December 22, 2008 at 7:16 am · Filed under Gadgets
As adoption of mobile technology grows in ever increasing numbers, so will the need for ways to replenish drained batteries on the road. Right now, many convenience stores and shops offer free charging for more popular cell phones. If you own a more obscure one without much market in your area, however, you’re on your own.
That’s why it’s always a good idea to spend an extra $20 to get a backup battery. With their relatively small sizes and insignificant weight, they’re incredibly easy to carry along.
A new option that seems to be gaining ground are solar powered chargers. With the green movement getting much attention from the media, solar chargers are likely to only grow in popularity. There are a number of them with each one pretty much on the same level as the others. The only potentially deciding factor in your final choice will be if it includes a connector to most of your gadgets.
For instance, the SolarStyle SC003 from PocketNow used to offer connectors for only the most popular mobile phones. A few months forward, though, a quick visit to their site will reveal support for numerous portable gadgets including music players and PDAs.
Most of the solar chargers for portables are also as easy to bring along as the gadgets themselves. With their panels no bigger than most phones and with batteries that are small enough to fit most purses, they provide enough power for sufficient use albeit a bit slower than usual. If the market for solar chargers continues to increase, this may just prove enough of an incentive for corporations to invest more funding towards solar power use - a move destined to benefit us all.
December 21, 2008 at 7:12 am · Filed under Gadgets, Misc & Random
If you hit the outdoors a lot, keeping an energy source handy can prove vital for both survival (read: lights) and a more comfortable experience (read: cell phone). Disposable batteries can work but could prove costly if you tend to spend much time in the outdoors. Additionally, running out of stock can force you to cut your trip short - a real bummer.
A good idea is to keep a personal power pack, such as Solardyne’s popular Personal Utility Solar Power Pack. Designed for the rugged outdoors enthusiast, it’s a great unit to keep around whether you’re hiking up a trail, camping on an uninhabited beach or backpacking through country roads. It can also prove useful as an emergency power unit at home in case unexpected outages occur.
The Personal Utility Solar Power Pack is a complete set of everything you need to enjoy portable power that’s both effective enough to last you adequate periods of time and light enough (38 lbs) to prove less than difficult to bring along. The whole kit is set up in a backpack that comes with a purchase of the unit.
The setup includes a foldable 22-watt monocrystalline PV panel, battery controller fitted with appropriate charge indicators, sealed battery (maintenance free), inverters, output ports, plugs (various options) and an 8-watt DC lamp. Chances are you can leave some of the parts when actually on the road (save for the ones you need to use) so the 38 lbs can be cut down to less. With all parts in the bag, dimensions are 17.5 inches (height) x 10.5 inches (width) x 10.5 inches (diameter).
December 20, 2008 at 7:11 am · Filed under Misc & Random
Training dogs is hard enough. In fact, some dogs don’t take too well to instruction and end up just as devoid of any useful tricks as when you started teaching them. Regardless, though, there are always professional dog trainers who are likely more capable that can take your uneducated mutt and teach him a useful skill or two.
But fish?
Aren’t fishes supposed to be dumb with really small brains incapable of registering useful instructions? Apparently, not everybody thinks that.
If you have an aquarium and keep fish for pet, this may be a cool way to spend a lazy afternoon - the R2 Fish Training School Kit. Just like the name suggests, this is a complete set of tools to help you train your fish. Train fish to do what, you may be asking? A wide variety of skills, as it turns out.
Learn how to teach your fish to :
* play American football
* play soccer
* shoot hoops
* limbo rock
* weave through the water
* fetch stuff
* find their way through tubes and tunnels
* and more
How exactly do you do this? We have no idea. But you’re going to learn it because the R2 Fish Training School Kit includes an instructional DVD and a step by step manual to guide through the ordeal. The kit also contains everything you will need for the drills including the R2 Fish School training platform, numerous accessories (basketball rings, tubes, soccer goal, etc), a feeding wand (you’ll most likely feed it after tricks, just like dogs) and a weighted base for bowls and tanks to make the classroom experience much easier.
The tricks, by the way, are designed to be performed by fishes between 1 to 6 inches in length. No, your shark doesn’t qualify. Available from Thinkgeek.
December 19, 2008 at 7:09 am · Filed under Misc & Random
Richard Linklater’s classic movie Dazed and Confused, despite being a movie frozen in time, continues to speak to the affectations of young people decades beyond its scope. Perhaps that’s what great cinema is about - timeless and forever relevant.
Despite being riddled with stoner adolescents and drunken partying, the film ably brings some profound truths that can tug at your heart. The more the years pass, it seems, the more the years of youthful wonder remain the same.
Taking its cue from the film’s success, the book version of the movie brings 70s youth culture to the forefront. Presented partly as a high school yearbook and partly as a chronicle of the decade’s cultural artifacts, it serves more as a primer to the environment the characters lived in for the fans of today. Despite being a bit corny in parts, the film’s fans should be able to appreciate its merits.
The book begins with an introduction by the director, introducing how the film came about along with his views of the period. It includes a synopsis of all the characters presented like they would appear in a typical yearbook. The main cast members contribute bits and pieces to the tome as well.
While nothing special, the book is a good companion to the movie, especially considering that so many of its fans comprise of younger audiences much removed from the time. This book is also old, by the way, released as a paperback in 1993. It’s currently still available from Amazon.
December 18, 2008 at 7:07 am · Filed under Gadgets
You rarely see a jukebox today. Perhaps, you catch a glimpse of one in an older movie. Sometimes, you’ll chance upon a unit in an old-style diner. Mostly, they’re probably in junk shops or a museum of some sorts. Like dinosaurs, they’re practically extinct.
Since the 1940’s, though, until about several years ago, jukeboxes have been staples of every diner, pub, bar and restaurant the world over. They are iconic fixtures that affected a lot of how rooms were laid out and were the entertainment center of many social joints.
By the way, in case you don’t know, they play music. Yes, like the iPod - only bigger and non-portable.
Attention-grabbing and imposing, jukeboxes are now making their way back. Instead of social scenes, however, they’re finding their place in homes both as a decorative fixture and as an entertainment source. Updated to support the latest technology, the retro-bodied jukeboxes of today play digital music much like any stereo system in the market.
Red5 has one and it can play compact disks and MP3. You can connect your music player and flash disks via the available USB port and play hours upon hours of your digitized music. The design is way retro, replete with neon colors and flashing lights. It resembles the same ones you can expect to see in a 50s diner with two-toned tiles and the best milkshake in town!
While not the best option when you’re looking for a functional home music player, the Retro CD/MP3 Jukebox is a great fixture to sit in your home. It’s attractive, interesting and destined to be a conversation topic anytime you bring guests around. Red5 sells them for a rich £500.00.
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