How could I pass up the chance to talk about two of my favorite things: high tech and classic cars? BoingBoing wrote up this stunning computer tower, currently only in the conceptual stage but, along with Elmira Stoveworks' kitchen appliances and Predicta televisions, I'm sure they could find buyers...
Well, I confess, at the time I ordered this particular item, I had mentally classified under "Objects of Lust". However, after living with it for a week or so, it apparently deserves the term 'Beta' that's included on the label. I originally found it on Engadget, and figured it would be a nice alternative to my duct-tape wallet. However...
1. The silicone material feels great. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to extract the wallet from a pants pocket or suit pocket with any degree of grace.
2. Sizewise, it seems a bit larger than my current wallet, but for not quite the right reasons. It should be about 1/4" wider (to accept two credit cards side-by-side in the sleeves, rather than the situation now with overlapping cards and lots of 'dead air'), which would then enable it to be about 1/4" thinner.
3. Why do I need a sleeve with multiple slots for my ID? How many pieces of ID do most people carry. Add a transparent window on the outside of the wallet so I can easily flash my driver's license, and replace the ID sleeve with something like Receipts (for receipts, laundry tickets, etc) or Accounts (for my Starbucks, Krogers, AAA, etc, cards) 4. Thumb slot for sliding the sleeves looks great but basically doesn't work, even when there's only one sleeve in the wallet. I think it's related in part to the non-slipperiness of the silicone.
We'll see what v3.0 has to offer...
Being Jewish, Easter isn't really a big deal for me (although, I confess, I don't really do anything for Passover, either). However, it is a family-oriented time of the year, so this year--as we did last year--we had my partner's parents over for Easter dinner.
In addition to consuming large amounts of traditional Easter food (ham, potatoes, and even my home-made lemon meringue pie), we did have a secondary agenda. With my partner's dad being fairly adept at home-repair-related issues, the strategy was that my partner and his dad would take a little time during the visit to address the leaky shower in our bathroom.
Well, long story short, that turned out to be an incredibly complex affair that involved chipping away large amounts of concrete to actually get to the shower fixture itself. The unit has since been replaced and we are now not only saving water but undisturbed by round-the-clock drips.
Unfortunately, we didn't really alter the hardware design; had we been given the option, I would have loved to go with the Signorini Design unit you see here, featured at Crave. However, I think the metallic-block shower head and changing-color lights are probably a little too avant-garde for my partner's taste.
All right. It was hard to post on this particular subject without some sort of bad pun. Nevertheless, Gizmodo posted a gallery of particularly interesting wooden gadgets. Is wood becoming the new titanium?
In general, my decision to add a watch to my ever-expanding collection is driven primarily by design, not brand--and the more unconventional design, the better. In fact, I rather enjoy it when friends and acquaintances are baffled by some of my more unusual timepieces.
This particular item, courtesy of Gizmodo, uses the hourglass motif, rendered in a suitably 21st-century manner via an array of pixels. Sign me up...
For the record, I freely admit to being a geek, from my earliest days as a mechanical engineering student, gadget freak, and Star Trek aficionado (no, not "Trekkie"--I prefer "Trekker").
Now, part of the deal with being a card-carrying geek (no, no--there aren't really cards) is a familiarity with Dungeons & Dragons. For those not quite familiar with the concept, D&D is an analog precursor to MMORPGs (Massively-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games) like World of Warcraft. The difference is that D&D isn't quite so massive--maybe six players at a time--and no computers; we relied on deadtree material (books), charts, and multisided dice.
One of the more enviable accessories (and, let's face it, accessorization is what separates us from the lower species) in D&D is the legendary bag of holding. According to Wikipedia:
While it appears to be a common cloth sack of about 2 by 4 feet (0.6 by 1.2 m) in size, it opens into a nondimensional space (similar to magic satchel), making its inside larger than its outside dimensions. Each bag always weighs the same amount, between 15 and 60 pounds (7 and 27 kg), regardless of what is put into it. It can store a combined weight of up to forty times its own weight, and a combined volume of 30 to 250 cubic feet (0.8 to 7 m³). Even if the bag is filled to capacity the objects inside never damage or even touch one another, which means that a character could fill a bag of holding full of eggs and weapons, for example, without any fear of breaking the eggs. A living creature put in a bag of holding will suffocate ten minutes later.
ThinkGeek offers a 21st-century equivalent that's equally stylish, not quite so magical, but tastefully decorated with the D&D aficionado's classic tool: a 20-sided die.
Yet another product that combines two of my favorite things: spicy food, and personalization. The mysterious Dave, of Dave's Insanity hot sauce and equally tasty but evil concoctions, now offers adjustable hot sauce that lets you dial in how much heat you want. Thanks to Gizmodo for the heads-up...
Well, now that tax day is behind me, I decided that a little gift to celebrate my tax refund was in order. Now, I've already documented my interest in cool phones, so you might ask yourself, "How many phones does Adam need?" Well, let's face it--"need" is a relative term.
I generally shy away from clamshell phones; more often than not (and I started with a Motorola StarTac years ago), when the phone rings, I'll fumble with it long enough to get the phone partially open before it slams shut, thus hanging up on the caller. The PEBL (or "pebble") gets around this with two tricks: magnets and springs. The way it works is to use your thumb to slide the upper section down to release the magnetic lock, so that the spring can flip the clamshell open--not unlike (I'm not embarrassed to admit) with the original Star Trek communicators.
I bought the unit unlocked on eBay, so I was able to pop in my AT&T/Cingular card and get it going. Overall, I've been pretty pleased with the unit so far; the display is quite nice, if hampered by a somewhat clunky interface. Having a browser is useful, but I've discovered a number of pages turn up with "The page cannot be displayed"; fortunately, a site called Small Sites helps handle the basic navigation. The ringer is refreshingly loud, and the included software allows me to take any MP3 tune and turn it into a ringtone; the same software will also let you transfer a video for viewing on your phone (like a walkaround tour of my Mini). The nicest part, of course, is the exterior, which you can't really pick up with a photograph; the soft-touch paint is delightful to hold, and it's both grippable and fingerprint-proof. Another interesting feature is the voicedial capability; like a couple of other phones I've had, the voicedial will actually use voice recognition to pull names out of your address book, which is pretty handy. The only odd part is the fact that the prompting voice is a British female, and the voice which pronounces the names is barely understandable. Nevertheless, it's a very useful feature. Overall, I'm a reasonably pleased customer.
Meanwhile, the evil geniuses at Slashnot offered their own take on Motorola's peculiar branding strategy, with such spinoffs as...
Recent Comments