By Andrew Liszewski

Because there’s nothing more embarrassing than heading out on the slopes with a pair of headphones that don’t match your goggles, Dragon Alliance and Skullcandy have teamed up for the DX Skullcandy/Ionized snow goggles. They’re helmet compatible, feature an anti-fog lens, micro fleece lining and 100% UV protection, and from what I can tell may or may not come in 3 different designs. And even though it may not be snowing where you live, you can still order a pair from Zappos for $132 and be prepared for when the white stuff eventually starts to fall again.

[ DX Skullcandy/Ionized Snow Goggles ] VIA [ Chip Chick ]

By Andrew Liszewski

A new medical diagnosis device known as the SPTT, or Standoff Patient Triage Tool, could be our first glimpse at a real-life tricorder, or at the least a primitive ancestor of one. The SPTT uses lasers to measure vibrations of a human head and chest to calculate the vital signs of a patient, like pulse, body temperature and muscle movement from a distance of up to 40 feet away.

Now the device is no replacement for a doctor or a paramedic, but in the event of an accident or emergency where there are multiple victims, it could let first responders determine who needs medical treatment first, a process known as triage. Normally it takes a medic about 3 to 5 minutes per person to determine the severity of their condition or injuries, but using the SPTT it could take as little as 30 seconds, which really could mean the difference between life and death.

The Standoff Patient Triage Tool is expected to start field tests sometime this Fall.

[ Scientific American - Trekkie triage: Could a new device aid medics? ] VIA [ io9 ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Designed by Clifford Couvillon, the Playnetix Tumbler 1.0 is a modern take on playground equipment, with some pretty lofty goals. You see, getting the younger set (like kids 6 and under) to go outside and play usually doesn’t take much more than a swingset and a slide. But those pesky tweens are a different story. Tearing them away from their video games and cellular phones for a little physical activity isn’t so easy. But Clifford is hoping the Tumbler 1.0 will do just that.

It’s a 3D triangular structure that constantly moves and pivots thanks to a special ball joint that’s anchored to the ground with a strong coil spring. As someone climbs on the Tumbler their added weight causes it to tip and sway which in theory encourages them to keep moving around and exploring the structure. At the least, it does look like a lot more fun than a set of monkey bars.

[ Yanko Design - New Play In The Playground ] VIA [ cribcandy ]

By Evan Ackerman

When I reviewed the Eye-Fi wireless SD card back in May, one of the quibbles I had with it was that there was no way to decide which pictures you wanted to upload. The card would send ‘em all… Good ones, bad ones, naked ones, everything you take just goes. In fact, here’s what I said: “there isn’t any way to designate specific pictures to upload, or not to upload. But of course, there isn’t really a way to integrate that sort of functionality into the card itself.” Yep, I said that. Happily, I’m here to report that I’m an idiot and Eye-Fi is a genius, because they’ve made it happen: you can now selectively upload pictures from your camera.

It’s quite simple, really: using the online manager, you can set up the card to only upload pictures (or videos) that you’ve designated on your camera as locked. That’s it. The rest of the pictures will stay on your card for you to do whatever you like with. On my Nikon D40x, the lock button is right next to my thumb. It’s easy, it works, and as of today it’s available for free for all Eye-Fi cards.

Also released today is a new, uh, level? of Eye-Fi card, the Eye-Fi Pro. It costs $150, and is able to handle RAW files, as well as connect to a computer via an ad-hoc wireless network, i.e. no router necessary. These are certainly nice features, although RAW support at least seems more like a firmware upgrade, and it would be cool if Eye-Fi would push that option out to their other cards, even if it’s for a small fee, so that people who want to be able to upload RAW don’t have to buy a whole new card. I guess I shouldn’t really complain, though, since we’re getting the selective upload update for free.

[ Eye-Fi ]

By Evan Ackerman

A couple years ago (before the economy went belly up), we posted an article about custom airliners. Not just private jets, but giant luxurious monstrosities like personalized Boeing 747-8s. At the top of the heap is of course the Airbus A380, one of which was purchased for nearly half a billion dollars by a Saudi Prince. British company Design Q has been put in charge of fitting out the interior, which consists of 3 floors and includes four suites, a marble-lined steam room, a concert hall with a baby grand piano, a room on the belly of the plane with a virtual transparent floor (freaky), a parking garage, and an elevator that drops all the way down to ground level.

And there’s more, of course… I’m barely mentioning the holographic projection systems, the giant touchscreens, and the virtual prayer mats that always point toward Mecca. This is all good stuff, don’t get me wrong, but I would personally have preferred a swimming pool, or a petting zoo, or maybe an indoor ski slope.

[ Daily Mail ] VIA [ Gizmodo ]

By Evan Ackerman

We’ve all gotten pretty jaded on video games nowadays. I remember back when I was a kid, my Game Gear kept me endlessly entertained with top notch, high quality games like Tail Spin. They just don’t make ‘em like that anymore. If that’s the kind of game you like (and who doesn’t?) ThinkGeek has a handheld emulator system that’s able to play retro video games from systems like the NES, SNES, Genesis, Game Boy Advance, Neo-Geo, and even some Capcom arcade systems. And, um, not the Game Gear. Dammit, I want my Tail Spin.

The Pocket Retro Game Emulator has a d-pad, four control buttons, and two shoulder buttons, as well as select and start to make it Konami code compatible. You load in ROMs (which you can find on the internet for free without looking to hard) via a USB cable, and if the 4 gigs of internal memory isn’t enough, it’s expandable with a micro SD card. It’s got a QVGA screen, runs for 6-8 hours on a charge, and also functions as a media player with an FM radio.

All of this awesomeness will only cost you $100, which is dirt dirt cheap considering the amount and variety of games you can cram into this thing. You’d better get on it, though, since ThinkGeek appears to be nearly sold out.

[ ThinkGeek ] VIA [ DVICE ]

By Chris Scott Barr

If you’re a hardcore gamer, then chances are you’ve heard of Fatal1ty. This is the guy that everyone aspires to beat when they go to a world-class tournament for FPS like Quake and Unreal Tournament. Well while at E3 we had a chance to sit down and chat with the number-1 ranked gamer in the world. Hit the jump for the full interview, plus a little surprise at the end.
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By Chris Scott Barr

I’ve discovered that having a mini fridge in my office is about as essential as having a chair. Sure, the kitchen isn’t terribly far away, but when I do get up and wander off to another room, it usually breaks my concentration. Sometimes that’s a good thing, but if I’m really trying to churn out a lot of work, I prefer to stop as little as possible. Oh, and I’m lazy.

I’ve been tempted in the past to add a microwave to the office, since it would require me to leave my desk even less. Well it looks like Heinz may have the perfect solution, the Beanzawave. It’s a USB-powered microwave that was designed to work with their own single-serving cans of Chef Boyardee foods.

There aren’t a lot of details listed, like the all-important wattage of the device. Since it’s USB-powered, I’m going to guess that it’s probably not very high, which would mean long cook times. Not to mention that Heinz is only testing the waters with this right now, if there is enough interest they might put them into production. Honestly, I’d probably just go with a full-size microwave. This thing looks like it’d be a bit small to reheat leftover pizza and such.

[ DailyMail ] VIA [ Dvice ]

This is a guest post by Gilberto J. Perera, who usually writes netbook reviews and editorials for Laptop Logic.

The Short:The new Prius brings several new and environmentally friendly upgrades to the table. One of them is called a “Solar Roof” – essentially a solar-powered fan that circulates the air within the cabin while you’re not in it, letting you come back to a cool and comfortable car even on a hot day.

The Long: As the proud owner of a Honda Accord with a leather interior living in Miami, Florida I am fully aware of the amount of heat that accumulates inside a vehicle while it is parked outside in direct sunlight all day. It usually takes setting the air conditioner on the maximum setting, opening the windows, and several minutes for the cabin to cool down to a comfortable level. With Toyota’s third generation Prius, this will no longer be an issue.

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