By Jonathan Kimak SNCF, a railway company in France, is trying out some new tickets. The tickets are part RFID, which was already a standard on France’s railway ticketing system, and USB. The USB portion of the ticket allows users to plug the small thumb drive into their PC and load money onto the ticket to […]

By Jonathan Kimak

SNCF, a railway company in France, is trying out some new tickets. The tickets are part RFID, which was already a standard on France’s railway ticketing system, and USB. The USB portion of the ticket grants users to plug the small thumb drive into their Personal computer and load money onto the ticket to make future train ticket purchases.

The tickets will have 4GB of internal memory and will also contain some advanced security to keep people’s private information secure at all times.

The tickets are 8mm thick which should make them rather simple to carry(or to lose). Currently 1,000 tickets are being used during the trial run.

Of course the device will still not make the trains arrive on time or keep them from having that very special smell.

[ The Register ] VIA [ Wired ]

Via [Ohgizmo]

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By Luke Anderson When you take your laptop somewhere, you’ll most likely store it in some kind of bag or case. This is only logical, since you’ll not only want to protect your hardware, but you’ll also need an easy way to carry it, along with the power cord and any peripherals you need as […]

By Luke Anderson

When you take your laptop somewhere, you’ll most likely store it in some kind of bag or case. This is only logical, since you’ll not only want to protect your hardware, but you’ll also need an easy way to carry it, along with the power cord and any peripherals you need as well. If you’re going to carry around something as bulky as a laptop case, why not get one that’s going to serve an extra function?

This Napbook seems like the perfect case for on-the-go people that might need to catch a swift nap here or there. Essentially what you’ve got is a small pillow that also happens to serve as a laptop case. When you need a few minutes of shut-eye, just plop your head down and you’ll be snoozing in no time. These are currently only sold in a remote Apple Store in Iceland. The good news is that the designer is already working on getting his bags mass-produced so that the rest of us can buy them.

VIA [ Crave ]

Via [Ohgizmo]

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By Andrew Liszewski Well technically, I guess stargazing isn’t all that difficult, all you have to do is look up at night. But knowing what all those dots of light are called? Now that’s the tricky part. You could visit your local observatory and have an astronomer explain what you’re looking at, or you could pick […]

By Andrew Liszewski

Well technically, I guess stargazing isn’t all that difficult, all you have to do is look up at night. But knowing what all those dots of light are called? Now that’s the tricky part. You could visit your local observatory and have an astronomer explain what you’re looking at, or you could pick up this nifty software/hardware combo called StellarWindow and stargaze from the comfort of your own backyard. It was developed by a group of Waseda University students in Japan, and it relies on a special USB dongle that features tilt sensors and an electronic compass. You just install the software on your laptop or tablet Computer and attach the dongle, and once your position is calibrated, the StellarWindow program will provide a detailed explanation of the night sky you see before you. It even features voice recognition so all you have to do is ask it to find a particular heavenly body and the software will tell you what direction to look. The student’s startup company, Fairy Devices Inc., is expected to release StellarWindow before 2009 for about $244.

[ Fairy Devices StellarWindow ] VIA [ HobbyMedia.it ]

Via [Ohgizmo]

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By Andrew Liszewski Got a fondness for trigonometry? Were you a ‘mathlete’ back in high school? If so then you’ll want to proudly hang this Unit Circle Wall Clock in your office or cubicle. Depending on where you work your co-workers will either get a good chuckle, or continue to avoid walking by your office at […]

By Andrew Liszewski

Got a fondness for trigonometry? Were you a ‘mathlete’ back in high school? If so then you’ll want to proudly hang this Unit Circle Wall Clock in your office or cubicle. Depending on where you work your co-workers will either get a good chuckle, or continue to avoid walking by your office at all costs. Unfortunately the maths were never my strongest subject in school (I excelled at field trips and statutory holidays) and that coupled with my inability to tell time with an analog clock means I’ll probably be sticking with the digital variety, but you can get one of these from CafePress for just $15.99.

[ Unit Circle (Radian) Wall Clock ] VIA [ Nerd Approved ]

Via [Ohgizmo]

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By Andrew Liszewski When someone mentions airbags, you usually think of the emergency safety devices that explode from the dashboard of your vehicle when you get in an accident. But for many years now, NASA has been successfully using airbags to land their rovers on Mars. In a manner of talking, the rovers basically crash onto […]

By Andrew Liszewski

When someone mentions airbags, you usually think of the emergency safety devices that explode from the dashboard of your car when you get in an accident. But for many years now, NASA has been successfully using airbags to land their rovers on Mars. In a manner of speaking, the rovers basically crash onto the planet’s surface after a parachute descent, and it’s those massive airbags that ensure they end up in full working order once they’ve touched down. So engineers at Bell Helicopter (makers of the famous Huey and other highly recognizable whirlybirds) figured that similar airbags could do the same thing for choppers forced to make a crash landing.

The airbags (and necessary inflation systems) would be mounted to the underside of the aircraft and would be automatically triggered before the helicopter hit the ground at a high velocity. (I assume the criteria for inflation will be a lot more complex than my brief summary.) And unlike the airbags used in a car which are pretty much useless after they’ve been triggered, the airbags on these helicopters will still be able to re-inflate after the initial deployment so they can serve as flotation devices should the crash occur in the water.

Also, why is it that so many images submitted with patent applications look like they were hand-sketched by Leonardo Da Vinci? You’d think by the time the patent application was submitted that most companies would already have complex 3D models and images already created. I guess it comes down to keeping their IP and what the final product will actually look like a closely guarded secret.

[ Bell Helicopter Patent - Crash Attenuation System For Aircraft ] VIA [ New Scientist Invention Blog ]

Via [Ohgizmo]

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By Luke Anderson There’s something that I’ve wondered about for many years. Why does Peter Pan have his own brand of peanut butter? Sure, it’s pretty good peanut butter in my thought, but I’ve yet to find any really good why it even exists in the first place. If you’re extremely picky about your peanut butter, […]

By Luke Anderson

There’s something that I’ve wondered about for many years. Why does Peter Pan have his own brand of peanut butter? Sure, it’s pretty good peanut butter in my opinion, but I’ve yet to find any really good why it even exists in the first place. If you’re extremely picky about your peanut butter, and don’t trust a flying boy with your food, you might be interested in making your own stuff.

With the Peanut Butter Machine, there’s really no reason to purchase jars of peanut butter from the store again. Just pour in two cups of peanuts, select whether you want crunchy or smooth, and you’re all set. The best part of all is that the result is an all-natural product which doesn’t contain any additives. If you’re huge on all-natural foods, or are just picky about your peanut butter, you can get one of these gadgets for $50 starting at the end of the month. Given how cheap the stuff is to purchase by the jar, I think I’ll just stick to that.

[ LighterSide ] VIA [ RGS ]

Via [Ohgizmo]

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By Luke Anderson The light bulb has been around for a very long time, and we’re all quite familiar with the standard shape. We’ve seen a lot of new light bulbs in the last few years as we focus more on bulbs that not only last longer, but are also more environmentally friendly. LED bulbs are […]

By Luke Anderson

The light bulb has been around for a very long time, and we’re all quite familiar with the standard shape. We’ve seen a lot of new light bulbs in the last few years as we focus more on bulbs that not only last longer, but are also more environmentally friendly. LED bulbs are supposed to be among some of the more eco-friendly kinds, and the designers at Frog Design think they’ve figured out a way to get LED bulbs into more homes.

It’s true that many people are scared of change, so why not make something new that looks just like the object it is replacing? These frogLight bulbs look just like the old incandescent ones we’ve known and loved for years. While I can’t argue that more people will likely purchase them if they look like a normal bulb, I think you might need more than a single LED to provide the right about of lighting.

VIA [ Yanko Design ]

Via [Ohgizmo]

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By Andrew Liszewski Puzzle fans might be intrigued by this Cubed game now available at ThinkGeek. You don’t need a giant empty table to put it together since the puzzle is actually composed of just 4 pieces, which are represented on a set of electronic cubes that feature LCD displays and magnetic connectors. Of course a […]

By Andrew Liszewski

Puzzle fans might be intrigued by this Cubed game now available at ThinkGeek. You don’t need a giant empty table to put it together since the puzzle is actually composed of just 4 pieces, which are represented on a set of electronic cubes that feature LCD displays and magnetic connectors. Of course a 4 piece puzzle probably isn’t much of a challenge, which is why the game actually includes 600 different puzzles to solve while you’re racing the clock.

Cubed (for short) is composed of four electronic cubes. Each one is surrounded on four sides by magnetic connectors, and each displays 1/4 of the puzzle on its LCD screen. Now, you just have to figure out how the pieces connect together as you connect the cubes via their magnets. There are even two separate games you can play: you can make pictures and icons by forming a square shape, or you can form words in a rectangular shape. All 600 puzzles are shown in the instruction manual, but when you hear the timer beeping down, there isn’t enough time to cheat. Get ten puzzles solved in a row and you win.

The puzzles include 300 picture puzzles which require the cubes to be assembled in a square, and 300 word puzzles which require them to be arranged in a straight line to spell out words. The cubes also feature an optional backlight for playing in the dark, and you’ll need 8 AAA batteries (2 for each cube) which are thankfully included. The Cubed Electronic Puzzle Game is available from ThinkGeek for $39.99.

[ ThinkGeek - Cubed Electronic Puzzle Game ]

Via [Ohgizmo]

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By Jonathan Kimak As far as I know diaries are a thing of the past. Why keep your thoughts to yourself when you can put every single thought on your blog for all to see. But for the more secretive people who want a place to write their thoughts there is the Secret Diary. The USB Diary […]

By Jonathan Kimak

As far as I know diaries are a thing of the past. Why keep your thoughts to yourself when you can put each single thought on your blog for all to see. But for the more secretive people who want a place to write their thoughts there is the Secret Diary.

The USB Diary plugs into your computer and lets you type out all your thoughts and feelings or describe more manly activities like how many guns you own and who’s butt you kicked this day. But seriously, the color scheme and print media all advocate this is for girls. The device comes with military-grade 256-bit AES crypto encryption with a self-destruct that deletes everything if someone tries a brute-force hack. It is also guarded by a 4-digit PIN. Secure, online backups are also available.

Other features include horoscope, fortune cookie app, dream interpreter and applications that give you ideas about what to write.

Price not yet available.

[ Secret Diary ] VIA [ Everything USB ]

Via [Ohgizmo]

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By Andrew Liszewski Has it been 10 years already? I know a lot of people really, really like The Large Lebowski, and while I enjoy the film as a whole (performances, writing etc.) I definitely don’t find it as ‘hilarious’ as most seem to. But fan or not, who could possibly resist the awesome bowling ball […]

By Andrew Liszewski

Has it been 10 years already? I know a lot of people really, really like The Big Lebowski, and while I enjoy the film as a whole (performances, writing etc.) I definitely don’t find it as ‘hilarious’ as most seem to. But fan or not, who could possibly resist the awesome bowling ball packaging that Universal Studios has cooked up for the 10th anniversary edition of the film? The lack of Blu-ray does leave me scratching my head, since I don’t think I’ll ever spend the money on a non-hi-def DVD ever again, but once it does get the HD treatment I’m sure you can just swap out the SD versions. And while the 10th anniversary edition of the film won’t be available until September 9, you can pre-order a copy now from Amazon for just $23.99.

[ The Huge Lebowski - 10th Anniversary Limited Edition ] VIA [ ALBOTAS ]

Via [Ohgizmo]

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