Gadgetstronics

Apparently there are still places in the world where the brains of a product matter for less than the looks.  I prefer my gadgets to look nice just as much as any girl and this product is indeed cute.  However, it is a whopping 4GB, which has its uses of course.  You could always have it tossed in your purse for those very random emergency situations.  Beyond that, 4GB just seems like far too little to keep me happy.  I don’t know, maybe you only save one document at a time then erase it, if that’s the case then you might be interested in this little USB drive.

Nothing is really wrong with the drive, it has cute little flowers and a cute even smaller storage space, yet I’m not sure it’s worth paying more than $20 for.  Seriously, it’s a tiny USB drive that they slapped a pretty sticker on.  Engraved flowers, maybe, but a sticker, sorry it’s just not worth the $60 they have it priced at.  Not all women want just pretty gadgets, some of us prefer them to be cost effective and useful.  Weird I know.

Source: Gizmodiva

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by Darren Murph, posted Jun 1st 2008 at 4:43AM
Around 1.5 years ago, we got wind of researchers in the UK working up a battery-free pacemaker. Fast forward to now, and we’ve got yet another breakthrough in the field. Purportedly, a crew of Osaka University scientists have created the “world’s first optical pacemaker,” and in an article published in Optics Express, the team details how “powerful, but very short, laser pulses can help control the beating of heart muscle cells.” In theory, this discovery provides the means for dictating said cells within a controlled setting, which could help researchers “better understand the mechanism of heart muscle contraction.” As amazing as we’re sure this is to the science world, throwing “lasers” and “heart” into the same sentence just doesn’t elicit warm / fuzzy feelings.

[Via Primidi]

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Filed under: Misc. gadgets

One of the newest releases from Imation is the “USB Nano flash drive”, which is essentially a tiny memory stick that is available in 1GB, 2GB, 4GB or 8GB storage sizes. It comes in 100% environmentally friendly packaging and is enhanced with Vista ReadyBoost. However that doesn’t explain the $20+ price tags, when you can get them for was less nearly everywhere, but by taking a ‘closer’ look it is fairly obvious.

The reason for the price is that this is the smallest flash drive you can get, and just 44mm x 15mm x 10mm you have to wonder if you can get any smaller. This size is quite practical as it not only means that you can carry it around on nearly everything (you could probably wear it as an earring) but it can also fit into the smallest of spaces behind your computer, meaning you can finally use all of your USB ports at the same time. However the smaller your gadgetry is, the easier it is lost, and it is really worth buying something you know your going to loose?

Read [Imation]

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by Darren Murph, posted Jun 1st 2008 at 8:57AM
Realities:United has created a device that will likely bring back fond memories of Coldplay’s X&Y tour a few years ago, particularly if you were there for the first 60 or so seconds when a gigantic timepiece such as the one seen above counted down the show’s start. Without getting too reminiscent up in here, the artistsspace commissioned project not only keeps track of time impeccably well, but it also replaces those mundane fixtures that have become an unfortunate mainstay in corporate offices. Now, if only the workday would whiz by as quickly as the one shown in the demonstrative video located in the read link, you’d be all set. [Warning: read link directs to video]

[Via MAKE]

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Filed under: Misc. gadgets, Household

Ever get tired of just sitting in front of your computer late at night typing away at something pointless? Or even, just having to sit at the computer and wishing you could be in a more comfortable position? Even with a laptop, it’s not that easy, but now there is a solution to this problem and it is called the Surf Chair.

This chair allows you to sit back in a comfortable position and view a suspended screen and surf the internet. The suspended screen can be adjusted to fit your viewing needs, and the keyboard and mouse are located directly below the monitor. Overall it seems like a good idea for the common, lazy person. All it needs now is a toilet located under the seat, and it would be perfect.

Via [ubergizmo]

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There really isn’t too much of this information available today and we’re going to do our best to spread the word that ecycling is absolutely necessary. The government agency, the EPA, has a good list of local programs, links and vendor resources listed conveniently on a page on their website.

Please don’t throw your electronic waste in the trash. Take 15 minutes this weekend and donate or recycle it.

You may also wish to take a look at the GCycle website which provides you with even more local resources.

Posted in Miscellaneous

by Paul Miller, posted Jun 1st 2008 at 10:30AM
Look, we’re just as down on crazy Japanese stereotypes as the next guy. We watched Lost in Translation. We’re with it. We know it’s not all cosplay and weird game shows (but seriously, that human Tetris one? Awesome) and people dressing up as vending machines (pictured). That said, this story isn’t doing Japan any favors. A homeless woman was recently arrested in Tokyo after living undetected in a man’s closet for a year and sneaking food out of his kitchen. It was the missing food that tipped him off, so he installed some security cameras in his home to transmit images to his phone. Some motion was detected, so he called the police, and soon enough they spotted her in the closet — where she had planted a mattress. Moral of the story? Move to Japan. Better cellphones and bigger closets. You can’t lose.

[Via ixplora]

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Filed under: cellphones, Digital Cameras

It is bad enough that your porch isn’t lighted up at night, making it hard to open the lock on your door, but things get even worse when you’ve had a wee bit too much to drink, so even finding the right key can be quite the challenge. The Solar Keyhole Light could help alleviate some of your troubles by offering a green way of powering your door area so that you can get in soonest possible during the night.

An energy-saving white LED is powered via an integral solar panel that harnesses the suns rays to recharge the internal battery – great for you and the environment. The solar light stays on for 10 seconds, giving you plenty of time to unlock and open the door before the solar key light automatically switches off to conserve energy.

For folks who like choice, this one comes with a trio of interchangeable covers that provide a greater variety of mix-and-match combinations. The Solar Keyhole Light will retail for £12.

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Apparently if you don’t have a lot of viewers in a country looking over your video site, you shut down their access. Veoh, a video site with content from FOX, CBS, NBC as well as YouTube videos, has blocked access to the site in several foreign nations. Andrew Baron, creator of RocketBoom, first posted on Twitter and his blog that access to the site has been forbidden in many nations around the world. At the time, Google News and Techmeme had yet to pick up on it. Veoh’s Wikipedia page now has a section for availability throughout the world, listing the countries that cannot access it.

“So far users from Asia, Europe and South America such as : Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Indonesia, Chile, Argentina, Guatemala, Luxembourg, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Guam, Jamaica, Barbados, El Salvador, Hungary, Malta, Macedonia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Ukraine, Colombia, Cyprus, Romania, the Cayman Islands, Guadeloupe, Saudi Arabia, Peru, Panama, Czech Republic, Turkey, Croatia, Lithuania, Egypt, Bulgaria, Serbia, Iceland, Bermuda, Thailand, Brunei, Honduras, and Nicaragua have also reported being blocked, receiving the same message for their country/region.”

The page simply gives the user a message saying “Veoh is no longer available in [country name].” In an email from Gaude Lydia Paez, Veoh’s Senior Director of Public Relations, Veoh has “decided to concentrate on the 33 markets in which we have the most viewers and cease service in other markets” because they are going to focus on “a number of significant product and platform developments that we believe will greatly enhance the experience we offer to our users.”

Via [Dembot]

Via [ZachFlauaus.com]

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Taking a shower is supposed to be something relaxing, but for many of us the routine has become something of a pressure cooker to-do item that we want to get it done and over with soonest possible. After all, the gravy train of life is going to take off whether we are ready or not, right? Take some time out with the LED Shower Light.

It installs to a standard shower pipe in mere minutes. When you turn the shower on, the water powers a turbine and the LED Shower Light…well, lights up! Blue let’s you know the water is chilly. When the water warms up to 89° F (32° C), the light changes to red. Now you can step in and not freeze your giblets off. And you don’t even need to turn on the light now, because your whole shower glows.

Best of all is, there is no need for any batteries since the entire thing is powered by an internal turbine. The LED Shower Light measures approximately 4″ in diameter and retails for $39.99 a pop.

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