Archive for Home

Manodo Screen saves energy, has smiley faces

Posted in Home by Conner Flynn on April 26th, 2008

Manodo Screen saves energy, has smiley facesThe Manodo display from Sweden will help you keep the earth green, while giving you information overload with facts on how much power consumption your home currently uses, as well as other uncomfortable facts, like the number of pounds of CO2 emissions from your recent hot bath. Yo Manodo, TMI.

The Manodo project is in its pilot stage right now in several Swedish cities, nagging apartment dwellers with a ton of information. It must be like living with your mother. The info ranges from how long before the next tram will pass by the nearest stop to upcoming weather. A green smiley face will appear each time power consumption reaches ‘green’ levels. So, think of it as a kind of game. Device nags you, and when you please the device, it smiles. It’s exactly like living with an overbearing mother.

Arologic wireless scenting solution

Posted in Home by Conner Flynn on April 24th, 2008

Arologic wireless scenting solution
We’ve seen countless wirelessly-enabled gadgets and devices, so it’s really no surprise that someone would come up with a wireless solution that zaps foul aromas so you don’t have to go near them. Air Aroma’s Arologic claims to be the world’s first wireless scenting device and it will allow you to control a network of scent diffusers remotely.

Inside of multiple “scent zones,” scenters can “activate a scent, vary the intensity or even change the aroma.” So, what we have here is basically a high-tech perfume dispenser. No pricing information just yet, but Arologic should be available in most of the firm’s diffusers in Q3. The image looks like a bunch of colorful little bullets that could easily kill you, but their colorful nature would make it a fun party for the guy doing your autopsy.

LG Microwave Toaster looks weird, saves space

Posted in Home by Conner Flynn on April 24th, 2008

LG Microwave Toaster looks weird, saves space
LG converges the Microwave and the Toaster. The device is not new, but it’s like a UFO sighting, you know they’re out there, but you’re still surprised to see one.

Obviously it hasn’t caught on, which is odd because it’s a great space saver and it frees up an additional power outlet in your kitchen. Maybe it’s tough to clean or something. Anybody out there have one of these? Do you like it?

iChime musical doorbell “plays anything”

Posted in Home by Conner Flynn on April 23rd, 2008

iChime musical doorbell “plays anything”
I’m not sure how much more mileage they can get out of the letter “i”, but here’s another product brought to you by the letter “i”. The iChime Doorbell will replace your ding dong style doorbell with any sound in the universe that you can think of. You can choose pre-programmed selections, record your own song with the built-in microphone, or use an iPod, CD Player, PC, or MP3 with line-in jack.

What this means is that doorbells are going the way of ringtones and anything is fair game. Maybe Alice Cooper saying, “Welcome to my nightmare”, or some sound bytes from vintage TV like, “Lucy, I’m home”. How about Pink Floyd, “Hello, hello… Is there anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me. Is there anyone home?” It will cost you $90, but if you are easily entertained like me, it’s probably money well spent.

Mega-Sonic Scatter-Cat Repeller

Posted in Home by Conner Flynn on April 21st, 2008

Mega-Sonic Scatter-Cat Repeller
Here’s the perfect way to look like a dork while scaring off pesky varmints from your property. The Mega-Sonic Scatter-Cat Repeller looks like a megaphone because it is a megaphone. It might have been cooler if they actually made it look like a gun, but they wanted to laugh at those who use it. To use it, just point it at the cat, bird, dog, squirrel or other critter and pull the trigger. An ultrasonic signal that’s undetectable to the human ear will scare off the animal from up to 65 feet away. It may take a few blasts before the animal gets the hint, but they will leave you alone.

It even has a laser sight that’s activated when you pull the trigger, so that you know the signal is being aimed in the right direction. Interestingly, it can also be switched to a sonic signal that can be heard by humans. That way, those damn kids can get the hell off your lawn.

NANA Saver is the hero of Bananas everywhere

Posted in Home by Conner Flynn on April 17th, 2008

NANA Saver is the hero of Bananas everywhere
Banana’s are good for you. Eating a whole banana is no big deal, just throw the peel away and forget it. But what happens when you only want half of a banana? It gets all brown, spotty and nasty real quick, that’s what. Who wants to eat that? It usually ends up in the trash.

Not anymore. The NANA Saver is essentially a cap for your decapitated banana. Just pinch it on and it will now be fresh from the air. It will only set you back $2.98. Sure, you could just eat the whole thing, but that would put the NANA saver out of business.

Rain Forecasting Umbrella for Mary Poppins types

Posted in Home by Conner Flynn on April 16th, 2008

Rain Forecasting Umbrella for Mary Poppins types
Unless you own an old bowler hat, umbrellas really don’t go with anything. They’re just not very stylish, unless you are one Mary Poppins. Unfortunately umbrellas are pretty necessary if you want to stay dry. But weather is unpredictable. You often don’t know when an umbrella is required.

That’s where this concept umbrella from Materious comes in handy. It has an LCD handle that indicates the weather status by displaying different colored lights. White lighting indicates a sunny day and blue light indicates light rains. A dark blue hue indicates heavy showers. It can do this because the hub that the umbrella rests on gets it’s info through WiFi. You’ll always know when you should bring your umbrella with you.

Gas Pump entertainment center

Posted in Home by Conner Flynn on April 11th, 2008

Gas Pump entertainment center
The T39 Replica Gas Pump Entertainment Center will take you straight back to the 1940′s and have you wiping off windshields and checking oil levels, while watching TV. It’s geared toward the dude that wants to spend nearly 2 grand on a entertainment center that has a maximum TV size of 13 inches.

It even has an illuminated globe on top to make it feel authentic. Despite it’s neat retro stylings and details, this is probably not the best choice you can make in Entertainment Centers. Clint Eastwood certainly doesn’t look happy about it. It will cost you $1,775. That money is better saved for real gas at the pump.

The BirdXPeller Pro bird repeller

Posted in Home by Conner Flynn on April 8th, 2008

The BirdXPeller Pro bird repeller
It used to be that when those loud ass birds assault your ears at the butt-crack of dawn, you’d have to get out the shotgun, take a shot through your window, and upon the sweet sound of silence, go back to sleep and save the glass cleanup till you get up at noon. Not anymore though. For one thing it’s not socially acceptable to kill small animals. Use the BirdXPeller Pro bird repeller instead.

It won’t kill all the birds. It just repels them by emitting different noises that make them believe a predator is near. It will scare off birds within one acre. Three different types of the BirdXPeller Pro frighten away different birds. $239.

Potty Monkey teaches you how to use the toilet

Posted in Home by Conner Flynn on April 7th, 2008

Potty Monkey teaches you how to use the toilet
Products that are designed to help you learn how to use the toilet are funny. Mostly because you should know how to use the toilet by now. Potty Monkey is awesome. This 15-inch tall stuffed monkey comes complete with a pair of diapers, a pair of underwear and his toilet. An electronic timer is buried somewhere in his rectum body and can be set at intervals of 30 or 90 minutes. When the clock runs out, the monkey will tell you he needs to go potty. When you place him on the toilet he won’t shut up about it. He’ll tell you how much better he feels, and will even sing a version of ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’, except his version is all about dukey and yule-logs. Don’t think you can just ignore him like a bad parent either.

If you do, he will just plead more. “I really need to go potty! Let’s go potty!!” Ignore him again, and he says, “Hey, take me to the potty now or I’ll have an accident!” After that, “Oh no! I had an accident! Please take me to the potty next time.” No…I will not take you to the potty. You are not my son. You are a bad monkey who somehow ended up in my home and feels free to crap himself at the drop of a hat.

Swarovski-studded Nespresso coffee maker

Posted in Home by Conner Flynn on April 6th, 2008

Swarovski-studded Nespresso coffee maker
When pimped out swarovski mp3 players and the like haven’t assaulted your senses quite enough and you feel like your life could be gaudier, you can always start bedazzling your kitchen. The Nespresso Crystal Edition coffee machine is smothered in 3100 Swarovski crystals and will only cost you about $4,000.

It will still make a mean cup of coffee and comes with a removable grill for macciato lattes, an illuminated collecting pan for your used coffee capsules, and it does it all with the single press of a big blingy button. A few more shiny gadgets like this in your kitchen and you will be blinded when the sun shines in.

Talking tissue box mocks you

Posted in Home by Conner Flynn on April 6th, 2008

Talking tissue box mocks you
When you have a nasty cold and are sneezing, the last thing you need is some joker mocking you. That’s exactly what this talking tissue box does. Instead of being neutral and silent while you cough and retch and sneeze, this little jackass mocks you by either coughing or sneezing each time you reach out for a tissue.

Cute? No F-in way. You’ll want to punch it in it’s face and wonder why you bought it for $19.99 in the first place. It takes 2 AA batteries to perform it’s feats of annoying.

Ergonomic coffee mug fits your lips

Posted in Home by Conner Flynn on April 5th, 2008

Ergonomic coffee mug fits your lips
Here’s a mug designed with a thin contour at the top that’s slightly curved to conform to your lips. I can only speak for myself, but I’ve been consuming liquid beverages all my life and I haven’t found a need to buy myself a special cup due to unwanted spillage or slobbering all over myself.

But if you’re someone who can’t manage to drink your morning coffee without spilling it all over yourself, maybe this would help. A sippy cup is probably far more traditional, however. I would suggest that if you’re an adult and find yourself needing a special cup, then you probably need a special hemet as well.

Jet House is awesome, looks fast

Posted in Home by Conner Flynn on April 4th, 2008

Jet House is awesome, looks fast
Fear not humans, this thing did not just land on our planet and demand that we submit to anal probing. It’s a house designed by Jérôme Olivet, who learned from Philippe Starck. The Jet House is designed to look as if it’s moving fast, despite the fact that it’s molded concrete structure is attached to a metallic building pad.

It’s a two-story structure, the floors connected by an elevator. Olivet calls the style “biomorphic,” and the lines are so beautifully rounded and streamlined that it is very calming. The thing obviously cost a fortune to build. I not only want to live in it, but I want to attach some lasers see it fly through space.

Samsung’s touchscreen digital door lock

Posted in Home by Conner Flynn on April 4th, 2008

Samsung’s touchscreen digital door lock
Samsung has unveiled the “Luce” (SHS-5200), a digital door lock that measures just 2.1cm-thick and comes with an integrated touchscreen. The Luce is unique compared to existing door lock products due to it’s touch-sensitive interface.

It has special tempered glass, enabling users to enter numbers with their fingertips. The keypad isn’t displayed when Luce isn’t activated. When you press the start button, the numbers are displayed with a backlight. That way outsiders can’t get your password. No word yet on pricing or availability at this time.