Here’s a clever trick: using the energy generated by you pedaling your bike to charge up your phone or audio player. Dalton’s BioLogic FreeCharge does just that, hooking up to your bike’s generator hub and creating power to juice up any USB gadget you have on hand. Look for it in March 2010 for $100.
If you solder things in your spare time or are a smoker, you know the value of having a good ventilation system. Nobody likes sitting in a room full of deadly fumes, no matter where they came from. If you don’t have the scratch for a fancy fan system, why not build your own fume extractor out of an Altoids tin?
Make tells you how to do just that, and it looks simple enough for someone who’s just slightly handy to pull off. If you’re a complete klutz who’s all thumbs, on the other hand, maybe you should just head to Home Depot.
Via Make
3D is becoming more and more prevalent in movies, so why not in video games? Why not indeed. The PlayStation 3 is hopping on the 3D bandwagon next year, bringing a 3D mode to the console that’ll work with all existing games sometime next year.
Of course, in order to enjoy this, you’ll need a new TV that supports 3D. So it may be more than just the year it takes for Sony to get this firmware out to PS3s to make it commonplace. But it’s an exciting look at where consoles will be going in the not-too-distant future, or at least whenever you buy your next TV.
Via Engadget
Yes folks, just like every other phone from the past 5 years, the iPhone is finally getting the ability to send picture and video messages on the 25th of this month. Of course, other countries have offered MMS on the iPhone for months now, but other countries don’t have to deal with AT&T. Tethering is still coming “in the future,” so don’t hold your breath for that to happen anytime soon. But hey, take what you can get.
Via Gizmodo
The season for cooking outside is winding down as summer ends in much of the country, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to make some haute cuisine with the sun shining down on you. The Bongos Pro is a super slick outdoor kitchen setup, equipped with a sink, cutting board, spray tap, two interchangeable cook tops and a trivalent refrigerator. The two compartments on either side hold propane and storage shelves.
Of course, for prices that range from $6,796 to $8,572, you could probably have a real kitchen installed outside on your lawn. But would it look as sexy as this?
Living with Style via BornRich
There are good ideas, and there are bad ideas. Filling an air horn with butane to turn it into a flame thrower? That’s an extreme example of one of those things, but I can’t decide which.
The best part of this video is the fact that the air horn still makes the standard sound when it’s spewing out fire. Although I do wish it shot the fire a bit farther. I guess that’s one for the next version, if this guy lives long enough to make a second version.
Little kids are slobs. Because they don’t have the hand-eye coordination of adults or because they just like making a mess, dinnertime always turns into a disaster with them. Well, the Gyro Toddler Food Bowl helps keep their messy tendencies in check.
No matter which way the handles of this bowl are turned, the food in the middle stays upright. Pretty clever. Of course, if they throw the entire thing, well, it’ll still make a mess, but it’s better than nothing, right?
ThinkGeek via Random Good Stuff
With emulation allowing us to play retro arcade games on both consoles and our computers, having stand-alone arcade cabinets doesn’t make as much sense as it used to. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want one, especially one as sexy as Surface Tension.
This tabletop arcade cabinet has a solid wood frame, glass top and aluminum control panel. You’ve got all the buttons and trackballs you need for any game you want to play. If you want authenticity and you want it to fit in with your furniture, this looks like a great option.
Surface Tension via Arcade Lounge via BornRich
You know, I’m sure it’s an impressive piece of scientific equipment, but I’m not sold on the usefulness of a fart detector. I’m sure the two Cornell computer engineering students who made it are quite bright, and combining a hydrogen sulfide monitor, a thermometer, a microphone and custom software was impressive. But really, do we need help detecting horrible farts? The problem has never been with detecting farts, after all. It’s been with dealing with them once they’ve been detected. But hey, nice work nonetheless, guys.
Via PopSci
Looking to force yourself into doing some aerobic exercise? Just can’t find a way to get motivated? The Webcyle may be what you’re looking for.
Essentially, the Webcycle is a stationary bike hooked up to a laptop. The faster you pedal, the faster your Internet connection is. If you’re slow and lazy, loading a YouTube video will be painfully slow. Kick it into high gear and you’ll be streaming in no time. Finally, exercise equipment that motivates us with what we really care about.
Webcycle, via Book of Joe
There are loads of little personal massagers out there, but I’d bet that 99.9% of them aren’t shaped like shrimp. This one? This is the exception to that rule. What else do you need to know? For a mere $6, I’m not sure why you haven’t bought one yet.
Games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero are great, but they end up cluttering your house up with any number of cheap, plastic instruments. You’re an adult! You can’t have toys all over the place.
This retractable Rock Band/Guitar Hero controller from NEXiLUX looks perfect. Able to fold down to an absolute tiny size for easy storage/hiding, it provides you with all the buttons you need to shred, video game style. And it works with the Wii, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, making it extra-versatile. No word on price or release date.
Who needs batteries? With this Doraemon flashlight, you simply squeeze the handle to charge it up. That way, even if the power goes out, you’ll still be able to find your way around by using the glowing eyes of an insane cartoon cat. How very convenient!
Perpetual Kid via Nerd Approved
Nothing says family fun like a terrifying, four-legged robotic spider being controlled by modified Wii controllers. Or does it? Because that’s just what this thing is.
With a price of about $1,000, this is one fancy piece of useless machinery. I mean, it’s certainly cool looking, but until it learns how to go fetch me a sandwich on its own, I think I’ll pass on it. Even if it is controlled by Wiimotes.
Biking is a great way to get around, especially in cities. The fresh air, the exercise, the lack of greenhouse gasses! The trouble is, there’s basically no storage room on a bike. It’s very difficult to go to the grocery store on your bike, for example. That’s not the case with the Bullitt.
Bullitt is a bike, sure, but it doesn’t look much like any bike I’ve seen before. In front it’s got a huge cargo space, enough to hold all sorts of groceries if you so desired. Sure, it’s probably difficult to store and not as maneuverable as a normal bike, but what are your priorities?
Travel is expensive these days. If you want to take a trip so see some tech meccas, such as Akihabara in Tokyo or Cape Canaveral in Florida, it’s going to cost you. Unless you travel virtually, that is.
With the Google Maps Street View car having traveled all over the world by this point, it’s easier than ever to scope out some of the coolest tech-related sites without getting up out of your chair. Hit the jump for street-level shots of some of the most high-tech places on Earth. No alien flyovers, please.
The BookArc is a simple stand designed to take your fancy Apple laptop and turn it into a desktop computer. Sort of.
Essentially, it’s a sexy stand that holds it vertically and puts it on display, lining up the ports for plugging in stuff like a monitor, keyboard and mouse. For people who like having a large setup at home but want to be able to bring their computer with them on the go, this is a good solution.
While most robots that try to look human have a completely un-human skeleton under their fake skin, the Eccerobot takes the opposite approach. It’s designed to have a skeleton, joints and tendons that mimic what we humans have under our skin.
The Eccerobot’s skeleton is made from a “springy, bone-like, thermoplastic polymer” rather than steel or another hard metal, and it’s got sensors on board that allow it to interact with its environment in a more human-like way. This may just be the future of humanoid robots. Oh… good?
Eccerobot via New Scientist via io9
If you’re like most people, you’re always trying to replicate the feeling of being on an airplane. The lack of legroom! The stale air! The crappy food! Ah, it’s all just so wonderful. Which is why I’m sure you’re dying to get one of these in-flight service carts.
For a mere $952 you, too can own one of those big cabinets that airplane meals are served out of! Think of the possibilities: serving many trays of food to your guests, or storing things in a stationary place. Oh wow, the mind just reels, doesn’t it? I’ll take three!
Flight Studio Store via NotCot
My data isn’t that precious. I mean, sure, I like my photos and my music, but if someone else accesses them it’s no big deal. Other people aren’t so easygoing. For them, there’s the Aegis Padlock Secure Hard Drive.
This bad boy has a keypad right on the top, forcing you to enter a code to access the data. Once plugged in, it featuer AES-128 or 256 bit encryption to keep everything nice and secure. The drives run from $100 to $160 depending on the size and encryption, which isn’t too bad for such a secure external hard drive.
Electronista via Slippery Brick
There are all sorts of boring, utilitarian iPhone docks out there. I am not interested in any of them now that I’ve seen this, the brontosaurus iPhone dock. I mean, how great is this?
It’s not the most complex mod in the world; it’s a dinosaur toy that’s got an iPhone-shaped hole carved in its back with the cable jammed up through the belly. But it’s one of the best. I mean, who wouldn’t want this on their desk? It’s just straight-up awesome.
iPhone Savior via Make
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