By Andrew Liszewski From the DIY department comes this novel safety vest designed by Brady Clark and engineered by Mykle Hansen which shows the rider’s current speed in MPH on the back using electroluminescent wiring. The system consists of a wheel speed sensor, a wearable numeric display and a small personal that does the thinking. The computer […]

By Andrew Liszewski

From the DIY department comes this novel safety vest designed by Brady Clark and engineered by Mykle Hansen which shows the rider’s current speed in MPH on the back using electroluminescent wiring.

The system consists of a wheel speed sensor, a wearable numeric display and a small personal that does the thinking. The personal is an Arduino: an open-source embedded computing platform powered by an Amtel microcontroller. It runs for 6 hours on a 9 volt battery…

The numeric display is made from electro-luminescent wire, supplied to us by CooLight.com. El-wire glows brightly when supplied with a very small amount of high voltage, high-frequency current. It’s cheap, flexible and fairly durable. One AA battery can power the SpeedVest display for up to 6 hours.

While I can understand the obvious safety benefits of wearing a reflective vest while riding a bike, I’m not so sure that displaying your current MPH on the back with cool light-up wiring is as good an idea. As I comprehend it the biggest threat to bikers on the road is automobiles, and it seems this vest provides yet another hazardous distraction for drivers. (”Hey! Did you see that? I think that guy’s vest lights up! Let me slow down to take a closer look.” etc.)

[ Speed Vest ] VIA [ ladyada’s ranting ]

Via [Ohgizmo]

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By Andrew Liszewski Yesterday I wrote about the unfortunate demise of Muxtape, and while the site might be dead (I doubt it will ever return in its previous form) the idea isn’t. It looks like a similar site called 8tracks could possibly be a suitable alternative to Muxtape for those of us in withdrawal. While Muxtape […]

By Andrew Liszewski

Yesterday I wrote about the unfortunate demise of Muxtape, and while the site might be dead (I doubt it will ever return in its previous form) the idea isn’t. It looks like a similar site called 8tracks could possibly be a suitable alternative to Muxtape for those of us in withdrawal. While Muxtape allowed users to upload 12 different tracks for their playlist, 8tracks seems to be limited to… wait for it… 8 tracks, just like the old cart format. Of course in the ‘end days’ of Muxtape there were thousands of playlists to select from, which was a huge part of its appeal, so hopefully 8tracks will enjoy similar growth and popularity before the day ‘you-know-who’ comes knocking. And as the The Red Ferret Journal points out, after 8tracks there will inevitably be another, and another, and another…

[ 8tracks ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

Via [Ohgizmo]

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By Jonathan Kimak Before I delve into this interesting concept camera I’d like to share my confusion with the name of this camera. The camera appears to be called the Yang Ying camera. It is shaped to look like the Yin and Yang symbol of the harmony between the light and dark sides of humanity. Yang […]

By Jonathan Kimak

Before I delve into this interesting concept camera I’d like to share my confusion with the name of this camera. The camera appears to be called the Yang Ying camera. It is shaped to look like the Yin and Yang symbol of the harmony between the light and dark sides of humanity. Yang Ying, from the information that I could find, appears to be a Chinese table tennis champion. So either the name is a result of a common mistake about the term Yin and Yang or I could be reading way to much into it.

Anyways, the camera istelf looks pretty snazzy. Half of the camera houses the LCD screen and the actual camera, the other half houses the storage and the USB connection. It also looks like the camera was designed to be worn around the neck as an accessory for the fashion conscious. The camera was designed by Polish designer Kubasek Krzysztof.

VIA [ DVICE ]

Via [Ohgizmo]

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By Andrew Liszewski Companies like Tonka and Fisher-Price have made a name for themselves when it comes to designing toys that can survive the abuse of a small child. But with today’s children becoming more and more tech-savvy, it only makes sense that in current years they’ve expanded to making easy-to-use but hard-to-destroy electronics like digital […]

By Andrew Liszewski

Companies like Tonka and Fisher-Price have made a name for themselves when it comes to designing toys that can survive the abuse of a small child. But with today’s kids becoming more and more tech-savvy, it only makes sense that in current years they’ve expanded to making easy-to-use but hard-to-destroy electronics like digital cameras. Continuing with that trend, Fisher-Price is now selling a ‘Kid-Tough’ portable DVD player that features a rubberized shell and shock & skip-proof technology allowing it to survive multiple drops at the hands of a pre-schooler. The 3.2-inch LCD display isn’t gigantic by any stretch of the imagination, but it gives the player about 2 hours of battery life which should make any kid who’s stuck in a car seat more than happy. But that small screen size also means the DVD player can’t really be shared, so the $149.98 price tag is kind of steep if you’ve more than one kid to distract.

[ Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Portable DVD Player ] VIA [ 7Gadgets ]

Via [Ohgizmo]

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By Jonathan Kimak I suppose if you use a webcam often enough then you might as well make it look better than the standard and plain looking ball shaped webcams. This webcam from Wesco Limited has the camera and mic hidden beneath the shell of a Imperial Tie Fighter Advanced X1. For those of you not […]

By Jonathan Kimak

I suppose if you use a webcam often enough then you might as well make it look better than the standard and plain looking ball shaped webcams. This webcam from Wesco Limited has the camera and mic hidden beneath the shell of a Imperial Tie Fighter Advanced X1. For those of you not in the know, that’s the Tie Fighter Darth Vader used in Episode IV.

In addition to looking snazy the webcam also has two laser canons that light up and emit authentic sounds taken from the Star Wars movies. I’m not quite sure how flashing lights and sound effects will help you during your on the web conversations. I guess they’re for those times when you don’t have anyone to talk to and you just want to pick up the Tie Fighter and play with it. Of course if I did that I would probably be making the laser noises myself.

The price is around $42.

[ Forbidden Planet(Store) ] VIA [ Likecool ]

Via [Ohgizmo]

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By Andrew Liszewski According to gaming site Maxconsole, the next Tony Hawk game for the Nintendo DS could incorporate a motion and tilt sensing control scheme. A new game has appeared at the Australia Ratings Classificatiosn board (OFLC) and it’s called “Tony Hawk’s Motion’ which carries a G rating. Activision has previously said that this game will […]

By Andrew Liszewski

According to gaming site Maxconsole, the next Tony Hawk game for the Nintendo DS could incorporate a motion and tilt sensing control scheme.

A new game has appeared at the Australia Ratings Classificatiosn board (OFLC) and it’s called “Tony Hawk’s Motion’ which carries a G rating. Activision has previously said that this game will launch a with a new technology that has not been seen on the DS yet. So we’re speculating that such a technology could be a motion/titlt sensor…

Now I’m not entirely sure how big the motion & tilt sensing hardware is, but I assume it will be incorporated into a peripheral that needs to be inserted in the Nintendo DS’s GBA slot, rather than in the DS game cartridge itself. The rumor also leads to speculation about whether or not the game will be seeing a release for the motion & tilt sensing iPhone too, since I’m sure most of us have had our fill of Super Monkey Ball.

[ Maxconsole - New Tony Hawk game for DS to include motion/tilt sensor? ]

Via [Ohgizmo]

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By Jonathan Kimak Now you can summon Batman with a relatively simple to make USB powered Batman spotlight. Instructables contributor KaptinScarlet has come up with this set of instructions that’s a good project for people of any skill level. The items you require include bottle caps, tin foil, a USB laptop light, some clear plastic, cardboard, […]

By Jonathan Kimak

Now you can summon Batman with a relatively easy to make USB powered Batman spotlight. Instructables contributor KaptinScarlet has come up with this set of instructions that is a good project for people of any skill level.

The items you require include bottle caps, tin foil, a USB laptop light, some clear plastic, cardboard, soldering iron and hot glue gun.

It should take about 2 hours to finish. From the completed photos the Batlight looks care about it could be a rather neat addition to your desk.

[ Instructables ] VIA [ Everything USB ]

Via [Ohgizmo]

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By Jonathan Kimak This pet bowl grants you to watch your dog eat the innards of an innocent plastic pig every day. When all the food is gone the ribcage is exposed to remind you to refill the bowl lest you become the next meal. In all seriousness the Poor Pig Pet Bowl looks like a neat […]

By Jonathan Kimak

This pet bowl allows you to watch your dog eat the innards of an innocent plastic pig each day. When all the food is gone the ribcage is exposed to remind you to refill the bowl lest you become the next meal.

In all seriousness the Poor Pig Pet Bowl looks like a neat food bowl for your dog or cat but it might give your pot bellied pig nightmares.

Price is $24 for a bowl and they come in gray or pink/red colors. For now they are sold out and have been for nearly a month. No word on when they’ll restock.

[ Urban Addition ] VIA [ Nerd Approved ]

Via [Ohgizmo]

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By Jonathan Kimak Telefónica will start testing 3D IPTV service in São Paulo, Brazil, later this year. The Television that will be used to view the 3D programming is a 1080p 52-inch Philips 3D HDTV. The Television is auto-stereoscopic which means that watching a show in 3D doesn’t require any 3D glasses. The major snag in […]

By Jonathan Kimak

Telefónica will begin testing 3D IPTV service in São Paulo, Brazil, later this year. The TV that will be used to view the 3D programming is a 1080p 52-inch Philips 3D HDTV. The TV is auto-stereoscopic which means that watching a show in 3D doesn’t require any 3D glasses.

The major snag in this type of broadcasting is that the Philips TV is the only one that can currently display the 3D shows, and it costs the price of a new vehicle. The current price is 18,000 Euros, roughly $26,000 US. Philips anticipates the TV to be used in corporate settings for now and that it will be 3-4 years before the price drops and the Television will be commercially viable for the average consumer.

[ IPTV News ] VIA [ Engadget ]

Via [Ohgizmo]

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This post is syndicated with permission from Gadgetoholic.com If you get a bunch of geeks and around a table who are really in the home theater and HDTV’s, at some point of debate over the pros and cons of plasma versus LCD Televisions will take place. The plasma fans say their preferred technology is brighter and […]

This post is syndicated with permission from Gadgetoholic.com

If you get a bunch of geeks and around a table who are really in the home theater and HDTV’s, at some point of debate over the pros and cons of plasma versus LCD Televisions will take place. The plasma fans say their preferred technology is brighter and offers more contrast. The LCD brigade will say their preferred technology last longer.

The life span argument might finally be settled thanks to Panasonic. It announced that new plasma 1080p Televisions have been added to its VIERA plasma line that can last for up to 100,000 viewing hours before the TV dims to half brightness. Panasonic’s 720p VIERA TVs are good for up to 60,000 hours.

Panasonic says that the average American watches and 6.5 hours of TV each day. Using that number Panasonic claims that its new plasma Televisions could last for up to 42 years. That could mean for some people who purchase a new Panasonic plasma Television it would last longer than they will.

Gadgetoholic

Via [Ohgizmo]

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