Gadgets and New Technologies

What happens when you chance upon a tree stump? Well, I’m pretty sure that’s a weird question to ask as most of us will just walk by without giving it much further thought. Somebody else went the extra mile, however, coming with a brilliant idea to make use of old tree stumps. Instead of removing it (and hence taking up a whole lot of time and incurring costs for the local municipal council), you can always use a chainsaw to turn it into a refreshing cooler. Carve yourself a hole in the middle, place a heavy duty garbage bag, fill it up with ice and throw in your favorite cans of lager and you’re good to go. (Read the full post about ‘Interesting use of a tree stump’…)

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I like using Instant Messaging, but I rarely use the emoticons that are associated with them.  Of course, we live an age where some refuse to communicate with anything but emoticons. 

If you are one of those people, and are not satisfied with the Mr.

(Read the full post about ‘Minimise-Me Creates Customized Emoticons’…)

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As technology becomes more secure, the hackers become more creative. Or so it would seem, based upon a new Trojan virus that has been circulating recently. While most Trojan Horse viruses have been installed when a user installs something that they shouldn’t, a new one is being installed when users try to simply watch a video.

The scam is being identified as Banker-LGC by Spanish anti-virus firm Panda Security, as its’ main focus is to install keylogging software that can be used to figure out people’s bank account information.

(Read the full post about ‘New banking trojan distributed via online videos’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Jul 22nd 2008 at 5:00PM From all the coffee shop musicians here at Engadget, we’d like to sincerely thank Belkin for producing this marvelous device. For the rest of us who run around on stage like madmen, we have our doubts about how well this will work. Nevertheless, the BreakFree Connectors were designed to add a magnetic breakaway point in your 1/4-inch cable, meaning that things will simply snap away if too much pressure is applied. Sure, this could save you a mint in shredded cable costs, but we’d venture to say that only the calmer performers in attendance will really find it useful. (Read the full post about ‘Belkin BreakFree adds magnetic breakaway connector to your guitar cable’…)

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Super Talent loves speed, and their new line of MX SSDs boast this improvement with read speeds of 120MB/sec and write speeds of 60MB/sec in its 15GB and 30GB models. As for the much larger 60GB and 120GB models, they will share a similar read speed while seeing a bump in write speeds to 80MB/sec. It will be interesting to see how notebook’s embrace this new line of SSDs, but one thing’s for sure though - the price won’t come down anytime soon to affordable levels for the average Joe.

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PC World reviews the Helio Mysto and writes, “For music, the Mysto comes with a loud but thin-sounding speaker, earbuds, a microSD slot that’s buried in the battery compartment (along with 106MB internal memory), and stereo Bluetooth. The basic but functional mp3 player lets you create playlists, and you can bring your own tunes or buy them over the air for $2. The 2-megapixel camera snaps decent-looking pictures, though they exhibit some graininess and the colors look muted (our black cat seemed rather brownish).

(Read the full post about ‘Helio Mysto Review - PC World’…)

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Bruno Oro’s creepy bear-shaped Dilus is many things, not least of which is its ability to scare hospital-bound children.

Conceived as a distance learning tool, the Dilus is intended for children who are on an extended hospital stay and cannot attend school. The skin of the bear-thing is a a conducting polymer which can change color and display pretty much anything, from web pages to games to, we guess, schoolwork. Oro calls this display “holographic”, but we’d say that it is more correctly a kind of 3D.

But why a bear? Well, according to Oro, the bear shape will console the poor lonely kids and become a friend.

(Read the full post about ‘Creepy Plastic Bear Comforts, Educates Kids’…)

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In perhaps the most interesting rejection of Microsoft Vista lately, a number of people have been talking up Windows Server 2008 as a great alternative for workstation use. These discussions have been going on for some time now, but they are really getting interesting with some people very much in favor despite the problems and main vocal critics coming out against the practice (for practical purposes, not idealogical ones).

There is a lot of great reading on the matter, and too many details to go over in this post, but is some required reading:

• The Myth of Windows “Workstation” 2008
• Windows “Workstation” 2008 better than Vista…
• Using Windows Server 2008 as a SUPER workstation OS
• Windows Server 2008 in ‘workstation’ mode – a suitable Vista replacement?
• Windows Server 2008 as a Workstation?
• Win2008Workstation

There are some great posts up on the matter with tons of reading available, as well as great comments and HowTos.

(Read the full post about ‘Server 2008 as a Vista alternative for workstations?’…)

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No, the Wasp Injector Knife is not a weapon for dispatching Vanderbilts and Roosevelts (although doubtless it could be pressed into this service). It is a surgical stainless steel knife with a gas canister in the handle. When you stab a victim, the knife “injects a freezing cold ball of compressed gas, approximately the size of a basketball, at 800psi nearly instantly”.

It is primarily for use by divers, where the sudden injection of gas will cause Jaws (or any other leviathan) to speed towards the surface before they burst, effectively removing them from the fight and also safely carrying their shark-baiting blood along with them.

(Read the full post about ‘Diving Knife Pumps Out Explosive Ball of Gas’…)

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iPod nano owners have yet another protective case to choose from this time, thanks to iSkin and its new DuoBand Armband+Protector. It comprises of a hybrid ipod nano case that has a soft silicone layer with a two-tone ViSOR polycarbonate and aluminum overlay which offers a crystal clear view of your display despite offering relevant protection against impacts and scratches. Not only that, the armband is fully adjustable and is made from breathable, moisture-resistant material, featuring a slide-in holder with silicone backing for comfort that allows the user attach and remove the iPod case easily as and when required. The iSkin DuoBand for the iPod nano will come in red/metallic or black/carbon colors, retailing for $40. (Read the full post about ‘iSkin DuoBand Armband for the iPod nano’…)

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