Wonder Pizza Vending Machine February 28, 2007
By Andrew Liszewski
If the 20-minute wait for a pizza delivery seems like an excruciatingly long time then you might want to think about installing a pizza vending machine at home instead. The ‘Wonder Pizza’ cooks and serves 9-inch whole pizzas in only 2 minutes and each machine can hold up to 3 different flavors. The pizza itself apparently comes from Chicago-based ‘Connie’s Pizza’ so there might be hope that the final product is actually edible.
The machine took 5 years and some 6 million dollars of R&D to develop and the final version can hold 102 pizzas. It has both a refrigeration unit to keep the uncooked pie fresh and an electrical oven (no microwaves) that ensures the final product has a crisp crust. The amount of crispness can even be set by the customer during the ordering process.
The ‘Wonder Pizza’ machines are already being distributed worldwide and the cost for a 9-inch pizza is about $5-6.
[ Wonder Pizza Vending Machine ] VIA [ Crave ]
Prison Pen - Useful For Writing, Not For Shivving
By Andrew Liszewski
When you think about it guards in a jail or prison go to great lengths to ensure any potential weapons are confiscated from an inmate. But then later on when it comes to the interview or interrogation rooms they gladly hand over a Bic pen for writing a confession. According to the movies I’ve seen that pen can be used as a lethal first step to a grand escape plan.
The Prison Pen makes this pretty much impossible though since it’s made from a soft rubber material that bends under even the slightest pressure. As a result it can’t be used to stab, shiv or injure guards or other inmates. Of course it still has a ball point metal tip which could result in some nasty scratches if used correctly, but something tells me that’s not exactly going to incapacitate your cell mate when that time comes.
The Prison Pen is available at Spycatcher for around $10 and even though it uses a small ink cartridge it will still write for over 1000 meters.
[ Prison Pen ]
Grapples - Bio Engineering Gone Right
By Andrew Liszewski
First off if you’re wondering, ‘Grapple’ is actually pronounced ‘Grape-L’ so the next time you bring it up at a party you won’t sound like an idiot. Secondly, while these apples have been modified to taste like grapes in reality there was no genetics or gene-splicing involved. Nope, the patent-pending process whereby regular apples take on the flavor of grapes simply involves the fruit being infused with a whole lot of concentrated grape flavoring.
The benefit to this method is that the apple still maintains all its vitamins and other goodness without any extra sugars or calories being added. The idea is to give kids yet another reason to reach for a piece of fruit when they need a snack rather than a candy bar in hopes of reducing childhood obesity. Now I don’t know what’s wrong with the taste of regular apples or why grapes are considered to be the superior flavor here but I also haven’t been a kid for 2 or 3 years now so I’m not the best person to ask.
The only problem I see with the Grapple is that a 12-pack gift box from their website will set you back $37.95. That’s $3.16 per apple! However they should also be available in stores in smaller quantities very soon.
*Update: So it seems these have been available in grocery stores across the US for a few years now. Unfortunately they haven’t made it to my neck of the woods yet meaning we’re stuck with plain old apple-flavored apples.
[ Grapples ] VIA [ Coolest Gadgets ]
Radio Lovers Rejoice, Olympus VJ-10 Can Record Up To 2,500 Hours Of RF Goodness
By David Ponce
It’s not everyday you see a device with a 37GB hard drive. 37 is just so random, yet that’s how many gigabytes the VJ-10 Radio Server from Olympus can store. The device is basically just a basic AM/FM radio, with a hard drive embedded right in. Even in “high quality” mode (128 kbps) the device can still hold 1,250 hours of your favorite talk radio show. It features a large 3.9 inch (128 x 400) monochrome STN display, USB 2.0, amplifier and stereo speakers which allegedly sound decent thanks to SRS and WOW XT.
Think of it like a TiVo for the radio, except exponentially less exciting. I mean, hey, other than when you’re stuck in traffic, when do people ever really listen to the radio anymore? Still, if you’re into that sort of thing, you should know the device is expected to cost 40,000 Yen ($ 335) and be available in Japan starting March 16th.
[ Product Page (translated from Japanese) ] VIA [ Gizmologia ]
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DIY RFID
By Evan Ackerman
RFID sure seems like it would be a cool thing to play with, right? Now you can, without being a technical genius. ThinkGeek is offering a RFID experimentation kit, which features a USB RFID reader and 15ish read-only RFID tags of various shapes and sizes, including an implantable one which you should not not not try to implant unless you think you know what you’re doing (instead, just swallow some of these).
Details on the actual software are scanty, but one simple use might be for your computer to launch some applications when you sit down, and close them when you leave via an RFID tag on your person. If you’ve hooked up a USB power strip, the RFID tag could even instruct your computer to turn on speakers, lights, and peripherals. The possibilities are limitless, since RFID enables your computer to know who and what is around it.
Let’s not get in to all of the potential sinister uses at this point and just be happy that we can play with RFID tags. The price is a penny under $100, with availability in late March.
[ RFID Experimentation Kit ] VIA [ Coolest Gadgets ]
Meade RCX400 Telescope With Robotic MAX Mount
By Andrew Liszewski
I’m not gonna lie to you people. This latest telescope from Meade is really only designed for people who are very interested in astronomy. The RCX400 comes in either a 20-inch aperture model or a 16-inch model and attaches to a special robotic stand called the MAX Mount. All in all you’re looking at about 500 lbs. of equipment that ensures some of the steadiest star watching you’ve ever enjoyed.
You see one of the problems with watching the stars which becomes especially apparent when you photograph them is the rotation of the Earth. To get a well exposed shot of the night sky you typically need a long exposure and if you combine that with the spinning of the planet you end up with a blurred photo. The solution is to use a robotic telescope mount like this that will ‘track’ the celestial object you’re trying to photograph which basically cancels out the planet’s rotation. Now unfortunately my knowledge of telescopes ends there but I’m pretty sure the RCX400 will appeal to anyone with even the slightest interest in astronomy. That is of course if they can afford it.
If you think one of these would look great on your back porch then that’s an important first step because it means you already have a house you can mortgage. The Meade RCX400 20-inch telescope sells for $39,999 and the MAX Mount is an extra $19,999. (Though you can save a few bucks by going with the 16-inch RCX400 model that’s only $29,999.)
[ Meade RCX400 with MAX Mount ] VIA [ Popular Science ]
Hard Drive Hard Drive Case
By Andrew Liszewski
Since most computer users have probably never actually seen what a hard drive looks like this one is definitely reserved for impressing your geek friends. Instead of buying an external drive enclosure with a sleek, compact design why not get this one that appears to be made from or at least made to look like an actual hard drive.
Since it’s roughly the same size as a 3.5-inch drive on the outside it will only hold a 2.5-inch notebook drive inside and supports USB 1.1 and 2.0 only, no firewire here. It also appears to have a jack for a power adapter but that doesn’t seem to be included with the enclosure.
The Hard Drive Case is currently available at GeekStuff4U.com for $25.03. (The actual hard drive is also not included.)
[ 2.5″ Hard Case Disk Case ] VIA [ Akihabara News ]
Chicago Area Adobe Giveaway February 27, 2007
By David Ponce
Hey Q101 Chicago listeners and readers, it’s time for your Geek Treat! Thanks for listening to me on the Fook show this afternoon (every Tuesday at 4:35p); as a bonus you can get yourselves a copy of Photoshop Elements 5.0 & Adobe Premiere Elements 3.0 (a $300 value)! Send us an email to the following address: ogcontests@gmail.com. Put “I want the programs!” in the subject line, and you’re all set. We’ll randomly pick one winner per week. Courtesy of Q101 and Ohgizmo.com.
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MagneCote - Printable Magnetic Paper
By Andrew Liszewski
The title of this post pretty much sums up what MagneCote is all about but to recap it’s a special paper created by applying a proprietary magnetic coating to standard Sterling Ultra paper which then allows it to stick to any metal surface. The other benefit of course is that since it’s made with a traditional paper the MagneCote stock can be used with any sheet-fed offset printing press and can even be die-cut, perforated or laminated.
And while it may seem like a novelty at first there are actually some pretty useful applications I can think of. For example how about restaurant take-out menus that can be stuck on a fridge? It makes it convenient for the customer and ensures the restaurant’s name and products are highly visible at all times. Or what about guerilla advertising that can be quickly and safely stuck to bathroom stalls, trash bins, mailboxes or even phone booths? Definitely a lot better than sending someone around with a stack of flyers and a bucket of glue.
At the moment MagneCote is only available for professional print jobs and facilities but they claim the paper will also be available for home inkjet printers in the near future.
[ MagneCote ] VIA [ Josh Spear ]
Maantis Lighting System
By Andrew Liszewski
There’s a lot of factors that make working in a typical office environment unappealing and the Maantis lighting system was designed to deal with at least one of them. Created by the Richard Rogers Partnership in collaboration with Reggiani Illuminazione the Maantis lights were designed as a more efficient and cost-effective alternative to standard fluorescent lights and the original idea for the system actually came from a few thousand leagues under the sea.
The inspiration for Maantis was taken from the iridescent glow of deep-sea creatures. The natural evolution of these creatures has led to them being able to emit a light energy which derives from their structure and metabolism. In the same way, Maantis’ prismatic polycarbonate ribs are designed to ensure that rays emanating from the principal T5 light source are diffused, reflected and refracted in such a way that the amount of light spillage and glare is minimised and the system is highly efficient. Even when the light is switched off, the prismatic ribs continue to absorb light and colours from the surrounding space and produce a slight translucent glow, depending on the exact lighting conditions.
The Maantis system actually exists as a working prototype which was first shown to the public at the Frankfurt Fair in April of 2006. However there is no word as to when this system will actually be put in use in offices around the world.
[ Maantis Lighting System ] VIA [ Tech Digest ]
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