gadgets

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Tauntaun Sleeping Bag

In the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back (often considered the best of the Star Wars films), Han Solo saves the life of an unconscious Luke Skywalker by slicing open a dead Tauntaun and spending the night on the deathly cold planet Hoth inside the smelly... READ ON

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Laptop Steering Wheel Desk

Isn't this remarkable? The Laptop Steering Wheel Desk is a little tabletop you can attach to your vehicle's steering wheel  that gives you a level space to do anything you might need a level space for.  And what would you do with a level space in your car? The 266 customer reviews for the Laptop Steering Wheel Desk at Amazon give us plenty of ideas. * I use it as a "mini-bar" when the friends and I go out to the bars. I can quickly fix multiple shots of tequila for myself and the friends as we... READ ON

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Cool Rider

We're always looking for cooler methods of transportation. Cooler, meaning it looks good, it goes fast, it's fun, and more and more it also means smaller and simpler. We want smaller bicycles we can carry with one hand or in a backpack. We want skates that don't take up the entire closet floor. We want smaller engines that consume less... READ ON

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Spy Gadget Contest

On November 17, Make Magazine will be launching a spy gadget contest to coincide with the launch of the new Alex Rider book, Crocodile Tears. For those of you who are unaware, Alex is a young spy whose stories are told in a series of adventure books. To do his job, he is constantly using new and crazy gadgets and technologies made from things out of his backpack. Naturally, for the contest, everyone is encouraged to invent their own contraptions out of everyday objects that could be realistically... READ ON
  1. FIND THESE T-SHIRTS AND MORE IN THE STORE!

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Inflatable Seat Belts

Old curmudgeons like me like to talk about how much freedom children had when we were young. We had less supervision, more responsibilities, and the freedom to come and go that our children and grandchildren can scarcely imagine. But there is one area we check ourselves. When someone says, "When... READ ON

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Mini HoverDrone

Every now and then I run across a toy that's not exactly an earth-shattering technological breakthrough, but looks like so much fun that I immediately want one. That would be the Mini HoverDrone from the playful minds at Think Geek. They call it the smallest flying remote control device they've seen. Only 60 millimeters wide and 65 millimeters tall, that's a little over two inches. It will easily fit in your palm, but you won't lose it because of the flashing LEDs. In action, the Mini HoverDrone looks like... READ ON

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Dyson Air Multiplier

Dyson calls it an "air multiplier", but everywhere you see this, it's called a bladeless fan. A fan with no blades? Where does the air come from? Apparently, it's drawn into the bottom of the gadget, where there is a, yes, a conventional fan with blades (just well hidden). The air is fed up to the big loopy round part (for want of a more descriptive name). Somehow, this process also draws in more air from behind the fan and around the edges of the fan. Which gives you lots of air blowing. * Dyson (the... READ ON

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Electronic Itch Stopper

I ran across several places on the web that mentioned the Electronic Itch Stopper from HonTech Foundation for Medical Technology. It sounds like a fascinating new idea. Stop itches with the power of electricity? Hmm. Every day I see a gadget on TV that says you can lose weight and firm your abs with the power of an electric belt, and I know that can't work. There are also electric combs and other products that purport to grow hair by stimulating the follicles with electricity and they don't work, either.... READ ON

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Solar Decathlon

The Solar Decathlon is an architectural and design competition involving twenty teams from colleges and universities across America. The aim of the contest from the US Department of Energy is to design a sustainable home that uses solar energy. And build it better than anyone else! The judging will continue through October 16th, and the homes will be open to the public through the 18th. They are up now, on the National Mall in Washington, DC. if you have a chance to go by and see. The reason it's called... READ ON

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Gyrowheel

A new product for kids' bikes that will replace training wheels? I'm on that! Training wheels are a pain. They don't corner well. They bend and break when... READ ON

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