Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

If you need a clock that will surely stand the test of time you’ll want to keep your fingers crossed that Daniel Kurth’s Nixie Concrete Clock actually goes into production. At the moment it’s just a one-off concept featuring a set of six vintage Z560M Nixie tubes embedded in a fairly hefty block of concrete, but Daniel is apparently looking into production possibilities.

The concrete clock can apparently be wall mounted too if you prefer, with sufficient engineering of course, and the time is displayed in an irregular fashion so as not to stress people out by constantly reminding them of what time it actually is. But if you just have to know, it was 10:28:09 when the above photo was taken.

[ The Nixie Concrete Clock ] VIA [ Yanko Design ]

By Chris Scott Barr

How many of you still use a kettle for heating up water? I’m not big on doing it myself, since the microwave does things plenty fast enough. However, I know a few people who are big tea drinkers, and use a kettle most of the time. Of course, this means they have to deal with that annoying whistle every time they want some tea. Well since you’ve got all of that air moving, why not have your kettle make some music?

Apparently one designer has given a lot of thought into that very matter. It looks like hey has inserted a tube, likely with several holes strategically placed, into the spout. Small pistons (which seem to be controlled by a small circuit board, though not much info is given) move up and down to cover the holes in accordance with the music. It’s a bit over-the-top for a cup of tea, but that’s the life of a designer for you.

[ Yurisuzuki ] VIA [ BoingBoing ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Designed by Sang-hoon Lee and Yong-bum Lim, the Braun Bell Mug is a pretty clever concept designed to help the visually impaired pour a beverage without overspill or having to use their finger to monitor how full the mug is. Inside the mug are three sensors that can detect how far it’s been filled, and the user simply has to press one of three buttons on the handle to choose what level they’d like. When the desired amount of liquid in the mug has been reached, an audible alert will sound letting them know they can stop pouring.

[ Yanko Design - No More Overspills Even If You Are Blind ] VIA [ Cribcandy ]

By David Ponce

We like to talk design here at OhGizmo!, so here’s some for you. The Halcyon car is a concept by designer Ralph Tayler-Webb whose looks and construction methods got our curiosity piqued. Inspired by the tranquility and silence of a glider flight over Dartmoor in south west England, Tayler-Webb embarked on a quest to design a car that would allow you to glide through landscapes rather than drive through them, seeing as the beauty and serenity of nature is often crudely broken by the sound and sight of traffic.

Turning to the owl for ideas, the Halcyon is ultra-lightweight, clean, efficient and eerily silent. It’s powered by an electric motor and it’s constructed from porous aluminum. This material is structurally similar to the bones of the owl and has the added advantage of being extremely light while maintaining sufficient rigidity and adequate sound absorption. In other words, it’s light, strong and creates a very quiet cabin.

Of course, this is only a concept. But could this be the way cars will look in a few years?

More pictures after the jump.

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By David Ponce

It’s not like the Lamborghini Reventon isn’t already an obscenely beautiful car. But that doesn’t stop some people from trying to improve on the design. What you have here is a concept from some guy in Iran, Emil Baddal.

Why are we posting this? Well, why not? Even gadget lovers can appreciate pretty car pictures. Hit the jump for a bunch more.

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By Andrew Liszewski

I seem to be fighting some manner of cold or flu today, not sure which it is, so we’ll keep these brief this morning. As cool as this USB Bomb flash drive might look, I’m afraid it isn’t actually for sale. It was designed by Joel Escalona Studio to serve as a “metaphoric and conceptual object designed to be show on a desk or a work place not so much to carry around.” But they are looking for someone to make it a reality, so if you happen to have a novelty USB flash drive factory at your disposal, why not drop them a line?

[ Bomb USB Memory ] VIA [ Likecool ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Have you ever lived with a roommate that liked to steal you food and drinks out of the fridge? They’d usually claim to think it was theirs, citing the fact that there was no label on it or something. Well here’s a way to make sure that everyone knows which stuff belongs to whom.

This stackable Flatshare Fridge concept has four different compartments that stack on top of each other. If you had four people in a house, you could each have your own little fridge. You can even control the individual temperatures of each one. While it might seem like a cool idea at first, it would likely end up being more trouble than it’s worth. Most places you rent (or buy for that matter) already come with a refrigerator. So unless this thing is really inexpensive, you’ll be much better off going with a regular full sized fridge.

[ Toxel ] VIA [ Technabob ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Can I interest anyone in a fake light switch that only shows the time via a small red LED display? And while I say ‘fake’ because it can’t be used to control any lights, the on/off switch does actually work, but only to turn the time display on and off. But why would anyone want to do that? Well to stop time of course!

Whenever I screw up and the deadline ties me up, I always think. “I wanna stop the time.” Of course I know nobody can do that. But instead of stopping the time, at least I might forget about it. That’s the starting of the idea. This clock is for people who want to turn the time off for a while. It doesn’t show you the time if you turn the switch off. As soon as you turn it on, the projection starts to light up from the back and show the time.

[ Time Switch ] VIA [ wrooney ]

By Chris Scott Barr

It seems like everyone and their brother has designed a clock of some sort. I can’t go more than a couple of days without seeing a new one popping up somewhere, so I usually try to limit my coverage to the cool and unusual. The Black & White Clock is definitely both.

The clock consists of four separate OLED digits, which are individually powered and controlled. You then attach them to a wall, and they will display the time. They include a light sensor, so that the normally black digits can light up when the room is dark. It really looks like a cool concept, and the designer is currently looking for a manufacturer, so hopefully we’ll see this one on the market someday.

[ Kibardindesign ] VIA [ Ubergizmo ]