Saturday, February 16, 2008
Gadgets
Make Your Own Physical Gmail Notifier
11:20AM Sean Fallon | There are quite a few email notifiers on the market, but none of those gadgets can give you the satisfaction that comes with building something with your own two hands. Given the fact that I am lazy and unskilled, I would just as soon purchase the device, but for anyone with skills and some determination, having a flashing notification of mail in your Gmail inbox can done with any output device you have lying around, an Arduino board, and some software. Hit the link for a full set of instructions. [j4mie via Make] More »
Gadgets
New Atomic Clock Will Be Accurate for 200 Million Years
10:50AM Sean Fallon | Physicists at Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics have developed a new atomic clock that is so accurate, it will not lose a second of time in more than 200 million years. That makes the old atomic clock record holder and its 80 million year accuracy rating look like something you would get out of a gumball machine. According to designer Jun Ye, the secret to making such an accurate clock is to speed up how fast it ticks. That way, any errors will be immediately recognised. This particular clock “ticks” 430 trillion times per second. That’s a hell of a lot of ticks. [Reuters] More »
Gadgets
World’s Largest Solar Farm Opens: A Billion Trees Probably Died to Build It
10:10AM Sean Fallon | A solar farm has opened in Spain that consists of 120,000 solar panels over 100 hectares (247 acres). It also has a peak capacity of 20 megawatts and it can power up to 20,000 homes—making it the world’s largest solar farm to date. The farm is expected to generate an estimated annual income of US$28 million and reduce CO2 emissions by about 42,000 tons a year. More »
Gadgets
60 Second Charcoal Starter is Not a Bunch Of Hot Air…Wait, Yes It Is
9:50AM Sean Fallon | I think that most people will agree that charcoal grilled burgers taste better, but getting those little briquette bastards to light can be more trouble than it is worth. Fortunately, there are dangerous man-tools out there that can help get the job done. Hammacher has just such a device—in fact, they claim that their starter can ignite charcoal in 60 seconds without lighter fluid using air that is heated to 699 degrees Celcius. Unfortunately, that kind of power requires an AC wall outlet, so you will be on a short leash when grilling outdoors. Available for US$80. [Hammacher via Uberreview via DVICE] More »
Gadgets
ParaNav GPS Unit For Parachutists Helps Marines Avoid Errors…Like This One
9:30AM Sean Fallon | Rockwell Collins has been selected by the US Marines to deliver 3,000 of its ParaNav GPS units for parachutists. Soldiers plummeting towards earth will soon have the advantage of GPS navigation with a HUD that will help improve landing accuracy and allow for target zones to be easily changed on the fly. More »
Gadgets
Flame Glove: It’s All Fun and Games Until Someone Burns to Death
9:20AM Sean Fallon | Homemade flame glove. Just saying it conjures up images of a fiery disaster. Despite the risks, some lunatic managed to build one using the most dangerous parts of items like disposable cameras and lighters. As you can see from the video above, the results may have been worth it. No doubt it would be cool to walk around acting like the Human Torch or an “Ice Devouring Sex Tornado” while shooting flames from your fingertips. [Make via DVICE] More »
Gadgets
Quaker Oats Working on an Oatmeal-Making Alarm Clock
9:10AM Adam Frucci | The brilliant minds at Quaker Oats are currently hard at work at an alarm clock that’ll prepare a steaming bowl of oatmeal for you just as it wakes you up. Containing an insulated milk container, a clock and a heater, it’s got all the necessary equipment to make sure you stave off hunger with some hearty oats before work. Also, uh, diabeetus. That’s all I’ve got; it’s Friday afternoon, people, and I spent too much time on the retarded image you see to the left. Take what you can get. AU: I don’t get it… [Daily Record via Gadget Lab] More »
Home
10 Ways to Saturate Your Home With LED Tackiness
8:50AM Sean Fallon | LEDs are popping up in all sorts of home products these days. Now I’m no interior designer, but I know that lighting can really make or break a space. With that in mind, here are 10 ways that anyone can utilise LEDs in their home (plus one way to outfit your wardrobe). And by anyone I mean people with eccentric tastes that don’t mind blinding headaches and pissing off their neighbours. More »
Games
Sony Magazine Says PSP Phone Could Come As Early As February? Really?
8:30AM Jason Chen | It’s not exactly a secret that Sony/Sony Ericsson’s making a mobile that has PSP features in it. Hell, even the Sony Ericsson gaming boss says that a PlayStation-branded phone is coming some time. Sony Magazine’s putting an updated timeline on the project, saying that there are “suggestions that it could be in the shops as early as February”. It’s different when you see it print. In a magazine. All glossy. But unless we’re slightly more drunk than we usually are, half of February is already gone and we haven’t seen squiddidly. [Phone Mag] More »
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