Netflix Invades Sony Bravia HDTVs

Jul 10th 2009 Other Stuff No Comments

sony-netflix

By Chris Scott Barr

You have to give a lot of credit to Netflix. These guys have really re-invented the way we rent movies. First with their idea to let you order movies online and have them mailed to your door. Then they decided to let you stream rentals to your computer. Now they’re offering the same streaming service to other devices like your Xbox 360 and TiVo. Today they announced the latest devices they will be invading, Sony Bravia HDTVs.

Starting this Fall, all of their new internet-enabled sets will be able to stream movies via Netflix. Older models will be able to do the same using the BRAVIA internet link module around the same time. Give it a couple of years and you won’t be able to find a new TV that doesn’t work with Netflix.

VIA [ CrunchGear ]

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TravelJohn – For When You Really Have To Go

Jul 10th 2009 Other Stuff No Comments

gelsinstantly

By Chris Scott Barr

As the old saying goes “when you gotta go, you gotta go.” Most of the time you are able to find a bathroom somewhere close, however, sometimes there isn’t one in sight. But on the rare occasion that you can no longer wait, and have nowhere to go, you can turn to these TravelJohn Disposable Urinals.

No, this isn’t something that you get excited about using, but I suppose it beats the alternative. For guys, we can usually find a tree or something to go behind (provided it’s not too public of a place), but girls have a much harder time. Either way, this thing would beat peeing your pants. Just do your business (number 1 only) in the pouch, and it will instantly turn into a gel. Then just toss it in the nearest trash can. You can get a box of 18 for $12.

[ Amazon ] VIA [ Dvice ]

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Get Your Very Own Robotic Twin

Jul 4th 2009 Other Stuff No Comments

doppleganger

By Chris Scott Barr

There were many times during school that I would have killed to have some sort of double sit in for me. Don’t get me wrong, I was a good student and all, but some of my teachers were just downright boring. Well it seems that if you have the right amount of cash, you can actually get your very own doppelganger robot from Xian Chaoren Sculpture Research Institute in China.

The robots look real enough (I’m actually not sure which is which in the above picture) and they can do a few very simple things like move their eyes and such. Sure, it’s not going to fool anyone for a great length of time, but just imagine the sort of fun you could have freaking out your friends.

[ XCSRI ] VIA [ RedFerret ]

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Self-Portrait Machine Forces You To Draw Yourself

Jul 2nd 2009 Other Stuff No Comments

By Chris Scott Barr

I enjoy drawing, and like to think that I’m not half-bad at it. Not everyone has spent countless hours doodling to perfect their skills, so instead they can rely on a machine to help them. No, it’s not going to make you a great artist per se, but it will force you to draw at least one really good picture.

This Self-Portrait Machine takes a picture of the person using it, and once they’ve strapped themselves in, it moves their arms back-and-forth to create a picture. It’s a little gimmicky, sure, but who wouldn’t want to be able to show off an awesome self-portrait that they drew?

[ We Make Money Not Art ] VIA [ GearFuse ]

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The Anti-Paparazzi Purse

Jul 2nd 2009 Other Stuff No Comments

dsc_0205

By Chris Scott Barr

Being the big-time professional blogger that I am means that I have to deal with being famous. I mean, I can’t hardly walk down the street without getting bombarded by paparazzi. While that may be a slight exaggeration on my part, there are real celebrities out there that have to deal with that sort of thing on a regular basis. There’s really very little you can do to deter those shutter-happy photographers from blinding celebs with their flash. Thankfully technology may soon give them a helpful tool.

This new purse concept is rather simple. It houses a small LED flash that can detect bright sources of light. When it senses a camera flash, it kicks on its own bright flash to compensate. This will then cause the picture to come out with a large white area where the subject should be. It works at 1/125 shutter speed, which should be fast enough to blind cameras shooting at slower speeds for night shots.

[ AHProjects ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

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NXZT Announces Sentry 2 Touchscreen Fan Controller

Jul 2nd 2009 Other Stuff No Comments

sentry2

By Chris Scott Barr

Most average computer users don’t worry too much about how hot their computer gets. That’s because they aren’t pushing their machines to their limits. Gamers on the other hand, well we tend to squeeze every drop of performance we can out of each and every part. This means keeping a careful eye on the temperature, so as not to burn up our precious parts. NZXT has provided a nice piece of hardware called the Sentry, which not only displays the temperatures of up to 5 different areas of your computer, but also allows you to control the speeds of 5 fans to compensate. Today they announced the Sentry 2, which improves upon the original design.

The new Sentry 2 has the same basic features of the original, but this time around simplifies things by integrating a touchscreen. This should make adjusting fan speeds and checking temperatures a little easier. It’s also smaller, taking up only a single 5.25” bay, as opposed to two. One of the best changes comes to the price, which will be only $30 when it goes on sale later this month.

VIA [ NZXT ]

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Frolicat Bolt Takes The Effort Out Of Playing With Your Cat

Jul 2nd 2009 Other Stuff No Comments

frolicat_bolt

By Chris Scott Barr

I have a cat, and like most other felines she loves laser pointers. I generally spend a little bit each day using it to drive her crazy. It really doesn’t take much effort, and it entertains me almost as much as it does her. However, if you don’t feel like putting all of the effort into waving you wrist around, you can get a device to do it for you.

The Frolicat Bolt is a laser pointer that moves around on its own. You can set it on a table (or any other surface really) and have it move the laser in a random pattern for 15 minutes, after which time it will automatically turn off. You can also put it on manual mode and use it like an ordinary pointer. If you’re too busy to keep up with your cat, you can pick one of these up for just $20.

[ Frolicat ] VIA [ CoolestGadgets ]

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Solar Vest Certainly Makes A Fashion Statement

Jul 2nd 2009 Other Stuff No Comments

solar-vest

By Chris Scott Barr

There are certain things that a person can wear that will instantly earn them the label of “dork” or “nerd.” The pocket protector is a perfect example. Sure, it can be argued that it is a very important accessory for those who carry a multitude of things in their shirt pocket. However, it still looks stupid. The same holds true with this CVFR-S09 Solar Vest.

This vest is equipped with four solar panels which can be used to charge a number of different gadgets. The panels are even removable so that you can set them in the window while you’re inside. The fact that I can hold up to 8 gadgets in my pockets and recharge each of them (one at a time) might seem cool, but it’s not something I’d be caught outside in. For crying out loud it has the words “SOLAR VEST” sewn in the back of it. It might as well say “KICK ME” instead. The $140 price tag doesn’t even justify it as an impulse buy.

[ Chinavision ] VIA [ GeekAlerts ]

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Microsoft Considers Shipping Windows 7 On USB Flash Drives

Jun 29th 2009 Other Stuff No Comments

By Chris Scott Barr

Lets say that you purchased yourself a new netbook not long ago, and come this fall you decide to upgrade to Windows 7. How exactly are you planning on doing that without an optical drive? Sure, with you being the tech-savvy customer, you won’t have too much trouble doing this. Of course not every person is going to have such an easy time, which is why Microsoft is considering releasing the next version of Windows on a USB flash drive.

I’m glad to hear that Microsoft is considering this alternative installation method. Granted, users can  download their copy of Windows, but not everyone wants to mess with it. The USB drive would be simple and straight-forward. My biggest question is whether or not Microsoft would charge more for a flash drive, since they do cost a few bucks more than a disc.

[ Cnet ] VIA [ EverythingUSB ]

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Microsoft Considers Shipping Windows 7 On USB Flash Drives

Jun 28th 2009 Other Stuff No Comments

By Chris Scott Barr

Lets say that you purchased yourself a new netbook not long ago, and come this fall you decide to upgrade to Windows 7. How exactly are you planning on doing that without an optical drive? Sure, with you being the tech-savvy customer, you won’t have too much trouble doing this. Of course not every person is going to have such an easy time, which is why Microsoft is considering releasing the next version of Windows on a USB flash drive.

I’m glad to hear that Microsoft is considering this alternative installation method. Granted, users can  download their copy of Windows, but not everyone wants to mess with it. The USB drive would be simple and straight-forward. My biggest question is whether or not Microsoft would charge more for a flash drive, since they do cost a few bucks more than a disc.

[ Cnet ] VIA [ EverythingUSB ]

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