Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

I guess when I think about it, the problem of your fly accidentally coming open really only dates back to the invention of the zipper. But even if it’s not an ‘age old’ problem, it’s still a problem, particularly if it’s ever happened to you. So this simple solution created by Lisa Sjövall seems so obvious that you have to wonder why it hasn’t been thought of or even incorporated into pants already. (At least I haven’t seen it before.) The ZipHolder is basically an elastic loop that fastens to the pull tag on your zipper. When it’s done up, the loop is placed around the button on your fly which prevents the zipper from accidentally coming open. In fact it’s so simple there’s really nothing else to say about it, so to fill out this post here’s a collection of euphemisms for your fly being open.

- Your zip code is invalid.
- Your pod bay door is open, Hal.
- You’re flying low.
- I thought you were crazy; now I see you’re nuts.
- Paging Mr. Johnson…
- You need to bring your tray table to the upright and locked position.

You can get the ZipHolder from SmartaSaker for about $6.40.

[ ZipHolder ] VIA [ Smart Stuff ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Remember the T-Qualizer shirt? Not only do these frames use the same technology and gimmick, but they’re actually made by the same company. So if your pad has come to be known as the place where the party stops instead of starts, just stick a few of these all over the place and you’ll have a line around the block every Friday night. (That’s when the kids do the club thing right?)

The SpeaQualiser comes in 2 flavors. The TQ Raver, which has a red, orange and green theme that looks similar to an actual graphic EQ. And the TQ Chiller, which featues a pink, teal and blue theme. Just like the shirt they use a built-in microphone to react to the frequency and beat of your music with electroluminescent, retro-style jumping light bars.

They’re both available from FlashWear.com for about $40.

[ SpeaQualiser TQ Raver And TQ Chiller ] VIA [ technabob ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Remember the John Maeda designed Reebok Timetanium shoes I wrote about last November? Well given they sold out in only 14 hours Reebok thought it would be a great idea to have him give it another go. This time he created a shoe exclusively for women called the Reebok x Maeda Emoretion. While the Timetanium was inspired by (wait for it) …time, the Emoretions are inspired by the 7th law in his book The Laws of Simplicity which is of course, emotion.

Using Reebok’s iconic Freestyle as his canvas, Professor Maeda’s handwritten code decorates the shoe’s lining and creates the digital paisley print, representing a burst of pure energy and emotion. Holographic straps bring this design to life with every move, while the velvet-wrapped mid-sole and tongue-liner give a little elegance to the shoe.

The shoes will be limited to just 100 pairs and will be available for sale on the RbkCustom website starting March 31. And if you’d like to see more photos of the shoes I highly recommend checking out this Flickr gallery.

[ Reebok x Maeda Emoretion ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Seeing how small digital video spy cameras have become is not as impressive as it used to be. But seeing where people try to hide those cameras is still pretty entertaining. A company called Ajoka has managed to integrate one into a fairly normal looking belt buckle. While the 176×144 pixel 3GP videos it captures fall well below even YouTube quality, they only weigh in at about 500kb per minute. So when capturing to a 2GB MicroSD card that equals about 65 hours of video. It’s just too bad that current battery technologies limit the actual recording time to about 3 hours on a single charge.

On the bottom edge of the buckle you’ll find the MicroSD card slot, a record button, a power switch allowing you to conserve battery life and a USB port for downloading the video files to your PC. Since it’s self-contained and doesn’t broadcast the video or audio signals the belt buckle spy camera won’t be picked up by a wireless camera detector, so the only people you’d have to worry about is the fashion police. I just hope the camera uses a wide-angle lens because I’m not sure if secret footage of someone else’s crotch will hold up in court.

[ Belt Buckle DVR With Camera ] VIA [ Spy Review ]

By Andrew Liszewski

If you’re tired of the console wars and wished that all the players could just get along, this hoodie from Fifty24SF will show people it is possible. The design features a veritable melting pot of current and past game controllers all living in harmony against a white background.

But something tells me this particular hoodie was designed well before the final version of the PS3 was released or even unveiled because it still seems to include the old boomerang style controller. Also there appears to be no love for the original XBox or the 360 while the Nintendo is represented with 6 different controller designs. So I take back my original statements since it seems like this hoodie might actually spark a new console war.

You can get it from Upper Playground in XX-Large only for $90.

[ Fifty24SF Controller Hoodie ] VIA [ technabob ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I for one am more than happy to see all tape based formats eventually go the way of the Dodo. We’re not there quite yet, but we’ve made important strides towards ensuring their extinction. But if for some reason you really miss audio cassettes, wearing this tie will remind everyone who sees it that you’re not willing to let the 80’s go, and that you have terrible taste in ties.

It’s made of 100% silk and only comes in black with a pattern of small white audio cassettes all over it. You can get it from House Of Cassette for $103. You may also want to keep an eye out for the upcoming 8-Track tie, the MiniDisc tie and of course the HD-DVD aka ‘obvious joke’ tie.

[ Cassette Tie ] VIA [ Cool Hunting ]

By Luke Anderson

Are you one of those people that must always be listening to your iPod? I’m horrible about using mine, I always think that I’ll use it, but I rarely find the need. I’m usually in my car or at my desk, both of which have an ample supply of music. However, for those that are outdoors a lot, possibly walking or jogging, you’ll love this Tooks Beanie which features a built-in headset.

The beanie looks rather normal, except for the two circles for the speakers, and the cord running down the back. I probably wouldn’t wear this if I were just going out somewhere, but those that like to exercise in the cold might get some use out of it. The Took Beanie comes in six different colors and will set you back $25.

[ EpicOutfit ] VIA [ ChipChick ]

By Andrew Liszewski

There’s no reason anyone should be ashamed of playing video games, but at the same time you can be too enthusiastic about your hobby. Gaming themed t-shirts are ok, but I’m not sure who’d you be impressing by wearing a pair of Space Invaders themed briefs.

They’re made from 95% cotton with 5% elastane, are machine washable and are available in about 5 or 6 different sizes up to a 38-40 waist. So every armchair athlete who sits around in their undies all day playing video games should be glad to know there’s now an official uniform for their sport. (Even though they’ll have to stitch their own name and number on the back.)

They’re available at Ted Baker which is a UK based department store that also has an online store. The Space Invaders themed ‘Stalite’ underpants will set you back about $35.

[ Ted Baker Stalite ] VIA [ Wonderland ]

By Andrew Liszewski

If you’ve ever taken apart a clock because you were curious as to what made it tick, then you’ll probably be just as fascinated with these mechanical luxury belt buckles from designer Roland Iten. The buckles are made in Switzerland the same way a high quality watch is produced, and the manufacturing process can take anywhere from 9-18 months.

As a result the solid gold version pictured on the left will set you back $25,000 while a steel and gold version, pictured in the close-ups on the right is a bit more affordable at $15,000. If you’ve got the money and a pair of pants that won’t stay up the full collection will be launched in April of this year according to Born Rich.

[ Roland Iten’s Complicated Mechanical Belt Buckle ] VIA [ Born Rich ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While they might look like they came from a grade 6 science fair project, the Z-CoiL line of shoes are apparently very real. Their most striking feature, the Z-CoiL itself, is made of steel and serves two purposes. First, it slows the rate of impact experienced by the body when taking a step, since it absorbs a lot of that energy as the coil is compressed. Then as the foot moves forward to take the next step that energy in the coil is released, giving you a small boost.

Unfortunately the shoes just look plain ridiculous, and I’d gladly choose to live with any pain if the alternative involved me wearing these things in public. Maybe the running shoe version could be useful as a way to intimidate another athlete, since they look like they enhance your jumping ability about 100 fold, but if you walk into a job interview wearing the dress shoe version, you’re walking out unemployed.

The Z-CoiL equipped shoes are available directly from the company’s stores, and you’re looking at about $200 for running shoes, $220 for dress shoes and $190 for sandals. I would probably recommend the Titanium Spring Insoles from Hammacher Schlemmer as a cheaper alternative.

[ Z-CoiL Shoes ] VIA [ Geekologie ]