By Bruce Eaton
If you’re smart and keep an eye on the news, you’re not likely to leave without an umbrella on a rainy day. But why not just cut out the middleman? With the Ambient Umbrella by Ambient Devices you can do just that! Incorporating a data receiver in the handle which accesses AccuWeather.com for your geographic location, the handle has blue LEDs that flash according to how likely it is to rain. 100% chance of rain yields 100 light pulses a minute. At 60% it flashes once a second and for 30% chance of rain, a flash every few seconds.
Keep it in a very visible place, by the door, and you will never have to worry or watch the weather. Even just today I got screwed by ye ol’ timey meterologist who said “Bright and Sunny” and turned into “Raining with Fire & Brimestone” for the whole day. If only future me liked past me enough to travel back and bring me one of these. [Bruce’s been huffing paint again. Forgive him. -Ed.] Available summer ’06.
[Ambient Umbrella] VIA [Wired]
[…] (Via OhGizmo) […]
[…] You know what I hate? When you decide to leave the umbrella at home because it clearly isn?t going to rain and then it rains and you don?t have an umbrella. Well, no more, I tell you, thanks to the Ambient Umbrella. It has a data receiver in the handle which accesses AccuWeather.com for your specific location. It has a blue LED in the handle that flashes according to the likelihood of rain. 100% = 100 flashes per minutes. 20% chance = 20 flashes per minute. See what I?m doing there? That way the umbrella can tell you if you need to take it. That means you will have something to blame when you end up out in the rain without your umbrella. Pretty cool. (Oh Gizmo!) […]