This unique take on the desktop calendar was created by designer Yurko Gutsulyak for VS Energy International Ukraine. One of the main goals of the calendar was to convey the idea of energy, given the client’s industry and their corporate logo. So each month in the calendar is represented by a page of tear-off matches, with the individual matches representing the days in that month. And if you were wondering, the matches are in fact real, and the base of the calendar features a striking surface on the front and back.

[ Behance Network - Calendar made of matches ] VIA [ TechEBlog ]

While digital camera manufacturers seem to be caught up in a megapixel arms race, it looks like the flashlight industry has a similar obsession when it comes to one-upping their competition with more and more candlepower. Of course the Sunforce is probably more accurately classified as a spotlight rather than a flashlight, but thanks to its 35 watt HID bulb and 12V 7Ah battery it’s able to throw an impressive 40 million candlepower. I’m pretty sure with that much light you’ll be able to see clear to the other side of a forest, even in the middle of the night.

But as you can see in the photos, the Sunforce isn’t exactly highly portable, even with the included shoulder strap. And you’ll be limited to a 40-minute run time when relying on the battery, though it can be recharged via AC or DC power with the included adapter. It’s available from Northern Tool + Equipment for about $180.

[ Sunforce 40 Million Candlepower HID Spotlight Lantern ] VIA [ The Green Head ]

As someone who relies on vertical blinds to keep his home in a constant cave-like atmosphere, I can see the benefit of this Solar Vertical Lamp concept designed by Yoon-Hui Kim and Eun-Kyung Kim. The vertical blinds are embedded with a matrix of white LEDs which can be illuminated to produce glowing lamp-like shapes. Obviously the effect looks pretty cool, but the LEDs are also powered by a battery which is recharged by the sun during the day since the outward facing sides of the blinds also serve as solar cells. In theory the blinds should be able to provide plenty of ambient light during the night, without adding any costs to your electric bill.

[ Yanko Design - Solar Vertical Lamp ] VIA [ Inhabitat ]

After seeing these spoons made from gingerbread, I think I’m going to hire product designer Matilda Sundén Ringnér as a full-time chef to replace all of the cutlery and utensils in my kitchen drawers. If you thought eating sugary cereals like Cocoa Puffs or Froot Loops were as far from you could get from a healthy breakfast, imagine eating them with a chocolate chip cookie spoon.

[ Gingerspoons ] VIA [ Cribcandy ]

I’ve always been tempted to pick up a headphone amp, or build my own from a Penguin Mint tin, but I’ve never been that thrilled by their relatively large form factor. But the FiiO E5, which bears a striking resemblance to a certain shuffling MP3 player, looks like the perfect solution. It weighs just 26 grams and the integrated clip allows you to attach it to a belt or collar so that it won’t weigh down your headphone cable. When compared to FiiO’s previous model, the E3, the E5 is about 30% more powerful and produces a far more neutral sound. And it’s powered by a built-in 200mAh lithium battery that’s recharged via USB and provides about 20 hours of use. While no release date or pricing info has been set, GenerationMP3 expects it to retail for just under $20.

[ GenerationMP3 - FiiO E5 ] VIA [ SlashGear ]

This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

One of the things I like about my Wii is that I can easily turn my Wiimote into a gun without the need to drop a bundle of cash on another accessory. Generally you shell out just a few bucks and get a plastic frame, which is fine with me. I personally have two different ones in my collection (the official Wii Zapper and the Nyko Perfect Shot), however, I’ve recently acquired a third. I decided to take my new ezShot Gun for a spin, and found it to be the most disappointing of any gun I’d used yet.

I have a long list of complaints about this particular product, which seems strange considering it’s mostly just a hunk of plastic. One thing I love about my other two guns is that inserting and removing the Wiimote and Nunchuk takes almost no time at all. In the case of the Wii Zapper, which actually takes advantage of the Nunchuk, Nintendo paid attention to the fact that there is a cord that runs between the two devices. This is something that ezGear seems to have missed. First, there’s no place that the cord is specifically designed to run, I just sort of tucked it between the Nunchuk and the side of the handle, which made it sit sort of funny. Then you’re left with all of this excess cord, which you just let dangle out of the bottom of the handle. I love how this isn’t actually shown in any of the pictures. Hit the jump for the rest of my review.

So yes, inserting the Wiimote and Nunchuk is annoying, but that’s nothing compared to removing them. Here’s something that will help you to understand just how painful the process is. Go grab your controllers, and disconnect the Nunchuk from the Wiimote. It’s pretty simple, just squeeze the sides of the plug, and pull. Unfortunately, with the ezShot gun, it’s almost impossible to squeeze on those little clips to release the plug. I tried unsuccessfully for several minutes before giving up and using some makeshift tools to do the job. This is a huge problem for me, since I’ve never had to use any sort of tools with any of my Wii accessories, and really don’t ever want to. I’ve done my best to show you just how the plug is positioned in the picture below. You can see that there is very little room to insert the two necessary fingers to squeeze the clips.

Okay, so now that I’ve got everything installed it’s time to sit down with one of my favorite shooters, House of the Dead 2. I get it all loaded up, and as the first two zombies pop into view I aim squarely at the first’s head and squeeze the trigger. Or at least I squeezed what I thought was the trigger. See, due to the position of the Nunchuk, your C button is in the natural position for a trigger. What button does House of the Dead 2 recognize for firing? The B button. That’s the one located on your Wiimote. Sure it’s accessible, but that requires a second hand wrapped around the barrel to use. Now how many people have you seen hold a handgun with one hand on the barrel? Well certainly neither of the two people depicted on the box were doing so. Well what about Link’s Crossbow Training? No, it too requires the B button for firing, and neither of the games allowed for the button configurations to be changed.

One thing that surprised me while looking over the device was the presence of a battery compartment. Now why in the world would a simple plastic accessory need a pair of AAA batteries? Grabbing the box I looked over the features, and saw nothing. However, reading the general description I found mention of a built in laser. So I loaded up a pair of AAA’s and found the laser button on the grip of the gun. Just hold down on it, and you’ve got yourself a laser pointer on your gun. Now this would be cool, if the games I was playing didn’t already have a crosshair. I will say that it helped me recalibrate my Wiimote, and my cat took great interest in my TV while I was using it. I spent a good 10 minutes letting my cat chase the red dot all around the living room. Honestly, that was probably the most fun I had with this particular accessory.

Overall, I think the execution of this device was terrible. It’s not easy to install or remove the Wiimote and Nunchuk, and it can’t be used properly while holding it like a gun. Really, those are the only two things that matter with an accessory like this, and the ezShot failed miserably at both. I don’t recommend this to anyone, as your $25 is better spent elsewhere.

[ ezGear ] VIA [ GamerFront ]

This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

In case you missed it, Microsoft released their dashboard update for the Xbox 360, dubbed the New Xbox Experience. Now those of you that also happen to subscribe to Netflix may have noticed something else. Upon trying to stream certain movies, you may have been greeted with a message stating that the film you are trying to watch is currently unavailable. Here’s the least surprising part of the whole thing. All of the movies which are currently unavailable happen to be from Sony Pictures Entertainment. Coincidence?

Lets see, what motive would Sony have to pull their catalog of films from being streamed to the Xbox 360? That’s right, they don’t want owners of a competitor’s product to enjoy it any more than possible. We know this to be true, since all films in question are still available for viewing via your PC and other streaming devices, just not the Xbox 360.

This really only makes Sony look bad. For them to pull their catalog of films right as the NXE is being launched is just plain underhanded. They’ve obviously known that their movies were going to be streamed to the 360, so why wait until now to pull them? So the question now is if they will ever allow their catalog to be streamed to Microsoft’s console. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

VIA [ GamerFront ]

By Luke Anderson

I’ve been lucky enough to never have been in a car wreck that left me unable to easily exit the vehicle. Unfortunately such situations do occur, and you really need to be prepared. You might think that taking off your seatbelt or breaking out a window wouldn’t be too difficult, however, seat belts can get jammed, and that glass doesn’t break as easily as you think. Enter the Houdini Automotive Escape Tool.

This is certainly a tool that you always want to have, but never want to have to use. The Houdini features a protected blade for cutting away a seat belt and a spring-loaded glass punch. The glass punch does not actually take much effort to operate, simply hold it up to the glass, and it will take care of the rest. I’d recommend using your free arm to protect your face and neck. You’ll also find an LED light, whistle and key ring. Sure, it might not be the coolest keychain out there, but it could end up saving your life. The Houdini will only set you back $25, while a larger Pro model (aimed at rescue workers) sells for $40.

[ HoudiniTool ] VIA [ CoolestGadgets ]

By Luke Anderson

I’ve always thought that spray bottles were a great invention. They disburse liquids in either a mist or stream with a minimal amount of effort on your part. My only complaint is that they never seem to have a very long life. Well, that and my trigger finger gets tired if I’m spraying for long periods of time. Well if you’re tired of squeezing the trigger over and over, here’s a little gadget that will do the work for you.

Sure, I’m the first to admit that most people can just suck it up and deal with a simple task like squeezing a trigger. However, think about someone with arthritis trying to clean a house full of windows. Something like this would be perfect. It runs off of a single regargeable NiCad battery, and operates by gently holding down the trigger. For those that have trouble with repetitive motion with their fingers, this would be well worth the $25.

[ Amazon ] VIA [ RedFerret ]

I’m not entirely sure where the idea to develop a video game based around oral hygiene and dental care came from, but it almost seems like Commodore was trying to make up for the other… let’s say… ‘less educational’ titles available for the system. And this was 1982, well before video games became the scapegoat for the majority of society’s woes. As I recall, Tooth Invaders was included with certain Commodore 64 bundles since I’m sure it would have had a hard time competing with other more exciting titles on store shelves. I mean it’s hard enough to get kids to brush every day as it is, I can’t imagine too many would have been thrilled with the idea of doing the same thing in a video game.

But it turns out that Tooth Invaders was one of the first games my uncle actually had for his Commodore 64, and whenever I visited it was usually the best option. In the game you play a kind of an oral superhero who goes around brushing small parasites off a set of 8 teeth. You had to be fast though, as the parasites were spread by a small army of roaming green meanies who were quick to undo all the work you had done. Once you had a tooth completely cleaned you could call for a fluoride rinse which would permanently protect the tooth so you could concentrate on cleaning the others. Of course if you didn’t stay on top of things a tooth would quickly become so covered with parasites that it would basically fall out, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make an impression on a 5 year old kid who felt brushing was a waste of time. Though it did take our family dentist quite a few years to convince me that my mouth was free of those roaming green meanies.

[ C64.com - Tooth Invaders ]