Figuring out the time has come a long way since the days of waiting for the clouds to part to read a sundial. It seems that a new Kickstarter project might have taken inspiration from that age-old device as a gorgeous new way to tell the time.
Meet the Manifold Clock. Created by a team in Tel Aviv, Israel, this gadget aims to encapsulate the ever-changing concept of time.
The silent hands, powered by a single AA battery, are connected to a clock by a piece of Tyvek fabric. As they tick, they cause the fabric to twist and bend in space, changing the clock’s appearance every 60 seconds and turning the concept of time into a three-dimensional reality.
Based on a combination of modern design, simple mechanics and the principle of the Riemann surface, the clock is a fascinating spin on the traditional timepiece. It’s all about perspective, and how we visualize time and space as it changes.
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By R.J. Huneke | Jan 27, 2012
Watch the police box disappear from earth and journey through the time continuum of space with the Disappearing Tardis Mug!
Whether you’re a fan of Dr. Who, or not (and you all should enjoy the time traveling Brit, as his comedy and courage are unparalleled), this coffee mug is the gift that keeps giving.
With every pouring of a liquid hot brew, the Tardis sitting on a typical English street begins to smoke and disappear . . .
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By R.J. Huneke | Jan 17, 2012
What spy would not like to sneak into their home, slowly roll back the door, and BAM shoot the lamp on to the utter surprise of a waiting assailant?
Inspector Clouseau would have loved this illuminating toy, if he could have afforded it.
The ambush can be thwarted and the attacker revealed in the unexpected switching on of the Bitplay BANG! light from up to fifty feet away.
For those who like the feel of a toy gun in their hand, this plastic remote will prove entertaining. Just pull the trigger, when the light is on, and watch as the lampshade is knocked askew by an invisible bullet, and the light is put out!
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By R.J. Huneke | Dec 23, 2011
Any fan of the Star Wars franchise, young or old, will want one gift above all this holiday season: The Star Wars Han Solo in Carbonite Ice Cube Tray.
For less than ten bucks the stocking can be stuffed with the power of the Force, or at least the power to make innumerable ice cubes in the detailed rectangular shape of the infamous rebel Han after Darth Vader ruthlessly froze him.
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By Charles | Dec 20, 2011
To fully understand this review you first need to understand that watering the Christmas tree is second only to raking leaves on my list of least favorite seasonal chores. Getting down on my knees and fighting through a pile of gifts, only to spill water all over the floor kills my already tiny Christmas spirit. Enter my new Holiday savior, the Smart TreeKeeper.
Smart TreeKeeper is watering system that finally makes the experience of caring for the Christmas tree a joyous one. By elegantly solving the problem of how to water, with a low tech hose and funnel, and when to water, with a high tech music-playing-water-level-checking-device, the guys at LandMarc have effectively solved two simple problems that give me one big headache.
To get things up and running all you have to do is simply attach the included 3 ½ feet of hose to the green ornament -ish funnel, run it down the trunk to the stand, attach it to the tree next to the magical red box with the included Velcro strap, and enjoy watering your tree without crawling around like a drunken dog.
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By R.J. Huneke | Dec 8, 2011
President Obama tweeted on the coveted drink holders: “Our new #Obama2012 coasters let you have drinks with President Obama and #VP Biden anytime you want”.
Wait a second . . . what? There is a cheap way to drink with the President?
Yes, this does require some imagination, and the new collectible is now available, but only through donations to the President Obama 2012 reelection campaign.
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By R.J. Huneke | Nov 2, 2011
Energy is something that everyone has to struggle to think about daily, because of wasted fuel and high costs, but what if it did not have to be that way? What if the heating and cooling brain in the consumer’s living space, the thermostat, could program itself?
Welcome warmly, or coolly depending on the weather, the Nest Lab’s newest creation: the Nest!
The new company from Tony Fadell, the designer for eighteen iPods at Apple, launches the sexy wall item, the Nest Learning Thermostat, in November for $249.
The Nest, for all intensive purposes, thinks about how the user likes their temperature. All that is required is for the energy-minded to continue to turn the thermostat up and down according to when they leave the home, or go to sleep, or the seething summer heat requires A/C, or the frigid pre-November snow asks for more warmth ASAP.
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By Pete Rowley | Sep 20, 2011
There are many everyday items that we as a society that have yet to really make any sort of progress in the ingenuity department. But sometimes someone comes along and breaks the mold of how we use these average household items. Take for example, the piggy bank.
Used by humans since the 18th century, the “piggy bank” is a staple of our childhood money memories. I remember saving my first coins. I couldn’t wait to break open my piggy bank to reveal the riches I had been saving (4 bucks) to get a new toy.
But saving wasn’t the most time consuming part. Putting your change in that tiny little slot was.
This fundamental flaw of the piggy bank has hence been solved with the “Coink Piggy Bank” from Yanko Design.
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It seems everything can be powered or charged by USB today – we have cameras, cellphones, iPods, RC helicopters, and even the ridiculousness of fondue sets but, what do you do when you can’t find the wall socket adapter plug or never had one to begin with?
If you want to keep the wire-spider-monsters to a minimum and kill your dependency on that computer to charge your gadgets, the U-Socket USB outlet is the answer.
The U-Socket replaces the typical wall socket you would expect to see in a 110v household system with a socket on steroids that features two 2.1 amp USB ports.
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By R.J. Huneke | Jul 18, 2011
COFFEE!
It is a passion of many…especially mine. For those who do not yet know: the Keurig Coffee Makers are possibly the greatest mechanized inventions ever crafted by humankind, including the wheel.
K-cups have been around for a while now, and the Keurig coffee people were and continue to be pioneers in the individual cup of coffee making magic. The Keurig coffee makers take pre-ground bean, in the form of a K-cup, and within a minute or less brew a steaming draught of the freshest cup-of-Joe imaginable.
Personally, I only drink one or two cups of goodness at a time, and I am a coffee snob: I prefer medium to dark fresh ground Colombian bean for my caffeinated beverage of choice. A pot of coffee would not only be a waste of a lot of coffee for me, but it would also be a waste of time and would almost certainly be at a loss for flavor (when compared to the legendary Keurig’s coffee).
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