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12 Examples of Abandoned Space Technology
Posted by Sean Fallon at 7:00 AM on August 26, 2008
Looking for a space shuttle to convert into a funky dwelling? Believe it or not, there are quite a few pieces of once cutting edge space technology that have been left to rot. For example: there is a Russian Buran space shuttle lying abandoned in the Arabian desert, a NASA Jet Propulsion Lab sitting in a dusty lot, and the infamous launch pad 34 where the three astronauts aboard Apollo 1 died in a fire that broke out during a test exercise. The folks at OObject have put together a list of these relics along with 9 others that you may find surprising. [OObject]
When Apple reinvented the paperclip for the 
"Citius, Altius, Fortius" runs the Olympic motto (that's faster, higher, stronger) and, oh dear, this Olympics themed-webcam can just about manage "cheaper, nastier, LEDier." It's in the shape of the five-ring emblem, with a 1.3-megapixel cam in the centre ring. The other rings get a glowing LED each. It's US$27, USB 1.1, not Mac-compatible and unlike the 
Ah the electric guitar... every time I eat at a Hard Rock Cafe, it's these fabulous bits of rock paraphernalia that grab my attention. Fascinating: design, art, creativity in one gizmo. And yet at heart they're very simple: a plain solid body, strings, and some pickups. So very simple in fact, that a guy called Ranjit is holding a DIY junk electric guitar class at Etsy Labs in Brooklyn tomorrow. Just don't take along half a wrecked coffee table and expect to craft it into a guitar that'll make you the next Clapton: these Etsy things have "wind your own"-style pickups and just a couple of strings. [
A four-way, USB 2.0 hub. A magnetic paperclip holder. A fake fish tank. A seven-colour LED illuminator. Mix them all together, and what have you got? Yes: possibly the worst 
Those egg-heads from Thanko have spent the best part of a year banging their large, domed cerebelli together, tackling what is without doubt the biggest question that the human race faces this millennium: how to upgrade their air-conditioned tie. And this is what they came up with—hiding the fan grille behind the fabric. Let us stop on this Friday morning (day, slow, news, a, it's, yeah. Now make a sentence out of that) and consider the evidence:
It looks like your typical junk, tooling around on coastal waterways in Southeast Asia in the late 1960s. Think of it in Apocalypse Now terms: It was basically a water taxi for personnel on highly classified missions. OK, so then say that classified mission is somehow compromised—here's what it looks like when it literally blows its cover:
Seriously, if you buy this thing, you're an idiot. The LapStrap is supposed to save you the trouble of bagging your laptop by looping it around the hinge and closing the lid. But I have issues with this thing. I can imagine the laptop lid flying open while on the go, almost ensuring destruction. Muggers would have a field day if people used the LapStrap on city streets. And my biggest problem is that the LapStrap is nothing but marketing hype and a US$25 pricetag. It's just a messenger bag shoulder strap fashioned into a loop. No thanks. [
The world is infatuated with USB gadgets, so why not put a whole bunch of it together in a value priced assortment that pays no attention to order or asthetics? The visionaries at Think Geek have done just that with their Mini USB Desktop Multi-tasking Device. Features include a cup warmer, task lamp, mini vacuum cleaner (that doesn't even work all that well), and an open USB port. Plus it is all packaged in a island that measures a whopping 8-inches in diameter. If it wasn't so damn cheap at US$14.99, I would be laughing my ass off right now. [
Digital photo frames were the spammiest product spam at CES, lurking around every corner with 
