gadgets

Article

Trebuchet Toaster

A trebuchet is a medieval machine used to fling objects, such as globs of burning pitch, over the ramparts and into the strongholds of the enemy. The modern version will fling toasted bread. The Trebuchet Toaster has an adjustable angle and adjustable power settings, so you can calculate the highest, furthest, or most annoying barrage of toast. Although it doesn't exactly work on the same principle as a medieval trebuchet, the outcome is similar. Toast is flung. Can breakfast be any more... READ ON

Article

U-Fizz

Drinking soda pop has never been so scientific. U-Fizz is a contraption for putting carbonation into drinks that are not already carbonated. For $6.95, you get the necessary tube and caps to transfer bubbles from your mixture of baking soda and vinegar to a bottle of the drink you wish to carbonate. You could make this kit out of material laying around the house if you have it, but it would probably cost about as much to buy the parts separately as to buy the kit. You can watch a Power Point... READ ON

Article

K2 Solar Wind Charger

With all these gadgets you depend on everyday, and all the places you've got to go, it's nice to have a recharger ready when the power gets low. Better yet to have a charger that draws its energy from the sun. I've written about mobile solar chargers before. But what if it's dark? Or even worse, stormy? Then you need a wind powered charger! Can you really carry around windmill? Yes,... READ ON

Article

Stiletto Potato Peeler

A couple of events have occurred recently that illustrate the difference in the way men and women look at life -and gadgets. My new boyfriend is such a guy. He has every tool known to man, but he hangs sheets over his windows because he doesn't know how to buy curtains. I'm quite the... READ ON

List

8 Television Pioneers

The development of television resembles the development of the airplane in that many engineers were working on the project around the same time, separately, and the finished product owes credit to quite a few pioneers. There are still arguments over who invented television. If one person must be named, Philo T. Farnsworth gets the credit in most cases, since he patented the all-electronic television system. However, many other breakthroughs came before Farnsworth. 1. Paul Nipkow German inventor Paul... READ ON

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10 iPhone Apps to Help You Survive the Holidays

As you settle down with family and friends this holiday season, be prepared: load up your iPhone (or iPod Touch) with applications to get through common holiday disasters. We've got a complete roundup here -- from fun photo moments to actual medical emergencies, these apps will get you through the holiday season intact...but your journey will be perilous. Read on, if you dare! 1. Save Grandpa's Life The family is settled in for a feast. The wine is flowing, there's a large bird to be consumed,... READ ON

Article

EDAR: Everyone Deserves A Roof

What is the best way to help the homeless? Finding them a home and the means to keep it, of course, but the reasons people are on the streets are varied, and the most hardcore cases defy any formula for help. Cash is gone in no time, and possessions are difficult to keep without a place to keep them. Shelters are overcrowded, underfunded, and often dangerous. Many homeless people prefer to sleep on the... READ ON

Article

The Tilted Twister

Every website under the sun is recommending Christmas gifts, but I could find no gadget cooler than one you can't buy. The Tilted Twister is three times cool just to start with because it's a robot made of Lego material that solves a Rubik's cube. Hans Andersson built it from a Lego Mindstorms NXT kit. I am completely humbled by the process of designing the brains that run this thing. First, it "looks" at all the cube sides and records the colors. Then it matter-of-factly goes about repositioning and... READ ON

Article

Waistband Stretcher

Waistband Stretcher? That could be the title of my Thanksgiving dinner! I prepared both ham and turkey, plus dressing, gravy, potatoes, deviled eggs, and mincemeat pie. Others brought cider, ice cream, challah, glazed carrots, green beans, and pumpkin pie. After a couple days of leftovers, I know a few pants that could use an... READ ON

Article

Thanksgiving 2.0: TurkeyTracker.com

Get ready to bookmark this, people: Turkey Tracker is a collaborative webcast of a Thanksgiving turkey being cooked in a smoker in Portland, Oregon. The smoking starts at 9am (Pacific time) on Thanksgiving Day, and involves: • Two cameras trained on the smoker, broadcasting live video (via Ustream) • A USB thermometer inside the turkey that automatically posts its temperature readings to Twitter (read more on this at MAKE) • Live chat alongside the video (also via Ustream) •... READ ON