Oh! Gizmo

By Luke Anderson

Anyone that knows me very well can tell you that I’m a horribly picky eater. I’m the kind of guy that hates going to fancy restaurants because I have to stare at the menu for ten minutes trying to find something that sounds halfway appetizing. I’m sure other picky eaters will be just as intrigued by these Miracle Berry Tablets.

Bear in mind that I’m skeptical of any serious product with the words “miracle” “magical” or “incredible” in their names. However, I’d be willing to try these tablets, as they promise to turn your tastebuds upside down for around 2 hours. They’ll generally make sweet things sour, and sour things sweet, but it will likely alter the flavor of just about anything.

For around $20 you can get yourself a pack of 10. I’m seriously tempted to try a pack, just for those times I have to eat with my in-laws.

[ Firebox ] VIA [ RGS ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Popeye had spinach, the Gummi Bears had Gummi Berry Juice and now we know what kept Einstein going through those long nights of calculations. The Original Einstein’s Energy Bar is claimed to be “Relatively Delicious!” and reveals that Energy actually equals Mouth watering Chocolatey goodness… squared. But other than chocolate I have no idea what goes into these energy bars, and even if you don’t feel as smart as Einstein after eating one, you should probably just consider yourself lucky you didn’t go blind. You can get them from The Unemployed Philosophers Guild website (isn’t the unemployed part just assumed?) for $3 a pop.

[ Einstein’s Energy Bar ] VIA [ Nerd Approved ]

By Luke Anderson

I’m an ice cream addict. I pop off to my local Dairy Queen more often than I probably should for a fix. While I prefer a soft serve cone, I also tend to buy the kind you stick in your freezer. I’ve found that a mix between nuking the whole container for a few seconds and running the ice cream scoop under hot water makes getting the ice cream out much easier. However, one alternative would be to buy this Scoop & Stack.

Rather than messing with the aforementioned steps, you can scoop out perfectly-shaped cylinders of ice cream which can easily be stacked on top of each other. It uses a simple twist-and-lift action which promises to cut through even the hardest ice cream. For $15, I’d certainly be willing to give it a try.

[ Amazon ] VIA [ RGS ]

By Andrew Liszewski

We probably dedicate a lot more time to bacon than any non-pork funded website should. But since bacon is just so delicious, I don’t think we’re going to stop anytime soon. So allow me to introduce you to the next great bacon innovation, Bacon Floss. Dentists already recommend flossing on a daily basis, but if cinnamon or mint isn’t your thing, you can now switch to this bacon flavored alternative. Each 2-1/2 inch tall Bacon Floss container is filled with 27.3 yards of waxed floss so you can amaze your friends with your fresh bacon breath every morning.

You can get it from Archie McPhee for $4.95.

[ Bacon Floss ] VIA [ Nerd Approved ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Well here’s a bizarre mashup of products and pop culture. At first glance this might look like some sort of high-tech wrist communicator that you can use to contact the Dark Knight himself if you’re ever in trouble. (I know, that’s a bit of stretch.) But in reality it’s nothing more than a ceramic salt and pepper shaker designed to look like one. I assume that somewhere there’s a Batman-themed salt & pepper shaker collector who’s already half-through filling out the online order form, not to mention a Lucasfilm executive who’s just had an epiphany as to what the next Star Wars product tie-ins will be.

The Batman Salt & Pepper shaker is available from CookieJarCollectibles.com for $14.95, even though I’m fairly certain the one thing this isn’t is a cookie jar.

[ Batman Watch Salt & Pepper Shaker ] VIA [ Nerd Approved ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I never had any interest in becoming a chef, but if someone had told me that cooking could be as much fun as playing with Hot Wheels cars when I was younger, it would have probably jumped to the top of my ‘What I Want To Be When I Grow Up’ list. (Even ahead of freelance firefighter and caveman.) To use the Chef’n Garlic Zoom you simply open the trapdoor on top, insert a couple of peeled garlic cloves and then roll the device around on your kitchen counter. A set of stainless steel blades chops up the garlic, and the see-through acrylic body allows you to keep an eye on how finely the garlic gets chopped. Best of all, it helps keep the smell of garlic off your hands and your cutting board.

You can find it on Amazon.com for just $9.75.

[ Chef’n Garlic Zoom ] VIA [ Home Improvement Ideas ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Before you get too excited about the prospect of making the ultimate geek breakfast, I have to let you know that the Corona-Matic waffle maker is not a real product. Well to be more specific, it’s not a real product that you can actually buy from your local department store or even ThinkGeek. It was created by Chris Dimino as part of a project that involved breathing new life into a now useless product by giving it another purpose. In this case the ‘useless product’ was an old Corona typewriter that was reborn as the Corona-Matic which makes keyboard shaped waffles. As far as I can tell the Corona-Matic is actually a fully working prototype, but given how many people have probably used those keyboard keys over the years, I’d be somewhat hesitant of eating those waffles.

[ Chris Dimino’s Corona-Matic ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sick of reading the endless rumors about whether or not Cuisinart was finally going to release an updated version of their soft-serve ice-cream maker with a built-in sprinkle dispenser. I know it was a bit disappointing when the original version was announced and it didn’t include the dispenser, but other features like the double-insulated freezer bowls and the ability to scoop or dispense the ice cream put it well ahead of other models already on the market. And as we all know, it still sold very well.

But in a move that’s sure to make Cuisinart fanboys happy (and put an end to countless ‘leaked’ images and Photoshop mockups) the company has released the Ice-45 Mix-It-In Soft Serve Ice-Cream Maker that includes not one, but three different topping dispensers! (A move that even supposed ‘Cuisinart insiders’ didn’t see coming.) Of course while many users were also hoping for a built-in hot fudge reservoir on the new model, it seems those rumors were just wild speculation, and for the time being we’ll just have to settle with third-party solutions like a double-boiler on the stove.

The Cuisinart Ice-45 is available in the US from Amazon.com for $84.31. And while it hasn’t been officially announced, it’s also rumored that the ice-cream maker will be officially carried by Amazon.co.uk in the UK, Amazon.ca in Canada, and Amazon.co.jp in Japan.

[ Cuisinart Ice-45 Mix-It-In Soft-Serve 1-1/2-Quart Ice-Cream Maker ] VIA [ Home Improvement Ideas ]

By Luke Anderson

Have you ever been outside on a hot Summer day and reached for your can of pop, only to see a bee crawling out the opening? While I’m sure that the bee isn’t going to ruin my drink, I just can’t bear to drink it after seeing that. I’ve seen a few devices meant to seal pop cans, however, this has to be my favorite so far.

Essentially this plastic contraption snaps to the top of your can and turns it into a bottle with a screw cap. While I wouldn’t use this when indoors, I’d definitely keep one on my can when doing stuff outdoors. You should be able to pick up 3-packs for around $10 at local stores.

[ SnapCapp ] VIA [ Coolest Gadgets ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I often wonder how many tons of ice I pushed through my Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine as a kid. In hindsight I could have probably started a successful snow cone business on my front lawn, and with all that manual cranking I would have had the biggest set of pythons in the 4th grade. And even though my old snow cone machine still works, I think it might be time to upgrade it to a more industrial model. The Cooler Snow Cone Machine from Paragon has a roto-cast polyethylene body making it lightweight & rugged and also features a blue finish to shade the ice from melting in the sun too quickly. The device doesn’t actually produce any ice, nor does it have a refrigeration unit. It’s basically just an industrial grinder capable of shaving down about 500 lbs. of ice an hour.

Unfortunately with a price tag of $549 from Standard Concession Supply you might actually want to consider starting a snow cone business on the side to recoup some of that cost.

[ The Cooler Snow Cone Machine ] VIA [ Baller House ]