Rube Goldberg Machine: Office Space

What happens when two guys raid the supply closet late at night? Who knows for certain, but it's probably something similar to this!

Snuggies... for dogs?

I haven't had the chance to see a Snuggie in person just yet, however some friends that I will see this weekend have some, so hopefully I will see just how awesome they are. All that said, this weekend I came across something even more unusual than the Snuggie, a Snuggie for dogs. Now since I haven't seen a Snuggie to know how comfortable and warm it is, it's impossible for me to imagine what a dog would think of such a thing. I am under the impression though that dogs should not be dressed up. As warm as these things may be it's hard to imagine that a dog would actually appreciate having one of these for his or herself. However silly of an idea it may seem, Snuggie fans my find this to be a must have for their pets. Just look at this little guy, couldn't be more comfortable could he?

Meat Eating Robots?!

A desktop computer is a machine that requires human input for it to perform an action. You tell it to run a program, play a game, or search of files. Without your direct input, the computer sits there, it doesn't surf the web while you are gone to occupy its time. If you ever saw the movies WarGames, I Robot or T3 though, you are probably familiar with the concept of a computer (or machine) becoming self aware. While these are movies, the idea of machines ruling over human kind one day is slightly... scary. Could we one day create our own demise? Maybe, but we don't intend to do so any time soon... or do we?

You can feed a man a fish, or you can teach him how to fish. With the first, you will have to come back to feed him, however the second, he will learn how to feed himself. What if you could take the same idea, and apply it to a machine? Instead of having to replace batteries (or plug it into an outlet), you teach the machine to feed itself energy. Are you starting to get the drift of where I'm going here? Designers from the UK have come up with a couple crazy ideas, such as the clock that eats flies and the mouse eating table. Yes you read that right, a clock that eats flies to power itself! Yes people are designing machine to EAT living or once living creatures. If this isn't the start of the end of the human race, then I don't know what will be.

I haven't found as much about the table eating mouse, as the clock that eats flies, so that's the big thing I wanted to share with everyone. The clock appears to be wall mounted with an LED display. Running the length of the clock is a roll of fly paper to attract a meal. The roll is slowly turning and when the meal reaches the "mouth" at the bottom, it is flicked off the paper and into a tank containing microbes which break down the fly and digest it. Power cell is able to draw energy from the breaking down process and use that energy to power the clock and keep the roller turning. Of course, if there are no flies to eat, then the clock would run out of energy and eventually stop. If you were to place one of these clocks in an area that would see a lot of insect activity though, it could be come self-sufficient for a long time.

I really think this is a neat idea, and in a sense, is a greener alternative to other receiving your power from a coal plant. On second thought... its more of a red alternative since we are talking about a machine that has a taste FOR BLOOD! Is this really the end for humans? I highly doubt that we will fall insect eating clocks, but the ground work has been laid! We are creating machines to devour small pests, it's only a matter of time till the machines become self aware and consider us to be nothing more than pests and a quick snack.

Below is a video talking about the different machines they have come up with to help rid you of pests and provide functionality to your home or office. Please be sure to check out the mouse eating table and the lamp that eats flies, after all, these ideas may one day find their way to a Target or Wal-Mart near you.


(First found from Engadget with further information found at NewScientist)

News Update

So the last two weeks have been filled with finals at school, and getting ready for a trip this week. That said, I haven't had too much time to sit down and make all the posts that I have wanted to but I have found some pretty amazing things to share! Since I have so much great material, I'm going to get some posts up before I head back to packing to make sure there are more great gadgets for everyone to enjoy. I really hope you enjoy the next one. ;-)

Rube Goldberg Machine

This Rube Goldberg Machine is HOT! In fact, it seems that most of this machine is burning or exploding. I hope you all enjoy this one.

Transform and Compute

Transformers were one of my favorite toys as a kid, next to my Legos and Nintendo. It's a race car... and then it's a robot! It's a fighter jet... and then a robot! Sure they all have robot forms, they all transformed into something else, but there was something about making them go from one thing to another that was so much fun. As we grew up though, we grew out of playing with our old toys, and in this day in age, most "toys" are electronic and involve computers or gaming systems (Who hasn't played Halo with some friends after a movie night?). Now, I don't still play with transformers, though I had bought a transformer that was disguised as a cellphone last year to leave at work as a gag for those people who love to look through your phone while you are away, but I'm very interested with a new set of transformer toys that are going to be hitting the shelves in the next month or so at BigBadToyStore.com. Transforming computer peripherals!

Since the new movies have come out, we have seen transformer video games, new toys and even a special edition Camaro, but now Transformers are transforming into mice, USB drives, and USB hubs. These are real functioning devices that will make you the envy of your work place. Ravage and Tigatron are large cats that transform into 2gig thumb drives. Blaster transforms into a four port USB hub that looks like a laptop. Lastly there is Trypticon and Grimlock, USB laser mice that transform into raptors. Transformers that actually transform into something we can use! Now, if only they could dance in robot form for our entertainment...

Since these have yet to come out, I can only guess that these are not as great as say a Logitech mouse, but still have a pretty pricey tag of 40-60 dollars per item. But you aren't buying a thumb drive, you are buying a transformer that doubles as a storage device. You aren't paying for a mouse that is super comfy and comes with a 3 year warranty, you are buying a mouse that you can play with in your down time. Show your coworkers what they could be missing out on, and before you know it, there are four of you that are having mini battles while the boss is away at lunch! These just look too awesome to pass up. For those of you who are like me, who would like a transformer but don't want to be teased by your significant other, this is just the thing you need! They can even make great gifts for your kids (caution: may contain small pieces and pose a choking hazard to little kids) or for that friend of yours who could not stop talking about Megan Fox after seeing the new movie for the 6th time.

Rube Goldberg In the Forest

The machine this week is very different from most others I've ever seen. I can't put my finger on why I like it so much... because its outdoors? Maybe because the ending was something I wasn't expecting? Or possibly because it was built with materials found outside? Who knows, but this really is one awesome machine to watch.

Sticks and stones might break your bones but this will really amaze you!

The Shredder Scissors

The Shredder Scissors look like something from a horror movie more than they do a useful office tool. Designed to work like any regular pair of scissors, these bad boys have 9 blades! Just like the name suggests, they are made shred. But what about new electric shredders? Well from my own experience, electric shredders don't seem to last. I've gone through two a year for the last few years that I've owned one. I never send cards or paperclips through them, just old bills and junk mail, yet it never fails that the motor burns out, or paper builds up somewhere paper isn't supposed to inside of it. If you've had a similar experience, then these could make a great back up for when your shredder is on the fritz, or who knows, maybe even replace it! Stuffing letters into the shredder can be fun, but the Shredder Scissors put the fun back in cutting up your old documents.

Credit Card Torch

Ever find yourself out at night, in the cold, trying to find the keyhole to your car or front door? Flashlights are too big to just carry around for that random 1 or 2 instances where you could use a little extra light. Fear not though because there is a simple solution, the Eon Credit Card Torch. Just as you can guess from its name, its about the size of a credit card and is in fact small enough for you to keep in a wallet, purse or in your car. This little torch has two bright LED lights to help you out in the darkest of situations. It boasts an impressive continuous illumination time of 168 hours! That means if you were to lose yourself in your wife's walk in shoe closet, or get lost trying to find your purse under a giant pile of your boyfriends clothes, you would have 7 straight days of light till you found your way out! (that is, unless your torch is IN that missing purse)

I've seen, and owned a number of little torches, mostly that hang from a key chain. While I don't own one of these credit card torches, I can say, as a guy who hates to carry around more than two keys on a key ring, this seems like a much better solution to your help I can't see in the dark problems.

No more Myths to Bust?

The MythBusters build a holiday Rube Goldberg machine

C6... No wait... A4!

Ever get that craving for something a little... saucy? Maybe something a little cheesy? The craving for pizza can hit at any time, day or night, but pizza is not always the most convenient thing to get. Pizza places are not always open, or close by, and lets face it... delivery means you could be waiting upwards of an hour! Well if more of these hit the streets, all those horrors might be a thing of the past!

WonderPizzaUSA has come up with a pizza vending machine. That's right, right next to your favorite sodas and candy bars could be a pizza machine! The machine hold up to 102 pizzas at one time, can make 3 different kinds, and takes roughly 2 minutes to cook and serve. How awesome is that?! The cost per 9" pizza is 5-6$, and considering you are getting almost instant pizza satisfaction , thats not too shabby.

Now these things aren't everywhere like you find soda and candy vending machines, but these are out there, and slowly spreading across the world. Infact, these machine have been aroudn in Europe for some time now. I myself have not run across one of these in the US yet, but you can bet I'm going to jump at the chance to try one out!

Pizza Scissors

At some point or another you've ordered a pizza and when you open to box to dive in, you find the it was not cut well, if it was cut at all. What a pain, now you have to dig out your own crummy pizza wheel that makes a mess, then pull the slice out of the box, usually losing half your toppings to gravity. Well here's the easy fix! These Pizza Clippers can cut a pizza with the rest of them, AND serve it without getting your fingers covered in grease and sauce while trying to hold on to your toppings. Cut once, cut twice, and serve and eat!

No shirt, No fun

Shirts are something we wear every day. We sometimes spend hours looking for new shirts that look amazing and help us stand our from our peers. But can a shirt be more than just a shirt? I mean, can't we make our clothes be more than just clothes? Well some of the guys with ThinkGeek have come up with a few great shirts that are definitely more fun than your every day bought at JCPenny's T-shirt ever was.

We go about our daily business singing to ourselves or sometimes humming along to the radio, but its nothing like the movies. In the movies, dramatic music can almost always be heard; running from a bomb, seducing the evil lady spy, or celebrating that the galaxy was just saved. Are you jealous yet? If so, then have I found the shirt for you! The Personal Soundtrack Shirt from ThinkGeek has a speaker attached to the shirt that allows you to play a number of preloaded sounds, or lets you load some of your own to play as you move through your day. You can even hook up your iPod to the shirt so you can play a different song for any mood you're in.





For the geek on the go, trying to pick up a wireless signal can be a huge pain. Pull out the laptop, turn in circles, hoping to get a signal... but nothing. You try and try but you just cant seem to find a good signal anywhere! Well put that laptop down until you know you can find a signal. Now with the Wi-Fi Dectector Shirt, you woln't have to keep checking your laptop every 5 minutes to see if theres a signal, you can just look down at your shirt. When you've got a signal, the shirt starts to light up, and when there isn't one... the shirt looks plain and dull, just like your life without the internet. If shirts aren't your thing, they also have a hat that does the same job!

You can find these shirts and more Here.

How to open a soda

Today we have another good example of how to make a simple task more complex than it truely needs to be. You guys enjoy the video, I'm gonna go grab a Coke =p