Gizmodo Australia » why?

What The Hell Did Jackie Chan Just Make Me Watch?

Matt Buchanan — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Dear god. Jackie Chan. On a Segway. Punching computer viruses. While wearing a helmet that says Kaspersky. I can only process this logically as him trying to gin up business for his Segway dealership.

Just, damn. [YouTube via Animal NY - Thanks Bucky!]

Hangtime, The Dumbest iPhone App Of All

Nick Broughall — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:00:45 +0000

If anybody anywhere actually pays money for this app, they need to seriously have their heads examined. For your $1.19 (US$0.99), you get an app that will give a readout from the accelerometer after you throw your iPhone in the air and then try and catch it.

Yes, that’s right. Hangtime encourages you to throw your mobile phone, worth at least $719, into the air as high as you can, with the hope that you can catch it on the way back down.

And what do you get for such reckless pleasure? Why, you get a readout of the accelerometer data from the throw, including the time it was in the air to the number of throws you’ve completed. You can compare your best results with the top throws from other ~~morons~~ users around the globe.

That sounds totally worth it, doesn’t it?

The app’s one saving grace is the disclaimer:

“IMPORTANT NOTE: Use of this application can be dangerous; follow all safety procedures at all times. Make sure your iPhone is secured and protected from potential damage.”

Well thank heavens for that! Now all I have to do is find an iPhone case capable of protecting my phone from the impact of being dropped from 20 metres. That shouldn’t be too hard…

[I'd put a link in here, but I don't want to encourage anyone to buy such a stupid app... – Thanks Relics!]

‘Casetation’ Mod Is Defeated By Me Putting PS2 In Bag, Attaching It to Bigger TV

Jack Loftus — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Recently, I defeated my arch nemesis, the $US250 briefcase-bound Casetation 2. It took a $US99 PS2 (super power: price cuts), duffel bag, and connecting to any TV, because they’re everywhere. $US151 left over. Flawless Victory.

Seriously. Why? [Casetation 2 at Flickr - Thanks (?), Akshay]

Why, Japan, Why: Part 2

Jason Chen — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:30:00 +0000

Did you think there would only be one image of that Japanese train girl on the internet? Then you haven’t been on the internet long. There are more.

Once again, Japan, why? [Digg]

DS Modder Must Really Love Sony Vaios

Nick Broughall — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:53:35 +0000

If you were going to go to the trouble of modding your Nintendo DS, what would you do to it? Emboss your favourite frame from Watchmen on it? Engrave a Nintendo-themed Last Supper illustration? Or maybe, just maybe, stick a Sony Vaio logo on the lid? Because that’s what some guy did in Japan.While the end result looks pretty much exactly like the actual Sony Vaio he puts it up against – but in miniature – the reasons why anyone would want to actually do this are in no way explained throughout the how-to. Hit the link for a full gallery of the process, if you aren’t blown away by the pointlessness of it all…

[Vaio Type DS via Kotaku AU via Geekothon]

Emergency Yodel Button Creates Avalanche of Ridicule

Jack Loftus — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:00:00 +0000

With the press of a button, your life will surely change for the negative.

Enticing marketing copy seals the deal:

Nothing lifts the spirits like a good yodel, but most of us don’t have the skill to yodel on cue. That’s where the Emergency Yodel Button comes in. Keep this 4″ x 3″ x 5/8″ plastic device with you at all times and when the need arises, press the button to hear the sweet mellifluous warbling of an alpine yodel.

That’s certainly correct. I neither have the ability, nor the desire, to emit a skilled yodel on cue. Costs $US12.50 and your dignity. FYI: Goes well with this. [Archie McPhee via Red Ferret]

Japanese School Girl Wristcutters: So Wrong It Really, Really Hurts

Matt Buchanan — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:00:00 +0000

Wowowow. I have no idea what the context of this clip is. I don’t want to believe that these kawaii! schoolgirl wristcutters are real, peddled by schoolgirls winking and smiling as they lick the blood trickling down their wrists. But you know what? I honestly don’t know what’s real or not anymore. I just don’t know. [Vidmax]

PowerBook/Xbox 360 Mod Makes the PowerBook Bulkier, Less Portable

Adam Frucci — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:15:00 +0000

Most DIY projects that involve taking one device and cramming it into the guts of another end up squeezing a large gadget into a smaller one. It’s impressive! But to take a PowerBook G4 and to put it into the hulking husk of an Xbox 360? I’m not sure I get the point. You take an old laptop that was portable and stick it into something that is decidedly not portable. Uh, cool? And the DVD drive is sticking out of the side, making the Xbox 360’s drive useless!

And you can’t even play Dead Space on it! No thank you. [MacMod via Technabob]

Windows Mobile Running on an iPhone

Sean Fallon — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:32:00 +0000

Call it what you will: immoral, unethical, unholy—it appears that a Norwegian developer by the name of Erik Kristiansen has actually managed to pull off Windows Mobile running on an iPhone. The video of the OS is booting on a 3G is convincing enough, but the extremely bizarre exchange between this “reporter” and Kristiansen at the myPhone2008 conference is enough to bring its validity into question. We shall find out soon enough—Kristainsen claims that the hack is currently in beta with a January release in the works. [myPhone2008]

Cat Motorcycle is, Well, an Interesting Idea, I Guess

Adam Frucci — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:00:00 +0000

Most of the time, riding a motorcycle makes you look awesome. The exception to this rule? Riding around on the CAT 1 Über-bike, a motorcycle designed by Lee J. Rowland that has you riding around on the back of a gigantic fiberglass jaguar. I’m sure it’s an amazing bike, what with its 1200cc Buell 97 S3 Thunderbolt engine and custom air intakes and exhaust system, but come on: you’d look like a total jackass on this thing. And for $US567,000 (!!), I’d better look like James f’ing Dean when I hit the road. [Lee J. Rowland via Book of Joe]