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Recycled Xmas Decorations — May All Your Christmases Be Geek
Posted by Addy Dugdale at 10:50 PM on November 30, 2007
Are these the perfect tree decorations for green geeks? Possibly. Made from recycled CDs and circuit boards, they are heinously expensive (around $7 for a circuit-board dangler, $10 for the CD version. Or you can get a set of three for $18 or $23 respectively. Or you can not bother。
What do people who buy stuff like this put on the top of the tree, I wonder? [Nigel's Eco Store via Gadgets News]
Those of you who fear they've got on the wrong side of Vladimir Putin just might find the Polonium Pen a must-have. Basically a hand-made ion chamber with LED read-out, the Polonium Pen will sniff out excessive doses of the radioactive element in your cocktail, dim sum, or caviar when held over the suspect glass or dish. 
With more than a nod to NASA and James Dyson, French designer Mathieu Lehanneur's Bel-Air purifying system uses plants to keep the atmosphere inside your house clean from nasty pollutants. The pint-sized air-filtration system acts as a miniature greenhouse, stripping the benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene from inside your home using three natural filters.
Kitsch lovers — and I can't be the only person on the site who's put in an order for the light-up 
According to game magazine publisher Enterbrain, the Sony PlayStation 3 has beaten the Nintendo Wii for the first time in Japan: Sony sold 183,217 PS3 while Nintendo sold 159,193 Wii consoles in the four-weeks period ending November 25. Not a lot, yes, and while this is hardly a a sign of things changing anytime soon—and much less in the US and Europe, where Wii and Xbox 360 rule uncontested— it sure is a good sign for the beleaguered Sony machine. Needless to say, unidentified drunk sources have pointed out that the doorstep usage Xbox 360 in Japan keep increasing, but nowhere near those numbers. [
The closest HTC device we could match this to is the Shift, a UMPC device that runs both Vista and Windows mobile—but the connection's tenuous at best. What we do know is that the butt-side of this thing has air vents and a battery pack, which makes us think that this is a data-device instead of Sprint Mogul or Verizon XV6800 WM6 phone. Whatever it is, it looks like it has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, CDMA, and EV-DO, with enough going on inside to need air vents. Another thing that needs air vents? Our armpits, because we still haven't showered today. [
Optoma's got a new 1080p projector coming out in December, dubbed the HD803. It's new but its sits right below Optoma's HD80, one of the first to break the $US3000/1080p barrier, in price and performance. The crib sheet on the HD803 reads as follows: 8000:1 contrast ratio, 1200 lumens of output, and a DLP DMD chipset from TI. The projector's also armed with dual HDMI inputs, on top of the usual suspects. The price? $US2599, which isn't bad for a 1080p DLP projector, even if we've seen brighter ones. Optoma also unveiled two 720p projectors.
It's probably not going to take the desktop world by storm like the Eee has with notebooks—cause it's not $500 for one—but Asus's Nova P22 mini-PC certainly isn't a bad looking machine. It's got a form factor sorta like the Mac mini but it's more angular and less curvy, with a Sunkist accent wrapped around it. 
If you have some really precious data that could use a little protection from above, you are in luck. This Virgin Mary flash drive will store up to 512MB of data and safeguard it from evil. When connected to the computer her LED heart will glow and "beat" —increasing in intensity when information is being transferred. Sure it costs €69 (or $115), but can you really put a price on protection straight from heaven? [
This webcomic's almost more like a webtragedy. Why? Its depiction of Wired's 
Long for the sound of a female having an orgasm while in bed? Well, it is time to make that dream a reality my friend. Not an actual, living woman mind you—I mean let's be realistic here. I'm referring to this sleek-looking Orgasmo Clock. Just set the alarm and you will be gently coaxed from your slumber with the soothing sounds of a woman getting her rocks off. Not as good as the real thing, but certainly better than the irritating alarm from most clocks. Available for $US25. [
Pouring two drinks at once using this double pourer will certainly impress the ladies. Plus it will you save like six seconds of work. That is time you could be using to charm her with your wit, good looks and sophisticated tastes. Not bad for only $15. Too bad you actually have to be English to buy one. Then again, you could always make one yourself. Women love guys who are handy. [
The new MicroTrack II from M-Audio gives musicians everything they need to record music on the go. The handheld device features 2-channel WAV (BWF) and MP3 recording and playback and can copy files directly to CompactFlash cards or microdrives. There are also two 1/4-inch TRS inputs for your gear, 48V phantom-powered mic preamps, and drag-and-drop file transfer for both the PC and the Mac. 
Today London's Westminster City council launched a toilet-finding service to help relieve visitor's bloated bladders and prevent public urination. Apparently, the problem is quite serious in London's West End, where something in the neighbourhood of 10,000 gallons of urine ends up in the streets each year. 
Comcast confirms we'll see the rollout of 
You may have seen some bicycles tricked out with huge soundsystems before, but probably not all in one place. Today the NY Times ran an article examining this extremely confusing and expensive hobby &mdash complete with about 10 sweet photos and a video. One of the examples featured a 5000-watt system that cost in the neighbourhood of $4500. The example above even features a tv screen and DVD player. Personally, I wouldn't enjoy the prospect of pedaling one of these things up a hill or getting bikejacked and shot by some crazy dude on the street. [
When the original QuickPod was released late last year for point-and-shoot cameras, it seemed a little quirky. Now that a new version for digital SLRs has been announced, it still seems a little quirky, but I can't deny that it would prove useful for taking self-portraits. It can also be used as a standard monopod as well as a tool to take pictures when your view is obstructed. 
Even someone who has never set foot into a museum before can appreciate art like this. This "interactive" art installation by artist Hannes Broecker in Dresden, Germany features wall-mounted containers filled with deliciously intoxicating cocktails for patrons to enjoy. The idea behind the work is that art should stimulate the senses. In this case, the sense of taste is being stimulated while all the other senses are being dulled. Call me crazy, but Broecker could be the next Picasso. [
Vincent from SlashGear just got a hands-on with Samsung's new SGH-i620, otherwise known as the Sangria, a slim slider smartphone with an iPod-like touchwheel on the front. As 
NBC has 
To most people, camping involves a fair share of roughing it—sleeping in a tiny tent in an uncomfortable sleeping bag on a rocky floor, but for a mere $US50,000 the Treetent can spare you the grief. The 13-foot-tall tent resembles an under-inflated balloon, but it features a round hardwood floor that's nine feet in diameter and a round bed that comfortably fits two adults. The Treetent also includes "adjustable planetary landing steps" to get in and out easily. Pampered outdoorsy types can pick up a Treetent from Neiman Marcus. [
Ever get caught passing a note in class? Instead of swallowing the evidence, you droogs can just shred that little piece of your personal life, and your privacy will be intact with this ultraviolet spy pen with a message shredder built in. Ultraviolet? Yes, the pen also writes messages with special ink that can only be read with an ultraviolet light, conveniently nestled within this useful $US9 instrument. [
Using a retro brick phone doesn't have to be an exercise in giving up modern features as long as you're using the Mini Mob. Not only does it look like Zack's Kelly Kapowski booty call gadget, it's got an MP3 player, a camera, GSM compatibility and a slot for headphones. And best of all, it's only 11cm tall, meaning you can fit this into your pocket without looking like you have elephantitis. Price? $US330. Warning: even though the product page says you'll be "the original gangster", chances are you will not. [
Just when we thought we'd stop writing about things that are coated in Swarovsky crystals, they had to go and slap their shiny mess all over a toilet. It costs $US75,000, which means you could easily coat a regular toilet in 750 $100 bills and have it come out looking better than this. Actually, you could take a dump, pick up said dump, rub it all over the outside of your can, then urinate all over the finished product, and still have it look better than this. Harsh? Yes, but fair. [
The PocketFinder is a GPS with the size and shape of an Oreo cookie. Sadly it doesn't come with a sweet white filling, but it will log the position of outdoor explorers, kids, dogs, cats, ill people and Gizmodo writers at all times using a mobile phone connection. There are other similar devices in the market but what makes the PocketFinder really cool is its Web-based software.
TiVo already stomped EchoStar out in court a year and a half ago in a patent dispute over TiVo's "multimedia time warping system." Refresher: EchoStar cobbled together its own DVR setup, TiVo sued and won. EchoStar appeals to the US patent office for a review of TiVo's patent. Today: The PTO finds TiVo's patent to be valid in a decision that's "final and not appealable by EchoStar". Still left on the fight circuit, however, is the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, but the PTO's decision for TiVo makes it all the more probable they'll uphold the original ruling and injunction against EchoStar. TiVo's take after the jump. [
As much we like to joke about the