Glenn's Second Brain » Gadgets

Heated Mosquito Bite Itch Relief Gadget Makes Scratching Obsolete [Gadgets]

Sean Fallon — Sat, 30 May 2009 00:30:00 +0000

If mosquitoes find you delicious, this gadget can help you find relief. Apparently, holding its heat source over the bite “helps neutralize the insect-injected proteins that cause itching and swelling.”

Something tells me that good old scratching is still the best medicineâ€”that and avoiding bananas. I seem to recall Mr. Wizard saying something about how mosquitoes love banana-scented blood or something. If that isn't true, Mr. Wizard has screwed me out of a whole lot of tasty summer treats over the years. [Improvements via 7Gadgets via OhGizmo]

5-in-1 Spy Pocket Audio & Color Video Recorder Writing Pen Is the Ultimate Spy Gadget [Gadgets]

Andrea Wang — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 02:20:13 +0000

This 5-in-1 Spy Pen is every secret agent’s wet dream. It functions as an audio and video recorder, USB webcam, 2GB USB flash drive, and works as a fully functioning pen too.

Using a single rechargeable Lithium-ion battery, the pen can record up to 60 minutes of color video, and can be charged using a USB charging cable or an emergency AC power adapter. Also included is a special stand, which converts the Spy Pen from a simple video recorder into a webcam. And as for hiding all your important documents? Simply unscrew it in the mid section, and voila! The Spy Pen is now a 2GB USB flash drive.

It’ll cost you $99 for the 5-in-1 Spy Pen, but if you pay just 10 bucks more, you can own one with 4GB of memory. Listen and sniff closely, do you hear/smell that? It’s a collective orgasm from millions of spies around the world. [Product Page via Red Ferret]

TikiTag RFID Tag Programming Kit Gives You Wireless Powers [RFID]

Adam Frucci — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:30:00 +0000

RFID tags are everywhere these days, from your passport to your anti-theft devices, but now you can use them for your own good or evil projects with this easy-to-use kit.

The TikiTag RFID Tag Programming Kit is a simple kit that includes a USB RFID reader and a bunch of RFID stickers. You can program each sticker to trigger any number of actions on your computer, allowing you to do things like swipe your phone over the reader to bring up your address book or your iPod to open iTunes. Really, it’s up to you to come up with the most creative ways to use this thing. [ThinkGeek]

Amazing Fly Stick Levitating Toy Doesn’t Need Spells, Just Static Electricity [Magic]

Kit Eaton — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:45:00 +0000

“Wow!” was basically my reaction to this video of the Fly Stick levitating toy in action, followed by the realization that this is about as near as you’ll ever get to really playing with magic (or the Force, my inner geek reminded me). Of course the forces it uses are all very real: it’s a mini battery-powered Van der Graaf generator, and it uses electrostatic repulsion to keep some 3D mylar shapes aloft. So you don’t need to utter “wingardium leviosa!” or indeed “use the force!” to make it work, but that’s not going to stop hundreds of delighted users from doing so, now is it? Out now for $27. [ThinkGeek via OhGizmo]

5-in-1 USB Charger Cable Could Solve Some USB Woes [USB]

Kit Eaton — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:19:00 +0000

USB hubs, schmUSB hubs: jam this 5-in-1 charger cable into the back of your machine and you’ll be able to charge-up/sync five different gizmos at once (well, probably not all once, but you get what I’m saying). That’s if you have an iPod, a PSP, a Nintendo DS, aGBA and a device that connects via mini-USB. Not rocket science by any means, but a handy way of simplifying your desktop wiring clutter, and good for computers with few USB sockets (I’m looking at you, Mr. MacBook Air). Out now for $14. [Gadget4All via BoingBoingGadgets]

Buffalo’s New NAS RAID-5 Box is iPhone Compatible Too [Nas]

Kit Eaton — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 08:27:00 +0000

Buffalo has come up a new network accessible storage system which not only hangs onto up to 4TB of your files but is also Time Machine and iPhone compatible. OK, so this last bit is over a dedicated web access system and the phone can’t save the files, but it can view the contents of music, photo and video files. The LS-QL/R5’s 5.1 x 7.1 x 8.7-inch box can fit in up to four 3.5-inch drives, has a RAID-5 option, Gigabit Ethernet, a DLNA server and is due in late September for $560 for a 1TB version, around $710 for 2TB and $1,300 for 4TB. [PCWatch]

Slow Motion Lightning Video is Mindblowing, Will Sell a Thousand Slo-Mo Cameras [Science]

Adam Frucci — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:00:00 +0000

Well, this is just about the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. It’s a lightning bolt that’s shooting down from the sky, shot in slow motion. I’m not sure exactly how fast this camera is, but it’s got to be shooting at a speed faster than the Casio EX-F1 can shoot at, at least at a resolution this high. Whatever, who cares? Just watch this and prepare to be blown away.

[Today's Big Thing]

GoateeSaver Ensures Your Goatee Looks as Good as a Goatee is Ever Going to Look, Which is to Say Not That Good [Personal Grooming]

Adam Frucci — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:40:00 +0000

Ah, goatees. The preferred facial hair of nerds, fat guys, bikers and Mark Wilson. If you’re looking to make sure your goatee is as neat and even as possible, you’re going to need a little assistance. Say hello to the GoateeSaver.

The GoateeSaver is a little contraption you use by putting part of it in your mouth and biting down. This leaves the bulk of it on your face, making you look like you’re wearing a robotic respirator of some sort. This chunk covers up your goatee, allowing you to shave around it and achieve the perfect shape every time.

It seems effective enough, although it clearly wouldn’t work with more adventurous goatee shapes. What if you want to make it pencil-thin? You know, for the ladies? And what if you want to let your goatee go down your neck under your chin? Well, in that case you’ll need to just rely on your steady hand. [Product Page via Las Vegas Sun via Dvice]

Radiohead’s Camera-Free, Laser-Made Music Video Hits the Web, Lets You Manipulate it in Real Time [Radiohead]

Adam Frucci — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:53:20 +0000

The Radiohead video for “House of Cards” that used no cameras or lights, only fancy lasers, just hit the web, and it’s just as crazy and trippy as the screenshots suggested. Above, check out the video, while after the jump you’ll find another video that details just how it was made. Did I mention that because this video is pure data instead of images you can manipulate it in real time using a visualizer? Because you can.

Also be sure to check out the awesome visualizer, which lets you manipulate the data to adjust the image and rotate around the objects in real-time. The most fun time waster you’ll find all week, guaranteed. [Radiohead]

Macally PowerLink is Flash drive, Sync Cable, Emergency Juice for iPod, iPhone [Power]

Kit Eaton — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:20:00 +0000

You know how it is: you’re camping in the wild, and your iPhone suddenly runs out of juice, just as you get bored stiff with the music selection you’ve got aboard it. Previously you’d've had to carry a bunch of stuff around to sort this out, but Macally’s PowerLink has come to the rescue. With USB plug on one end and 30-pin iPod connector on the other, it acts as a sync cable, but also has a battery inside to give you a squirt of extra power if you’re in a pinch. It also packs a 2GB flash drive, but you’ll need to get mp3’s off that via iTunes, sadly. No info on how long the battery lasts, but as a 3-in-1 gizmo it’s pretty useful. Out “soon” for $49.99. [OhGizmo]