Thanks to the RadarGolf system you golfers will never lose another ball again, though you will have to jump through a few hoops for it to be really useful. The system uses BPS, or Ball Positioning System technology, along with three key components to make it easy to locate a wayward ball. Both the special RadarGolf balls and the handheld receiver use RF signals to talk to each other, and when located an LCD display and an audible tone on the handheld unit will help you pinpoint in what direction and how far away your lost ball lies.
According to their site the special RadarGolf balls meet all USGA specifications for size, weight, distance, initial velocity and symmetry, and the embedded transmitter chip is small enough that it doesn’t affect the ball’s performance. However, the balls don’t each have a unique RF signal, so the handheld receiver will actually detect all the RadarGolf balls in its vicinity, even if they’re in your golf bag or your pocket. So the balls that aren’t in play have to be stored in a special ‘Shield-it’ pouch that’s made with a metallic fabric to block the RF signals. It’s not a major inconvenience, but I can’t see the system being that useful if too many people are using it on the same course.
A RadarGolf starter kit which includes a dozen balls, the handheld receiver and a couple of Shield-it pouches runs $199.95, while a dozen replacement balls (if the system really works why are these necessary?) is $39.95.
The next time you have to move the Box-Buddy could make the process considerably less of an ordeal . It’s an easy to use tool that offers a simple way to cut ‘C’ shaped carrying handles into the sides of any corrugated cardboard box. And not only does the ‘C’ shape result in a folded handle that’s easier on the hands, particularly with a heavy box, but it also means there’s no scraps of cardboard to be disposed of. And with a price tag of just $16.98, the Box-Buddy is a no-brainer, even if it’s just a unitasker.
Many moons ago we told you how you could virtually explore Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater house using the Half-Life 2 Source engine, but now you can build your very own miniature replica thanks to the LEGO Architecture series. Designed by Adam Reed Tucker, the model is constructed from 811 bricks, so it’s way too small to give your minifigs a guided tour, but it can be taken apart to reveal the layouts of the different floors, showcasing Wright’s genius. Just be prepared to drop about $100 on this bricktastic work of art.
What the crap is this?! Another attempt to modernize the Etch A Sketch? Please listen to me Ohio Art, the Etch A Sketch is a classic toy with a simple concept that has made it popular for almost 40 years! We actually like the limitations imposed by drawing with two dials.
Sure the new single controller knob on the Freestyle allows you draw loops and curves that aren’t horribly aliased, but that’s the charm of the original Etch A Sketch! It was remarkably satisfying when you managed to draw a circle that actually looked like a circle! As far as I’m concerned this is just cheating. It’s like buying a pre-written essay on the internet for college, but this only costs $14.99, and won’t get you kicked out of school.
I wasn’t alive back in the day when someone with no specific tools or knowledge could open something up to fix it or just figure out how it worked. Nowadays, electronics come plastered with dire warnings about how opening the case will void your warranty, destroy the device, and kill you and your pets. This is really too bad, because one of the ways that people learn, or specifically that kids learn, is by experimentation. With this in mind, the Computer Vision Lab at Columbia University has developed the BigShot camera, which comes in a kit designed for kids to assemble while learning about cameras specifically and electronics in general:
The camera can be powered with a battery or with a dynamo, where 6 cranks = 1 picture, a feature I’d love to have in any or all of the cameras I use. It’s also got lenses on a rotating wheel, including a wide angle lens and a prism for taking stereo pictures. It goes beyond just a buildable camera kit, though… The overall mission of the BigShot project aims to keep the camera cheap enough that they’ll be available to kids worldwide, and to create an online social environment of sorts to share photos and teach the principles of photography.
The viability of this whole thing probably depends on what the final price of the BigShot ends up being. It’s currently still in a final testing phase, and my guess is that it’ll end up in about the same place as the OLPC… Great idea, but about twice as expensive as it ideally should be.
Last month we showed off the Ultra X4 850W Modular Power Supply and number of you seemed interested in getting your hands on one. Well thanks to the awesome people over at Ultra, one of you is going to get just that. All you need to do this time around is drop a comment below. This time next week I’ll pick a winner at random and you’ll have one of these delivered straight to your door. The contest is open to anyone in the US or Canada. Good Luck!
When you’re trying to lose weight, sometimes it’s hard to find the proper motivation. Sure, having a goal in mind, or even a pair of old jeans that you’re hoping to fit into can help. But sometimes you need something a little stronger than your own will to keep you going. I’m talking about peer pressure. No, you don’t need a bunch of people standing around telling you that you’re overweight. However, if all of your peers know your exact weight at all times, you might feel pressured into doing something about it. If that sounds like the kind of prodding you need, then you might want to check out the Withings Wifi Body Scale.
I’m still no fan of Twitter, but this has to be one of the more interesting uses of it that I’ve seen. The scale uses Wi-Fi to send a Twitter update every time you step on it. Now you can send all of your friends instant updates so that they can support you in your effort to reach your goal. You have to wonder how many people will keep an extra scale in their bathroom, just so they can check their weight before broadcasting it to the world. The Withings WiFi Body Scale will set you back a whopping $159.
In one fell swoop JOBO has drastically simplified the process of getting printed photos into the digital realm with their aptly named ScanViewer digital photo frame. The 8-inch TFT LCD has a resolution of 800×600 pixels, while the built-in scanner located just below it can scan as high as 1200×1800 pixels. The automatic feeder will accept photos either 1.6″x2″ in size or the more common 4″x6″ format, and the digital versions can be stored on the frame’s 1GB of memory or copied to a memory card including compact flash, SD, MemoryStick and XD. And there’s even a USB connection for easily transferring the scans back to your PC. Expect the ScanViewer to be available sometime in December for about $380.
There’s a general rule that the cooler a fish tank is, the more of a pain in the butt it is to clean the tank, feed the fish, and take care of the occasional belly up moment of unfortunateness. The exception to this rule is brought to you by fish tanks that don’t have any real fish in them, and the best of these don’t even have any water and can be stuffed in a closet when you’re not in a fishy mood. The Ocean Theater is all this and more, offering the excitement of a seascape with the convenience of an off switch.
So it’s basically a light, a clock, and an iPod dock (it’s got speakers and an audio jack) that can project fish and sharks and dolphins and stuff onto its own touch sensitive dome, or a wall. Yes, it’s extremely Japanese, but you can actually buy this one for about $250 (!) from Japan Trend Shop.
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