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.

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/)

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.

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)

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.

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.