We’ve seen shipping containers that have been converted into small living or business spaces before, but now architects are getting serious about this novel solution to the US container glut. The problem is that as a country we buy so much cheap stuff from China, that the shipping containers are piling up near the ports Read more about Express your contempt for US trade policy by living in a shipping container[…]
LED lights are far more efficient than standard light bulbs, using a half of the energy and burning five times longer than their rudimentary cousins. It’s a wonder, then, that we don’t see them used more. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the first city in America to replace all its streetlights with fancy, fancy LED lights, Read more about Ann Arbor is first city replacing all streetlights with LEDs[…]
We’ve heard of a white-hot spotlight, but this flashlight is ridiculous. Manufacturer Wicked Lasers calls this monster The Torch, and the 4100-lumen light packs enough punch to literally set the world on fire, starting up a pile of loose paper in a matter of seconds. Jeez, that’s hot stuff. To give you an idea, a Read more about The Torch is bright enough to blind you, hot enough to fry an egg[…]
Great ergonomic strides have been made in the past few years in the field of pointing devices, but this Moldable Mouse design concept by Lite-On takes user-friendliness to its limit. The mouse is made of lightweight modeling clay with a flexible polyurethane and nylon fabric cover that lets you mold it into whatever shape is Read more about Moldable Mouse takes the perfect shape[…]
Sure, there are way, way, way too many Simpsons licensed products out there, from t-shirts and lunchboxes to grills and toiletries, but this one seems like a cut above the rest. It’s a webcam shaped like Mr. Burns! How could you go wrong with such a product? In addition to looking like Mr. Burns sitting Read more about Mr. Burns webcam is the king of all webcams[…]
A large US spy satellite has lost power and could hit the Earth in late February or March, government officials have said. The satellite, which is now out of control, could contain hazardous materials, and it’s unknown where on our planet it might come down. Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council said, Read more about Spy satellite to slam Earthside[…]
The US Navy will astound the world tomorrow by test-firing a radical new weapon system at an unprecedented power level. The new piece of war-tech on trial is that old sci-fi favourite, an electromagnetic railgun. According to the Office of Naval Research, which is in charge of the project, the electric cannon will deliver over Read more about US Navy to test-fire electric hypercannon[…]
If you’ve got so much money that you’re just looking for new ways to waste it, Tobias Wong and Ju$t Another Rich Kid created the Gold Pill for you. It’s a pill dipped in gold and filled with 24-karat gold leaf. You’re supposed to eat it “to increase your self-worth.” That would be funny if Read more about Gold Pill makes your poop glitter for $425[…]
Tired of looking like a wuss on your Segway? Then put down your bike helmet and put on the Skull Helmet from Santiago Chopper. Owning anything from a place called Santiago Chopper is guaranteed to add +1 to your self esteem, but this brain bucket (that’s cool biker slang for “helmet”) will “scare the crap Read more about Skull helmet makes you look badass on your Segway[…]
Dubai gets all the cool stuff. If it isn’t the world’s tallest hotel, or a building inspired by an iPod, it’s a hotel that is underwater. The Hydropolis Undersea Resort will open its doors this month, offering guests 220 rooms of scenic underwater views. Located in the Arabian Gulf, the hotel sits approximately 60 feet Read more about Underwater hotel opens[…]
Technology has come quite a long way since the original USB Missile Launcher was unveiled a year ago. It was so popular that biggie Microsoft wanted some USB desktop weapon action and has teamed up with Dream Cheeky for vastly improved missile launchers. The first launcher is attacking the biggest flaw of the missile launching Read more about USB Missile Launches gets wireless, camera upgrades[…]
t’s easy to track the tidal movements of the ocean by looking at waves, but all of that energy is moved around under the surface of the water as well. Florida Atlantic University’s Center of Excellence in Ocean Energy Technology hopes to harness these underwater currents by placing 100-foot-in-diameter 20 kilowatt turbines that are anchored Read more about Underwater turbines could power the state of Florida[…]
So there you are, walking down the street, when you hear a voice in your head. And instead of the regular voice, the one that tells you that you want a cheeseburger or that you should buy more video games, this one is an unfamiliar one telling you to watch a new TV show. Are Read more about New billboard puts voices in your head[…]
The Portable PC Theater probably won’t replace your PC, even if you do use it as a media center. It will come in handy, though, if you want a computer that you can tote around and take to show friends whatever hot video is going around the web. Instead of a monitor, it has a Read more about Portable PC Theater: where’s the PC?[…]
Outdoor types who are into extreme sports: listen up. You don’t have to rely on some wired-up coat that controls your MP3 player when there’s a helmet that can do it for you. Hammacher Schlemmer has a winter sports helmet with Bluetooth headphones built in. The transmitter wirelessly connects to an iPod sitting safely and Read more about Bluetooth helmet makes voices in your head a good thing[…]
The race to build a working and dependable scramjet is happening all the world over — the United States, China, Australia and who knows who else all want one. DARPA’s HTV-3X, also known as Blackswift, is an unmanned scramjet-powered plane that may take to the skies as soon as 2012, hitting speeds of up to Read more about Scramjet-powered planes (and missiles) may be closer than you think[…]
The Kanguru USB Duplicator allows you to plug in up to 24 thumb drives at once and dictate what information goes onto all of them. An LCD on the unit helps you to know what you’re doing, and you can map hotkeys so that you can copy and format drives with the touch of a Read more about Kanguru USB Duplicator handles 24 drives at once[…]
The Digital Veil is an art piece by Soomi Park that combines black and white flash animations with a wearable LCD screen. The wearer’s face is visible through the white parts of the animations and obscured by the black areas, so onlookers are presented with a distorted face that’s always shifting. The wearer can randomly Read more about Digital Veil obscures beauties and beasts behind a wall of light[…]
Powering your boat via an engine is so last year. The new cool way to propel your new luxury yacht? A big kite, of course. What, you don’t think it’d be enough? You obviously don’t know much about kites, my friend. This Kite Sailing Yacht uses a giant parachute-sized kite on a long tether. By Read more about A yacht powered by a gigantic kite[…]
I remember when a pen was considered fancy if it had more than one tube of ink in it. Y’know, the kind with all the different click nubs on top so you can write in black or blue or red. Well, that’s not enough for a pen these days. We just got done gawking at Read more about ‘Design A’ pen phone won’t leave ink in your ear[…]
Do you like Legos? Of course you do. Legos are pretty much the ultimate toy, allowing kids to build whatever they want to play with. I grew up with them, and they do nothing but foster creativity and imagination. God bless Legos. That’s why it’s always fun to see grown-ups still hooked on their childhood Read more about The fully-functioning Lego air conditioner[…]
Did you know there’s a division at MIT called the Smart Cities group? It’s true, and judging by the designs the team puts out maybe we should just leave city planning to them from here on out. They have a two-seater electric buggy in the works called the City Car that can stack against other Read more about MIT stackable City Cars reinvent the wheel[…]
The Mademoto Electric Cruiser has done the unthinkable and taken all of the beneficial purposes out of rollerskates, skateboards and other manual modes of rolling transportation. Thank of the Electric Cruiser as the front half of an electric moped, a juiced up unicycle or a severely gimped Segway. It is designed to happily drag you Read more about Electric Cruiser is a mash-up of a unicycle, Segway, laziness[…]
Unlike in the States, cigarette machines are everywhere in Japan. Rather than get rid of them due to the problem of underage kids being able to buy packs of smokes from them like we did here, they’re using technology to keep the machines around and ensure that only adults can make purchases from them. A Read more about Japanese cigarette machine reads faces to determine age[…]