The Morse code was huge back in the day when people used telegraphs to communicate. It’s not something you should necessarily learn at this point, although I do think it’s advantageous to learn the code, just in case you find yourself in a tight spot and can’t communicate except by Morse.
Helping you polish up on your numbers and just making your room look infinitely cooler is the Morse Code clock.
Crossfit is gaining popularity and with it, the use of kettlebells. These have been around for a while, by the way, but now that they’re popular again, why stop at buying a simple ball-shaped one, when you can get yourself the Chimp Primal Bell from Onnit? It weighs 36lbs. (1 pood, for those of you who speak Crossfit-ese) and is made from “chip resistant iron.” That just probably means it’s made from iron, which tends to be more malleable and not chip in general, rather than some form of special iron that doesn’t chip.
It’s $86 for a kettlebell with some personality.
[ Product Page ] VIA [ GearCulture ]
Another day, another 3D printer, and that’s definitely a good thing. The more of these on the market, they cheaper they’ll get. Case in point is the Buccaneer by a company called Pirate3D, pictured above. If things go as planned, it should cost all of $347. That’s what people were paying for regular printers 10 years ago, and most definitely within the range a regular household might be willing to pay for what is still early adopter technology. Admittedly inspired from Apple products, the Pirate3D has an obvious Mac aesthetic and is made from stamped steel parts to keep manufacturing costs low. Its resolution is on par with similar printers, going as low as 100 microns, and with a top speed of 50 millimeters per second (approximately 2 in/s). It’s got an air filter to keep fumes at bay, and has a striking top-loading central cartridge to make loading and unloading the plastic filaments as easy as possible. On a desk, it takes up just a small space of 25 x 25cm (9.8 x 9.8 in), though its actual printing area covers 150 x 100 x 120 mm (5.8 x 3.9 x 4.7 in).
The company plans to start taking pre-orders soon and has applied to Kickstarter to be able to complete its funding. More pics and links, after the jump.
Oh art… It’s easy to poke fun at things we don’t understand and it’s fair to say that the art world is about three dimensions away from anything we’d normally be able to relate to. That said, everyone likes a steamroller, especially one that plays the Star Spangled Banner. So we’re giving Dave Cole’s year-old creation a nod. It’s called ‘The Music Box’, and as you can see, is made from a modified steamroller.
Commissioned by the Cleveland Institute of Art and developed in partnership with Ohio CAT, ['The Music Box'] sees the american artist dismantling a 22, 000 lb steamroller in which he refabricates more than 80% of the machine–though still maintaining its identifiable physical qualities–transforming it into a fully functioning musical box, and at a fraction of its original weight. Built onto the front of the compactor is an acoustical cabinet made from cherry wood.
Like most art, it’s trying to say something. In this case it’s this: “his mammoth-sized music box is a metaphor for what dreams can become, and how quickly they can be crushed.” Cheerful. And how does it sound? You’ll have to hit the jump to hear for yourselves, but we feel it’s something like what a sad, giant clown might hammer out on a broken xylophone.
It’s true that when you’re designing a concept, you’re only restrained by your imagination and not any of the real-world limitations that are imposed on road-worthy cars. That can partly help explain why the above Lamborghini Egoista looks as outlandishly awesome as it does: it’s never going to be sold to anyone, and there’s only one like it. It was created to commemorate the company’s 50th anniversary, and was on display in Italy last Saturday.
So why Egoista? This means “selfish” in Italian, and that’s because the car seats one. Its looks were inspired by an Apache attack helicopter, and is powered by a 600hp V10 engine. But that’s just scratching the surface:
This unique concept is centered around a single-person, carbon fiber and aluminum cockpit that’s actually removable, and is designed around the driver, with a racing seat, four-point restraints, and a heads-up display. LED clearance lights replace traditional headlights, hidden xenon headlamps provide distance lighting, and flaps on the bodywork help increase stability and airflow to the 600hp, 5.2L V10 engine. If that wasn’t enough, the body and wheels are made from anti-radar material.
This is what unrestrained automotive exuberance looks like when Lamborghini is the one partying it up. But again, it’s more of a fancy anniversary trophy and demonstration of technical ability, than it is anything that anyone will ever be able to buy. Sadly.
VIA [ Uncrate ]
How soon is too soon to give your child an iPhone? I say that as long as they’re under 18, they shouldn’t have one. But what do I know, I’m a cranky old fart. That said, you wouldn’t give a 5 year old a $700 smartphone, would you? But it still would make some sort of sense to give him the ability to call home on his sleepovers, or whatever the heck 5 year olds do when they’re away from you. That’s what the ’1stfone’ is for. It’s a dead simple handset which comes preprogrammed with 4 numbers, plus 999. That’s the emergency phone number in the UK, as this is unfortunately UK-only (and Northern Ireland, sorry). The child can easily press any of the four numbers, or answer a call if you wish to get in touch with him. And that’s all he can do with it. There’s no keypad for him to start making long distance calls, or touchscreen to play games, or anything; any change in the preprogrammed numbers requires calling customer service.
It’s a smart device that targets a neglected demographic and we sort of hope they succeed. It’s between £55 and £70 for the handset (depending on whether you choose Pay-As-You-Go or a Monthly plan) and plans start at £7.50 per month.
[ Product Page ] VIA [ Ubergizmo ]
Us dudes have it easy: we can sleep face down without anything getting in the way. And while we suspect that given the large number of women who also sleep face down, having breasts isn’t that much of an obstacle. Yet, it’s nice to know that someone out there has your comfort in mind, ladies, especially those of you that are… gifted. Michael C. Riley is in the process of getting funding for Comfy Breasts™ Relaxation System (that’s right, trademarked), a full body length foam pillow with an opening for your bosom. So you can lay flat, face down, in comfort. There are a number of sizes, and a selection of unfortunately awful patterns for the cover, but hey… this is the first we hear of anything like this, so we’re going to cut Michael a little slack for his questionable taste in interior design.
The body pillow is $50, or $100 if you want it with the matching head rest. If fully funded, it’ll ship in June.
Hit the jump for a couple more informative pictures, and links.
I get incredibly sleepy in between flights and often find myself wishing that I could just curl up in a ball and go to sleep. Experienced this yourself? Then the GoSleep sleeping pods will probably be right up your alley then.
The GoSleep is a cushy flat bed that folds out to provide you with a comfortable mattress to rest your weary bones on. Being gawked at by passing travelers clearly won’t help you drift off to a peaceful sleep, so to address that, the GoSleep comes with a roll-over cover that you can pull down to get some privacy.
Each GoSleep pod can be rented for $13 an hour at the Abu Dhabi Airport. Here’s to hoping that they roll out more of these pods in airports all over the world.
VIA [ Dvice ]
If you’re conscious about your carbon footprint, then chances are you’re already living a pretty green life. So why don’t you go the extra mile and start your cat off towards the path of greener living, too? You can change his diet, buy organic cat litter, and make playtime as green as can be by replacing his battery-powered toys with the solar-powered Cat Tantalizer.
As its name suggests, this toy will tantalize your feline companion. It’s meant to be stuck on your window, where hopefully a lot of sunlight streams in. When the rays hit the toy’s solar cell, the Tantalizer’s motor comes to life, moving the rod back and forth and giving your cat one helluva fun time.
