We spend a lot of time here exposing you to the gadgets and technologies out there already making your life easier and more interesting "today." But the truth is, behind the scenes, our favorite pastime is actually sniffing around for those gadgets still in the idea phase. We're constantly searching for these electronic monstrosities so far ahead of their time that only concept designers dare tackle giving such products a face and a name. After the jump, take a peek into our future fetish and 10 nonexistent — but awesome — tech toys that take our gadget lust to a more advanced level.
1. Pills To Go
British designer Priestman Goode has envisioned a product so simple and practical, it's astounding to think that this isn't already available. Pills To Go combines two caplets of your favorite medicinal salve with a hearty gulp of water all in one package. So simple, so convenient, yet as of now, still a futuristic concept. When eventually brought to market by some company — and you can rest assured that it will definitely happen — Pills To Go is sure to be one of the biggest sellers of all time.
2. WPA Wearable Power Suit
Vlady Spetkovsky designed the WPA wearable power suit as a project for the Bezalel Academy of art and design in Israel. Although Spetkovsky doesn't offer much detail regarding what the suit would actually do, after watching his animated 3D movie showing the suit in action it's reasonable to assume that it would increase the strength and speed of the wearer via an accumulator-powered exoskeleton. That's right friends, with suits like this, one day we'll all get to live out our superhero fantasies.
3. B-Membrain Computer
The B-Membrain won't transport you into another dimension or suddenly become self-aware and declare that all humans are obsolete, but it does offer something we can all relate to: sexy hardware. Winner of Intel Korea's recent PC Design Contest (Challenger category), the B-Membrain does away with the computer monitor and instead beams images to any surface via a built-in projector. As for input, the keyboard is described by its designer Won-Suk Lee as a touchscreen interface. Sure, the B-Membrain looks weird and you'd probably have trouble figuring out where to put to the oddly shaped contraption, but never has a more sci-fi-ish computer been so within reach.
4. Credit Card of the Future
Paying bills will never be fun, but in the future there's a chance that you'll at least be able to pay the piper in style. To that end, designer Jacob Palmborg mocked up a universal payment device that simultaneously links to all of your banking and credit accounts. The unnamed device would keep a real-time accounting of just how much you've spent, and what your near-term financial forecast looks like based on recent purchase activity. And if that's not Big Brother enough for you, the device would only be accessible via biometric (think thumbprint, eyescan, etc.) verification. With RFID tap-and-pay bankcards already being used throughout the U.S., it seems like this little gadget's emergence is just a matter of time.
5.Timeflex Stick-On Watch
It's been awhile since a cross-demographic product has swept the country, but something like the Timeflex stick-on watch might just do the trick. Imagined as a non-permanent, self-gumming timepiece, the Timeflex would make the perfect accessory for style-conscious millennials (read: teens), on-the-go professionals, and athletes (swimmers, rock climbers, runners, etc.). The outlines of the device are meant to be fluorescent, with the interior sporting a transparent surface so you can show off your fashion-forward sensibility, and a little skin in process.
6. Dattoos: Interactive Tattoos
No one brings concept design to reality like Frog Design. Winners of numerous design awards over the years, Frog has become synonymous with powerful technology meeting artistic design. So when we found Frog's Dattoo (interactive tattoo) concept, it was like finding futurist gold. Designed by Hartmut Esslinger, Dattoos would conceivably bring us to that final convergence of man and machine. The Dattoos would offer: DNA-reader and identification technology, nanosensors and interactive "touch reading," full voice interaction, bionic nano chips and various cybernetic components. While Dattoos would definitely look cool, what Esslinger is imagining here is nothing short of the Borg. But hey, who said being a mindless drone working within a hive mind had to be drab?
7. Astrium Spaceplane
The race to full-on space tourism is in full swing, but we're still in the early stages of the industry, so naturally style and comfort has taken a backseat to safety and practicality. The Astrium Spaceplane looks to up the ante and allow spacefaring travelers the opportunity to look into infinity whilst nestled in comfortable and familiar surroundings. Australian designer Marc Newson's concept vehicle doesn't propel passengers into a far-out science-fiction realm, but if the near term of space tourism really looks like this the spaceports will likely be jam-packed and delayed like your favorite local commercial airport in no time.
8. Custom Kicks
Sneaker culture has transcended the world of fashion and transformed into an art form unto itself. Brand loyalty and price-tag importance has fallen by the wayside as pure originality and exclusive design have become the mark of a true sneaker aficionado. But nowadays, finding one of those unseen designs has become even more difficult. Enter Custom Kicks, a concept designed by the Inventables studio. Custom Kicks would allow wearers to instantly change the design of their shoes on the fly with a mere push of a button. Using a tiny iPod-like device, sneaker fanatics would beam a new pre-designed pattern to their feet and immediately up the ante on the fashion wars. We want this yesterday.
9. Nikon 360
In Star Trek: Voyager and Deep Space Nine, characters used a holographic camera to snap instant three-dimensional replicas of certain moments in time. We're not quite there yet, but in the meantime the idea behind the Nikon 360 concept camera seems like a reasonable facsimile. According to Ye Chen, designer of the device, the camera would take an all-round picture using a built-in inclinometer indicating the horizontal position prior to execution. Sure, panoramic photos are already in existence, but they take a little more work. With the Nikon 360, capturing surround-vision images would become literally a snap
10. Honda Cub Motocycle
Sam Jibert's Honda Cub Motocycle concept vehicle takes the macho out of the road hog and adds just enough clean design and geek friendliness to ensure a consumer hit. Looking like a cross between a 19th-century bicycle and a modern-day crotch rocket, the Honda Cub Motocycle is not only cute but enviro-friendly since it uses a hydrogen fuel cell. If Dean Kamen's Segway had been this cool-looking, maybe Steve Jobs' initial prediction that it would change the way cities were built would have come true.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Top 10 Technology Wonders That Don't Exist Yet!!
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Labels: techonology, wonders
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
7 Really Weird Products Selling on Amazon!!!
Amazon, the world’s biggest bookstore, has expanded in innumerable directions. The firm offers books, DVD’s, videos, auto parts, toys, tools, electronics, home furnishings, apparel, health and beauty goods, prescription drugs, and groceries. They also offer some really weird products. Like a Deer Rear, a Toilet Monster, Anti-Monkey Butt Powder, Solid Gold Stop Eating Poop, Gorilla Snot, a Wedding Chapel, and of course the Hillary Nutcracke
Wedding Chapel
Delivered Fully Assembled! Great for a church service getaway wedding chapel or other experience you want to remember forever! . INCLUDES: . Hinged Windows. Screen Windows. Wooden and Screen Doors. Tin Roof. Attic Ladder. Exterior Stain. Chinking Inside and Out. Rough Cut White Pine . Full Assembly. Front Porch. Tongue and Groove Flooring. Wood Roof. . Options and size variations are available upon request.
Hillary Nutcracker
Is America ready for THIS nutcracker? You have just found the most innovative new product of the year! Get your hands on the world's most unique nutcracker...Grab Hillary while supplies last! This Hillary Nutcracker Stands Nine-inches tall. It is a functional, plastic nutcracker with stainless steel teeth secured inside upper legs to grip and crack nuts in their shell. The Hillary Nutcracker will stand upright and has internal stainless steel components and spring. Not recommended for the dishwasher or children under 12 years of age.
Anti-Monkey Butt Powder
Its here!!! Anti-Monkey Butt powder with calamine is an anti-friction that is specially formulated to absorb excess sweat and reduce frictional skin irritation. Ideal for butt busting activities such as motorcycling, bicycling, horseback riding, runners, other extreme sports and anyone who suffers from Monkey Butt can find relief by using Anti Monkey Butt PowderAlso for those occasions when you sit on your butt all day
Toilet Monster
Scare the crap out of your family and friends with the Toilet Monster! Halloween isn't the only time for scary fun! Painted, rubberized Toilet Monster easily attaches or deteaches to your toilet seat in seconds with 8 built-in suction cubs. It's nearly impossible to tell it's there under the lid, waiting to shock your unsuspecting victim! 13 x 15" and washes clean with mild detergent. You'll scream with laughter as the Toilet Monster scares the crap out of one person after another.
Deer Rear
Looking for a little tail? FINALLY, there's a butt worth kissing! No fear, the Deer Rear is here! Now, I know I've offered plenty of unusual gifty items before, but this one is surely to be dear (er, deer) to us hunter types. It symbolizes the trophy wallhanger that got away.
Solid Gold Stop Eating Poop
Stop Eating Poop contains Glutamic Acid to deter dogs from eating their own stool. Yucca helps control stool and urine odor. Peppermint and parsley help to eliminate bad breath.
Gorilla Snot
Gorilla Snot is a gripping aid. It has been developed by and for professionals who demand flexibility, functionality, and efficiency in the tools of their trade. A non-gooey, naturally refined tree rosin, Gorilla Snot reacts with your body's natural chemistry and heat output to retain a steady grip on picks drumsticks, bows, and any other hard to grip instruments.
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Thursday, November 29, 2007
Top 10 Reasons Alexander the Great Was, Well ... Great!
Untied Gordian Knot, Loosed Metaphor for the Ages
According to legend, the Phrygians, who lived in what is now central Turkey, were told by an oracle to make king the first man to ride into town in an oxcart. As luck would have it, this man was Gordius, a poor peasant. After his coronation, Gordius dedicated his cart to the god Zeus and tied it to a pole outside the temple. The knot was made of cornel bark, which hardened over time. It was said that whoever untied this intricate knot would conquer all of Asia. Alexander could not pass up such an opportunity, but there were no ends to the knot for him to even get started. In frustration, he sliced it in half with his sword, proclaiming, "I have loosed it!" The Gordian Knot has since become synonymous with an intractable problem that requires an unconventional solutionSimply Divine: Declared Son of a God
After defeating the Persians at the Battle of Issus, Alexander decided to enter Egypt, which had been under Persian rule for almost 200 years. The Egyptians despised the Persians for their heavy taxes and religious intolerance. They gladly anointed Alexander as pharaoh, initiating a cultural exchange between Greece and Egypt that lasted for the next three hundred years. While in Egypt, Alexander also made the dangerous journey across the desert to the shrine of Zeus Ammon. It is said that he was guided by ravens and blessed with rain. Upon his arrival, the priest apparently told him he was the son of Zeus. Whether or not Alexander believed in his own divinity, he played it up to his own advantageFounded Alexandria; Became Poster Child for Librarians
Besides razing cities, Alexander also founded about 20 new ones, naming most of them after himself. The most enduring of these is Alexandria on the coast of the Nile delta. In a superb natural harbor where the Persians had once erected a fortress, Alexander had his architects build a grand city along Greek lines. Alexandria later developed into a cosmopolitan port, with schools, theater, and one of the greatest libraries of antiquity. Greeks ran the city?s administration, but Egyptians were allowed to keep their customs and religion. Egyptians could only become citizens if they learned Greek and accepted Greek traditions.Defeated the Persians
After less than a year in Egypt, Alexander resumed to chasing after the Persian emperor, Darius III. At the palins of gaugamela, Darius assembled an army of 200,000, which included cavalry wearing chain mail and chariots with blades spinning out of the wheels. Alexander?s 47,000 men attacked Darius? flanks, splitting the Persian forces, while Alexander charged into the center. The Persians broke ranks and were routed. Darius escaped by horseback, only to be later killed by one of his own men. Having conquered the Persians, Alexander was named King of Asia. He took Babylon and Persepolis, the Persian capital. In an attempt to solidify his rule, he began to dress like a Persian, and married a Persian dancer named Roxanne. His men found it unbecoming of their king that he thought it necessary to please a defeated enemyExtended Empire Into India; Partied -- and Died -- Like a Rock Star
Alexander?s vision of Asia was that it ended just on the other side of India. Wanting to conquer the continent, he persuaded his men to march east. The Indian king Porus and his elephants fell to Alexander, but the weather and the mountains wore out his men. It soon became clear that Asia was larger than had been estimated. With his campaign suffering from ?mission drift,? Alexander succumbed to his men?s pleas and turned back. But he decided on a circuitous route: down India?s rivers to the ocean, then along the coast back to Persia. It was probably Alexander?s greatest mistake, as 15,000 of his men died of starvation or heat in the Gedrosan Desert -- more than all those he lost in battle. The journey may have taken its toll on Alexander as well. At a banquet back in Babylon, he drank excessively -- as usual -- then fell ill of a fever, most likely due to malaria. He died a few days later, just shy of his 33rd birthday.Trained in philosophy by Aristotle
How many of history?s great leaders can claim to have had one of the great philosophers as their personal tutor? Out of all the intellectuals at the prestigious Academy in Athens, Alexander?s father, Philip, chose Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) to instruct his 13-year-old son. Aristotle, who had been the student of Plato, was offered a handsome salary to move to the town of Mieza, deep in the Macedonian countryside. In the nearby Temple of the Nymphs, Aristotle taught the young prince geography, zoology, politics and medicine. Alexander was greatly influenced by the philosopher?s teachings. On later military campaigns, Alexander brought scientists with him and sent plant and animal specimens back to his former mentor.Tamed the horse Bucephalus
Philip, Alexander?s father, bought a horse called Bucephalus for the exorbitant price of 13 talents (1 talent = 27 kg of gold), but the rambunctious animal bucked all comers. Watching the futile attempts, Alexander noticed that the animal was frightened by its own shadow. He bet his father that he could mount the horse. By turning Bucephalus toward the sun so its shadow was behind it, Alexander was able to climb into the saddle and gallop around triumphantly. To which his father said: ?My boy, you must find a kingdom big enough for your ambitions. Macedonia is too small for you.? Bucephalus remained Alexander?s faithful steed until it died in what is now present-day Pakistan, fighting elephant-mounted brigades.Assumed Father's Throne in Timely, but Ruthless, Manner
Alexander?s father, Philip, was stabbed by one of his bodyguards in 336 B.C. at a wedding banquet. Although few scholars think that Alexander was directly involved in the assassination, he wasted no time dispatching any possible rivals ? even instructing his mother, Olympias, to execute the infant son of Philip?s last wife. Alexander spent the next two years quelling rebellions in the lands conquered by his father. Thebes revolted on a false rumor that Alexander was dead. Showing no mercy, Alexander slaughtered or sold into slavery 30,000 inhabitants before leveling the city to the ground. By setting such an example, there were no significant uprisings in Greece during Alexander?s 12-year Asia campaign.Perfected Macedonian Military Style, the Phalanx
The most distinctive element of the Macedonian war machine was the phalanx. Developed by Alexander?s father, the phalanx was a tight formation of soldiers ? usually 16 by 16 ? carrying shields and sarisses, which were 20-foot-long spears made of cornel-wood. The back rows of the phalanx held their sarisses upright, hiding the movement of forces behind the lines, while the front rows kept the enemy at bay with an impenetrable wall of sharp pikes. On flat terrain, the phalanx proved unbeatable. Alexander also had at his disposal light auxiliaries, archers, a siege train, and a cavalry. Thanks to his father, Alexander?s army was largely a professional one. In earlier times, Macedonians would stop fighting during the harvest, but Philip and Alexander paid the men enough that they could afford to be soldiers full-time. This meant they were often better trained than their adversaries.Crossed the Hellespont
After solidifying his rule of Macedonia and Greece, Alexander looked east to Asia and the Persian Empire, which was led by Darius III. Alexander assembled an allied Greek army of 5,000 cavalry and 32,000 infantry to avenge the Persian invasion of Greece in 490 B.C. With 60 naval vessels, Alexander crossed the Hellespont (a narrow strait separating Europe and Asia -? now called the Dardanelles) in 334 B.C. From his ship, Alexander threw his spear onto the shore. As he took his first steps in Asia, he pulled his weapon from the sand and declared that these lands would be won by the spear. But the first order of business was a little tourism! Being quite fond of the Trojan War story -- even keeping a copy of Homer?s Iliad tucked under his pillow, Alexander made a special trip to Troy to perform several sacrifices and to trade some of his armor for a sacred shield in the Temple of Athena.
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Labels: history