Zim & Zou is a French graphic design company composed of Lucie Thomas and Thibault Zimmermann. They have just released a new project called Back to Basics. Think of it as gadgets recreated using paper. Not just any gadget, mind you, but classic gadgets that will make many of us feel nostalgic. Oh, and this is not the boring kind of papercraft (I hated that in grade school) – take a look for yourself.

Back to Basics Paper Gadgets

At first glance, all you may notice are the colors that my 3-year-old niece would love. Upon closer inspection, however, you will not fail to appreciate the work that went into each of these papercraft gadget replicas.

Papercraft Camera

Forget your DLSR for a second, will you? The first of the papercraft gadget replicas by Z&Z makes me want to hear that unique sound old time cameras make when moving the film.

Paper Camera

Paper Polaroid

Speaking of cameras, don’t you feel a special affinity for the Polaroid? The last time I had an encounter with one was last year in Singapore when some promo girls for the F1 Night Race took our picture. That Polaroid was nowhere near as colorful as this, though.

Paper Polaroid

Here’s a closer look.

Paper Polaroid Up Close

Paper Walkman

The Sony Walkman was THE gadget back when I was a kid, and anyone who had it was cool. Now if Sony had produced Walkmans in these colors, I wonder if they could have sold even more?

Paper Walkman

Paper Cassette Tape

If there is a Sony Walkman, there ought to be papercraft gadget replicas of cassette tapes as well. Z&Z does not fail us in this! (There is one, at least.)

Paper Cassette Tape

Paper Mobile Phone

Ahhh. This papercraft gadget replica brings me back to my high school days when the only mobile phone available was this brick of a Motorola. Our unit had more subdued shades, of course, but this replica still brings back those memories.

Paper Mobile Phone

The paper mobile phone in action.

Paper Mobile Phone Close Up

Paper Nintendo Controller

Who wants to play a game of Super Mario? With this colorful replica, you’ll even have more fun.

Paper Nintendo Controller

Paper Floppy Disk

Saving the best of the papercraft gadget replicas for last…the good old 3 1/2″ floppy disk that contained a whopping 1.44MB of data. I think I had all possible colors of those disks, and actually, I only got rid of those stacks several years ago. I can see disks with this color sell rather easily.

Paper Floppy Disk

Anyone with parents intent on providing a little discipline and structure in their children know the dreaded feeling of having to complete chores.  Unfortunately as one grows older it hits you that chores never go away.  Certainly there exist some that you don’t mind doing as much, vacuuming for instance, but there are others that some could do without.  One of those has to be cleaning the bathroom.

The bathroom is filled with filth.  No further explanation is needed.  Cleaning a bathroom is not as bad when it’s only your own filth that needs cleaning, but when others use your home’s restroom, cleaning up after them is one of, if not the, worst chores imaginable.

It’s unclear why, when guests use your bathroom they feel the need to treat it like a portable toilet, or a public restroom, but after they’ve finished with their handy work, dawning a Hazmat Safety Uniform is necessary to keep one from getting their mess on oneself.  Until now.

iRobot has released the Scooba 230, a floor-mopping robot designed for bathrooms. The 230 is smaller, closer to the size of a small vinyl album.  According to iRobot:

“Scooba 230 cleans tile, linoleum or sealed hardwood floors using a three-stage cleaning process that neutralizes up to 97% of common household bacteria*. All you have to do is sweep!”

Wonderful!  No more scrubbing floors thanks to a small, cylindrical robot.  Although, there’s still that nasty 3% of bacteria the Scooba misses.  Curses!

Now if iRobot would make something that cleaned the rest of the bathroom and the mess contained therein, a more perfect chore eliminator one would be hard pressed to find.

Is the Scooba 230 something you’d consider purchasing?  What chore(s) do you dislike doing most and why?

Night vision cameras are super devices that have been used in some super situations.  A few examples include the Paris Hilton sex tape, Jame Gumb’s creepy use of night vision in Silence of the Lambs, and a funny scene involving night vision from the hilarious movie, Step Brothers.

That said, there’s an issue with night vision cameras which, up until now, no one has solved with any degree of success.  That issue?  The fact that night vision camera’s only capture images in a monochrome green color.

Finally someone has tackled a major societal issue by creating a night vision camera capable of taking photographs in color.

The Nanosystem Research Division of AIST (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology Japan), finally came out of the dark, displaying their new camera which can take color photos in the dark.

Using a highly sensitive infrared technology, the camera can take real-time color video in the dark!  Further, in using advanced algorithms which analyze reflected wavelengths from objects of different colors, the camera fills images with colors and not the disgusting green hue night vision enthusiasts have grown to know.

While still in development, the creators plan to make it commercially avaialable to all by the end of 2011.  Prior to doing so, the camera needs to be made both smaller and more durable for every day use.

Have you used night vision?  Would you consider investing in a color night vision camera?  Why/why not?

ubergizmo

Have you given thought to driving a car controlled only by one’s thoughts?  If the work of German researchers come to fruition, driving with one’s mind will soon become a reality.

Raúl Rojas, an AI professor at the Freie Universität Berlin, and his team have released video demonstrating how a driver can use their brain to steer a car, known as BrainDriver.  According to the researchers:

“After testing iPhone, iPad and an eye-tracking device as possible user interfaces to maneuver our research car, named “MadeInGermany,” we now also use Brain Power. The “BrainDriver” application is of course a demonstration and not roadworthy yet, but in the long run human-machine interfaces like this could bear huge potential in combination with autonomous driving.”

What are the benefits of such an application?  BrainDriver could conceivably be the type of technology to allow disabled and paralyzed people to gain more mobility in the future, among many other individuals.

Giving BrainDriver a test, the researchers took their thought-controlled car to a former airport in Berlin, Templehof.

Lest you think that BrainDriver is something you can head down to your local car modification shop and have installed today, the researchers note that BrainDriver is not quite ready for everyday use.

What do you think of BrainDriver?  Aside from the above, what positives and negatives do you see from its use?

Slashdot

Pac-Man is one of, if not the, most well-known arcade game of all-time.  Created by Namco and distributed in the U.S. by Midway, the game was released in 1980.   31 years ago, yes 31.

When the game was released, it was turning point for arcade games, spawning not only merchandise related to the game, but also an animated TV show and spin-offs, such as Ms. Pac-Man.

Why was Pac-Man so popular, remaining so to this day (yours truly played the game at an arcade last week)? Pac-Man was unique when released, as it was one of the first games which garnered mass appeal for both males and females.

One man, Toronto’s Jonathan Guberman, has taken Pac-Man back in time, creating Pac Machina, something he describes as:

“physicalization of a classic videogame: I’m building a playable, mechanical Pac-Man cabinet, called “Pac Machina” (subscribe to my RSS feed if you want to follow my progress!). Of course, essential to a Pac-Man game is Pac-Man himself, and Pac-Man isn’t Pac-Man if he doesn’t chomp. I needed a mechanism for that and it had to be as simple as possible (i.e. no servos or stepper motors). So, after some trial, error, and trigonometry, I built a clockwork Pac-Man.”

On his site Guberman describes the process of creating Pac Machina, with step-by-step images and the video below displaying how the game works.

Unfortunately he says that he may make one, and only one, of these machines, so if you want the one he creates, or a kit for creating your own, you may want to contact him as soon as possible.

Are you a Pac-Man fan?  Do you prefer the original Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man or another derivative of the game?

The Pactuator: a clockwork Pac-Man from Jonathan M. Guberman on Vimeo.

Who doesn’t remember the Etch a Sketch?  What a wonderful toy from my youth and no doubt the youth of many others.

First introduced at the apex of the post-World War 2 Baby Boom, the Etch a Sketch is one of, if not the, best known toys of that era and of all-time for that matter.

In 2003, the Toy Industry Association, yes there is such an Association, honored the Etch a Sketch with a place in its “Century of Toys List,” as one of the 100 most memorable and creative toys of the 20th century.

One lover of the Etch a Sketch has taken the toy and his computer, combining the two into one amazing creation: a computer controlled by an Etch a Sketch.

According to the creator,

“I was inspired the other day when I meandered round the internet and I saw a lot of Computer controlled etch a sketches, but not a single etch a sketch controller computer. So I put aside my other projects for a night or two and set about actually making one of these things. I’m quite pleased with the results, but you can take it for a test drive yourself, when NortHACKton go to the UK Maker Faire next month.”

So how does the Etch a Sketch modification control the computer?  Simple, a MDF frame was placed over the creator’s LCD monitor, two water bottle caps were added as the knobs of the Etch a Sketch as controllers, with the roller ball from a USB mouse added to aid in controlling the computer.

Is the modification something you’d like for your own computer?  Watch the device in action below and let us know what you think.

(source / NortHACKton)

Diamond-encrusted earbuds ($3,500)

Add some bling to your earbuds with those pictured above.  The sound quality may be no different from Apple’s standard earbuds, but you’re recipient will be the envy of all iOS device owners and the target of any criminal who sees your sweetheart wearing them.

Gold and diamond encrusted bluetooth headset ($50,000)

If you’re looking to keep your loved one’s hands on the wheel, and look good while doing so, why not spend $50,000 on a bluetooth headset?  Seems like a no-brainer right?  Aside from the extravagance, the device is functional and will make one the talk (pun intended) of anyone who sees it.

Circuit Board Earrings ($20)

Nerd with not too much to spend?  Circuit board earrings will make the perfect gift for the geeky girl in your life.  They’ll go with practically any outfit and are far from traditional, bored, gifts.

Set of Ethernet Jack Rings (Price Unavailable)

Want to really make a connection with your partner?  What better way to do so than with an eternal ethernet expression of your love?

Pi Necklace ($345)

How many different ways can you tell another you love them?  With this necklace you’re guaranteed at least 3.14159265358979323846264338327950288… ways of showing your penchant for another person without spending too much money.

Macintosh Power Ring ($125)

Want to press all the right buttons this Valentine’s Day (again, pun intended)?  For the Apple fanboy or fangirl in your life, nothing says, “I love you,” more powerfully than a Macintosh Power ring.  Purchase one and instantly become the Apple (yes, that’s 3) of your loved one’s eye.

Will you purchase any of the gifts listed above for your love this Valentine’s Day?  What other geeky gifts have you given to show your affection towards another?

Even gadget manufacturers go out of their way to further the cause (of course, we know that money is still somehow involved in all this), and come up with special edition pink versions of their products. I wouldn’t recommend going as far as buying a pink laptop if you are not really into pink (confession: I DID buy a pink MSI Wind because I wanted the netbook and it was not available in any other color.) Here are some things that I would recommend, though, if only to show your support.

Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 3000 – Dragon Fruit Pink

Considering that shade of pink of this mouse, I can see myself buying one . Even better, Microsoft has declared that 10% of the sales will go to Susan G. Komen for Cure, the world’s largest grass root network of survivors and activists fighting to end Breast Cancer. You can buy this on Amazon for $16.25.

Pink iPod Nano

The new generation of iPods has been released, and pink is one of the colors for the Nano!

Pink Hardshell Case for the 13″ MacBook

This hardshell case can be used on the white MacBook (not the unibody one) and costs $50. Click on the link above to purchase one. It does not say if any portion of the proceeds will go to any organization doing breast cancer work, but if you do love pink…

So, would you go for pink gadgets this month? If not, just visit the web site of the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and see how you can help.

However, technology just might have the answer to this age old problem. Enter the Manslater. (Although I really think that should be spelled Manslator.) This nifty gadget promises to solve all communication problems between men and women at the click of a button. Don’t believe me? Check out the demo below.

Oh, and if you think the manufacturers of the Manslater are being sexist, think again. If you watched that video till the end, you’ll see that it works on both sexes. Now there is no need to wrack your brains trying to figure out what your partner might really be saying. Just grab one of these and you’re good to go.

You know how some people have bucket lists? Well, I’d like to call this the Geek Frak List – things that I will not do again in relation to gadgets, toys, and other geeky stuff.  I have been sitting here for hours thinking about items to put on the list (not continuously, of course), and here is what I have come up with. It’s not as long as I would like it to be, but this should do for now.

Settle for the next best thing when it comes to gadgets.

I have absolutely no EQ when it comes to buying “toys.” For some reason, though, there are times when I would hold back and not get what I want because it’s too expensive. The classic example is the iPhone. Ever since that came many years ago, I have wanted one. Each time I would have a chance to buy it, I’d end up buying some other phone that “works just as well.” Several years – and many gadgets – later, I am still lusting after the iPhone.

Torture yourself by visiting stores to play with toys that you have no way of buying then and there.

Reading that sentence again, I realize that I will probably struggle with this item over and over again. How many times have you experienced agonizingly yearning for something that you’ve actually held and played with, only to have to wait till you have enough money to purchase it? (I’m sure I’ll forget the torturous moments as soon as I pass by the Apple Store again.)

Avoid watching a TV series (or movie even) just because you adore the book and are afraid of having it ruined for you.

Or the other way around, actually. This is exactly what happened to me with The Legend of the Seeker. I think I had only gotten to Book 2 of The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind when I gave up. It just didn’t suit me, and that’s why I avoided watching the TV series for the longest time. When I finally got bored and had nothing else to watch, I ended up trying out The Legend of the Seeker. Let’s just say I spent a couple of sleepless nights finishing it.

Go out (during rainy season) with your netbook – without an umbrella.

No matter how sturdy and waterproof your case may be, all that rain will get to your gadget soon enough. I hate umbrellas, but I have learned my lesson. If I have to go out, I’ll leave my laptop at home and feel lost for a couple of hours.

Argue with hardcore geeks while intoxicated.

If you like avoiding confrontations and arguments, then this should definitely be on your list. Try it one time and you’ll know what I mean. (Unless you’re THE geek who likes shooting everyone down.)

What’s on your Frak List?

Of the countless items I have run across in the last several weeks, here are the three best ones.

This one is a USB stick cum lighter. I wasn’t really surprised to find one since they make USB sticks out of anything these days! This USB stick gives you 8 GB of storage – not bad at all. And, of course, it gives you the convenience of having a lighter. Even if you don’t smoke, you never know when a lighter will come in handy!

This is THE lighter for Bond wannabes. I seem to remember this from way back…with a mic, a movie camera, and FIRE, what else can you ask for? Oh, and if you’re worried about storage space, it has a slot for a microSD card.

Saving the best for last…

*Slobber* Pac-Man Zippo *Slobber*

This one almost beats my Harley Zippo! Seriously, who wouldn’t want one of those??? And, it’s a Zippo, too! I wonder if my friend can score me one of these…

So you don’t smoke? Who cares? Carry one of these around and I bet someone will think you cool (or hot, whatever) anyway!

For those who have a geekier side, however, I am pretty sure that the “Ever Increasing Watch” will prove to be more appealing than any of the watches produced by the manufacturers mentioned above. One look at the Ever Increasing Watch will make your curiosity rise like the water in a river after the rain.

Designed by EleeNo, the watch does tell time, albeit in a non-conventional manner. Graph-loving people will be delighted at the line graphs that take the place of the traditional hands of a clock. Instead of the hour hand, you get the blue line graph. Each dot represents the hour. In lieu of the minute hand, you get the yellow and red line graphs. The yellow graph represents the minutes in 10s, while the red graph represents each minute. It’s that simple, and I love the idea!

For people who want to be able to tell time in an easier manner, the makers of the Ever Increasing Watch incorporated a small number under the most recent dots in the three graphs. I think they should just have left that number out. It kinda takes the fun out of figuring out the time, don’t you think? Oh, and yeah, they could have thought of a more creative name!

For $179, you can play with the Ever Increasing Watch.

For sure, you understand just how much of a hassle it can be to have all your gadgets stuffed into a bulky bag; not to mention the power cords, connecting wires, and the accessories. Finding the right gadget amidst the mess that is your bag can be totally frustrating; carrying a bulky bag even more so. Enter the SCOTTeVEST.

It’s dubbed as a man’s vest, so I don’t know if women can wear it; but I really don’t see why not! It comes in various sizes, and sells for $100. Now, THAT could be a problem for some.

Personally, I thought that the promotional video was fun to watch once – just the thought of having so many gadgets handy amused me – but I am not sure if I would wear the vest. Would you?

Oh, the things people do to be different. Take this guy, for example. He went ahead and created one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen, and I highly doubt that anyone anywhere will ever own one of these shirts other than him. Why? Probably because it’s not machine washable, but things with a chipset rarely are.

Anyways, here’s how it works: The gentleman who designed this shirt – Chris Bell with the help of his wife Madeleine – uses an Android phone for his main source of communications. That connects to the t-shirt via a bluetooth dongle on the face, which then connects to an Lilypad Arduino. That in turn lights up a series of LEDs that are connected via conductive thread. Those threads run to screenprinted numbers on the side which show how many messages their are in the inbox. It counts by binary as well, so if he has three messages for example, he’ll have the “2″ and “1″ illuminated.

Check out the video. It’s pretty neat stuff, and it makes me a little bit jealous.

via fashionablygeek.com

I was born in Canada, as were my parents. My deepest apologies. Anyways, that meant that I was raised to be super polite. I remember very specifically going to Toys R Us one day, and walking inside the store while my mother waited at the door. I got about 15 feet past the entrance before I noticed my mom was nowhere to be found, so I walked back to her. “Kevin, you open the door for a lady,” my mother said. I argued – something totally convincing from a 7 year old, I’m sure – and she said, “Well I’m not going in until you open the door for me, and that means you’re not getting anything.” She had a point there, so I opened the door for her. To this day, I open the door for my wife, I walk on the outside of the street from her, and I chew with my mouth closed. Just kinda stuck.

So I was at lunch the other day with my old boss, and we both sat down at the table with our phones on the tables. I turned mine on vibrate so that it wouldn’t interrupt the conversation, and then he did the same. Not 5 minutes later, his phone starts blinking. Mid sentence, he stops, looks through the phone for a second, then starts right back up like nothing ever happened. He did this easily 10 times during our hour-long lunch, which pissed me off pretty good. His focus was obviously split between me and that mystery person on the other end. How could someone be so rude while we’re trying to have a conversation?

Well, I’ve been guilty of it before, and it gets me thinking back to that time in front of Toys R Us. Fact is, we’re now in an “always connected” society. Between mobile e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, texting and cell phones in general, it’s almost difficult to get away from communication. You almost have to make a conscious effort to put away your devices to stay out of the loop, and that in itself can be difficult. Ever left the house without your cell phone? I don’t know about you, but I always feel like I’m lost without it.

It can get dangerous, too. There’s been a lot of talk about texting while driving – which in some states is becoming illegal – but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t happen. I’ve been guilty of checking my Facebook status at a street light or pulling up my e-mail while going down the road. The problem is that it’s addicting – you feel like you’re missing something if you don’t get that text right now or check an e-mail right away. Further compounding that are the people on the other end who expect responses right away. I once lost a job opportunity because I didn’t respond to a Twitter mention within 24 hours.

So what’s the fix? How do we stay in constant contact yet still be polite to the real people in front of you? I’m not really sure, honestly. In my personal life, I try as best as possible to focus on the person I’m with in that moment, but I’ve been known to tear away if I’m expecting an important e-mail or call. I think that eventually this will be figured out by someone like Martha Stewart or another etiquette expert, but until that happens, the only thing I can suggest is this: Keep the phone in your pocket while driving or with a friend, and try to value those in-face interactions. E-mails can be deleted, but those face-to face interactions turn into memories which can last forever.

Ba-Donka-Donk Mouse

We all know how important it is to have a nice behind, and this mouse epitomizes that. I need a new mouse. I wouldn’t mind having one of those behind for real. I’ll settle for the mouse. I am sure a lot of guys would, too!

Glock Remote

Alright, I am no gangsta but I can appreciate a nice gun, and Glocks are as good as they come. You have to admit, this one’s pretty cool. Just in case someone decides to rob you at home while you’re watching TV, you may have the element of surprise by pointing the remote at them!

Boombox Sneakers

They probably won’t have one in my size, but Nike + iPod don’t have anything against these sneakers. You got speakers and a DVD slot. It looks like there are ports for headsets as well. Talk about all in one stuff!

It’s a pity these gadgets may not see the light of day, don’t you think?

Not to be left behind by the hullaballoo that Apple is creating with the launch of the iPad, Panasonic has introduced their own tablet. Dubbed the H1 Field, this tablet is not your ordinary tablet. The specs are not that fabulous, to be honest. It is quite similar to a tablet that you would find many years ago. It runs on Windows 7 – downgradable to Windows XP if you wish – and has an Intel Processor (Atom Z540, clocked at 1.86 GHz). True, you wouldn’t find the Atom 5 years ago, but it’s still not that spectacular, don’t you think?

Perhaps the best thing that the H1 Field has going for it is the toughness aspect. First of all, it can survive a 6-foot-drop. I am pretty sure that no other tablet in the market today will survive that! It’s supposed to be in a sealed casing – I am not sure if that means it is water proof but I think it might be.

Having said all that, while I am pretty impressed with tough notebooks in general, I do not think I will ever be enticed to buy one. They say that the H1 Field will start shipping next month for a little more than $3,000. I say I’ll stick to the iPad if I wanted a tablet. Whatchathink?

Firebox is selling this baby for a mere $46 and yes, it is in stock. The contraption will allow you to scoop up handfuls of fresh peanuts and churn out some peanut butter just the way you like it. I don’t know about you, but I am quite picky when it comes to peanut butter depending on my mood. Most of the time, I like the chunky kind (Jif please!) but there are times when I want the smooth and creamy kind. With this peanut butter maker, you can have any kind whenever I want!

I love the idea of being able to add salt and/or sugar to suit my taste at the moment. More than that, the gadget will also make butter out of any other nut. Cashews, almonds, pistachios – as long as it’s a nut, you can make butter using this thing. I may seem to be overreacting but if you have ever lived off of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, you will understand where I am coming from.

If you’re looking for the perfect V-day gift (it’s less than a week, by the way), then you can’t go wrong with this thing. That is, if the recipient is just like me. But who does not like peanut butter???

A Japanese company is giving us hope though. Eamex says that it has developed new technology that will extend the life of Lithium Ion batteries. Just how much longer will they last? If reports are to be believed, these new batteries can be charged and discharged for more than 10,000 times. Even better, they will last for 20 years. That’s far longer than most gadgets will last the average person!

Just to give us an idea of how the technology works, Eamex says that they have solved the main problem of short battery life: the weakening of the bond between the particles of an essential part of batteries: the tin-coated resin. If this bond is made to be stronger for longer, then batteries will last more than they do today. Again, Eamex claims that it has solved this problem. The forecast is that by the end of this year, they will be able to launch the new battery. Now I wonder how much this will cost?

With the MU Space portable pillow-bed, however, you can at least have the comfort something nice to lay your head on. Of course, since it is also a portable bed, you will have a layer of comfortable material between you and the hard bench (or floor). More than that, however, you also get the added plus of listening to music! There are rotating speakers inside, which will pipe in music to relax you as you wait for your flight. The unit is USB and memory card compatible.

As you can see from the picture, MU Space is easy to carry around, being a whole unit on its own. The casing actually reminds me of a bowling ball case or a makeup kit. To be honest, it doesn’t appeal to me that much – in terms of looks anyway; however, the idea of having a bed and pillow PLUS music (with no headphones, by the way) is just impossible to resist. And even if you don’t plan on traveling anytime soon, you can always stash the kit in your workstation and catch some zzz’s during your break!

UK charity Computer Aid is looking for people who are willing to donate their old gadgets. They are accepting ANY kind of gadget as long as it is still working. (So yeah, forget about that desktop PC that you’ve chopped into pieces trying to make good use of its parts.)

Computer Aid is an established charity that refurbishes computers and then donates them to those in need – usually in other countries. To date, the charitable organization has given more than 160,000 refurbished computers in 100 countries. You and I may take our computers – and other gadgets – for granted but we have to realize that there are so many other people in various parts of the world who do not have access to technology as we do. School children in many developing countries, for example, are hard pressed to gain access to computers that may be essential to their educational experience.

If you do not feel like just giving away your gadget (SCROOGE!), you may opt to sell it on eBay and give Computer Aid a cut. Does that sound better? Maybe, but your conscience will probably haunt you…

Anyhow, visit Computer Aid’s web site for more details. Come on, you know you want to give.

It would have been perfect if I had one of these water bottles with me. I stumbled upon the LightCap 300 Solar Powered Lantern & Water Bottle at Amazon, and my interest was immediately caught. It’s really just a water bottle (definitely need drinking water on a camping trip) but it also has the added feature of 4 bright (super bright they say) white LEDs. That should be enough to light up my tent, shouldn’t it?

Even better, this lantern does not need to be plugged in to an electrical outlet to get charged. Just make sure to expose it to natural sunlight during the day and the installed solar panels will do the job. It really is perfect for where we’re going as there is nothing there but the sand, the sea, and the sun.

Other details: it weighs a mere 10.5 oz and has a translucent supposedly unbreakable cap. It also has focusing lens for brighter light.

How much will this nifty bottle set you back? Only $29.99 and shipping comes free. The bottle cum lantern comes in two colors: red and black.

Well, if you’re the Rev. Canon David Parrott, “blessed gadgets” are nothing new. The minister of St. Lawrence Jewry church in London took the activity one step further by blessing a bunch of laptops and phones (smart phones, no less!) on Monday. He says that it is a symbolic gesture. The aim is to remind the people of his parish that “God’s grace can reach them in many ways,” technology being one of them.

There is a precedent for this, albeit with a different nature. There is a traditional ceremony called Plow Monday, which celebrates going back to work. In the old times, a symbolic plowing tool was blessed, as the communities mainly relied on farming as their means of livelihood. Today, the church is right smack in the middle of London’s financial district – not a plot of farmland is to be found anywhere near it. As a result, the minister thought of creating a twist in the ceremony.

I think that it’s a brilliant move. For those who like staying in touch with their faith and spirituality in today’s technology-filled life, it’s quite a relevant ceremony. What say you?

Here’s my favorite: a dishwasher safe Wii controller. You may not think about it much, but that white bar can carry tons of germs in it, especially after Wii night with friends. I try to make it a habit to wipe it clean with alcohol but sanitizing it sound so much better. You can get these controllers at Seal Shield for anywhere from $30 to $70, depending on the package.

“Touchless” faucets and soap dispensers are becoming quite popular as well. They are not so new or novel. Hotels and high end buildings already have these gadgets installed. You can now buy home versions for relatively cheap, though. For as low as $300, you can get a kitchen faucet that will not require you to touch or turn a handle to get the water flowing. The same thing goes for soap dispensers – for about $30, you can buy a unit that will not require the touch of the hand.

There are so many other gadgets that out there – thermometers that you do not need to insert into the mouth or the underarms. I guess the question is whether or not these gadgets really help in stopping the spread of germs. What’s your take?

The Massage Me jacket is actually an interface to control Playstation games. The wearer of the jacket simply lies down or sits, while the player pounds or presses on his or her back. Each area on the jacket corresponds to a controller button, so the creators say the interface should work on just about any game. For best results, games that require combinations of keypresses are the best–for the one on the receiving end of the massage, at least.

The soft flexible buttons are made from layers of conductive fabric and are embedded in the back of the jacket. These buttons register the massage moves and interpret them before passing them on to the console as control signals.

The concept is was actually introduced in 2007, but with life being so hectic these days, I think a massage and a video game would be great ways to de-stress.

[via Fast Company]