Speed cameras typically rely on negative reinforcement to discourage people from driving too fast where they’ve been set up. If the radar clocks you driving faster than you should be, your license plate is photographed and a speeding ticket is mailed off to you. The Speed Camera Lottery however, which was Kevin Richardson’s winning entry in Volkswagen’s ‘The Fun Theory‘ contest, adds a bit of positive reinforcement to the mix.
From what I can tell Volkswagen’s contest actually ended last year, but Kevin Richardson’s idea was so good that it has already been tested and implemented by the The Swedish National Society for Road Safety in Stockholm. Instead of only photographing drivers who are caught speeding, this camera also photographs those driving within the speed limit and automatically enters them in a lottery that’s funded by the money generated by the speeding tickets. It’s brilliantly simple and clever, but also very effective in practice since a 3-day test with around 25,000 vehicles passing the camera resulted in an average speed reduction of 22%.
Besides making even a gifted box of hand towels look techno-cool, this QRapping Paper (pronounced crapping?) is covered in a grid of QR codes that actually work. On each 20×30 inch sheet there are over 50 of the codes that link to festive videos like drunken carolers, car vs. fruitcake and ornament smoothie. Now obviously the giftee will need to have a camera-equipped smartphone with a QR code reading app installed, so it might not be the perfect gift wrap for all of your friends and family. But since 2 sheets of the stuff will cost you $19.99, you’d probably want to be really selective with it anyways.
Rock Band 3 really blurs the line between video game and musical training software. With this latest installment, you can play songs with very realistic instruments. Namely the guitar, drums and keyboard. So lets say you’re someone that already plays the keyboard or drums, or perhaps you’re just learning. Either way, imagine that you have your own instrument. Do you really want to go drop even more money for a cheaper version just to play with the game? Likely not. Well now you don’t have to.
The new Mad Catz Midi Pro Adapter allows you to plug in a MIDI keyboard or drum kit directly to your console (Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360) and have it recognized as a pro instrument for the game. Each adapter will feature the necessary buttons and d-pad that will allow you to navigate the game’s menus. The Wii and PS3 versions are now shipping with the Xbox 360 version following closely behind. Each will retail for $40.
I’m not saying there’s anything specifically wrong with using one of those caged hanging work lights. They’ve obviously found themselves a niche in workshops and garages, and they’re a perfect example of form following function. But thanks to designer Marti Guixé, you can now use them to light your living room as well, even if you’re not going for that industrial look.
His Cau Table lamp is basically just a turned aluminum shade, available in white or brown. that features a hidden support for hanging a work light. Think of it as a design avatar that disguises an ugly duckling as a beautiful swan. Or, think of it as a way for Marti Guixé to make ~$850(€645) from two pieces of rolled aluminum.
This DreiX shelving, designed by Christian Kim, features a unique spinning design that allows the three cubby holes to be aligned either vertically, horizontally or even diagonally, depending on the vibe you’re feeling each day. Or, if you’re like me, you simply like the idea of being able to give it a good spin every time you walk past it on the way to the bathroom. I’m not sure if the spinning mechanism is counter weighted or tensioned so that the shelving always stays where you leave it, otherwise you’ll have to ensure your books and knick-knacks are evenly distributed among the boxes. Or, don’t even worry about that at all since it’s just a design concept and you can’t actually buy one.
When the Xbox 360′s controller design was revealed a lot of gamers were relieved that it didn’t inherit the original Xbox controller’s morbidly obese genes. But the people who thought up the XtendPlay accessory were clearly not among the happy. Available for the Xbox 360 and the PS2/3, the XtendPlay looks like it might be concealing a keyboard, extra buttons or maybe even a place to pour some dip. But allow me to quash those theories.
It’s basically just a foam extension that supposedly provides a more comfortable and relaxing way to hold either controller, even making it easier to rest on your gut. The website makes some analogy that gaming without XtendPlay is like old-timey baseball when fielders didn’t wear gloves, resulting in many errors. So apparently with it attached to your controller you won’t immediately be decimated by 10 year-olds when you play Halo online. Whether or not that justifies the $19.99 price tag for a chunk of foam (available in 2 weeks) is up to you.
Last time we looked at the Nokia N8 was in late October. Back then, you were looking at a $100 coupon on the $550 device. Well, like death and taxes, the inevitable descent of prices is something that not only can’t be avoided but unlike the first two, tends to be welcomed. Today you’re looking at a $120 coupon on the N8, putting it at $429.
A quick reminder, this is Nokia’s flagship phone, with what is said to be a stunning 12 MP camera. Other features include 720p out through HDMI, and a 3.5 inch capacitive AMOLED display.
By David Ponce
This giveaway is brought to you by the new Windows Phone 7. Less tech tired. More tech trendy: Learn about Windows Phone online [www.windowsphone.com] and see it in person at local T-Mobile stores today.
Well ladies and gentlemen, as promised, we’re announcing the winner of our Windows Phone 7 giveaway: reader “echezeaux”, with comment #46 (from newest to oldest) “want.like.whoa.” Yes, echezeaux, what you may be lacking in grammatical eloquence you are now making up in Windows Phone 7 swag. Congrats!
Once again, thank you so much to everyone for entering and we’re hoping to bring you more of these before the Holidays are up.
If it’s like Christmas morning every day in your home with your kids bouncing out of bed well before there’s even distracting cartoons on TV, this alarm clock is supposed to let them know when it’s appropriate to rise and shine, and when they should stay under the covers if they know what’s good for them. It’s claim to fame is a miniature streetlight that corresponds to the alarms set by parents.
When it’s glowing red it subtly lets your kids know that they should still be sleeping, or at least keeping their crack-of-dawn wild child antics confined to their bed. But when the alarm goes off the light turns green letting them know they’re free to roam about the house. Apparently the yellow light is just there to complete the set, though I think it would serve as a good reminder every night that bedtime was getting close. $34.99 available directly from its website.
Related Tags: Innovation, Safety
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By David Ponce
