On Your Body
My plan to single-handedly take down Scientology, the beef industry, Indonesian textile mills, and the GOP will finally happen, thanks to this little yellow bastard: the Porta2030 camera backpack packs - that's right - all the evidence-smuggling storage space a modern-day political saboteur/activist needs with the don't-taze-me-bro protection of a chest-mounted camera that will record all the intimidation, corporate bullying, and crazy cultist assaults you can handle. Or that will fit on a 1GB flash card.
Sporting a "mobile data-sensing storage transmission unit," whatever that may mean, including a wireless hard drive, aforementioned flash card, an open-source system, and a webcam with LCD mini-terminal, this backpack means serious business.
Wait, did I say the porta2030 boasts physical storage space? I spoke too soon - looks like waging techno-war with this inconspicuous yellow chest camera will require you to pick up a second backpack to use as, you know... a backpack.
[Product Page via Crave]
In determining a user's body mass index (or BMI, which sounds like BMX and Bowel Movements Incorporated), the Wii Fit has "underweight" and "fat" on either end of spectrum.
And now obesity experts are grossed out about the Fatty McFatterson comments and don't want children to use the device.
"BMI is far from perfect but with children it simply should not be used. A child's BMI can change every month and it is perfectly possible for a child to be stocky, yet still very fit. I would be very concerned if children were using this game and I believe it should carry a warning for parents," explained Fry.
So is stocky fat? If the term "fat" is in there, should "underweight" be changed to "Skeletor"?
You're all dying to know what I think of this matter, I realize that, so I'll just cut to the chase: I think the obesity experts need to calm down. If Nintendo is going to give a weight complex to children, well, the parents of said "stocky" children should be aware of this and treat it like parents: nip it in the bud, send your kid to therapy, tell them that television is evil and judges Little Jimmy even when Little Jimmy is asleep, and that Little Jimmy should probably go outside and run around in circles until he feels better about his body image.
Besides all that, the concept of Wii Fit is to help overweight kids shed pounds whilst having fun. So it doesn't matter what they call them at first; what matters is the progress they'll make toward transforming as they please.
Social media is a big deal. A really big deal. Tons of money is being spent on developing social networks, various apps to run on social networks, and a myriad of other services based on the social networks' APIs. Social media is such a big deal that someone had the bright idea of Flock, the social-media-centric browser that incorporates blogging tools, an RSS Reader, Facbook and Twitter integration, and various other social staples (It's also my current browser du jour). While some see Flock as just too much (Seriously, it's pretty hard core social media centric), others just don't feel like it offers enough. For those people, and for those people that are interested in the idea of Flock but not sold on the browser itself, I present Yoono.
Yoono is a new FireFox extension built on the idea of integrating Social Media into your browsing experience. This plugin offers a ton of options for the social enthusiast, including Twitter integration, Facebook friend updates, Last.fm feeds, an RSS Reader, YouTube searches, and many, many other tools to expand the horizon of your browsing experience. Recently, I received an invite to try out the beta and I've been playing around with it for a bit now. To see what I've like, disliked, and whether or not I suggest you jump on the Yoono bandwagon, hit the jump for the rest of the write up.
Timex Corporation must have lost their minds, or else had a sudden influx of suicidal engineers pounding away at the bench, looking for a way to invent the most morbid device they could nightmare-up.
Because here comes The Life Index Watch. What, pray tell, does the Life Index Watch do? Takes an index. Of your life. And tells you how long you have until you die.
Using biometric data seeping through the flesh, The Life Index Watch, worn like a nicotine patch (and apparently shower-safe—is she in the shower? why is she naked?), processes information about key health factors, such as exercise, diet, how many Budweisers you can chug in 30 minutes, how many packs of Marlboros you can blast through on a Friday afternoon, etc. You know. The usual stuff.
Timex calls the product an "incentive to lose weight and exercise," but I, for one, regard the situation differently. I think it's a challenge to see how fast I can die.
No matter how many times and how fast I clicked on the image—and on anything else clickable—I couldn't find any purchasing information. But as soon as I get one of these suckers, I'm going to sequester myself in the grottoes of Boston, huddled up with smelly junkies, and smoke and drink myself to death, all to watch the bright little numbers dwindle. Doesn't that sound like fun? Doesn't that sound like the kind of fun Timex wants us to have?
There seems to be a never ending supply of ways to quit smoking. There's patches, pills, therapy, and good ol' fashioned "cold turkey" method. Apparently though, that wasn't quite enough options, as a new technique has emerged on the market. The Gamucci Microelectronic Cigarette is a battery powered death stick, designed to satiate the mental aspect of holding a cigarette while weening you off the physical addiction to nicotine.
The stick works off of watch batteries, and has a small device that burns liquid inside when you take a drag to produce "smoke" for you to inhale. You can also insert little packets of nicotine, and reduce your intake that way. Or, you can just replace cigarettes with its mechanical version. Or, you can use the mechanical version to try and look as James Dean as possible without actually smoking. Of course, whatever the fake smoke is made out of will probably turn out to give you some random foot cancer or something, but at least you won't be smoking Camels anymore, right?
Personally, I recommend just not starting, but if you have and you want to quit, do your research on the best and most effective ways to quit. Get support from your friends and family, avoid situations that drive smoking (bars, stress, etc.), and be prepared for the hard road ahead of you. Realize that you won't ever really be over it (I've been smoke free for 2 years and still get random cravings), but that you can do it. OK, enough of the PSA mode... Don't you think this would make a super sexy costume piece? In any case, you could carry this in your new cigarette-pack shaped phone!
The next time you slip a frat boy some roofies, slap this baby on him and chances are he'll be unconscious up to 21% longer!
At least that's what I infer from the Nike PreCool Vest, which claims to let athletes perform up to 21% longer - a rather questionable figure that I'll accept anyway, because it's kinda sexy looking and it's made to wrap around the chests of hot men.
This chilly vest lowers the core temperature of the body with an outer layer of aluminum and an inner layer filled with frozen water. Yup, frozen water.
Whilst I am one of those people who can never get too much relief from the heat, I'm not sure about a vest designed to turn my nipples into tiny leather diamonds. Ouch.
Nike PreCool Vest [Ubergizmo]
[via Coolest-Gadgets]
This new product uses your sunglasses and a 10g remote control thingy to manipulate your vision and shove television crap in your eyes. In terms of Distraction Action, this ranks up there with the Internet Umbrella.
The i-Bean is not to be confused with this iBean—a Photoshop mock-up of the "ultimate" Apple product: a coffee-maker plus iPod player that makes me jittery to the point of stomach sickness.
Using suckers, the i-Bean projects 21-inch effective size at a 1-meter distance. A while back I was given similar goggles for computer and videogame viewing. I never used them. If I wanted a big TV to look at things, I'd buy a big TV to look at things. And if I wanted to watch reruns of Seinfeld (which you can guarantee I will, always and forever), I'd do so without the danger of walking into traffic and getting smooshed by a Mac truck and/or missing my stop on the commuter train and winding up in the projects, stabbed and shot, mutilated by mutants.
[via: Gizmodo]
Speaking of possible vapourware companies like PsyStar, a few of you that follow gaming console news are aware of a recent "vapourware" purveyor that seems to pop up in the news every once in a while since 2001: Phantom Entertainment.
While Phantom's console is indeed vapourware, it seems that Panthom Entertainment is actually serious about bringing their Phantom Lapboard (a combination wireless keyboard and mouse that's meant to be used on your lap, as shown in the picture) to market, and actually provided a review unit to Maximum PC.
The verdict? Well, half of the review is exactly what you'd expect of a product from a shady company like Phantom - the mouse sucks. Hardcore. The surprising part? The keyboard is actually pretty damn good:
We've spent a few days playing multiplayer shooters using the Lapboard, and we can say that the keyboard rocks. The tilting/pivoting design is comfortable to use during extended gaming sessions, works fine on your lap, and is even OK in its standard position on a desktop. With the board pivoted up, there's plenty of room underneath for mouse movement, and the hard, black surface is similar to a high-end mousepad. The board uses a laptop keyboard similar to one you'd find on a high-end desktop replacement notebook, with good key action and a standard keyboard layout.
So, if you're willing to wait until June for a chance at this $130 keyboard (while throwing away the mouse that comes with it), then it looks like Phantom Enterntainment's got you covered.
Just don't hold your breath for it to actually appear on the market, OK?
First Look: The Phantom Lapboard [Maximum PC]
I don't know what it is about Military technology, but I always get psyched about cool things like this. Maybe it's that I was raised in a military household, or that I've had tons of relatives,friends and ex's join the force, or maybe it's just that they get the coolest gizmos. The newest find is this slick Power Glove Computerized Combat Glove, which is designed to interact with a soldier's wearable computer system. To date, most of these systems have had awkward or chunky interface options, requiring the soldier to stop and/or put down his/her weapon to interact with the computer. This glove provides a slew of new options.
Most of the computers interact with the soldier through a HUD on the soldier's visor. This glove will allow soldier's to manipulate maps with a pinky, scroll through options by pressing their palm to their weapon, or even send simple commands to other soldiers with the flick of a finger. This allows the soldier to stay on the move and free from having to set down their weapons to tell their troops to flank.
This is another useful tool for our troops overseas, assuming it works as easily and flawlessly as the creators say, which is always the trick. The Land Warrior was laced with goodness, but it just wasn't useful enough as it was, so the troops stripped it down to it's bare essentials, and maybe with the added bonus of a quick and easy interface, it can become even more useful. But really, I just want one for myself.
Computerized Combat Glove [Technology Review]
[via: Slash Dot]
First of all, I'm just gonna lay it out there that I want this. I want one so badly I'm almost willing to go join the Military and whatever Special Forces team I need to get strapped into this! When I was a much more wee lad, I would dream about having a hang-glider/jet pack thingy that looked exactly like this, and now that I'm a bit bigger of a lad, I want a real one.
The best part is this is an actual test model, not just a design concept. The lead designer has made over 50 jumps with it on! Ok, so I suppose I could explain it a bit. Currently, when the military has to air drop troops into a combat zone, it's an extremely dangerous situation. The planes have to some in close, the jumpers are very susceptible to gunfire, landing exactly where needed can be difficult... many things that just aren't optimal. What this Attack Wing does is allow more flexibility, control, and flat out awesomeness to air drops.
With this puppy strapped on, you can reach speeds of up to 130 MPH. Combined with a built in oxygen helmet, this allows the jumpers to jump at much further out and higher up positions. The glider itself aids in making the flier aerodynamic, reducing the effect of winds and such on the jump, and provides much needed control. This newest update adds a HUD to the helmet and the possibility of adding weapons!
Of course, there is still a parachute, but the coolness of this far outweighs the awkwardness of a parachute. The best part? There's even talk of a consumer version coming soon!
Attack Wing: Glider Makes Waves With Stealth and Speed [FOX News]
[via: Geekologie]
Confession: I often get aroused at work. I know, that's gross, and I'll probably be asked never to write for Homotron again, but it's true. I'm all about honesty, folks.
So these keyboard pants ... they're totally not right for me. But they might be right for you.
As you can see, the keyboard is in the front. There's also a mouse in the back and speakers in the knees. To top it all off, there's a friggin' joystick in the crotch. That's an obvious one, obviously, but still: way hot. I'd totally bag a boyfriend with keyboard pants but I hear boys like boys with jobs.
Keyboard Pants: Type Your Way To Excitement, Trouble At Work [Geekologie]
I love how interactive our world has become. First we had the personal soundtrack t-shirt, then I learned that users can buy the songs blasting from the radio in the upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV, and now CNN has made it so you can click a little t-shirt logo beside a headline and get it printed.
So far the headlines suck, but you never know when something ridiculous is going to happen. This is a great present for someone who cannot live outside the moment.
CNN.com Scampers Meekly Into the T-Shirt Game [Wired Underwire]
And girls who like girls who like fembots!
Gadget of the Week
Show-stopping "half-VGA" screen and HSDPA/UMTS support, gorgeous video playback: Bold, Bold, Bold!
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