Sunday, October 31, 2010

The Transparent hole-puncher

by Mark R - on October 29th, 2010

Disclaimer: There are probably a lot cooler gadgets to report on rather than this. After all, we’ve got robots that look and sound human, for crying out loud! Not to mention all the cool consumer electronics that get released on a daily basis.

So why should I consider writing about a three-hole punch made of transparent plastic? Because we flippin’ need one, that’s why!

I can’t begin to count all the times that I’ve gone to punch holes in a paper, only to find out that the hole is in the wrong place. And what am I supposed to do, glue the hole back? No, I’ve got to make a print another page and hope that I don’t screw it up this time.

I’m glad that inventors Kisang Yoon and Kyubok Lee have made hole-punching simpler by making the top of transparent plastic. This way, you can see exactly where your hole punch is going to land thanks to the red ring viewfinder there.

Now all they have to do is make one for a three-hole punch. This is where I really screw up when it comes to hole punching. At this point, though, it looks like the transparent hole punch is nothing more than a concept at this point. Seriously? We need this in offices now!

Source


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KTM Strider PREbike targets toddlers

by Edwin - on October 29th, 2010

It is safe to assume that many dads out there would wish their sons (and even daughters) share their passion, regardless of whether it is fishing or something more extreme like motorcycles and tackling various dirt tracks. Well, come this Christmas, families who are motorcycle enthusiasts are able to share their passion with their toddlers thanks to the new ready to ride KTM Strider PREbike.

Just what is the KTM Strider PREbike? Well, this is a revolutionary pedal-free bike which was specially designed for children from as young as 18 months. Yup, you read that right – little Suzy or Johnny doesn’t even need to be 2 years old in order to hop atop one of these puppies. The KTM Strider PREbike is unlike outmoded tricycles and training-wheels, as it was designed for safe use on dirt and every other terrain – at the same time building up the skills and self-confidence in young kids for them to quickly transition to a pedal bike and a Sportminicycle.

The KTM Strider PREbike is no slouch when it comes to looking presentable – after all, it marries all the action, performance and styling of the popular KTM line of street and off road race cycles alongside an unique child-friendly design and function of PREbikes made by Strider. It will be able to teach little ones the necessary balance and coordination skills required to ride two-wheelers from an early age without ever needing the crutch of training wheels. This makes them “level up”, so to speak, to pedal bikes and Sportminicycles years earlier compared to their contemporaries.

According to Mr. McFarland, “The Strider PREbike™ was born out of my desire to teach my sons how to ride on two wheels at the youngest age possible. I wanted to share the thrill and adventure of the sport with my children and now thanks to the new KTM Striders, we can share our family’s passion with motorcycling parents and their children around the globe.”

The KTM Strider PREbike can be purchased for $109 a pop from November 3rd onwards if you are interested, where they will come in Red, Blue, Green, Orange, Yellow and Pink colors.

Press Release


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A Video Game Environment of Your Own

Pictures 12 167Image by imjoshdotcom via Flickr
Keep out Ma'



Have you ever fantasized about building a video game environment of your own? A place where you and your friends could spend hours and hours playing your favorite games without interruption? Or how about a place that really shows off your game fetish? It's really pretty simple to create such a place and you don't need to rent out a video game hall to do it. This article will introduce a few ideas you can use to build the ultimate gaming center.


The first thing that you want to do is maintain a happy household if you're family member. Trying to play a mean game of Super Mario Tetris or Halo 2 can be impossible with kids running around the house and screaming bloody murder. You won't be able to enjoy the latest role-playing game when the wife's nagging you about bills or undone chores too. Keep a happy home, keep a happy marriage, and your time spent playing video games is heaven away from heaven.


It's no secret that some games require as much concentration and focus as when studying for a calculus exam - and there's nothing more frustrating than when you can't figure out how to get through to "the next level" of a game. This is no time to be distracted and if home life isn't what it could be, you'll never be able to concentrate on your game. Strive to make home a place to unwind first - then work on enjoying your games.


You can next dedicate a place in your home as your exclusive game room. This will not only emphasis the importance that gaming is to you (and to your family members), it will also become conducive to the mentality that you need to play a fun and relaxing (albeit, serious game). Budget permitting, decorate the room with all the amenities that you want. You could add a recliner (or two for your friends), a small stand to hold snacks, a bookcase for your games, and you could even add a small refrigerator and microwave (just in case). Your intent here is to declare the space as yours and that it serves only one purpose: pure gaming pleasure.


What you're after is a place that's completely and totally pleasing to you, both aesthetically and functionally so that you'll enjoy your time there.


With your own space dedicated to gaming, you'll want to do what's necessary to maintain it and keep it in a condition that's inviting not only for yourself, but for others as well. Keep your equipment and games clean. Take care to keep wires from tangling and organize your magazine subscriptions, books, or Internet cheatsheet printouts. Maintenance is a task that doesn't have to burden you as long as you make a daily routine of it. The advantages of keeping a regular maintenance schedule shows that this space is important to you and that you have a right to keep it that way.


But take special care not to alienate yourself from the rest of your family. We all can have a favorite hobby and we can even dedicate a special area of the home to that hobby. However it's extremely important to regard this place as a haven - not a hide out. It's not an area to hide from the kids, it's not a place to shun home responsibilities, and it's not a place to live. If this special space is approached in the latter manner, you'll soon discover it as a place of resentment, uncontrollable habit, or even depression. Be careful, schedule time with the family, and enter your playroom at appropriate times. Cooperation from others will then come naturally.
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Getting New Ideas for Video Games (Part 1)

Combination of two Nuvola KDE icons.Image via Wikipedia
A Springboard for Video Game Developers
Creating video games is an art, no doubt. The problem is that it isn't easy to come up with ideas for video games. And even when we do get an idea, it doesn't seem as fresh or exciting as we want it to be. The following offers a few ways you can generate some creative ideas to keep your video game as fun to play from beginning to end.
1. Make it funny. Humor has a wonderful way of transforming the seemingly dreadful boring into something that's not only tolerable, but engaging as well. And if boredom is an illness, laughter is its cure. If you can inject jokes, funny imagery, or goofy characters into your game, your players will relax and associate your game with good feelings - a definite formula for success.
2. Let your mind wander off the beaten path. Since much of our thinking is associative anyway, there's no reason why you couldn't manifest this association into your video game. When one idea makes you think of another, include it as part of a video game no matter how illogical the connection is (at first). Remember that video games are your platform for creativity. It's time to be a little wild and a little unconventional. Without this free-form thinking, we surely wouldn't have the creative gems that we have today. You can always restore a sense of logic back into the game at an appropriate time.
3. Make your dreams come true. Literally, turn your dreams into video game scenarios. Had a nightmare lately? Include the scary thing in the game. Had a ridiculously stupid dream lately? Include it in the game as a detour or distraction. Sometimes dreams can be more interesting as life, and as a video game developer, you want your games to be the same. Keep a dream journal and write down those bizarre experiences you have at night. Your gamers will thank you for it.
4. Copy nature. Let's be honest - Nature is pretty weird. We have bees flying around and pollinating plants. We have water evaporating into the sky and then falling down from clouds as rain. Childbirth is a strange phenomenon itself, and germs - the smallest thing on the planet can bring down a herd of elephants. If you could emulate some of this crazy stuff in your own video games, you will have done what every man secretly wishes he could do himself. And that's take nature into your own hands and shape it into the reality you want! But don't copy nature faithfully. Twist it around. For example, instead of bees flying around and pollinating plants, your video game could have 3-inch aliens flying around and pollinating brainwashed FBI agents. Starting to get the idea?
5. Dig into History. Another good resource for video game material is our own history - but not the boring stuff. We're talking about the good stuff. The embarrassing stuff. Look for odd and weird news online and include the asinine things that people have done in the past as part of your game's plot. Your players won't believe what they're seeing!
6. Go Metaphor Happy. Metaphors are figures of speech in which expressions are used to refer to something that it does not literally denote. It simply suggests a similarity. We're not sure, but we're pretty convinced that a lot of the space ships in video games are based on what we call the "nuts and bolts" metaphor. If you look closely at the designs of some of these vehicles, and then look at some of the tools you have in your toolbox, you'll start to see a similarity among the two like we did. You can do the same in your video games to come up with some really unique imagery and situations.
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Wasted LED watch from Tokyoflash

by Edwin - on October 30th, 2010
Telling the time used to be something that’s pleasant and easy to do – all you needed was a quick glance at your wrist and you’re good to go. The folks over at Tokyoflash have certainly gone out of their way to complicate things as much as possible, and one of the results would be the Wasted LED watch. Also known as the Kisai Wasted, it will come in two color styles – black and white. Wasted boasts a streamlined plastic case and strap finished in gloss with matte detail.
It was specially designed to fit most wrist sizes perfectly, boasting a smooth translucent lens which enables you to see the mysterious layout of time right under it. Since it is USB rechargeable, you need not go out and buy those button cell batteries. It takes around 3.5 hours for a full charge which should last you for around one month on average. With the battery being able to hold around 300 charges, that would translate to over 2 years of use before you replace the battery.
How do you tell the time? That is the easy part once you get the hang of it, although your friends might beg to differ as they crack their brains, looking for various methods in unlocking the “code” or pattern. The Kisai Wasted makes it a snap with its explanation – all you need to do is touch the button for the twisted display to come to life, where the current time will flash for a short time in order to direct you. All hours are shown on the outside in the same position as the corresponding numbers on a clock, while groups of five minutes on the inside will also show up with single minutes in the center from bottom to top.
You can also initiate a programmed animation between 18:00 and 24:00 for night time, where all lights will slowly illuminate the screen and then go out every 15 minutes when animation mode is on. The price to pay? $85.09 sans shipping if you’re interested.
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