Are you one of those people who want what they can’t have? I know I sometimes am. That’s why while I’m excited for the arrival of Fall and the cool weather and perfect days it brings, there’s a part of me that’s going to miss those Summer breezes that break up the most heated days and can stop the world with just how great they feel, and reinvigorate a scorched soul during even the hottest times.
While the naturally occurring Summer breeze may be seeing its last days for this year, thanks to our good friend technology, and an ambitious design by inventor Fanni Csernatony, we may soon be able to have a perfect breeze through our homes, at any time of the year, and as naturally as possible.
It’s called the SEAbreeze, and it actually consists of two vase like objects. The first uses seawater and serves as a humidifier, in that its job is to produces clean air with a salty smell throughout the room. The other piece, a dehumidifier, takes that clean air and converts it into a genuine breeze that fills the area between the two units. Not only that, but it can take the moisture from the air and produce natural and clean drinking water in its lower sections.
An already amazing design, the whole set up gets more incredible when you take into account the impressive looks the early models have, their completely quiet functionality, and the fact that the two pieces can also sensor the current levels of a room to make sure that both parts are functioning at optimal levels to produce the best conditions possible.
Only in the early design phases, and trying to win a design competition at the moment, the SEAbreeze may be quite a distance from store shelves, but hopefully it will be available by next summer when you can comfortably recreate the perfect beach breeze in your own home, without having to try to tempt a similar one with an open window, and for the months beyond when you’re Summer dreaming.
While many homeowners find a learned peace and pleasure from mowing their lawns, and some have even turned the act into a source of pride, for many, the task is still one of those constant pains that every week must once again be checked off the to do list.
Of course with football season rapidly approaching (Note: Go Cowboys!), a vast number of American men are going to find their chore time on weekends has been drastically reduced, to the point where that junky old mower may not have the juice left to get everything done in time.
While you could explore alternative methods like bleaching your lawn and salting the earth (Additional Note: Please consult your wife first), what you really need is a powerful mower free of restraints and basic decency. A kind of mower that’s very use is preceded by the use of liquid courage and a thoughtful prayer.
Designed at the behest of the “Top Gear” crew, who were also tired of the slow process that is mowing the lawn, Honda outfitted one of their standard mowers with an engine from their motorcycle division and, after a few other choice enhancements, eventually came away with a mower packing 110 horsepower, and capable of 0-60 in around four seconds, with a hypothetical top speed of 130 mph.
Hypothetical, of course, because this isn’t exactly the most stable and safe of vehicles, due in large part to its power to weight ratio, which is greater than that of many exotic vehicles. There’s also the issue of the flames it spouts out the side which could cause some serious problems regarding an even cut, not to mention that nasty house fire issue.
Sadly we can all assume that this mower will never see the mass production light of day, and instead will be relegated to the “Top Gear” track, and the dreams of many homeowners. Still, it’s not every day that a mower that could make Tim Taylor blush is crafted and, regardless of whether or not the majority of the planet will ever use it, that’s a day to take notice of.
I’ve covered a lot of Kickstarter projects on this site, as the crowd funding behemoth proves to be an infinite source for the latest, and most interesting, projects currently out there.
But of all those Kickstarter projects, few have ever been so bold as a seemingly simple invention called the Shark Wheel, which claims to have reinvented the wheel.
It’s origin story is much humbler than its aspirations, as the story goes that one day creator David Patrick was playing around trying to get six pieces of interlocking cable to fit into a cube (which is apparently how eccentric geniuses entertain themselves), when he realized that upon dropping his created design, the shape he’d formed not only rolled, but rolled smoothly over a long stretch of ground.
As a lifelong skateboarder, David immediately realized the potential of this design, and modified it to create the Shark Wheel, a somewhat warped interpretation of the standard wheel that is designed to specifically reduce the amount of direct contact with the ground. Among other things, the benefits of that approach includes faster speed, better grip and control, and the ability to provide both of those features in wet or uneven terrain. In other words, by shifting the model of the traditional wheel slightly, it manages to provide the most desirable aspects of the regular skateboard wheel in a way that the old design cannot.
Now, the term skateboard wheel is being thrown around here, because that is the sole intention of this design’s function at the moment, as the Shark’s kickstarter campaign will net you 4 longboard wheels for a $50 donation.
While the inventor insists this design is not currently intended for use on an automobile or any other wheel dependent vehicle, it is nonetheless impressive that someone out there has managed to accomplish what was previously only referenced in terms of a joke and has actually improved the wheel, even if it is only in one specific capacity. It does go to show though that there is an infinite world of creative possibilities still to be explored, and, on its own, looks to be an impressive piece of design that any skateboarder should be intrigued by.
While branding a cow certainly makes sense for the rancher, when you think about it, should his mark be the final word on your steak? After all, it was you who selected the perfect cut from the butcher, it was you who seasoned and marinated it to perfection, and it was you who wisely didn’t invite that one guy to your BBQ who asks for his steaks “burnt to a crisp” as to maintain the integrity of your work.
After all that effort, don’t you feel you should be able to leave a clear mark on your steak that leaves no doubt as to its creator?
If so then consider the Norpo BBQ Branding Iron. With it, you have the grammatical power of 55 included letters to brand your steak with the message of your choice right before it comes off of the grill. Whether it be something simple like putting the name of the respective recipient on each cut, or creating your own unique identifying statement, you can now finally put a signature on the artform that is that perfect cut of grilled beef.
Sure there are reports of the branding iron not being the most sturdy of utensils, and there is the nasty potential for looking kind of pretentious while using it, but sometimes the quality of a steak doesn’t speak for itself soon enough, and you need it to leave a quicker impression. For those times, you need this iron.
There can never be enough “Game of Thrones” in the world (or “Song of Ice and Fire” if you’re a purist), but with the HBO show on hiatus until its third season debut, and author George RR Martin taking his usual sweet time in finishing the 6th novel in the series, fans have had to look from the top of The Wall to the bottom of the Sea of Dorne (that’s high and low for you normal folk) to find ways to fill the widening void in their hearts for more of that wonderful world.
But even outside of that spirit of desperation, this “Game of Thrones” inspired phone dock would still be pretty cool.
It was created with a 3D printer by Instructables user mstyle183, who modeled it after the much sought after Iron Throne of Westeros that half the characters in the source material kill each other for the chance to sit on (as if you didn’t already know). The dock itself is sure to be equally sought after by iPhone 5 users, who rely on a third party docks since Apple doesn’t have an official one for the iPhone 5 available yet, and this one is slightly more bad ass than the rest. The dock also works for android phones, and the instructions for its creation can be found via the inventor’s Instructables page, or it can be pre-ordered commercially here for $69.99. It is compatible with most charging connections.
The world of geek inspired tech is a tricky one as something that looks cool at first can lose its novelty, and value, later on. Have no such fear with this dock though, as it is a genuine piece of inspired nerdery that given both the continuing excellence of the source material, and basic cool design of a throne shaped dock, isn’t likely to wear out its welcome anytime soon.
