Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

As ThinkGeek points out, you technically can’t refer to these flying discs as ‘UFOs’ because they’re not ‘unidentified.’ But since IFOs doesn’t have the same ring to it, I’m going to cut them some slack, particularly since the Summer is soon drawing to a close, and these look like an entertaining way to spend an evening while the weather’s still nice. The Glow And Throw kit comes with a 9.25 inch flying plastic disc that features a set of symmetrically drilled holes. It also comes with 14 green, red, blue, orange and yellow glow tubes that you can thread and connect through these holes so that when the disc is thrown, persistence of vision creates some unusual looking 3D shapes.

You can get the starter kit from ThinkGeek which includes the flying disc, the glow tubes and a set of connectors for $9.99, while a set of 14 additional glow tubes and connectors is $3.99.

[ Glow And Throw UFO Flying Disc ] VIA [ Toyology ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I don’t get out camping as much as I used to, but one of the skills I at least mastered as a kid was how to build and start a fire. (Because when you’re a kid, when else are you allowed to play with fire?) However the Kinderlite disposable campfire seems designed for those who probably wouldn’t last much longer than a weekend in the great outdoors.

From what I can tell it uses a hanging cardboard container that probably contains a fuel source as well as kindling-type material, as well as a wooden frame with pre-drilled holes that makes it easy to create a teepee structure from gathered twigs. It was designed by Philip John Luscombe from Northumbria University and while it looks like a ridiculously easy way to get a fire started, you’ll probably want to be throwing some bigger logs on there once it gets going if you want it to burn for longer than 20 minutes.

[ Kinderlite Disposable Campfire ] VIA [ Cribcandy ]

By Andrew Liszewski

There’s nothing worse than going camping only to have the weather not co-operate. (Well, maybe being attacked by a bear might qualify as worse.) And while this handheld altimeter from Oregon Scientific isn’t going to change the weather in your favor, it will at least you keep informed as to what the conditions will be like in the next 12 to 24 hours so you can plan your outdoor activities accordingly, or simply throw in the wet towel and head for home.

In addition to weather forecasts, the easy-to-read LCD display also provides information on your current altitude, barometric/sea level pressure, a digital compass as well as a 12/24 hour clock with alarm and calendar functions. It even includes an LED flashlight and an electroluminescent backlight function, and is water resistant up to 164 feet. It comes tethered to a carabiner which can be easily clipped to your jacket or backpack and is shock resistant up to 3 feet if you, or it, happens to take a nasty fall. You can get it directly from the Oregon Scientific website for $79.99.

[ Handheld Altimeter ] VIA [ Weather Snob ]

By Luke Anderson

Sometimes you see a new product and think, “why didn’t I think of that?” The Bikeboard is definitely not one of those products, namely because I know exactly why I haven’t thought of it. Riding a bike is fun, and people that can actually skateboard seem to think riding one is fun. However, there is nothing about either one of those activities that makes me think that doing both at the same time would be fun.

Essentially what you have here is a really lame scooter. For some reason I picture Marty McFly seeing one of these, trying to confiscate it, and then looking very confused. I can’t say I blame him, I’m still really confused as to why someone would even make this. Even more, I want to know who they think will pay $200 for one.

[ Indian Summer Company ] VIA [ Dvice ]

By Luke Anderson

I grew up living in the middle of nowhere, so I’m used to dealing with bugs and strange creatures. Of course, no one likes mosquitoes, since they leave you with itchy little bumps. There are plenty of contraptions that promise to rid your yard of the pests, but few actually perform. So what if I told you there was something that was proven to get rid of up to 600 bugs per hour? Would you want something like that in your yard? What if I told you that bug-killer was a bat?

Yes, the average bat will eat around 600 bugs, including mosquitoes, per day (or night rather). With a simple Bat Conservatory you keep a few bats hanging around (bad pun alert!) your yard , and thus keeping the area bug population at a minimum. If you don’t mind the bats being around at night, then install this Bat Conservatory made from Western Red Cedar for around $55.

[ Amazon ] VIA [ RGS ]

By Luke Anderson

Have you ever been somewhere and thought to yourself “man, I wish that I had a couch”? I know, I think that all the time too. Well if you need to satisfy those urges to sit with some friends, or just lie down for a bit, then you need the SofaBox.

This mystical box is more than just an ordinary box for storing things in. Open the lid and gaze in wonder at the cushions that appear, then sit upon them and rejoice. Of course you’ll need to haul this thing around whenever you might want a seat for three, and lets face it, no one wants to keep something like in their car (not that it would fit, unless you’ve got a large SUV or truck). If you’ve got $2,700 burning a hole in your pocket, and you really like having a couch with you, then by all means buy a SofaBox.

[ SofaBox ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Thanks to years and years of lawsuits, those of us living in the US or Canada tend to miss out on products that actually look like they’d be quite fun, just because there’s an abnormally high chance you could break your neck with them. Case in point, this inflatable bungee ride which is manufactured by a handful of different Chinese amusement companies. It features a set of heavy-duty bungee cords which are connected to 3 or 4 inflatable towers. Once you’re strapped into a harness of some sort (I hope) the tension on the bungee cables is increased (most likely by a couple of carnies pulling you towards the ground) until you’re released and launched skyward where you enjoy several seconds of uncontrolled tumbling and spinning until gravity returns you to the Earth.

I really have no idea how much a setup like this costs, and even if you were seriously interested, I’m pretty sure you’d have a heck of a time importing one into North America.

[ Inflatable Bungee: the Ultimate Backyard Toy VIA BallerHouse.com ]

By Luke Anderson

As a kid I spent many a summer afternoon mowing lawns. Since I lived in the country, my neighbors had acres of land that needed mowing, unlike the small backyards that some kids clip for cash.  I remember always wanting a riding mower, however, had my parents gotten me this Mowercycle to use, I think I’d have given up the mowing biz.

I actually think this is kind of a cool idea. I’m not sure how practical it is, but if it works well, it would be an interesting alternative for those with small yards. Then again it might just take more effort than it’s worth. Unfortunately there’s no info about it, but I don’t imagine it would be too difficult to craft one for yourself if you really wanted to.

[ Flickr ] VIA [ Dvice ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Fish might seem like dumb creatures, but if you’ve ever gone fishing and spent hours without getting a single bite you can’t help but wonder if they’re actually down there laughing at you. But why should you limit your choice of tools to just a rod and a baited hook? As the superior species I don’t see why we shouldn’t use every technological advancement we’ve developed to our advantage. And that’s where the Fish TV underwater camera comes into play.

It features an anti-spoof Fish Cam with 50 feet of heavy duty camera cable that allows you to see where the fish are actually hiding. And if it happens to be somewhere with poor lighting, the camera also includes a set of infra-red lights to boost the image brightness. While the black and white CRT monitor it comes with is pretty old-fashioned, it does keep the cost of the Fish TV under $100 (by a penny) but if you don’t have access to a 12-volt power source you’ll need to dig up 10 C-sized batteries to keep it running.

You can get it from Thorne Bros. Custom Rod & Tackle for $99.99.

[ Aqua Vu Fish TV ]