Gizmodo Australia » geek

Ideas For Tech-Themed Halloween Pumpkins

Jesus Diaz — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:30:00 +0000

If you are looking for Halloween pumpkin carving ideas, here are some classic tech- and sci-fi-themes. I sure like R2-D2 more than Darth Pumpkin and Yod-o’-lantern, but the most terrifying is the red ring of death pumpkin.

You got new ideas? Start carving, because someone tells me that next week there will be a contest coming up. Head to Unplggd for the complete gallery, including the best Mario of all times: Raccoon Mario. [Unplggd]

My Gadgets On Gdgt

Brian Lam — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:30:00 +0000

gdgt just posted a video of me talking about some of my favourite gadgets from the past, present and future. Sorry, the house is a bit messy. Also, I’m awkward. [gdgt]

DIY AIM-9 Sidewinder Air to Geek Missile Lamp

Sean Fallon — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 23:00:13 +0000

After all of this talk about the Pentagon preparing to blow a spy satellite out of the sky, missiles have never been hotter. So it is high time you got a piece of the action with this AIM-9 Sidewinder Missile floor lamp. Unfortunately, you can not purchase the lamp in one piece—it has to be built from an instruction kit—although the results look to be worth the effort. A video of the lamp in action is available after the break.

For anyone willing to put in the serious amount of time it will take to piece this lamp together, the kit contains instructional videos and manuals, templates, and decals. Expect to pay around US$60 for parts on top of the US$20 it costs for the kit itself. All in all, US$80 is a small price to pay for a lighting solution this awesome. [Roger Dodger via TFTS]

8-Bit Dynamic Life Shirt Measures Proximity to Lovers, Zelda Wannabes

Jesus Diaz — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:13:56 +0000

Two shirts, two lovers, a bunch of hearts and one shared bad clothing taste or a shared obsession with Zelda. Or both. In any case, this proximity-based 8-Bit Dynamic Life Shirt is a recipe for style disaster. Or absolute happiness. Probably depending on your ~~alcohol~~ mana or ~~yellow smiley pills~~ stamina levels, as the ~~animated diagram~~ andjust added video show.

In the words of purveyors of all things absurd, Think Geek, this is “the ideal Valentine’s Day Gift.” And in the immortal words of Addy: “no, no, no, no. NO.” Available now for US$24.99 each plus the transmitter pack that senses the presence of your Other One. Tech-nological RO-MANCE!* [Think Geek]

* Bonus Valiumtimes Video

Extreme Hi-Tech Log Cabin Would Make Al Gore Cry (Gallery)

Wilson Rothman — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 14:04:44 +0000

Ahh, the great outdoors. Wouldn’t it be nice to get out to the woods, to a log cabin far from the things of man? Naturally, you’d still need motorized Lutron Sivoia QED window shades, a “corporate-style” phone system from Panasonic, a whole-house music system and an AMX home control system to bring it all together. Oh and…

…a Meridian sound system with Vidikron Vision 90 DLP projector and a 130-inch screen for the home, I mean cabin, theater. And what about two kitchens, one for you and one for your guests? After all, you’re not a caveman. Speaking of caves, it might pay to replace some of the natural rocks around the property for high-end speakers that just look like rocks, am I right?

So how much for this 10,000-square-foot relax-o-dome located (I believe) near Fort Collins, CO? You know the drill: If you have to ask, you’ll never know. For more shots of decadence, hit EH’s article. [Electronic House]

Star Trek Home Theatre, Go Where No Man Has Left Before

Mark Wilson — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 13:13:18 +0000

This Star Trek TNG home theatre is ubergeek in the absolute best way, which is probably why at CEDIA 2007 it was named the best theme theatre installation. Featuring a quasi-faithful re-creation of the Enterprise NCC-1701D, motion activated “air-lock” doors and an alert button producing an alarm and flurry of red LED lighting are enough to keep us entertained even if, say, the theatre were only 720p.

While the owner wishes to remain anonymous and ~~we lack specs on the complete setup~~, the piece de resistance has to be one of the largest Kaleidescape hard drive storage systems in the world, with eight servers holding 3,816 DVDs. We’d probably be too busy drinking at the bar full of scifi memorabilia to watch our choice of Hilary Duff films, our minds blown at Robby the Robot hanging out with members of the Federation. [electronichouse]

NY Jedi School Trains Lightsaber Enthusiasts (To Be Bigger Geeks)

Mark Wilson — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 15:30:06 +0000

We’d heard of the NY Jedi School before—for those who haven’t, it’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like—but we’d never seen a class in action until we spotted this clip on ABC. Given that lightsabers don’t actually exist, we were confused just how the…logistics…worked out. Now we know. And yes, it’s every bit as dorky as we dreamed (or nightmared) it would be. [nyjedi via abc & neatorama]

Video Proof of Geek Squad Stealing Porn

Seamus Byrne — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 19:20:00 +0000

The Geek Squad, Best Buy’s tie-wearing, Beetle-driving, and now porn-stealing tech group, was caught transferring pornographic images from a customer’s machine. The sting was orchestrated by The Consumerist, who give a play-by-play of how they set it up. Check it out, it’s work safe. Be sure to give it a Digg while you’re at it, each one here goes straight to the Consumerist. For shame, Geek Squad! (You’re not supposed to get caught!) [The Consumerist]

Key Rings

Seamus Byrne — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 23:00:02 +0000

What’s more embarrassing for Charlie Murphy than having “Unity” indented on his forehead? How about Ctrl Alt Delete? It’s too bad Rick James wasn’t a geek, or else that story would have went down slightly differently for Darkness. $89 each. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Marchenoir via Neatorama]

A Gamer Who Can Beat You Using Just His Thumb

Seamus Byrne — Wed, 30 May 2007 18:43:00 +0000

Mike Philips is a Mac gamer and writer. He plays games like World of Warcraft and Unreal Tournament, is working on a novel and is a freelance tech writer. What makes him unique? Well, the fact that he does all this using only one thumb.

Mike was born with spinal muscle atrophy, leaving him with control over only one thumb. But using a proximity switch connected to the Swifty USB switch interface and SwitchXS software, he’s able to fully use a computer and frag like a pro. It’s pretty amazing, and it makes your poor performance in UT using both hands seem even more pathetic. Be sure to check out the short video “One Thumb to Rule Them All” to see Mike gaming in action. –Adam Frucci

One Thumb to Rule Them All [via TUAW]