (which includes such members as Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, LG, T-Mobile, and AT&T) has agreed for seriously we mean it this time they swear that they’re going to make allmost the majority of handsets micro-USB charger compliant soon by 2012. I’m sure they’re just doing this out of the goodness of their hearts, and not because the European Union was threatening legal action, but let’s just say I’ll be more than a little bit shocked if cell phone manufacturers manage to give up the lucrative proprietary accessory market just because it’s a good idea that will make things easier for consumers and better for the environment.
Here’s another example where the previous generation occasionally had better toys than we did. Back in the 60s Mattel sold this Vac-U-Form playset allowing kids to reproduce pretty much any small object they could fit into its mold. Using the Vac-U-Form was as easy as clamping a piece of plastic into a hinged frame and then heating it over a metal plate. When the plastic was soft enough to be molded the frame was swung over to the other side and pressed over the object you wanted to duplicate. As you pressed down a vacuum was formed, sucking the plastic into shape. Pretty much the same way vacuum forming is done today.
Of course if such a toy existed today, not only would it be missing that exposed metal heating plate, but it would probably come with a warning that the Vac-U-Form should only be used for making backup copies of your existing toys, and not for making copies of toys to be distributed to friends.
Woot.com normally sells one heavily discounted gizmo-y item every 24 hours, but during a Woot-Off, a new item appears as soon as the current item sells out (sometimes after mere seconds). Nobody knows what’s coming up next, but whatever it is, it’s dirt cheap (with flat rate $5 shipping). Among the items you’ve missed so far have been an 8″x6″ USB graphics tablet for $30, a Pentax K100D DSLR body for $240, and a Netgear wireless router and USB print server for $20.
If you’re too lazy to refresh the page to see when the item changes, here’s a list of automatic Woot-Off checkers.
One of the main reasons that I miss calls is that I’ve left my phone on vibrate, and I don’t feel it go off. If an important call comes in, there’s no really good way to know I’ll get it without turning the ringer back on, or leaving my phone out where I can see it (or hear it vibrate). One solution we’ve seen in the past is the Vibrating Bluetooth Bracelet. It was an interesting gadget, if a little plain. Well the idea has been updated, with one very important new feature.
The new Bluetooth Bracelet also vibrates to let you know there is a call, but takes things a step further by displaying caller ID info. Now you’ll know if it’s that important call you’ve been waiting for without pulling the phone out of your pocket. The price is right too, at $26, it’s almost half the price of the original.
Unless you have a job that requires you to be present on Saturday and Sunday, pretty much everyone looks forward to the weekend. Sure, there are those crazy people that actually enjoy their job so much that they can’t stand being away for two days, but they’re crazy. For all of the normal people that enjoy their weekend, there is the Weekend Clock.
This clock doesn’t just tell you what time it is, but lets you know how many hours, minutes and even seconds are left before your weekend. Don’t worry, if your two days off are during the week, you can still set the clock to count down to those days. It should be available sometime in the near future for around $30
The Monowheel has never come across as the safest looking mode of transportation to me, but shrink them down so they’re small enough to wear on each foot and you’ve got my attention. That’s what a company called Inventist did with the Orbitwheels, which they were showing off at this year’s Toy Fair. While they look like a monowheel crossed with a pair of inline skates, riding them is apparently more akin to being on a skateboard, though to propel yourself you have to make an ‘s-pattern’ type movement with your feet. Now I’m not sure if Orbitwheels can be considered a safer alternative to skates or a deck, but the long warning scroll at the beginning of this instructional video doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence in me.
But if a skinned knee or a shattered wrist is a small price to pay for a new adventure, you can order a pair of Orbitwheels from the Inventist website for $119.95.
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By Evan Ackerman
