Author: Matt Byrd (Page 9 of 33)

Defeat the Wine Cork, Once and for All

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Let’s take a moment to appreciate all the inventors out there who think of ways to improve aspects of our lives we never even knew was an issue until the solution is presented. In fact, to celebrate them, let’s pour a glass of wine.

Lucky for us, thanks to a recent device by one of those inventors, the process of celebrating with that wine just became easier.

The Coravin 1000 addresses the age old wine problem of removing the cork without looking like a complete amateur, or even risking the dreaded “break off” that even occupies a part of the professional wine connoisseurs mind.

That’s because the Coravin 1000 doesn’t require you to take the cork off at all, and instead uses a thin needle to pierce through the cork, while a pressure based system in conjunction with a spout lets you make normal sized pours, so you don’t lose an ounce of functionality, or a drop of wine.

More importantly though, it also doesn’t compromise the flavor of the wine by letting oxygen in. This is easily done while the needle is inserted, but the innovative part of this tech comes when you remove the needle, as the puncture it makes is so thin, it allows for the cork to reseal itself when you take the device off.

The $299 price point for the Coravin is steep, but wine is meant for occasions of relaxation and suaveness, both of which are harder when you are fumbling with a cork, and both of which come easier with this undeniably innovative and handy device.

Because Absurdity and Ability Don’t Always Hang Out With Common Sense, Here’s a Baby Stroller for Men

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Full disclosure. This baby carriage does not exist in any retail form, and sadly is not likely to anytime soon.

Instead it is the result of a group polling of fathers by the ŠKODA car company, where it was revealed that dads would be much more willing to push their babies around in strollers if it weren’t for the fact that it was just so unmanly.

Of course when asked what would make the average stroller manlier, the dads responded with suggestions straight out of your standard episode of “Home Improvement.” Among them were a more muscular design, large wheels, hydraulic suspension, and brakes lights, since when you’re pushing your baby boy or girl like a bat out of hell, you naturally need to consider safety.

While anyone else would have treated this as “guy talk,” ŠKODA took it as a challenge and designed a prototype built to those requested specifications, as it comes decked out with 20 inch all terrain tires, suspension, brake lights, and even high-beam headlamps. They call it the “Man-Pram.”

Sure it was mostly done as a stunt for the recent ad campaign for ŠKODA’s new car, but it also serves as a physical embodiment of the old saying that you should be careful what you wish for, as this stroller shows that while some things sound awesome over a couple of beers and punctuated by high fives, when you actually see the end result, you realize that some things are best left practical and…

Oh who am I kidding. Slap a lawnmower engine on this puppy, ship it stateside, and you’ll have to start a waiting list just to handle the demand.

The War on Mosquitoes May Have Just Gotten Easier

Along with death and taxes, we’ve just come to accept mosquitoes as an inevitability. Sure there are a host of devices out there that promise to keep them away, but ultimately all of the Off spray and ultrasonic replants in the world won’t save you completely from bites. Come every summer then, we either accept the annoyance, or hunker down with a few complete series DVD’s or the latest grabs from the Steam sale to keep us inside until winter.

Despite this, it seems there is at least one annual invention that promises to solve the problem for good. Some may be more effective that others, but if any of them worked like they said, tales of mosquito horror would have turned into campfire stories, around campfires not burdened by a single flying bloodsucker.

Put away that well supported cynicism regarding these solutions, however, and you may see the newest of those inventions, the Kite Patch, might actually be different.

Designed from findings over years of research, the Kite is a small wearable square patch that effectively blocks a mosquito’s ability to read  the CO2  from your body that draws them in the first place, thanks to a multi-step system that works for up to 48 hours

The important thing to understand, though, in thinking this approach may be different, is realizing that the Kite wasn’t designed to repel mosquitoes at the backyard BBQ, but rather to repel them in areas of the world where they are one of the top killers. In fact, the true field test for the Kite will take place in Uganda where malaria cases are some of the worst in the world.

That effort of providing the Kite to the areas that really need it is brought to the forefront on the product’s indiegogo page, where all contributions send the Kites to families in Africa, and other problem regions, while only larger amounts net you some personal ones as well (assuming you’re in the US).

Already the Kite has surpassed its goal by around $200,00 with over a month to go.

With a good idea built around good intentions, it would be a shame if the Kite goes the way of the sonic emitter and becomes yet another curiosity at the museum of the war against mosquitoes. Given everything shown so far though, we could finally be looking at the real deal.

You’re Probably Going to Want to Buy Google’s New Device Very Soon

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If I were to tell you that a creative and reasonably priced item with a unique, yet practical, solution to a common modern day need was coming out, you wouldn’t be blamed for looking for the obligatory Kickstarter link, and start wondering how much the minimum contribution is.

That’s because while that site is heavily flawed (for instance, some developers exceed their requested amount by almost a $100,000 and still blow all the money, not release the product, and fail to have any reasonable plans for a refund in sight), it’s a consistently entertaining source of devices that make you go “Hmmm, interesting” possibly while smoking a pipe.

But this particular device actually comes not from Kickstarter, but from our friends at Google.

Called the Chromecast, it’s capable of broadcasting content from popular devices (be it iOS, Android, or computer) straight to your TV. Admittedly that’s a feature only impressive if you’ve never heard of HDMI, DVI, or VGA cables, but the Chromecast gains a leg up in that it’s not a cable at all, but rather an HDMI plug-in that can transmit the feed wirelessly from your selected device. All you have to do is find a compatible program, select a cast button, and you can view the feed from that program on your TV.

Of those programs, only the presence of Netflix seems to be superfluous, considering that anyone with an HDMI port on their TV likely has Netflix compatibility for it in one way or another. The other compatible programs like Youtube, Google Play, and Google Chrome are much more encouraging, with that last one really driving home the point that the Chromecast is aiming to turn almost any TV into something more resembling a “smart” TV for the mere cost of $35.

Even though I think the adding of the word smart before a device and calling it a day is a trend that needs to die a thousand deaths, the Chromecast is far and away the most exciting device of its kind I’ve ever seen, and with more program support (fingers crossed for Steam) can become an essential home device, though its base loadout justifies its meager $35 asking price already.

Plus, unlike Kickstarter campaigns, this one is actually supported by a legitimate company (rather than “some guys”) and is not only likely to properly function as advertised, but will also probably include a definitive release date, which are things that are becoming significantly more foreign in the world of intriguing and affordable devices than I tend to like.

Finally, A Shotgun For People Tired of Those Sissy Double Barrel Models

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Now, I’m not the type that is paranoid enough to stock up for a zombie apocalypse for a few reasons:

 

  • I find making purchases in preparation for a fictional scenario to be elementary bad budgeting.

 

  • My Brooklyn apartment doesn’t exactly have the spare room to work as near permanent storage for can goods, ammo, and barbed wire.

 

  • Nobody needs to be “That Guy.”

 

Where I that guy though who prepped for the undead, I would put the new Chiappa Triple Threat at the top of my wish list.

Why?

Well, because it’s a triple barrel shotgun.

The third barrel is located atop the standard double barrel loadout, while all three are controlled by a single trigger. 36 inches long, and weighing eight pounds, this 12 gauge beauty is sure to paralyze any intruder in fear (undead or otherwise), therefore making the firing superficial.

Surprisingly, however, this is actually not a completely absurd idea, as Chiapa is known for making reliable weapons, and features like individual barrel choke, and a modifiable stock (which lets you turn the grip into a smaller, more pistol style design) actually make this seemingly ridiculous weapon not quite the running gag it will inevitably turn out to be.

Personally though, I’m thinking that if manufacturers are going to be adding barrels to guns like blades to razors, I’m going to hold out for the inevitable four barrel model, ala “Phantasm 2.”

The Above Video is Well Worth 15 Seconds of Your Time

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