By Andrew Liszewski
Adding to the long list of novelty alarm clocks that ensure you have no choice but to get out of bed in the morning is the Shape Up designed by Yuk Wang. This dumbbell-style alarm clock features a simple LCD display on one end with a digital clock that also allows you to set what time the alarm goes off. And when it does go off (with an annoying buzzing sound) the only way to silence it is to get out of bed and do 30 reps. Unfortunately I have no idea how much the alarm clock weighs or how much it costs.
[ WorldWide Fred - Shape Up Alarm Clock ]
By Luke Anderson
One of my favorite summertime snacks has to be the s’more. I mean, first you have the fun of roasting a marshmallow over an open fire (without catching it on fire, unless that’s your thing). Then when you’re done, you’ve got a delicious, albeit messy, snack. So what happens when you want such a snack in the wintertime, or on a rainy day? You turn to your trusty microwave. Well here’s a device that is supposed to help you in your task of making microwave s’mores.
This is actually one of the more pointless devices that I’ve seen. All it does is hold down the top graham cracker to the marshmallow. Honestly, I don’t really care to make s’mores in the microwave, but at least it’s fun to watch the marshmallow expand to three or four times its original size. $7 isn’t much to spend on something like this, but just think of the many wonderful things you could do with that kind of money.
[ Amazon ] VIA [ Technabob ]
By Andrew Liszewski
From designer Alice Wang comes this peculiar concept device that quite literally allows you to determine whose grass is actually greener. The Grass Scanner pictured above will take a reading from 3 random patches of grass and will then output a Pantone color code that can be used for comparison against other patches of grass. So if you happen to live in a neighborhood where the condition and maintenance of your lawn affects your social status, you’ll finally be able to determine just how sad your life really is.
The designer also created something they call the Parktone color card which allows you to compare the Pantone values of your own lawn against the lawns of some of the better kept Royal Parks and gardens in the United Kingdom. Now I’ll definitely give the Grass Scanner high points for originality, but don’t expect to find one at your local Home Depot since it’s probably never going to make it past the concept stage.
[ Grass Scanner / Parktone ] VIA [ Cribcandy ]
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
Just because you’re doing something as unglamorous as taking out the trash doesn’t mean you can’t do it with a little style. While Hefty has long since taken the safe approach when it comes to fashion with their all-black garbage bags, it seems there’s now a more daring option with these Louis Vuitton pattern bags. Perfect for the homeowner who thinks their trash is just a bit better than everyone else’s.
Unfortunately, since the pattern seems to be lacking the ‘LV’ initials, it’s pretty clear this bag didn’t come from Louis Vuitton. But if anyone knows where it did come from or where they can be bought, I’m sure our readers would love to know.
[ kanYe West : Blog - Louis Vuitton Trash Bag ] VIA [ Cribcandy ]
By Jonathan Kimak
Omer Yosha has created a pretty cool instrument. The Air Piano is an electronic piano of sorts that lets you play notes without touching any keys. It uses infrared technology to detect movement and plays a music note based on where the movement came from. If you leave your hand hovering over a spot the Air Piano will sustain the note. It also appears that you can change octaves by raising or lowering your hand over one of the sensors. It seems that infrared technology has come a long way from the days of the Sega Activator (#5).
Each sensor has a set of MIDI commands that create the music. So when this comes out (it’s still in the prototype phase) you might be able to customize each sensor for different notes and sounds.
The video (after the jump) shows the Air Piano in action. Of course to play a 3-note chord you will have to grow another arm or have a good friend that likes to get close. What I’d like to see is some group (I’m thinking Blue Man Group) with at least 3 of these doing a collaborative effort to create full songs with a wave of their hands.
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By Andrew Liszewski
If you’ve ever dreamed of sticking one of those “My Kid’s A Nobel Prize Winner” bumper stickers to your car, you’re going to need to properly foster their mental development from a young age. So when it’s time to decorate the nursery I’d suggest skipping the stuffed animals and cartoon characters in favor of these plush subatomic particles from The Particle Zoo. They’re all here from the Photon to the Electron to the Neutron, and each one is weighted according to their mass. The Higgs Boson, Top Quark and W Boson are considered the heaviest and are filled with polished gravel, while the massless Bosons are the lightest and are stuffed with polyfil.
You can also get the antiparticle equivalent of various subatomic particles, though you’ll want to make sure you’ll keep them separated from the rest of your collection. You can buy each particle separately for about $9 each, but they’re also available in various theme packs. Or you can just pick up the whole collection at once for about $313.
[ The Particle Zoo ] VIA [ Geekologie ]
By David Ponce
What you’re looking at right there my friends… are High Definition Glasses. Wraparounds, no less. Because you see, no one may have told you this yet but that pair of eyeballs stuck in your head, well… it ain’t good enough. It’s 90’s technology, man. And you don’t want to be stuck in the 90’s now, do you? You heard us: all this time you’ve been seeing the world in Low Def. These glasses right there will take care of that problem for you.
Sure, some may say they’re only upconverting the world, but we beg to differ. This is 1080p all the way, baby! Check out these gems from the website:
HD Vision technology gives you clarity that you have never experienced.
Just like High Definition TV.
It used to be that sticking a lowercase “i” in front of a name was enough to move a product. Seems “HD” is the new “i”… But who can resist that “Modern European Style”? At $20 a pop, they basically sell themselves.
Hit the jump for links, as well as a snazzy video of a similar product (not a wraparound, so not quite as cool… but damn if that’s not an awesome infomercial).
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By Andrew Liszewski
I know a lot of people must really enjoy roller coasters, otherwise amusement parks wouldn’t be spending millions of dollars on the latest and greatest designs. But the faster/taller/twistier a coaster gets, the longer the line usually gets. So what if everyone could have their very own roller coaster and never have to wait in line again? That’s kind of the idea behind the Evento BuzzBall concept. It features a single seat inside a large outer ball that’s able to spin and roll independently of the ball itself, providing a similar experience to being on a roller coaster.
A pair of electric motors is used to power the BuzzBall, so you don’t need a steep hill to enjoy it, just a large open space. Each motor is controlled by a separate throttle which will either cause the chair to spin inside the ball or work together to push the ball forward. However, once the BuzzBall is in motion and the pilot decides to turn, their seat inside the ball will rotate against the direction of travel resulting in spins, somersaults, corkscrews, barrel rolls and other nausea inducing motions. And just remember, if you do happen to vomit inside the BuzzBall, it’s coming along on the ride with you.
While the BuzzBall’s not officially available for sale at the moment, it does appear that Evento has every intention of eventually bringing it to the market.
[ BuzzBall ] VIA [ Born Rich ]
By Luke Anderson
Everyone knows that kooky friend or relative that thinks that the government (aliens, the mafia, etc) is out to get them. If the person you know also happens to be filthy rich, you might point them in the direction of the Quantum Sleeper, which promises to bring some comfort to even the most paranoid of people.
This bed creeps me out to no end. I’m not usually the claustrophobic type, but something about this bed just screams “panic” when I think about actually sleeping in one. It has a slew of optional features including 1.25″ Polycarbonate Bulletproof Plating/Shielding, Bio-Chemical Filtered Ventilation, Toiletry System, a microwave and more.
I guess if you’re really paranoid than this might be useful, however, if I’m going to spend the money on something that elaborite, I’m just going to go for a fancy underground bomb shelter or something. Oh, and as for the price, if you have to ask you can’t afford it.
[ QSleeper ] VIA [ UberReview ]
Related Tags: alarm-clock, Unusual
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