The Jellyfish is a 36 inch vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) that can be plugged in directly into your electrical sockets and can generate roughly 40kWh a month on a moderately windy day. There is no fancy setup necessary and with only one moving part, maintaining the turbine is easy enough for regular home owners. It is also comes equipped with WiFi and WiMax in order to create a point-to-grid system.

The power that these small turbines generate is not much (40kWh a month can power a room that contains CFL bulbs), but harnessed collectively and tied interactively with the local utility grid there can be significant environmental and system reliability benefits. Chad Maglaque, the creative genius behind Jellyfish, states that these turbines are the PC of renewable energy stating “We could have 10,000 of these sitting in a city, networked—it’s like a virtual utility…”

Unfortunately, the Jellyfish cannot be used on its own. Should there be a power outage, the turbine will not provide energy due to safety features built in that prohibits the turbines from operating on their own nor can it be used to charge battery banks for off-grid systems. In fact, the product is more of a way to supplement your existing power grid and eventually, with enough of these little guys, create a virtual utility network.

The turbines is currently not ready for distribution, but it is expected to retail at $400 eventually reducing to $199 at higher production volumes  with rebates, discounts or tax credits available from your local power utility. It will typically cost 7 years to recoup the cost of the Jellyfish.

[via Clarian]

This one-piece MP3 player is part of the W series, which means it’s water-resistant. However, this is the first MP3 player in that series (the rest are headphones). In other words, you have absolutely no excuse not to do five miles in the rain — unless you consider laziness to be a valid excuse.

Aside from technology, Walkman design has also really evolved. The NWZ-W252 features a wrap-around neck design not just for the headphones, but for the entire device. The whole thing wraps around your head!

Out of the box, the NWZ-W252 comes with the device and its holder, a USB cable and all of the usual start-up paperwork. It does not have software, since everything you need is stored on the actual device.

Plug in the device into your PC (sorry, no Macs) using the included USB cable. In seconds, your PC will recognize the unit. The install takes a few minutes, but it’s quick and easy, since the Walkman does all the work. After that, the Walkman Guide and an option for Content Transfer will pop up. You can use Content Transfer to automatically pull tracks from iTunes. It’s also just as easy to drag and drop MP3, WMA, AAC and PCM files to the unit. Finally, you can also use Windows Media Player to rip files from CDs. The NWZ-W252 has a 2GB drive, which translates to about 470 stored tracks.

The player boasts 90 minutes of runtime after only 3 minutes of charging. Again, no reason to not run. Oh well…

Even for sponging out the couch, this device provides a nice soundtrack. At a mere 1.6 ounces, having the player attached to your head won’t slow you down. The controls, however, are another story. I highly recommend setting up your playlist in advance because trying to exercise and flip through tracks on a device that’s attached to your head can be a bit tricky.

Sony does make it as easy as possible, having just two volume buttons and a flip-switch to go forward or back. That means no playing tracks by band, album or genre, unless that’s the way you set up the playlist to play back. Sound quality was very good and the unit was surprisingly comfortable, which really says something, because I am not a fan of earbuds.

Another feature that should be noted is Zappin. This sort of justifies not having an LCD screen, by allowing a sneak preview of each song. It allows listeners to choose between long and short clips. Why you’d want this is really puzzling, but it’s there and it’s easy to activate by pushing in the switch until you hear audible confirmation.

Overall, the NWZ-W252 is no-nonsense. It has very few bells and whistles because it’s designed for a specific task. If you aren’t into exercise, there’s little reason to have the unit. For those who actually motivate to be active, this device just might be worth $60 to have as your running buddy.

Other features include:

• USB-based Battery Charging
• LED Battery-Life Indicator
• Built-in Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
• MSRP: $60

The Sony W Series Walkman, is available for about $60 at Sonystyle and other authorized retailers nationwide.

The MetalCell is a unlike other rechargeable batteries in that it is: 1. refuelable 2. takes seconds to recharge. According to a S.E.G. Inc. report, The battery contains either magnesium or aluminum plates. Addition of salt water, creates a chemical reaction and generates electricity. Adding extra salt water will recharge the battery until the magnesium dissipates. The battery can charge anything from flashlights to night vision goggles to laptops. While saltwater creates the preferred chemical reaction, addition of urine can also help charge and power the cells.

These battery cells may not take the place of wind or solar in terms of generating mass amounts of energy, but it begin invading our household. Japan has created urine powered batteries for public use. Currently available in AAA and AA size, these batteries (NoPoPo) produces 500 milliamps/hr and can last up to ten years. Like it’s larger brother, MetalCell, the NoPoPo contains magnesium (and carbon) which reacts with various liquids [Source: Reg Hardware]. Unfortunately the batteries are only available in Japan.

So the next time you’re going to the bathroom, remember that your pee also has its place in saving the environment.

While many think the hotel bedspread is a hotbed for germs, the remote control is one of the dirtiest items in any hotel room. In fact, Dr. Charles Gerba, professor of environmental microbiology at the University of Arizona, says the remote is worse than that comforter, the sink handles, and even the toilet.

Instead of changing the channel with your shoe, you could request the Clean Remote. This universal remote control is starting to pop up in hotels and motels throughout the country. Designed to resist germs and bacteria, this remote has been clinically tested to be 99 percent cleaner than most other remotes with the same usage. Basically, it has a nonporous flat surface, which is where most of the funk goes to hide and even incubate. Ew.

The Clean Remote currently works with over 200 different brands of TVs. It can handle the TV, cable or satellite boxes, but does not work with TV/DVD, VCR or DVD/VCR combination units.

Parent company New Remotes, Inc. has actually sealed a deal with Best Western, to outfit the entire chain with the Clean Remote. If it’s good enough for Best Western, it’s probably good enough for your home. The Clean Remote promises funk-free channel flipping for a mere $14.95. Order one for every room in the house; it’s currently an online exclusive.

The name says it all and the kit does it all — well, at least dries it all. Just unzip the bag, insert your wet phone, and zip it closed. Then, after 48 hours, your cell phone should be almost as good as new.

The secret ingredient is Dry-All, which is a drying agent that uses blue and white beads. They look like gumballs, but we’re guessing they aren’t very tasty at all. Instead, these weird little chemicals suck all of the moisture out of the bag. Once they’ve turned white/tan, they are done.

This weird, wonderful product is made by HPL, who has been doing dehumidifying products since 2002. The company says it works on all kinds of phones, and has been known to save an iPod, DS or PSP, or two.

You can order the Wet Cellular Phone Emergency Kit through the HPL website for $9.99 each. It’s a lot cheaper than getting a new phone!

As of 2009, Suzuki has created a working prototype running off of electricity. The bike features thin-section tires are for low rolling resistance, an innovative flip-up action seat, allowing the hydrogen tank to be refilled, and a full digital dash atop the bars including a tachometer and speedometer.

The most recent fuel cells produce about 1.8kw of energy, enough to actually recharge the lithium battery packs to keep up with demand during use. Max speed is around 50-60mph and the bike can travel around 215 miles per tank of hydrogen.

While there is no set release date, Suzuki and Intelligent Designs have made an agreement with British Olympic organizers for the 2012 games in London. The two companies also hope to get the tank approved for use on a motorcycle along with other tests to increase approval and boost eventual sales in Europe and Japan. The price tag is set to be around 8,000 euros or 11,000USD.

Now it looks like Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and others can add it to their list of incredible achievements. Roundtable Concepts just announced a new line of officially licensed Marvel Comic LCD and LED HDTVs.

The company has named the new line RTC23. Under that moniker, LCDs come in 22-, 32-, 42- and 55-inch sizes, while LEDs are available in 40 and 46 inches. Each unit comes etched with your favorite superfriend into the bottom two corners of the bezel. Turn on the TV, and you’ll also get an actual image of your favorite character on screen for a full 8 minutes.

There are tons of characters, too, including Ghost Rider, as well as two versions for The Hulk and Wolverine. Some models even combine multiple characters. I did a little digging on the site, and found out that aside from different models, you can choose between 720p and 1080p technology on the LCDs, while the LEDs only come in 1080p. Other specs vary based on screen size. Whatever model you choose, it seems pretty evident that this TV can kick your TV’s ass any day of the week.

If you are looking to completely geek out, the company is offering a buy one, get one free on the Iron Man TV for a limited time. The timing seems perfect, though, since Iron Man 2 is scheduled to hit theaters on May 7, 2010.

For now, the RTC23 line can only be purchased directly through the company’s website. Prices start at $338.88 for the 22-incher, and go all the way up to $1,988.88.

Paramount says they plan to stuff movies into the new Seagate FreeAgent Go 500GB hard drive for easy transport. Just don’t expect to get every Paramount movie ever made — or even all of your favorites. Instead, the device will come preloaded with options for 21 specific movies, as well as a free offer to get the recent Star Trek reboot.

Now the bad news: Star Trek will be a freebie, but you’ll have to pay for a license key to unlock the rest. Once they hook you with the magical powers and special effects of Star Trek, you can choose from other titles including The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, GI Joe, Ghost, Jackass 2.5, and The Italian Job, among others. Pay between $9.99 to $14.99 per title, and each purchased movie will be licensed for use multiple devices.

This is one of the more interesting studio moves I’ve seen lately. So many seem wrapped up with trying new and interesting ways to get content to consumers. I like it. Seagate says that the device could technically hold up to 200 movies, which makes it an interesting option.

The FreeAgent 500GB is available now for $99.99 on the Seagate website. It’s available elsewhere too, just not with the movie option. It should hit shelves fairly soon, so keep your eyes peeled for the specially marked packages.

If that sounds like your hot mess, ZVOX may actually have a prize for you. The company just kicked off an “Ugly TV” contest.

In case you aren’t familiar with ZVOX, the company has made quite a name for itself creating single-wire products. Get it? So if you’ve got a nest that could be housing a family of squirrels, ZVOX wants to see it and possibly give you a ZVOX Z-Base 550 home theater system to solve your cable clutter problem.

Designed to fit under your flat-panel TV, this $400 product produces awesome surround sound from a single cabinet. It even has a built-in subwoofer to handle your bass needs. Nothing else is needed. It’s got one cord and a one-page user’s manual. It is truly the definition of plug-and-play. It’s also the definition of pretty cool. I certainly wouldn’t mind having one of these — and free is certainly a very nice price.

The ZVOX website already has some pretty “interesting” contest entries that you can check out. If you think your TV area is disgusting enough to take home the prize, email a pic to info@zvoxaudio.com with “Ugly TV Contest” in the subject line. The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2010.

These titanium laser cut collar stays are 3 times stronger than stainless steel and feature a thread cutter, bottle opener, and both Phillips and Flathead screwdrivers. Not bad considering the alternative is walking out the door in the morning with a sliver of plastic that doesn’t have a chance of coming in handy.

I had a couple of weeks to test drive these functional collar stays and although I was hoping they would be used in a life saving effort to hype this review all I needed them for was to cut a stray thread on my cuff during a meeting. That said, nothing aggravates me more than sitting through a boring meeting, staring at a hanging thread, and wondering if I should pull it… so, I was impressed.

I am sure if given enough time these Swiss-Army-like collar stays would get put to some solid use but after only a handful of days, it still made for a handy tool and a hell of a conversation piece. So, if you know a guy that likes the finer things in life, a guy who wants everyone to know he has $50 collar stays, or just a guy who appreciates a solid gadget, go ahead and grab a set of four over at exuvius.com.