By Andrew Liszewski

These jogging pants feature convenient removable placemats on each thigh that makes it easy to clean up after a meal eaten on your lap, without having to wash the entire pair of pants. Or as is more likely the case, without having to sit around with mustard and A1 steak sauce stains on your pants for an entire week.

They’re humorously called the Lazy Sunday Pants, but for the unemployed, bloggers, writers, anyone who works from home and news anchors who still get to hide behind a desk, they’re perfect for every day of the week. However, ~$67 (€50) is a steep price to pay for a site gag, no matter how practical it is.

[ Lazy Sunday Pants ] VIA [ incredible things ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Even traveling when on vacation can be stressful and hectic, so I’m all for anything that can make life on the road more bearable. Like these GoToob travel bottles, which surprisingly look like someone has put some actual thought into their design. Made from silicone, the bottles are easy to squeeze allowing you to get every last drop of product out of them, and a ‘no-drip’ valve means the cap, and in turn your toiletries bag, stays clean.

There’s a small window on the collar that can be rotated to indicate the contents of each bottle, and when the cap is removed a generously sized opening makes it easier to fill the GoToobs. The bottles are available in 3 different sizes, 1.25oz., 2oz. or 3oz. though I think I’d definitely opt for the 2oz. or ‘medium’ bottle since it features a built-in suction cup allowing it to attach to shower walls for easy access. The GoToobs seem to range in price from about $6.50 to $9 for individual bottles, though they’re also available in 3 packs for a slight discount.

[ GoToob Travel Bottles ] VIA [ Incredible Things ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Even though squinting through the eyepiece of a telescope feels like the more traditional way to view the stars, I’m sure if Galileo were given the option to study Venus or Jupiter’s moons on a computer monitor, he would have jumped at the chance. Unfortunately such a technological convenience wasn’t available to him, but it is to you for a mere ~$50. (Plus the cost of a computer and a telescope.)

Chinavasion’s selling this rather simple looking digital eyepiece, known as the G227, which comes with a set of adapter rings allowing it to be attached to the eyepiece of most telescopes. A 1/2 inch 1.3 megapixel CMOS sensor captures the night sky, but you’ll need to have the eyepiece connected to your PC via USB in order see or record images and video. Now I can’t vouch for the quality of the included DVR and capture software, but hopefully this device shows up as a standard camera accessory allowing you to use whatever app you’d like.

[ Digital Eyepiece for Telescope ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Most of the rides at Las Vegas’ Stratosphere are pretty tame, except when you take into account the fact they’re perched atop the 1,149 foot tower, which makes them a tad more thrilling. But I don’t think any of them will provide quite as much excitement, or sheer terror, as their new SkyJump attraction. For a mere $99.99 you’re taken to a platform somewhere near the Stratosphere’s observation deck, attached to a set of safety cables including one connected to a decelerator, and then allowed to jump where you’ll enjoy 855 feet, or about 100 stories, of controlled free-fall before you’re slowed to a safe stop on the ground.

The ride will be opening to the public sometime this month, and since the entire experience, including a brief safety lesson, takes about 30 minutes, there’s a limited number of people who can jump every day. So you might want to check out the availability calendar on the SkyJump website before you psych yourself up to take the plunge.

[ SkyJump Las Vegas ] VIA [ Gizmag ]

By Evan Ackerman

The days of buying spray bottles full of cleaning chemicals are over, since through the magic of science you can now turn ordinary tap water into a powerful industrial solvent thanks to the Activeion’s Ionator.

The Ionator takes regular water and converts it into ionized hydric acid, which (I know, I know) sounds really bad for you but is actually one of the safer industrial solvents out there, as long as you don’t accidentally inhale too much of it (’cause if you do, it’ll kill you). The hydric acid (also known as OH₂) has a small electrical charge and functions in much the same way that regular soap does: it breaks up dirt particles and then sticks to them, allowing you to wipe surfaces clean. It also kills bacteria, yay!

Although Activeion is a bit vague on exactly how their product manages to create a chemical out of water (something about ion exchange membranes), it’s apparently a fancy and complicated process, since the battery operated squirt bottle with the ActiveIon technology inside will cost you $170. The “pro” version (which is slightly more rugged, I guess) is $330. But, it’s endorsed by Bill Nye, so it must be awesome, right?

Before you buy one of these, however, you should be aware that organizations like National Consumer Coalition Against DHMO are working hard to ban hydric acid, since (among other things) it’s used as a an industrial coolant and ends up as a major component in acid rain. So, before you start spraying your stuff with a new chemical instead of your old ones, make sure you get all the facts.

[ Activeion ] VIA [ Core77 ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While not as prevalent or in your face as 3D TVs were at CES this year, eBook readers, or eReaders for short, definitely had quite a presence at the show, with everyone and their uncle seemingly announcing one. In just a few short years the market has become pretty crowded, and so far only a few models have managed to stand out including the Kindle, the Nook and the Que. But one eReader I didn’t see at CES, and one many consumers might want to seriously consider, is the recently announced Kobo which has 2 big things going for it. It costs just $149 (CDN) and it actually doesn’t suck.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Andrew Liszewski

I’m not going to postulate what manner of web activities require a webcam that’s not embedded into a laptop’s screen or even tethered to a USB cable, but suffice to say this wireless webcam from Thanko comes with minimal restrictions. The 2.4GHz signal is apparently only capable of transmitting a 320×240 image @ 15fps, though it does have a decent wireless range of about 32 feet. Its battery is rechargeable via a miniUSB connection on the back of the camera, and on a single charge you can expect to get about 5 hours of use. Geek Stuff 4 U is selling it for ~$103, though it won’t actually be available until the end of April.

[ Thanko Wireless Webcam ] VIA [ 7Gadgets ]

By Chris Scott Barr

If you’re all about saving the environment, then you probably go out of your way to conserve energy. However, do you always remember to not waste water as well? I’ll admit that I probably waste  a lot more water than I should, mostly from being lazy. Well if you’re determined to do your part all of the time, here’s one little gadget that will help.

The Smart Faucet is a small lever that you can attach to your faucet. Water will only flow when you have the lever pressed back, thus stopping you from wasting any. If you do need it to stay running, you can flip the lever and it will stay on indefinitely. According to the makers, this device can save up to 5,000 gallons of water per year, per family member. For $40 you can have the peace of mind from knowing you’re doing your part to save the planet. Heck, maybe you’ll shave a bit off of your water bill while you’re at it.

[ Gaiam ] VIA [ Dvice ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Created by Flickr user ‘CRTdrone‘ this, um, original mod allows the original Game Boy to play all Game Boy, Game Boy Color and of course Game Boy Advance games. I guess it’s not really my place to ask “why?” since mods like this have become rather popular as of late, and it does result in the Game Boy gaining a rechargeable battery, but I’d like to know where the GBA’s rather integral shoulder buttons have ended up?

[ Flickr - CRTdrone ] VIA [ Tiny Cartridge ]