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Will New Daylight Savings Change Affect Your Favorite Tech Gear?
Posted by Devin Categories: Smartphones, Misc. Tech, PC / Laptop, Portable Audio / Video, Software,
Monday morning, President Bush is expected to sign into effect an energy bill that will start daylight savings time three weeks earlier and end it a week later. While it may not sound like a big deal, some are concerned that the time change, which would be starting in 2007, may have an effect on many tech gadgets we use in our daily lives. The last daylight savings schedule was put into effect in 1987, so a lot of the electronics we use today are programmed to follow it automatically. This means that come 2007 many of us who rely on technology to remember our appointments, record our favorite TV show, or give us our morning wake up call could find ourselves an hour behind. While some things may just require the time to be set manually, others may end up needing a software update. Dave Thewlis, executive director of a group that promotes standards for calendar software says, “It wouldn’t be a society-wide catastrophe, but there would be a problem if nothing’s done about it or we try to move too quickly”. What do y’all think? Does the thought of all your favorite equipment messing up worry you, or does it make you laugh and think of all the Y2K hype we saw 5 years ago?
Read More 
| USA Today
If you have ever wanted a butane or propane burning desk ornament, now is your chance. This is a two-cylinder gas powered engine, called “V-twin”. V-Twin engines can run at a lower speeds to due to combined mass of the balanced reciprocating pistons and crosshead.
The ignition system is run using Piezo crystal which requires no batteries. The Engine has two “injecting carburetors” and a large brass flywheel which makes it easy and simple to start. Simple turn a knob on the gas tank and flick the flywheel, then adjust the knob for the correct speed. Extended exhaust pipes have been added to give a V engine type sound (a cut down V8 sound if you like). The moving parts of the two-cylinders (pistons, crosshead and valve rods) move in opposite directions both balancing the engine and making a interesting mechanical interaction.
Um…cool. Can someone tell me why one would have this, other than as a conversation piece? I mean, can you mod it into the dashboard of a beat up car, thus turning the vehicle into a time traveling machine? That’s what I would expect if I were to pay the $621 USD asking price.
Read More | V-Twin Product Page
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Asanti Wheels has managed to introduce a set of luxury rims that costs more than most cars - and some homes. The set features 63,000 total carats of princess cut cubic zirconium stones, which is just enough to make even Xzibit do a double take of your ride. The stone are available in fire red, emerald green, canary yellow, and old-school clear. The face of the wheel can be colored in a variety of ways, from chrome, 24k gold, or - oddly enough - wood. If you want a set, break out the old piggy bank - they will cost you a good $250,000 large.
Read More | Asanti Wheels
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A company called Sunalite is introducing “Terrorist-Proof” light bulbs designed for use in office buildings and bomb shelters. The new light bulbs have a scotopic phosphor blend coating them so even after the power goes out they will continue to softly illuminate their surroundings for 12 hours. In a true emergency the bulbs can be removed from the fixtures and carried as a portable lighting solution. I’m not sure if I would be wanting to carry fragile glass lighting elements in an emergency, but if the alternative is sheer dark I think I’ll manage.
Read More | ThomasNet via Gizmodo
We know, the Segway is so passe nowadays. Instead of gyroscopic transportation, we want to summon the power of the centrifuge to get us where we want to go. That is exactly what the Wheelsurf aims to provide to those lucky enough to get one in Europe. At about 4,500 Euros, or $5,500 USD, the Wheelsurf requires about a 3 month wait between the time of order and delivery. The Wheelsurf consists of an inner and an outer frame. The inner frame has three small wheels that make contact with the outer frame. The outer frame is the actual rotating wheel and has a solid rubber tire. The rider sits inside the inner frame that also contains the engine, clutch, propulsion mechanism and gas tank. The paradox here is that it’s recommended that you drive it on paved roads, yet it is not yet legal to drive it on public streets. Still, it would be cool to run this thing at its 50 kph in your backyard, no?
Read More | Wheelsurf
Although I’m pretty sure this will never hit production - much less the shores of the US, Zev Perlmutter’s funky Little Fat Fridge design is easy to fall in love with. The Little Fat Fridge is made from PVC and Styrofoam and runs on a small electric cooling system. Designed with energy efficiency and cost effectiveness in mind this organic looking fridge makes me want to chuckle just looking at it. Check out the promisedesign exhibition area for more cool and funky ideas.
Read More | PromiseDesign via Cool Hunting
Of course, if spending $7,000 on the NUVO Robot doesn’t seem outlandish enough for you, you can always spring for the lacquered and gold-plated NUVO Japanism. It will still watch your stuff for you and send you the occasional SMS alert, plus, gold rules.
Read More | Product Page
Very nice way to blow some cash right here. If you house is full of gadget love, check out the NUVO robot. Straight out of Japan, it’s about 15 inches tall, and about $5,500. However, it will keep a watchful digital eye on all your stuff while you are off gallivanting. It will even snap images and send them to your cell phone so that you know that it isn’t slacking off.
Read More | ZMP Inc.
Why Do Shopping Sites Turn Down Negative Consumer Reviews?
Posted by Alex Grahmann Categories: Features, Internet, Misc. Tech,
The Wall Street Journal Online has published an interesting article today on the customer review posting practices of several big-name online retailers like NewEgg. The article points toward the growing trend of websites that solicit or otherwise encourage users to submit reviews of their site, products, and business practices for posting. While some tout a very open policy of posting almost any review, the majority have filtering processes to decide which reviews will be made public. The filtering process can be as simple as software that weeds out reviews which include foul language or as complicated as a multi-member staff that read all the reviews. Read on for our thoughts on how these places should handle customer reviews.
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I just came across this lighter, and I must say, it’s pretty cool. Note that I am not what you would call a “lighter connisseur”, but the premise behind this just rocks. This Colibri Beam Sensor Lighter ignites with just a pass of the finger through its beam sensor. No more hurting your thumb trying to get that flame. The purchase price includes a pouch and a couple of spare batteries.
Read More | Colibri Beam Sensor Product Page
