The LED revolution is going to transform all sorts of gadgets and then create new ones, as now it’s easy to get a bright but tiny light source.
Clip-ons can be geeky when it comes to things like ties, and this new LED clip-on might not make you look very cool. But, it can be incredibly useful when working. Check out the Clip-On LED Work Light from ThinkGeek and you’ll probably see a use for this gadget right away. Here are some products details:
– Clip-On LED Work Light – Clips on to glasses, hats, books, a phone whose batteries you don’t want to drain — basically anywhere you need a light – Clip opens .4″ wide – Materials: Plastic w/LED bulb – Batteries: 3 LR41 (included) – Dimensions: 1 1/4″ x 1 1/2″ x 1 1/4″ – Weight: .3 oz.
For fans of cool gadgets, this one seems like a must!
In my usual hunt for an interesting and unique bit of technology news to share with you, I must admit that I came up blank. Technology is always shifting and moving, but unfortunately, some days it does so like sand in the wind, and on others like a glacier at sea. This would be a glacier day.
In fact, the most interesting thing I stumbled across was actually… a new coffee mug.
This isn’t just any normal mug, though, but a mug that has an LED indicator on the side in the form of a battery charge icon. If you pour in a beverage above 96.8 Fahrenheit, about the temp of a typical cup of coffee, then the indicator fills up to the top as you pour, and then goes back down as you drink. The gag of course being that as your energy depletes, so does the mugs.
Some are already calling this the coolest nerd mug on the market. I honestly wasn’t going to dispute this opinion until I did some research and found that the field of novelty coffee mugs is surprisingly strong. In an effort to try to lend some finality to this debate then, I found some of the best novelty cups I could and measured them against the battery mug.
The Toilet Mug
Maybe the original “Outside the Box” mug. This is for the guy who may have left the frat house, but refuses to abandon the cheap laugh now that he has to be “grown up” or…pffft whatever.
It may be a classic gag, but once the novelty of letting coworkers believe that you are drinking from a toilet ends, so does the use of the cup. Since I put that timeframe at anywhere from an hour to a day depending on the size of your office, I give the battery mug the edge.
For a peripheral that is somewhat overpriced, underutilized, and in general vastly inferior to the Nintendo Wii console it seemingly got most of its motivation from, the Xbox Kinect has made quite a splash in the motion based control field.
There are of course the Guiness Book of World Records worthy initial sales figures to back this up, but the real proof of this impact is evident in the creativity this device’s impressive technology has inspired in its users. See while game developers can’t seem to make a good Kinect game that isn’t a dance simulator or Wii sports rip off if their jobs depended on it, the Kinect users have managed to hack into the device to make the basic technology that runs it do some incredible things. These include the entertaining (light saber simulators), the sci-fi worthy (robot controller), and the practical yet cool advancements in basic human interface:
Motion controlled interface has been a dream of sorts for consumers, especially since it was popularized in the movie “Minority Report.” With devices like the Kinect and iPhone, we have gotten closer and closer to this goal, but have yet to fully realize it. Even the impressive demonstration in that video was marred by the fact that the movements needed to actually control the system had to be very blunt, and required full body commitment to make even the simplest of motion commands.
San Francisco based company Leap Motion thinks they might have the inevitable solution. Their device (called the Leap) is about the size of an iPod and works through a USB input your PC or Mac. It reads a space four cubic feet in size, and is supposed to be 200x more accurate than anything else on the market. This means accuracy to within 1/100th of a millimeter, which should allow for subtle finger movements (instead of whole hand and body motions) being able to produce the desired results.
The extraordinary video the company released seems to back that up.
We’ve been promised the moon with motion sensors before, but I have to say that given the advancements in the motion field over the past few years, I see no real reason that the Leap shouldn’t function in the way it claims to. My only real red flag in that video is the video game controller sections. I still feel that we are a ways off from total motion control in games without the use of any buttons, especially in titles designed with mouse/keyboard in mind. Of course in menu heavy titles like Real Time Strategy Games or RPG’s, I could see this device making formerly monotonous navigation somewhat enjoyable.
Even if it’s not yet perfect, at a modest retail price of $70 (pre-orders are being taken now), many consumers might give this device a shot and find their own ways to make use of it when it’s released early next year. After all, that’s the only explanation as to why the Kinect is doing so well.
The real Nikola Tesla is a strange historical figure. His works in the field of electricity, particularly his groundbreaking work in alternating currents, laid a foundation for countless technological advancements that would follow. Yet he’s more famous these days for his reclusive nature, wild beliefs, and his many failed (yet utterly fascinating) inventions and prototypes. The combination of these attributes have led many people to dub him a true “mad scientist,” and his place in pop culture revolves almost entirely around that distinction
Take for instance the graphic novel “The Five Fists of Science.” It’s a steampunk world tale of the fictional adventures of Tesla, Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, and other historical figures. In it, Tesla regularly wields two lighting guns that allow him all sorts of abilities and chances to dominate his enemies. Most anyone reading this story would look at this invention and either say “That’s awesome!” and silently wish for a pair, or merely think nothing of it at all and write it off as one of those “comic book things.”
Inventor Rob Flickenger is the rare third type of person. He read this book, and saw those guns, and said, “Why not?”
What that no doubt perfectly sane and well adjusted man is holding is, for all purposes, a lighting gun. Or, as he would prefer it be known, The Tesla Gun. It’s very real, and it certainly works.
While the design is different than the inspiration, it’s no less impressive. Especially considering that the body of it is simply a Nerf Gun that’s wrapped in aluminum. From there the blueprint gets slightly more complicated, but not so tricky that the creator is afraid to post the basic recipe of one on his blog for all to see (though to be fair, even he recommends some pretty extreme caution).
The process is one thing, but what really matters are the results. And whether you’re looking for simple light show, or just need to stake your claim of the city of Metropolis, this thing definitely gets results. Specifically it can produce over 20,000 volts of electricity in the form of a brilliant grouping of electrical arcs. If you’re wondering, this is certainly enough to kill a man, including the user.
So what is the long term implications of this invention? It has none. What moral questions does it raise concerning science? None that I can think of. Does this represent the future of weaponry? Most definitely not. It is simply an entertaining example of how both the evolution of technology, and the persistency of human ingenuity, have led us into an era where we now get to question the possibility of even the most ludicrous sci-fi inventions.
And to think the inventor just made it to accessorize the lab coat his fiancé got him for Halloween.
I’m not talking about cliché bumper stickers, antenna toppers, or those family member decals on the back of minivans. I’m talking about cool, useful, entertaining items, some of which you may not have even known existed. Check out these awesome accessories and discover what’s out there!
Okay, sure, this isn’t the most high-tech accessory in the world, but it’s definitely a handy contraption that can allow your drink to actually be in reach. According to the Ram Mounts website, the accessory can even be used on motorcycles, ATVs, and riding lawn mowers, so any time you need a refreshing beverage, it can be conveniently located and ready for drinking. Avoid a car crash, and keep your auto insurance rates down with this great gadget.
This gem of an accessory might not be legal and every state (so check up on that), but it’s pretty awesome. Attach it to your rear window and control what displays from a remote by the driver’s seat. You can communicate with the people driving behind you with a choice of 16 messages, including, “Sorry,” “Back off,” and “Have a nice day.” Now you can thank that angel from heaven who let you merge onto the highway. Thank you, kind soul. Thank you.
Now anyone can experience the benefits of OnStar with the For My Vehicle version that was designed as a rearview mirror and can be installed into cars from any company, according to Time. With this style of OnStar, you’ll still have features like automatic crash response, the ability to call for emergency help with the push of a button, and access to advisors who can help when you need roadside assistance.
Fingerprint scanners exist, but a whole new realm of identification has been discovered and may be implemented in the coming years. Shigeomi Koshimizu created a chair that can use the identification of someone’s butt when they sit to then allow actions like turning on a car. The use of pressure points allows the device to make this determination, so security has reached a whole new level of weird.
Conclusion
Whether the accessories help you drink a soda or prevent car theft, there are dozens of devices and gadgets out there that can make driving more convenient, more expressive, and more secure. Think about what you might want for your car and look it up — it might already exist!
