The Gadget: A wireless monitoring system called Vue that consists of one central gateway and two tiny battery-powered wall-mountable wireless cameras. They’re meant to let you monitor your house from anywhere, as long as you have a network connection. More »
If you’re like me, your skin boils in the presence of anything brighter than a 40W bulb. While my self-prescribed cave dwelling generally keeps me safe from the harsh glow of the sun, this UV monitor deals with those times we’re forced to go outside by tracking solar radiation levels in real time. Enter the SPF on your sunblock, and the device will calculate your safe window of remaining time in the sun. Plus, you can set a counter to alert you for when it’s time to call a beach bunny over to reapply. Pro tip: set the alarm for one-minute intervals. [techchee via coolestgadgets]
Having kids is hard work. I mean, you have to go to work to feed them, and by the time you get home of a night, you don’t really want to have actually engage them or monitor their activities, do you? Especially when TV or video games can do just as good a job without your help, leaving you to sit back and relax with a good book and a glass of chardonnay.
Of course, some people say that too much TV is a bad thing, and you really should limit the amount of time your little devils spend glued to the set. But how to do it without actually having to give up your glass or chardy and your book?
With BOB, of course! A device that plugs into any monitor, and switches the screen off after a period of time determined by you. You can set it up for up to six kids, so once your kids have reached their hourly, daily, or weekly quota, the screen snaps off, leaving the kid to occupy themselves otherwise.
Which will probably involve going to a friend’s place whose parents aren’t jerks, joining a gang, or cutting on BOB with a pair of scissors. Whichever way, your kid isn’t going to be happy with you.
Exmocare’s released emotion-monitoring watches before, but this BT2 model seems to be directed at the service industry, meaning that bosses can use these wristbands to monitor their employee’s emotional states. The control panel (screenshot after the jump) displays a summary of each person’s heart rate, location, body temperature and skin moisture levels reported by an individual’s device. If you thought your boss didn’t know when you were looking at porn while you were supposed to be working, well, think again. And in our case, the watches would probably break from overuse, thanks to our constant state of arousal. [Exmocare via io9]
Look out, horrible teenage drivers: there’s a new device out there that your justifiably concerned parents can purchase to not only track where you are while you’re driving, but to actually see you. Yeah, now you parents can bust you smoking pot or pleasuring yourself in the car without happening to drive up next to you. Bad news for you, good news for people who want to survive their commute home from work.
Teen Safe Driver is a camera provided by insurance companies that attaches to the windshield and points right at the driver. Since it can be used to keep people safe by ensuring kids stay off their damned cellphones and keep their illegally purchased beers closed and away until they get to Steve’s parents house, it’s free if you live in a number of states, even giving you a healthy 15% discount on your premiums if you use it. It’s a win-win for the insurance companies, who save money by not having to pay for car repairs/funerals all while looking like saints who just want to keep the roads safer. And really, who doesn’t? I know it sucks, teenagers, but if you could drive without crashing this wouldn’t be necessary. You have only yourselves and your still-developing brains to blame. [Yahoo News via Uber Review] More »
Next time you’re wondering if the earthquake of the century is starting to hit, this GraGraph earthquake meter will let you know just how bad that tremblor is, in real time. Once an earthquake starts (it doesn’t say how strong, could mean a lot of false alarms), this little alarm-clock-sized device lets out a powerful wail, and then helpfully suggests what you might do next. Presumably this gives you time to get out of your house before it falls down around you. It’s peace of mind for $85, but come to think of it, if there’s a really bad earthquake, do you really need an alarm to tell you to get the hell out of there? [Sci Fi Tech] More »
As a former ski instructor (best high school job ever) and resident of the mountains of New Hampshire now living in the relatively mountain-free areas of Brooklyn, skiing gadgets bring a tear to my eye. One the one hand, they’re awesome; like this speedometer for skiers and snowboarders that clips onto your chest or boots, telling you just how fast you ripped up Organgrinder, that run with the wicked steep headwall that they never groom. On the other hand, I haven’t been skiing in two years due to there never being snow when I’m home for the holidays. Sigh. Hey Blam, let’s do a skiing/snowboarding gadgets test trip this winter, OK? Let’s make it happen. Please? [Product Page] More »
