Archive for Misc & Random
November 5, 2008 at 6:20 pm · Filed under Gadgets, Misc & Random
Ford Motors recently announced a new technology embedded in their car keys as an additional safety driving measure. Dubbed MyKey, Ford is marketing it as a way for parents to limit the speed their teenaged children can drive in when they borrow the car. Finally, more ways to wage a passive-aggressive war between mom, dad and the children!
The key, which contains a computer chip, can be programmed to set a number of limits on the vehicle’s driver, including:
· A reasonably cautious top speed of 80 mph
· A maximum volume level on the car stereo
· An incessant chime that will repeat every few minutes until the driver puts on his seatbelt
Additionally, the chip will alert the driver of certain speed milestones to bring attention to their current acceleration (45, 55 and 65 mph) as well as send a notice when the vehicle is going on 75 miles to empty. MyKey will ship first with the upcoming 2010 Ford Focus and later with the rest of Ford’s line.
Back To Bite You!
What will really be cool is if Ford allows car owners to reprogram this key with even less top speed, a possibility given a few parents’ excessive concern. With kids being more computer-savvy than mom and dad though, this can easily turn into a sitting-bomb of a practical joke. Imagine the kids topping-out their parent’s max speed to 10 mph. That will be legendary.
MyKey is part of Ford’s drivers’ safety program, Driving Skills For Life.
Ford website
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October 31, 2008 at 6:10 pm · Filed under Artwork & Design, Misc & Random
Cool can run an entire range of polarity from understated elegance to utterly disgusting. If you don’t want to take my word for it, take a look at these two items and bask in their equally fascinating yet markedly contrasting characteristics.
#1 The Grandfather Clock
Rob Price’s Grandfather Clock took the classic time furniture and updated it to suit modern tastes, resulting in an elegant creation that retains much of its iconic energy. It debuted for sale last year and continues to be one of the few functional clocks that successfully evoke classic images while looking perfectly comfortable in a modern art gallery.
When Rob first unveiled his creation, he built each one by hand, carving and assembling them inside his home studio. With the design’s surge in popularity and the high amount of orders, he now works with a woodworker artisan to crank out the amazingly striking creations. The exquisite clocks can be purchased from >Spring Gallery for $120.
#2 The Pen Holder
Many office cubicles are notorious for featuring the most retarded little contraptions, from cute stuffed animals to quirky Japanese stationeries. Nothing prepared me for this pen-holder, though.
Billed as the Mr. Old Butt Moaning Man Pen Stand Holder, it showcases an older gentleman lying on his stomach with his bottom sticking out. The pimple-laden backside features a gaping hole in the middle that would, effectively, be the man’s rear portal. Sized large enough to fit a pen, the hole performs the pen holding function.
The battery-operated desk product ekes out an electronic scream every time the pen is pushed into the slot. Cool? I think so. Will I put it on my desk? No.
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October 20, 2008 at 5:17 pm · Filed under Misc & Random
Not sure why, but the iPod’s influence is beginning to disturb me. Much admired for its distinctive and flawless form, the design is now being copied for use with everything from second-rate MP3 players to formerly distinctive gadgets like calculators.
Case in point, this giveaway calculator you’ve probably seen handed out as promotional freebies during trade shows. With rounded corners, stark white body and a large circle button mimicking a navigation wheel, this looks like an audio player right out of the discount stores from Shanghai.
Unfortunately, it’s just a regular calculator with accompanying time and alarm functions.
Seriously, what’s the point?
Why can’t people just outfit a calculator like a calculator and leave the music players to look like music players? I imagine it’s not going to take long before we see alarm clocks donned to look like the iPhone so I’m calling out whoever’s putting one together right now.
If my distress, however, doesn’t mirror your own feelings about these things, you can order the “Now You See It” Calculator Clock by bulk from CNK Promos for about $5 a piece and should come labeled with your own brand. Setting all my emotions aside, the large button is actually pretty cool. When pressed, it triggers the 25-button keypad to slide out for a nice touch. Not to mention the alarm clock which is sufficiently loud and works better for disturbing my sleep than the my friend’s HTC Touch cell phone we’ve been trying to sell off with no takers whatsoever.
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October 18, 2008 at 5:15 pm · Filed under Computers & Internet, Gadgets, Misc & Random
While electronic manufacturers frequently expand their offerings to cover other gadgets, I don’t think anyone has ever gone the route that Philips is taking. Starting early this September, the renowned Dutch company has officially entered the sex gadget market with what a few people have begun calling the “kinky kit”.
The kinky kit, officially known as the Warm Intimate Massager, consists of two water-resistant “marital aid” contraptions, a his and her pair of gadgets aimed at providing stimulation to sensitive body parts. Both units are ergonomically designed and are intended exclusively for external use, delivering a gentle, vibrating sensation. The couples’ package, which contains both massagers, is shipped with three rechargeable cordless lights intended to mimic candle illumination to help set a more romantic tone.
According to Philips, the product is aimed at individuals and couples who are interested in similar contraptions but find the offerings from regular sex shops a tad unappealing. With the Philips brand backing the device and an appealing form gracing it, the company is positive that the Warm Intimate Massager will be received as both tasteful and extremely useful.
Availability
The product is only initially available in the UK. The couples’ version, packaged subtly as the Philips Dual Intimate Massager, is priced at £89.99, quite costly for a product with variants easily available for half of that.
Should this prove a success, however, can we expect more down-and-dirty electronics from the company whose specialties over the years have included light bulbs, razors and medical equipment?
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November 17, 2007 at 9:20 pm · Filed under Gadgets, Misc & Random
My latest gadget acuisition is a tiny Sony Microvault Thumbrive ( PenDrive). Its literally no bigger than my big thumbnail (no i dont have enormous thumbs either!).
These little drives measure only 3 cm long by 1.5 cm wide by 2.4 mm thick and the 4gb of space is enough to run a portable version of linux.
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March 19, 2007 at 10:07 am · Filed under Misc & Random
With the month of love now well behind us and the warmth and fuzziness of Valentine’s Day gone cold… serial daters beware!
www.dontdatehimgirl.com is a site dedicated to all those not-so-well-meaning guys out there. The site is used as a tool to warn gals (and I suppose some guys out there) about a certain percentage of the male population. Cheaters, beaters, spongers… you name it. Members of the site are allowed to create profiles on the men in their lives, to warn other unsuspecting females about them. This profile can include anything from pictures, to birthdates and nicknames. It’s a no holds barred web extravaganza of dirt.
The site is also a powerful online community of women from around the world and has been the subject of international media attention, with features in the Sunday Times of London, The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post. Even major television networks such as CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and television shows like the Today Show, DR. Phil and Montell Williams have mentioned and discussed the site on their shows.
Questions surrounding whether allowing a site like this to publish the intimate details of certain individuals is ethical, have been raised but not yet been successfully answered. Although one can probably argue that warning woman against men (who in some instances may be regarded as dangerous) can be seen as in the public’s interest.
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February 14, 2007 at 7:17 am · Filed under Misc & Random
In light of today being Valentine’s day… and although I do know that it is a commercialised day to make us all spend money, I still find stories like this simply heart-warming.
An elderly South African couple this week proved that true love conquers all. The Free State natives who were married for 54 years, died within hours after each other.
Pikkie, 80 and Koekie de Beer, 76, who had lived in a retirement village for the last seven years, were described as a real life Romeo and Juliet. After spending over half a century together, Pikkie died last week Wednesday whilst his wife passed away during the early hours of the Thursday morning thereafter.
Although the story certainly is bitter sweet it is still comforting to know that in this age of quickie marriages and subsequent divorces that love can survive through the years and even keep partners together after they have left the realm of this earth.
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February 8, 2007 at 8:08 am · Filed under Misc & Random
Just a quick note about a new blog that is affiliated to The Cool Crowd. The blog is called DailyGlamour.net and it features non-nude, elegant and sexy images of various models and actresses. Support this site too.
Here’s the screenshot:
Technorati : actresses, daily-glamour, glamour, models, non, nude, sexy
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February 8, 2007 at 5:11 am · Filed under Misc & Random
We know this is a Photoshopped image, but it still looks kinda cool. Image these trucks on the road!? On their first appearance on the roads, people will probably be in accidents all around them from staring at this weird truck…
Technorati : image, pepsi, photoshop, road, truck
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