Happy Halloween

It's almost Halloween and I know there are a bunch of people who love Halloween parties and dressing up. Well here is a cool (inexpensive) way to add a little smoke to your party. This video shows you how to make a 5 dollar fog machine. It's quick and easy.

All you need is:

• food grade glycerin
• distilled water
• glass
• candle
• foil cup
• masking tape
• plastic bottle

Blue Little Nightmares

When I was a kid, there were this ugly little furry things that were very popular one Christmas. If I remember correctly, they weren't popular for very long. When they first came out, we all thought they were so adorable. Then we bought one. They were a nightmare. Not only were they super scary, but they didn't shut off easily or break. I distinctly remember trying to turn my Furby off but it kept crying. Then I threw it against the wall because to be honest, I was hoping it would die. It was quiet long enough for me to take a breath and relax before it started telling me it was hungry again. They were called Furby's. They scared the crap out of me when I was little. Today, I was watching a show and a commercial came on. Guess what? They're back...

 

This is the new Furby...

Not only is the new Furby a very bright blue, but it's eyes glow. How creepy is that? The Furby can interact with an iPhone or iPad, so that the owner can feed the creature or translate it's language.These Furby's also have personalities that you can unlock. These little creatures have no off button, and unlike the old version, if you take out the batteries, the Furby doesn't reset. The only way to turn it off is to put it asleep by sticking it in a dark place. From personal experience, the darkest part of space is not dark enough for these little guys. 

Apparently, if you get a group of Furby's together they can even interact with each other. Um, no thanks. We don't need Furby's getting together and taking over the world. 

These little blue Furby's have already hit the shelves and they cost about $60. Do your kid, niece, nephew, or grandchild a favor and walk past them. First off, they aren't worth that kind of money. Second off, if kids today are anything like my generation, they won't like them either. I'm all for bringing back old toys and making them cool again, but from now on can we steer clear of Furby's? The little guys are just a little too creepy for me.

It's a start

Yesterday, I began my junior year of college. I didn't realize until today that the term junior means that I'm halfway through my college career. I have no idea where the last two years went, but I think I tried to make the most of them. I'm hopeful that the next two years will be even better, starting with a new semester full of exciting classes.

With the start of classes, I'm going to start blogging again. Sorry for the impromptu break over the summer. I went on some trips, worked a lot, and enjoyed time with my family. Now, I'm back and itching to start writing again. I think I'm going to post Tuesdays and Thursdays, but don't hold me to that just yet. I need to see how school and work plays out.

I hope your summer was great and I'm excited to share a whole new group of gadgets and gizmos with you.

Sweat Sugar

This past semester while I was in my blogging class, the one guy was training for a marathon. He had this awesome blog that talked about his progress towards training. Unfortunately, he hurt his foot somehow, so he had to drop from the race. It made me find a lot of gear for running and biking though.

These shoes were created by The Carbon Pro Team. Louis Garneau, the designer, uses an Ice-Fil insole that allowed the show to stop heat from building up. The insole uses a natural sweetener called xylitol, an alcohol bases sugar, to convert sweat into cool air in the show. The show fibers are able to moderate temperature and moisture by absorbing heat and converting it to cooler air. 

Triple Threat

If you've followed this blog since its beginning then you already know I'm obsessed with skateboarding and snowboarding though I do neither. 

This is the Survivor Split snowboard from Signal Snowboards. It's not only a snowboard but it has a survival kit built into it. The kit includes a shovel and saw, which I find pretty awesome. Based off the design of a split board, this one has three splits that transform the outside splits into skis and the center can be used as a shovel. The boards saw can be found with a retractable blade that can be used to cut wood. It also contains a compass. It's pretty cool. Check it out in the video below. 

Robot Tendons

The Europeans have done it again. Researches have developed a new artificial hand that uses string to work as tendons. The fingers are divided into three different groups that are each controlled by different strings which tighten and twist by the use of motors. The string tendons allow the hand to have more precise control and a greater ability to grasp objects.

My best friend is going to school to be a bio-engineer. I love sharing things like this with her. She came with me on my trip, and she was telling me about things she learned about prosthetics. I kept saying, "hey did you hear about this?" She stared at me and said no. I told her about what I learned through blogging, and she said, "Man, I need to start reading your blog." 

Do you value your privacy? PLEASE READ

What is so dangerous about this is that this is not a law it is a policy adopted by several companies. That means this will not be debated in Congress and you will agree to be spied on by signing a contract with the company.

Obama And ISP’s To Launch Largest Digital Spying Scheme In History 

If you happen to download software, videos, or music then your Internet service provider (ISP) has been watching you. They are coming for you on July 1. 

That’s the date when the nation’s largest ISPs will all voluntarily implement a new anti-piracy plan that will engage network operators in the largest digital spying scheme in history, and see some users’ bandwidth completely cut off until they sign an agreement saying they will not download copyrighted materials.

Word of the start date has been largely kept secret since ISPs announced their plans last June. The deal was brokered by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), and coordinated by the Obama Administration. The same groups have weighed in heavily on controversial Internet policies around the world, with similar facilitation by the Obama’s Administration’s State Department.

Internet activities and watching for potential copyright infringement. Users who are “caught” infringing on a creator’s protected work can then be interrupted with a notice that piracy is forbidden by law and carries penalties of up to $150,000 per infringement, requiring the user to click through saying they understand the consequences before bandwidth is restored, and they could still be subject to copyright infringement lawsuits.

Response: This is much worse than SOPA/PIPA and ACTA. It doesn’t necessarily censor the internet but it spys on everything you do. Your ENTIRE web history will be watched and recorded and might even assist the government. This was coordinated by Obama and his administration with the help of the MPAA and RIAA.

What is so dangerous about this is that this is not a law it is a policy adopted by several companies. That means this will not be debated in Congress and you will agree to be spied on by signing a contract with the company.

Internet censorship is becoming a reality and now the corporate elite will legally be able to spy on you. If we spread this and cause an uproar like what we did with SOPA, maybe they will back down. Either way people NEED to know about this.

 Read more

(I didn't write this. I'm just sharing it with you because I think it's very important. Because even if you don't download, they are still spying on everything you do.)

45 til Insanity

This isn't really a gadget or a gizmos, so my apologies. It is still really cool though. Well, I think it's cool. So, I am sharing. 

I was browsing the interwebs last night looking for something to blog about for today, and I found this article. 

Basically, it talks about the place pictured above. It's a really small room that is located in Minnesota. This room can block out 99% of all outside noise. Can you even imagine that? No birds chirping outside your window. No wind blowing. No rain hammering the roof. No anything. That's pretty cool. 

The cooler part, to me, is the part where people can't take it for more than 45 minutes. That's right. If someone sits in there for more than 45 minutes then they can go nuts. My first thought was, psh yea right. I could sit in there longer. Then I read the reason why people go nuts, and I realized I probably would too.

The article says, "When it's quiet, ears will adapt. The quieter the room, the more things you hear. You'll hear your heart beating, sometimes you can hear your lungs, hear your stomach gurgling loudly. ‘In the anechoic chamber, you become the sound.' And this is a very disorientating experience. Mr Orfield explained that it's so disconcerting that sitting down is a must. He said: ‘How you orient yourself is through sounds you hear when you walk. In the anechnoic chamber, you don't have any cues. You take away the perceptual cues that allow you to balance and manoeuvre. If you're in there for half an hour, you have to be in a chair."

I'm not one to be grossed out easily, but no thanks. I'll pass. Plus apparently our brains can't take it either because sitting in this room leads to many hallucinations. People begin hearing sounds that aren't there. They start becoming delusional just to block out the noise of their own heartbeats and other bodily functions.

Still, that's pretty cool. What do you think? How long could you take it?

Semester Farewells

Today was the last day of my spring semester of my sophomore year. I'm now officially done with two years of school. That is really exciting. I started this blog as an assignment for my blogging class this semester. My friend talked me into taking the class with her. I figured, hey I've blogged before, how hard can it be? 

Well, it definitely wasn't the hardest class I took, hello physics, but it was very time consuming. You wouldn't think so, but it was. Blogging five times a week, and searching for things to blog about, it's a lot of work. At the beginning of the semester, I wasn't thrilled about blogging so much, but I grew to like it. I love taking some time to sit back and search the web and then type up a post. I think I'm addicted. 

Though the semester is over and I don't have to run this blog anymore, I am going to. I like looking for gadgets and gizmos. It's something I have fun doing, and I hope you enjoy checking out all the weird and fun things I find. The thing is, I'm going to be working a lot this summer and going to school full time. I have a lot going on. So, I'm going to cut back a little and update three times a week from now on, unless I do another theme week. 

I hope everyone keeps coming back to see what new gadget I found even with the cutback. Hopefully, everyone will understand. If not, then I'm really sorry. Have a great summer.

(Oh, and if my professor is reading this by chance, thank you for a great class. I seriously learned a lot about blogging from you. I also found something I really love to do. Thanks. I'll see you in the fall. Have a great summer.)

Furniture Food

I found this while surfing the inter webs this morning. They are little waffle furniture pieces. How cute. Does anyone know who made these or where to get them? I have a family member that would love it.

Weird Covers

My cover for my iPhone is purple. It doesn't have anything special or exciting on it. It's just purple. But, for those that like crazy cases. Check these out...

Need a hand?

Those are some nice cheeks.

SHHH...I'm hunting wabbits!

Yellow?

FREEZE! PUT YOUR HANDS UP SUCKA!

Would you like some jelly with that toast?

Yum, Lo Mein. My favorite.

Bacon and Egg please.

Mmm. Chocolate!

Sorry there are a lot! I couldn't choose which ones were more crazy. Which one is your favorite? Which one do you think is the weirdest?

Chalk Trails

I used to love drawing with chalk when I was little. My mom had to buy buckets of the stuff because I was always out on our driveway drawing something. It was how I spent my summers. Sometimes, I had to get my dad to hose off the driveway because it hadn't rained in a few days. 

This invention would have caused a younger me to squeal with joy. I can assure you I didn't squeal when I saw it, but I definitely couldn't pass it up.

The device on these kid's bikes is called a Chalktrail. It attaches onto the back of a bike or scooter. When the kid rides their bike, the chalk draws on the ground creating a wonderful piece of art. The Chalktrail was developed by Scott Baumann after watching his children play. 

Pretty neat huh? I thought it was cool. There is a video of it, but it's not the right format to put on here. But, if you want to watch it. The link is right here.

If you were still a kid would you use this?

The New Ereaders

While we are on the topic of ereaders, I found two new ereaders that have two impressive new features.

Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight

I have the first Nook that Barnes and Noble came out with, which I love (in case I haven't mentioned that before). The Nook Simple Touch was already one of the best, if not the best ereader out there. For me, it's now officially the best ereader because it took one simple step that every other ereader has failed to do. The Nook Simple Touch now has a new front lit display. This means for all you late night readers, you can read in the dark! The LED light sits at the top of the page and goes through the screen evenly. The great thing about this light and the new material Barnes and Nobles is using for their screen is that the light doesn't make the words harder to read. The new material for the screen is also more resistant to scrapes then older models. 

XGA

A new ereader is in production by LG. They have created a flexible ereader that is made of malleable plastic. It contains a six inch display and can bend up to 40 degrees. It's thinner than glass models, weighs less, and is super durable. 

I'm very interested in seeing where these two features go in both of these ereaders. What do you think? Are they good ideas? Which do you like better?

Nooks, Kindles, and E-Readers

Pictures on cave walls. Words on stones. Story tellers. Manuscripts. Books. E-readers?

This is the the condensed path that stories have taken over the years. Since the invention of the printing press, novels and stories have been written down on paper and bound together in books. I love books. If there was something stronger than love then I would use that to refer to my feelings for my books. I have books that fill up two bookcases in my room. I have five or six cases full of books downstairs in my basement waiting for the library of the house I will one day buy. (My mom made me box them up.) 

Now a lot of people are reading their books in a different format though. They are reading the words through screens on nooks, kindles, and other e-readers. As a lover of books, this makes me really sad. But as a child of the technology age, I thing they are rather neat. I must even admit, that I have a nook. 

Nook

Nooks are the e-readers from Barnes and Noble. I got my nook when it first came out. It was a graduating present from my dad. I think the design is very simple and easy to use. There is a touch screen at the bottom that lets you get where ever you need to go. You can put audio books on here and also play chess if you are bored in the car. I personally really like me nook. It works well. The battery lasts for a good bit of time. It's light. Its clean looking. It's just a very great design and product. 

Kindle

I have two friends that have a Kindle. I have used it before to see how it works. I'm personally not a fan of it. I like my nook. But their design is rather nice too. The only thing I really see as different then the nook is that it has a keyboard. I suppose this is good for anyone who isn't used to a touch pad or anyone who would rather have a keyboard.

E-Readers

There are a number of other E-Readers out there. Sony has one, actually a lot of companies have one. I'm not going to go through each one because I don't know anyone who has these brands.

You can also get an app to download ebooks through your phone or tablet. This is actually kind of nice because it comes in handy when you are out and end up waiting somewhere for a long period of time and all you have is your phone. I don't use it often but it's nice to have sometimes.

To be honest, I like my nook but I would rather have a book in my hand. I'm just a fan of books. I like the different covers and the amount of work that goes into creating it. I like seeing the spines of books to see the author, publishing company, and title of the book. I like physically holding the book in my hand to feel the weight of the paper and the words in my hand. I love holding a book and knowing that it might take me on a journey or might hold something that has the potential to change the world. I love feeling the pages beneath my fingers. I love physically turning the page. I love feeling the weight of how much I have read and how much I have left. I love seeing this accomplishment in the amount of pages physically and not just a number at the bottom of a screen. I love books. I love everything about them. I'm just a book girl I guess. It comes with being a known nerd. 

Do you like E-Readers? Do you like them better than books? Let me know.

Health and Tech Decline Week Concluded

Well, that concludes a week of cool new health break throughs and a week of declining faithful gadgets. I hope everyone enjoyed this week. I know I did. What did you think about it? Did you like the posts?

Let me know what your favorite post was! Also, if you want another theme week, let me know. Tell me what you are interested in.

I'll be back next week with some new awesome gadgets. Until then, I'm taking the weekend to study for finals next week. Have a great weekend everyone!

Tech Week Decline: 3D Glasses and Movie Theaters

3D Glasses

To me, 3D glasses are part of the experience of seeing a 3D movie. But, since 2011 new technologies have been created that might make 3D glasses a thing of the past. Toshiba released a notebook that's webcam can track eye movements to make 3D images. 3D televisions are beginning to be made now. These trendy glasses won't be around for much longer.

Movie Theaters

I haven't been to the movies in ages. I just really don't enjoy the experience anymore. When I was a kid, I loved to go see movies on the big screen. But now? I hate being surrounded by a bunch of people I don't know that are either talking to coughing the whole time. I don't like being cold in the over air-conditioned rooms. The floor is always sticky. The popcorn and drinks are over priced, and the tickets are $13 each! I can go buy the movie once it comes out for that much and enjoy it over and over again. Better yet, I can rent it from red box for a dollar and watch it with all my friends.

Years ago when home televisions first came out, people thought that movie theaters would die off. But, they didn't. Some may say that they will still stick around, but with rising prices and the development of home televisions with HD and 3D, I think it's time. The prices are just too high for the average family to go to the movies together. Why spend $50 dollars to go to one movie when you can spend $2.99 to stream it to your TV to watch in the comfort of your own home?

What do you think? Do you still like going to the movie theater? What about 3D glasses? Will you miss them?

Health Week: Prosthetic Limbs Could Feel?

A team of Sandia researchers have created scaffolds of carbon nanotubes that could lead to prosthetic limbs being about to essentially feel. The limbs would be controlled by existing nerves by relaying real time sensations to the limbs. The nanotubes would remain in the tissues after the scaffold had disintegrated. This would essentially create a connection between the device and the nerves of the person. 

It sounds really interesting. I'm just wondering if it would actually work. 

Want to know more?

Tech Decline Week: Desktops and Wired Internet

Desktops

The all-in-one desktop computers may stick around but most desktops are going to be extinct pretty soon. More people buy and use laptops or tablets then desktops. I personally, still love my desktop at home. I don't use it very often but I still like to sit at a desk and get work done. 

Wired Internet

Be honest. When was the last time you hooked up your computer to an Ethernet cable. Now that everyone is using laptops and there is wireless in every coffee shop, very few people use wired internet. I talked to my cousin who is a few years under than me and she can't even remember ever using wired internet other than at school. That definitely surprised me. 

What do you think? Do you still use a desktop? Wired Internet?

Health Week: Regrowing Skin

Remember how I was telling you about my Little Mermaid pj's that I ruined? Well after I got all bandaged up from cracking my head open, I got a few stitches. A few weeks later when the doctor took the stitches out, I had a lovely scar on my forehead. I still have my scar. Actually, I have a lot of scars from over the years. Here is something for those of you who get scarred up like me.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have developed a healing gel that can re-grow skin and blood vessels. The hydrogel is made up of sugar dextran and it's dissolved in water and polyethlyene glycol. This gel will be really helpful for patients with severe burns because it will help reduce the scarring. 

Tech Decline Week: Landlines and Phone Numbers

Landlines

I think the only time I talk on my house phone is when I'm hanging up on solicitors. Yes, I do hang up on them. Sorry. I just don't like to pick up the phone and have people try to sell things to me. I understand we all need to make a living someway, but I just can't take it. 

In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 26% of homes used only wireless phones. This number will probably continue to grow over the next few years as more people do away with their land line and rely on their cell phones. 

Phone Numbers

How many usernames do you have? For Twitter? A blog? A credit card account? This may be surprising but phone numbers might someday be gone. Most of us just type in a name into our phone to call someone or to text them. With new services with Google, Facebook, and Skype, we may be asking for usernames someday instead of their ten digits. 

Oh, by the way. This is important! I don't know if you know this, but cell phone numbers have recently gone public. That means that solicitors can now call your cell phone. If you happen to be like me and don't want people calling you to sell you something in the middle of your day out, then call the number below and follow the directions.

1-888-382-1222

Health Week: Stop the Bleed

When I was little, I was chasing my cousin around my baby sitters house. I slipped on the newly waxed floor and ran into the wall, forehead first. My head was split open and I had to get a bunch of stitches. I still remember it all. The one thing I remember most is all the blood. It was everywhere. The worst part was that my favorite Disney, The Little Mermaid pj's were destroyed. It was horrible.

MIT has developed a bandage that could have stopped the bleeding from my forehead a lot quicker then it was stopped. My Little Mermaid pj's probably still would have had some blood on them, but at least I wouldn't have passed out from blood loss. Anyway, the new bandage uses a natural clotting agent found in our blood to stop bleeding instantly. These bandages are extremely useful for wounds on the neck, where tourniquets can't be applied and one bleeds out very quick.

Tech Decline Week: The Mouse

Yes, you did read that right. In the near future, mouses will be a thing of the past. Hard to believe, right? I was definitely surprised until I took a moment to think about it.

Laptop computers all have those little touch pads included under the keyboards now. Monitors are becoming touch screen capable.

The extra cost of adding the touch software will be so small that everything will have it. A lot of phones already do. Soon monitors, TVs, and laptops will have have touch screens too.

Now, don't get me wrong. Mouses won't just suddenly disappear. We won't wake up one day and they will be gone. No. It will be a slow decline. It's already started. Mouses are fading away and we don't even realize it. My laptop doesn't even have a mouse right now as I type this.

I'm not sure I'm exactly thrilled about this. I mean, I'm all for new technology but I really do like using a mouse for certain projects or when I'm sitting at my desk. Maybe I'll go stock up on mouses just in case.

Health: Repairing Heart Attack Damages

I went to the ER one night with severe pain in my lower back. I was there for five hours standing in one place because I couldn't sit, lay down, or even walk very much. It was horrible, and the ER didn't do anything but give me shots of morphine (which don't work on me). The only thing that kept me sane as the pain was trying to engulf me was the crazy man in the bed across from me. 

They kept trying to shut the curtain so he wouldn't bother me, but he became more of a comic relief then a bother. He had just suffered a mild heart attack, but that didn't stop him from pissing off the nurses. He kept taking off the top of the gown and complaining that his chest hurt. The nurses would tell him he just had a heart attack then make him put the gown back on. He would wink at me then hit the call button after they left so that they would come back. He would ask for a pain killer, but he wasn't allowed one because he had a stress test scheduled for the morning. At one point, a nurse pulled out his call button, or at least that's what I saw. She claimed otherwise. He kept me laughing the whole night, even pressing the call button after I plugged it back in so that he could ask the nurse to do something for my pain.

He was a very nice guy, and I hope that where ever he is that he is well. 

A team of scientists from the University of California, San Diego have developed a hydrogel that could provide the structure needed for a post-heart attack heart to regrow new heart cells. The bonus, no surgery. The new hydrogel made out of muscle cells of liquid cardiac connective tissue can be injected into the heart. The gel could be injected with a catheter, so forget the surgery. Who needs it when people keep coming up with new breakthroughs like this one?

Want to know more? Watch the video above or check out this article.

Tech Decline: Cameras and Camcorders

My first camera was a little plastic Polaroid camera that spit out the picture with pink and purple tabs on each side. I loved it. My mom hated it though because the film strips were so expensive. It's hard to imagine but cameras and camcorders are already starting to dwindle. 

Think about it. Do you have a camera phone? A smartphone? How often do you pull out your camera and take pictures on your phone instead of pulling out that trusty camera? Do you record videos with those smartphones? I know I do. Just this month I've taken four videos and 150 photos on my iPhone. I can't remember the last time that I used my camera.

Companies are already beginning to feel the consumer decline of camera and camcorders. Smartphones are always with us where as we usually only use our cameras and camcorders when there is an event or special occasion. 

DSLRs and micro four-thirds cameras will stay with us, but in a few years, perhaps even a decade, most of us won't own our own camera anymore. 

Health: Blood Vessel Growth

A team of scientists at the University of Austin have discovered a new method that can enhance the regrowth of blood vessels in the body. The new method is surgery free and it uses lipid-based nanoparticles that promote cell division creating new cells faster. 

Rat's leg before on the left and then after treatment on the right

A test was done with a growth factor called FGF-2. The test subjects recovered in as little as a week. This new testing will be revolutionizing for those with MID or other medical problems that affect blood flow to the limbs.

Want to read more? Here's an article about it.