Ninja Star Coat Hook strikes a death blow to clutter »
The path of the Ninja is a deadly one, my friends. It’s also relatively clean. They don’t like clutter. Very fastidious — almost like cats. So it should come as no surprise that all your Ninja friends probably use these Ninja Star Coat Hooks. They’re now available to non-Ninjas like you and me. One point of the star is actually a screw, so anchor that end into the wall and hang up your um… Ninja blazer, apparently. Available from ThinkGeek for $13. Ninja Star Coat Hook [ThinkGeek.com]
CrunchDeals: Roomba 500 robotic vacuum for $199 »
A vacuuming robot: you know you want one. I have a Roomba. It sits in its box under my desk ever since we hired a cleaning person to come twice a month. Seriously, though, you should get a robotic vacuum. Amazon has knocked $80 off one of the higher-end Roomba units, the 500 series, bringing it to a cool $199 with free shipping (today only). This one is better than the one I have (I have the first one ever). Here are the specs: Vacuum-cleaning robot with on-board scheduling for all floor surfaces 2 high-speed, counter-rotating brushes; anti-tangle technology; side brushes Gentle-touch bumper; dirt sensor; built-in cliff sensors; self-charging Home Base Includes bumper extension, cleaning tool, power adapter, rechargeable battery, 3 extra filters, 2 Virtual Walls, and batteries Measures approximately 13 by 13 by 4 inches; 1-year limited warranty This one features on-board scheduling so you can set it… and forget it. Hopefully you won’t forget it entirely, though, as I’ve done with my own Roomba. iRobot 500 Series Roomba Vacuum-Cleaning Robot with On-Board Scheduling [Amazon]
Thanko sells dental USB microscope »
Does your dental plan suck? Are you afraid of the dentist? If yes, then the Dental Microscope [JP], offered by Tokyo-based crap gadget specialist Thanko, might be the right choice for you. Similar to its lightoscope released back in April , this new microscope is a combination of a microscope and a light. Needless to say, there’s a USB port, too. The Dental Microscope features six LEDs and a small CMOS camera that shoots JPEGs or BMPs of your teeth in 640×480 resolution or video in 1280×1024. You can then store the footage on your PC (Windows XP or Vista) via USB 1.1. or 2.0. The Dental Microscope costs $80, but I have a feeling investing this money into a visit to the dentist makes more sense. People living outside Japan can wait for Thanko to list the thing in their English online store or ask Geek Stuff 4 U to get one for them. Here are some shots taken with the microscope:
Daily Crunch: Cannon & On & On Edition »
Apple releases iDisk for iPhone Toy Story, Cars, and Prince of Persia LEGO Minifigs are coming soon The Bass Cannon: It is a cannon that sends out bass DIY Vortex cannon Meet An9-PR, the cutest multi-purpose robot out there
Apparently nerds dig Russian Nesting Dolls »
Is it me or has nesting dolls jumped forward in evolution? It doesn’t seem like that long ago that the only nesting dolls you could find were either real Russian nesting dolls or a set of Tupperware. But lately, there seems to be all sorts of items masquerading as nesting dolls. GadgetHer.com has a fantastic run down of what I’m talking about. Chances are that you have seen a good amount of these before somewhere out on the vast plains of the Internet. But look at all of ‘em. Who knows, maybe a lot of obscure items like this existed before, but we just didn’t know about ‘em without the connected world. Wait a second. Are we really talking about nesting dolls here?
98.9% of US homes able to receive DTV per Nielsen »
Good job, everyone! The DTV switch seemed to went well. The June 12 transition came and past on our end with little fanfare. Hopefully it was the same with you. Nielsen is reporting that the vast majority of US homes – 98.9% that is – can receive DTV signals. Kind of surprisingly though is that the under 35 demo is the least prepared with 2.7% unable to receive the digital broadcasts. We’re just hoping that they are actually ahead of the curve and could care less about broadcast or subscription TV. Hopefully most of those hipsters are using digital downloads or Internet video in lue of traditional TV sources. But if folks haven’t figured out why the hell their TVs stopped working, it’s probably better that they go read a book anyway. Nielsen via EngadgetHD
Leica comments on haters complaining about the price of the S2 »
Leica is firing back over the criticism they’ve received lately about the price of their new flagship digital SLR , the S2. Internet pundits have been rather, shall we say, catty about the price based on a rough glance at the specs, and Leica’s VP of marketing says that’s just not fair. Leica’s disturbingly happy looking marketing guy, Christian Erhardt said in a recent interview that it’s not just the Leica name you’re paying for, but in fact the sensor. Erhardt insists that the sensor is 56% larger the in the one in their competitors full size DSLR offerings, which actually pushes the S2 into the realm of a medium format camera. This means that we’ve haven’t been comparing like products, and certainly does explain the premium that the S2 demands. In fact, as Erhardt pointed out, when you look at comparable medium format digital cameras, the S2 is actually right in line on the pricing. So while the 37.5 megapixel sensor is a quite impressive 30
Coconut! Headphones! »
I don’t have any info on these headphones besides that they are homemade and awesome. But what info do you really need? It’s not like you’re going to actually make some of these. And I’m guessing that if you have the skill to make these coconut cans with instructions, you can probably figure it out on your own anyway. Dau Gi Bach via MAKE
With silly putty and sparkles, you can make a BioShock belt buckle »
Well look at that, a BioShock belt buckle . And, if you’re handy with all sorts of machinery I’ve never heard of (read: TechShop ), you can make your own. The computer work isn’t so difficult: a little bit of PhotoShop, a little bit of Solidworks (which reminds me of my high school AutoDesk Inventor class). But then you need access to a CNC machine , which I couldn’t identify if my life depended on it… maybe Matt could? Fear not, though, because if this belt buckle steams your clams, then the creator will be selling them on demand for a bit. Imagine walking into, I don’t know, Local Discotheque, and people freak out . “Whoa, is that BioShock ?” And… scene.
ZOMG: Nintendo drops v1.4 DSi firmware in Japan, Facebook picture uploading ensues [Update] »
Yeah, it’s not that exciting. via Joystiq Update: Looks like 1.4 is borking flash carts on the DSi. Uh oh. via Max