Way back in 2007 we brought you news of the Mercedes-Benz Museum’s 34 meter tall man-made tornado that was designed to quickly and effectively remove smoke from the building in the event of a fire, so as to protect the exhibits from smoke damage. The Tornex system is basically the same idea, though on a much smaller scale.
It’s instead designed to deal with the smoke from deliberate man-made fires, cigarettes, using a series of perforated silver poles that all blow air in the same direction, creating a miniature vortex. The air is then drawn into a charcoal filter system which removes about 95% of the smoke and odor before it’s returned to the smoking area. The silver poles also serve to create an air curtain keeping the smoke inside a designated, though not necessarily enclosed, smoking area. The cost? A totally reasonable $30,000+ (¥2,500,000) given the system makes freakin’ tornados!
Many of you laughed at me when I raved about Apple’s new iPad 2 Smart Cover last week, but it’s obvious that the company’s newfound appreciation for magnets will soon catch on elsewhere, and even inspire other products. Like this Magnificent Baby infant wear line that foregoes annoying zippers and snaps in favor of, yep you guessed it, magnets! Who’s laughing now huh? (Probably still most of you…)
Of course giving credit to Apple is probably a little unfair since I’m pretty sure this company didn’t pop-up in the last 4 or 5 days, so maybe it was the other way around?… Either way, the use of magnets in lieu of snaps, zippers and even velcro is a pretty great idea since the garments almost close themselves once the magnets are properly aligned and close to each other. Particularly when you’re dealing with an infant who’s not so keen on the idea of getting dressed.
The magnets are also completely safe for the child, aren’t strong enough to accidentally pinch a small finger, and are securely sewn into the garments so they’re impossible to swallow. And while they’re maybe not the cheapest solution when it comes to dressing your little ones, I guess the benefits, like being able to hang your kid on the fridge while cooking in the kitchen, have to be factored in.
With so many iPad cases on the market, it can be a little confusing about what kind will be the most efficient. There are a lot of them out there that have a lot of fluff written about them and don’t live up to par when in practical use. Thankfully there are some out there that will keep you iPad safe, and look stylish while doing so. The iSkin Duo case is the perfect fit for the iPad and is extremely comfortable for those of us that love this Apple product, and want to keep it safe.
This iSkin is made out of premium Japanese silicon, which means your iPad will be safe from dings and scratches. Unlike some cases I’ve run across in the past, this case actually fits perfectly on the first try. There wasn’t and still aren’t any weird creases or bumps that you would normally hope will “stretch out” in time. The silicon the case is made out of has antimicrobial protection, which will inhibit grow of odor, mold, or stains.
Do you have trouble feeling motivated to do anything besides play video games? Well it turns out your constant pursuit of high scores and unlocking achievements is exactly what could save you from your slothenly lifestyle. The Green Goose system, originally developed by a company of the same name to illustrate how an eco-friendly lifestyle could save you money, has been re-purposed to turn the activities of everyday life into a sort of video game. At least when it comes to tracking scores and unlocking rewards.
The system is centered around an egg-shaped sensor connected to your router that reports back to a website where your stats are tracked. The sensor accepts input from a wide variety of peripherals like a credit card sized pedometer you carry with you, a toothbrush monitor and a set of accelerator and radio-equipped stickers which attach to items like water bottles, floss or even your vacuum. As you go about your daily routines your use of these items is tracked and converted to lifestyle points tracked on their website, with more points being earned for consistency and intensity. Available soon as a starter kit(including what’s pictured above) for just $24.
Eco-friendly reusable water bottles seem to be the preferred way to stay hydrated while saving the planet these days, but if you miss the simple pleasures of drinking out of a can, rest assured you haven’t been forgotten. Dig out those foam can cozies again because these Eco Cans are some of the first reusable cans on the market.
While it might look like a regular soda can, instead of aluminum they’re made from a biodegradable corn starch-like material called PLA. And while it’s safer for the environment when disposed of, these cans are designed to be used again and again. They’re actually double-wall insulated so they keep cold drinks cold and hot drinks hot, are microwave and dishwasher-friendly and even have a pop-up lid that looks just like a soda can ring pull. Though the top does screw off making it far easier to fill. Available from Firebox.com for ~$21 (£12.99).
While it’s technically considered to be a clip-on lamp, I don’t think the Veilleuse d`Orient from Tsé & Tsé Associées is going to throw enough light to be useful for anything other than chasing the boogeyman away. And the whimsical moon and star-shaped filament removes any doubt this is destined to be used as a versatile night light in children’s bedrooms around the world. ~$75 (€54.50) from Wannekes, including a spare bulb.
If you’re planning to invest in a 3DS later this month, there are a couple of things that might interest you. First off, if you’re the kind of person that enjoys watching movies on a tiny screen, then you’ll love this. Nintendo has announced that you’ll be able to stream the entire Netflix library to your newest handheld gaming console. But how often are you going to be connected to the internet when you’re not at home?
It seems you’ll have more WiFi options than you might have thought. The company has teamed up with AT&T to give you free access to over 10,000 WiFi hotspots. The unfortunate part is that neither of these features will be hitting at launch. You’ll need to wait until a software update hits sometime in May.
Not that it makes the announcement particularly exciting, but yesterday Olympus revealed a new pocket PCM recorder called the DM-620 featuring the company’s ‘TRESMIC system’ which essentially adds an omni-directional mic in-between the standard set of stereo condenser mics to capture bass ranges as low as 20Hz. It of course results in a higher-quality recording which makes it easier to understand what’s being said when it comes to transcribing notes or interviews.
It’s also got 4GB of on-board memory which is infinitely expandable via SD cards, captures to WAV, MP3 and WMA audio formats, has built-in noise cancellation, a zoom mic function for focusing the sound capture to a specific source and a low-cut filter for eliminating lower frequencies when they become a nuisance. There’s even an optional wireless remote for when you need to park the recorder in front of a speaker but can’t be there to turn it on or off, and is powered by 2 rechargeable AAA batteries which are easy to replace in a pinch. Available starting mid-March for $149.99.
When I was a kid there was no better way to spend a snowy day than sledding with my Pa. But it kind of became less fun the day I had to start hauling my own sled back up the local hill. After that the whole tobogganing idea became less appealing, unless I had had the engineering prowess of these guys. Their Winch Project is exactly that, a winch tethered to a tree that uses an 8HP Tecumseh Power Sport engine to pull a 2100 foot long rope that’s looped up a hill. The rope itself weights 70 pounds, but the setup is capable of towing up to 3 adults (at a 30 degree incline!) up a sledding hill at a pretty quick pace from the looks of the video I’ve included below.
There are no plans or directions on how to build one yourself, but if you have the capability and skills of building such a device I’m sure the glimpses they offer in the video are enough to put you on the right track.
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