Random Stuff
First Video of the Japanese Vending Machine Dress Transforming
Posted by Brian Lam at 2:13 PM on November 10, 2007
Here's a video report from Reuters on the transforming dress that disguises a scared, vulnerable stalking target into a vending machine you'd find in any Tokyo side street. This is the first time I've seen this dress on video. And I like how the reporter calls it a modern day Ninja tactic, while other Japanese men in the segment say it's probably a better idea to run from rapists and muggers than to lift up your dress and try to disguise yourself as a Soda machine. [Reuters, thanks Chad]

A necklace with a pendant shaped like old Walkman of lore. Probably about the size of a shuffle. [
The Fujitsu Lifebook U810 is the mini tablet UMPC, and although its launch moment has come and gone, this is the first video I've seen demoing the machine's cool keyboard lamp. Which Joel here describes as the "F'ing Future" or something. I'm surprised he doesn't love the keyboard, but maybe that's because Joel is Viking sized and the midsized keys just don't fit. Worth watching, just to see JJ on his first video review. [
The Good: The Hava Titanum HD has component HD support and Wi-Fi via USB dongle out of the box (a must for my Home Theater Setup, where the router is in another room). As a point of comparison, the Sling Pro requires a $50 attachment for HD support and can only communicate wirelessly via power lines. The Hava also allows you to pause, rewind and fast forward, record to your hard disk and burn your recordings to DVD. Video playback is generally smooth and uninterrupted. It supports simultaneous viewing from local (unlimited viewers) and and remote (single viewer) connections. Future expansion possibilities include hard drives and digital tuners.
According to Maximum PC, sometime between now and the end of the month Sony will formally announce the end of their obnoxious $30
An Apple Store employee just tipped us off on why he's looking forward to the
The super futuristic look of the VorteXX Chandelier has been described as being "reminiscent of a double helix with the appearance of an endless flowing shape - weightless, pulsating and gleaming" — which is enough to turn on anyone with a taste for contemporary interior design.
The British Ministry of Defence has eliminated missiles and other projectile weapons in favour of a more open, glass covered cockpit offensive. Why? Their new tactic is to fly as close to enemy aircraft as possible while wearing this prototype helmet to make the opposition shit themselves to death. Victims won't be reincarnated as anything good either, but that's just a side effect. [
Because of its small size, the shuffle generally gets left out in the cold when it comes to docking with iPod accessories. Meanwhile, the big boys are docking with every cheap gadget and speaker accessory in sight. The folks at FastMac believe that it is high time the shuffle became a woman. Thanks to the U-Connect, shuffle owners can now connect their player to virtually any iPod dock accessory. It can even charge the device and perform data transfers. Available for $15.95. [
While Radiohead basked in adulation for dipping its toe into the digital future with the pay-what-you-will
The folks at G4 networks Attack of the Show are vying for a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records tonight with a 13 foot arcade console that they believe is the world's biggest. Is that big enough to set a world record? You can find out tonight when AOTS airs at 7pm and 11pm EST. With any luck the segment will reveal some more specs on the machine —and if you are really lucky Oliva Munn will flip out and start
Whether you are keeping an eye on your home, loved ones, or just spying on your neighbors, the Wireless 2-Way IP Cam with night-vision can prove to be a valuable tool. The ZVC7630W is capable of day and surveillance thanks to six infrared LEDs around the lens that help it capture clear images in dark and low-light environments. It also supports real time internet video streams and two way voice communication should you ever need to yell at your babysitter from afar.
Incensed over a pair of LG handsets that truthfully, probably were named to ape BlackBerry—the Black Cherry and Strawberry—RIM's taking LG to court. Fair enough. But RIM's arguing that any wireless device with the words "black," "berry," or "pearl" in its name isn't kosher, and requires RIM's consent. Apparently, Verizon asked for the okay to use Black Cherry and Blueberry for a set of LG's Chocolate phones, but RIM gave a wag of the finger, obviously leading Verizon and LG to just go for it. RIM's solution: total destruction of all LG wares with any of the forbidden words in its name. Bonfire! [
We brush our own collective teeth with an older model Sonicare, which is why their
God bless the FCC. Today's leak, the Wolf King gaming keyboard, is apparently the successor to the
You haven't spent most of your day drawing, then erasing crap on whiteboards unless you've been a TA or a software engineer. We've been both, so this Ultraser design is the best thing we've seen in the "whiteboard" design department in a while. All it is is a handle that you shove a standard whiteboard eraser under, but the convenient grip and the fact that you can keep your hands free of whiteboard marker dust pays for itself in imaginary design dollars already. We're theoretically buying it right now. [
With sales in Japan amounting to less than one percent of its total sales, Samsung has decided to pull back from the land of ramen vending machines due to "poor profitability." As of the end of the October, Samsung's no longer selling any of its consumer products in Japan, though it'll continue to sell computer monitors directly to businesses and components like memory chips. The retreat will "have no impact on Samsung's bottom line." We could speculate on some of the reasons on why no one in Japan bought Samsung products, but uh, we're just not gonna go there. [
Unfortunately for electronic table fetishists everywhere, you won't be able to walk into a restaurant, a casino or a retail outlet and play with a Microsoft Surface table until spring of next year. Why isn't it surfacing until then? Partners.
After a very long wait, the FedEx man has finally delivered the HP MediaSmart Server. Chen gave you 







If you want a fancier DS Lite case but don't want to buy a 







DivX's brand new CEO, Kevin Hell, accidentally leaked some juicy info about their Xbox 360 plans when questioned at a JP Morgan conference. An analyst questioned Hell about the new
Clement Eloy, creator of the
The higher the altitude, the faster and steadier the wind blows. That's the concept behind this Kite Sailing Katana Yacht, raising a kite high enough to catch winds that might not even exist at the water level. Designed by Stephani Krucke, the yacht is big enough to pamper eight people in the lap o' luxury. Check out the lovely pictures of this sleek vessel.



The iPhone 1.1.2 Firmware just hit last night while you were out shooting drugs into your eyeballs, but here's what you need to know about it in the harsh, sober light of day. Long story short, you should wait until upgrading unless you're Gérard Depardieu.