If you own a garage then the one thing you can probably attest to is that for all the space in it, the moment you start using it for storage of any additional items is just the first step towards the day that you look a the clutter where your car used to be and think “Where did it all go wrong?”
Even if you’re an expert at keeping your garage from looking like a cut episode of “Hoarders,” you will probably agree that there is too much wasted space in your garage that is just out of range from being useful.
There’s a project on Kickstarter now, though, that aims to improve the storage effectiveness of any garage owner whether they be the meticulous planner, or the stuff it to stow it type.
It’s called the myLIFTER and it’s essentially an easy to assemble and use electric winch and pulley. Controlled by an iPhone app (or optional remote) and designed to take advantage of the higher, traditionally empty, space in your garage, each myLIFTER can support up to 50 pounds and can be combined for larger items. That means that a single unit may be good for holding some extra bags like this:
Wheras multiple units can easily hold any number of unbelievable things such as this:
Besides durability, ease of installation and use seem to be the biggest objectives of the myLIFTER designers. From everything shown, they seem to have accomplished that as this looks to be the simplest design of this type on the market that is still completely capable.
While that will obviously be easier to determine once the myLIFTER actually hits the market, considering that it has already passed its Kickstarter goal with some time to go, at least we know that a release date will come.
Of course if you’ve been looking at the pictures of this device in action and already formulating uses for it in your own garage, then be sure not to hesitate and pre-order one now while the funding is still going on.
Do you know what an “Oh wow, that’s really cool!” buy is?
It’s something you buy that’s not necessarily of strong particular use, nor do you have a strong personal desire or need for it, but instead you purchase it just so when someone sees it, you get to hear them say “Oh wow, that’s really cool!” This mostly extends to home or office decoration, but many cars, clothes and other goods have been purchased with the sole intention of producing that effect.
The Qlocktwo from German designers Biegert and Funk (which is just a fantastic 70’s soul band name) definitely accomplishes that, as evidenced by the fact that it was my exact reaction upon seeing it.
In case it wasn’t clear from the picture, the Qlocktwo is a wall clock (with a wristwatch model available) that foregoes the old fashioned number system (which in turn replaced that weird reading shadows thing that apparently was once the rage), and instead tells you the time in a series of phrases like “Half past Two” or “Quarter to Six,” making its communication closer to the same methods we often use to relay that information amongst each other.
Made of wood, available in several languages, and featuring a bright display visible in most any light conditions, the clock updates its message every five minutes, and comes in a variety of models including the mentioned wristwatch Qlocktwo W, an alarm clock compatible Qlocktwo Touch, and a Qlocktwo Large which is an as advertised larger version of the regular model.
It’s a fairly reasonable way to tell the time (because really, who needs to know if its 3:33 exactly?), but this is truly meant as an eye-catching piece you’ll have around the house to show off to anyone who may come through, or in an office when trying to impress guests or just improve the décor for your employees.
Running north of $600 depending on the model and vendor, the Qlocktwo might be expensive eye candy, but it’s some damn fine eye candy and one of the coolest clocks available.
As biking becomes more and more popular due to its financial, health, and environmental benefits, particularly among bearded twenty-somethings in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, we’re starting to see biking culture become a bigger and bigger thing.
For the most part, this has been a tame culture. Some biking outings, a few repair shops here and there, and of course some minor…err…accessorizing. Again though, nothing unusual.
Of course, it was only a matter of time until someone said screw it, and really just crafted something wild for the most eccentric of bicyclists. It turns out that time is now, that someone is MonkeyLetric, and the something wild is a series of LED lights that go on the spokes, and can create an almost limitless amount of images, such as these.
Working off of a 4 piece LED unit that attaches to a bike’s spokes, the Monkey Light Pro is an incredible piece of technology not just because of its ability to create a moving image based on nothing but the bike’s momentum, but because of the creative potential of the images themselves.
Besides a few stock images that come with the device, considering that just about every file type is supported for uploading, and variables such as speed and looping abilities can be implemented, there really appears to be no end to the images that can be created, leading to some amazingly creative examples so far stemming solely from the invention’s creators.
Speeding towards its $180,000 goal on Kickstarter, and requiring a $695 baking to receive one, it’s looking more and more likely that we will be seeing these on the streets sometimes in the future. While it’s hard to tell if this will eventually be annoying, or even hazardous, for right now the creativity of the device makes it one of the more entertaining Kickstarter projects, and the best bicycle wheel enhancer since the baseball card.
If you’re anything like me, your desk is the cheapest, most easy to assemble piece you could find at IKEA, and usually doubles as an elevated storage unit, rather than stylish room piece.
However, some people take their desk designs more seriously, and whether it be one that Don Corleone would be proud to sit at, or a model the captain of the enterprise might use, there are a variety of awesome desks floating around the internet, that few of us will ever watch por…err…translate scripture from the bible at.
Of those desks, this infinity mirror desk from Reddit user Jacks_RagingHormones might just be the coolest.
While a pretty standard desk on the sides, that LED framed infinity mirror in the middle gives an incredible impression of an infinite void that your monitor, or you, could slip into at any moment (or worse, something the girl from “The Ring” could crawl out of).
The effect, as with most infinity mirrors, is perfect, and the actual design of the desk is that great mix of surprisingly practical and exceptionally nerdy that separates it from the pack.
So while the user leaves no instructions as to its design, and we’re unlikely to ever see a retail model, the desk envy I’m experiencing right now makes me want to take up some design lessons, save up a few hundred bucks, and (to quote John Lennon) “lay down all thought, and surrender to the void.”
How comfortable are you letting technology into your life?
A company called Neurowear is hoping many of you answered “very,” as they get set to roll out a unique pair of headphones designed to read your brainwaves and pick the music that matches your mood.
Using what is called electroencephalography sensors, the “Mico” headphones detect your subconscious and works with its native app to select the track based on your evolving mood and feelings. The headphones even indicate your general outlook through a visual setup built into the sides.
The goal of the Mico is to create what the developers are calling “Music Serendipity,” where you never have to consciously decide on, or physically choose, your music, but can rather sit back and enjoy the perfect playlist, as chosen by your brain.
Debuting to the public at SXSW this year, details on the release timeframe and pricing are scarce. Further questions abound regarding the variety of the music selections, or how your personal music can be integrated, among other functionality queries.
While apps like Moodagent have been performing this same function for years, the idea of it being incorporated into a piece of hardware is somewhat more original. If the user is able to work off a diverse playlist, the pricing and sound quality of the set is right, and the program accomplishes the majority of its promises, then this headset might just be more than an intriguing idea.