Dots Gloves

I just got a new phone over the weekend and so far I'm really happy with it, but I know that it's still no iPhone. However, just how awesome is the iPhone? Well a touch screen is a start to a great high-tech phone, but if it's so great... then why is the touch screen also a problem? Winter. When winter time comes, we all get bundled up with hats, scarves and gloves... gloves... Gloves don't tend to work well with touch screens, and having to take them off in the snow to answer a call or look up a number can be a hassle. Now you won't have to anymore.

Dots Gloves are warm gloves that are designed to still operate the touch screen of iPhones while keeping your hands protected from the elements. I don't have much information on the gloves themselves yet to say how they work, but a friend has told me they have small discs in the finger tips and are covered with a fabric that retains heat. This means that your gloves can safely touch and operate your phone while your fingers get to stay toasty warm in the comfort of your gloves. I know a number of friends who are going crazy trying to get a pair and the worst thing about these gloves so far seems to be trying to get a pair. From the website, the gloves appear to be sold out or only available for preorder. Keeping your hands warm and still letting you use your iPhone what more could you want from a pair of gloves?

(picture from gizmodiva.com)

"Creme That Egg"

This week's machine is rather "smashing." Enjoy!

I Love This R2 Unit!

This IS the droid we're looking for!

I haven't posted any "mods" before but this one is just too cool to not share. From Hack n Mod comes an amazing Star Wars mod, an R2D2 cooler that has been transformed into the ultimate gaming machine... er, droid.

While I haven't been able to find any "specs" for this one of a kind gaming droid, it looks like this R2 unit can support games for NES, SNES, Sega, Playstation (of some sort), N64, Dreamcast, Xbox, and guessing from the picture, what looks like Atari. If that isn't impressive enough for you though, how about the built in sound system? Similar to his movie counterpart he also has a projector so you can play your favorite game on your favorite system on your favorite wall. This really is an amazing creation!

There are some gaming systems out there that you can buy that will play a number of old systems games, such as the Retro Duo NES/SNES System found at ThinkGeek. It looks pretty sleek and saves the space of needing to have two old systems. As cool as it is though, it's hard to compete with such an impressive droid. I can only imagine how much time must have been spent on this project, as well as all the cursing that must have gone along with working in such a small space with so many electrical components, if only I was this handy.

All this talk about gaming... I think I'm going to go play some Super Mario All-Stars.

Rube Goldberg Machine: Dog Food

While short in length, this Rube Goldberg Machine still gets the job done and is entertaining to watch.

Snore No More

There's a new weapon in the war against uncontrollable loud snoring partners in bed, that weapon is My Sleep Solution. Kiss those Zzzzs good-bye and say hello to a quite night of amazing sleep.

The best way I can describe this is a sling for your chin that helps keep your jaw up and mouth in a closed position. While I'm no expert in the "how to get better sleep" department, it seems like a rather interesting way to help keep the wearer's airway open at night. A long time ago when I was a young kid, I had to wear head gear at night for my braces. It wasn't the easiest thing for me to fall asleep with that thing wrapped around my head so I think I would have the same problems with this. There are though, many people out there who have tried different pillows, beds, and even sleeping on sofas just to try and get a better night's sleep and this could be something worth looking into if you are really looking to improve your or your partners sleep.

(picture from http://mysleepapneasolution.com/new/)

Update...

I've had a number of computer related issues over the last few days, and I'm just now getting caught back up on the work that I need to get done, which means I'm running behind a little bit here. I have a few great finds to share, I just have to get a few minutes to get them posted. Hang in there, more to come soon!

Rube Goldberg Machine: Honda Accord

What happens when you give Honda engineers a new car, a camera and a lot of spare parts? You get a Rube Goldberg commercial!

Snuggie - College Fever

So, just when I think I've seen all that Snuggie has to offer my cold body, and my cold pet, I find a Snuggie that's perfect for taking to those cold winter football games. That's right folks, the Collegiate Snuggie comes in many of your favorite college team colors but still offers the same warmth and comfort of the original. They have more than 50 different teams to choose from like Ohio State University, University of Nebraska, LSU and Rutgers.

SkyMall - Spy Pen

Growing up, James Bond was my hero. No matter what sort of trouble he was in, he always had a really cool gadget to get out of trouble. From rockets in his car to the belt he wore that had a grappling hook, he always had the coolest gadgets that didn't seem to exist in the real world. Well years later and we finally have the ability to get some of our own "Bond Gadgets."

Another cool find from SkyMall's catalog is the Spy Pen. It's not a class 4 grenade like some of Mr. Bond's, but this pen has a small built in video camera and microphone. As if that wasn't cool enough, the pen really writes! The pen can hold up to 4gig and uses USB to hook up to your computer so you can upload your spy videos. This could make a great gift for that special spy in your life or even for an aspiring film director to give him a new angle in his films. And did I mention, the pen really writes too?!

SkyMall - Sodastream

On my recent trip, I had the pleasure of rediscovering SkyMall. SkyMall is a company that sells "innovative merchandise," of which is mostly seen in their catalogs which can be found tucked in front of your seat on many airlines, or ordered online. Being the gadget guy that I am, it was a real treat to flip through the pages and look at all the interesting items. Not a bad way to help pass the time considering there was no in flight movie and the gentleman next to me had fallen asleep just after take off.

There are a number of great items that can be found in the SkyMall catalog, such as the Sodastream Soda Maker Kit. It's been a long time since I've seen a soda making kit so I thought I would share this one with you all. The Sodastream requires no electricity meaning that you can take it with you in your RV or on boating trips. It carbonizes water that you then add some of their soda mix to, and TA-DA a nice refreshing cup of soda. While it may seem goofy to go through the "trouble" to make your own soda when you could just go buy a 24 pack of Mountain Dew, or a couple of 2 liters, Sodastream might actually save you money over time (assuming that you like their drinks). From Sodastream's website, a Fountain Mist soda mix bottle that makes 12 liters is roughly $5 and in the market today, that's about what you would pay for 2 liters of Mountain Dew.

Myself, I'm trying to cut down on how much soda I drink, but this could be a fun little gadget to help you save some money, and could be fun to use with the family.

Rube Goldberg Machine: 1 or 2 Lumps?

I can't tell for certain what this machine launches at the end, if its a tea bag, ice cube or a cube of sugar, but it's still really impressive!

Throwing Fire

To get some thing rolling around here again, I wanted to start off with something that I thought was pretty damn cool. Hand mounted flamethrowers! This video makes the guy look like a current day iron man almost, crossed with Pyro from X-men.

I'm not going to suggest trying to build one of these, or buy something similar off the web cause, well, it's going to be dangerous. That said, there's no harm in imaging what it would be like to have this at your house to get rid of those pesky caterpillar nests in your trees... and get rid of the trees themselves... Enjoy the video!


(Video found from BuzzFeed)

Made it Back

Well I'm back from my trip! I've not been feeling the greatest though, so I haven't gotten the chance to get new posts up. With some luck, I should get something up later this evening and tomorrow and after the weekend, things should be back to normal again. Don't worry, there's still plenty of cool gadgets and things out there to post about, I didn't just up and leave. =)