Garden Gadgets
If you enjoy spending time outside in the garden you’ll enjoy it even more if it’s full of gadgets. This section of CG is dedicated to gadgets that wouldn’t look out of place in any technology loving geeks outdoor room.
Swimmer’s Treadmill burns those calories with as little space as possible
One of the inconveniences of modern times would be the lack of living space for the average person simply because nobody makes new land anymore – unless you are reclaiming it, of course, which is “cheating”. Not only that, property prices do not seem to get lower each year, but on average, they tend to hold and go north – unless there is a really bad recession, of course. Having said that, not everyone is able to afford a home with a swimming pool, so this is where the $1,400 Swimmer’s Treadmill comes in handy.
Such a swimming pool is basically the translation of a regular treadmill, except that you will be swimming laps in a stationary position. Sounds like some sort of sorcery, but actually, this 65′ square pool is small enough to be set up in garages, backyards, and even basements. A harness will wrap around your waist, as long as it is no smaller than 22″ and you do not have love handles that send the measuring tape more than 42″. A flexible elastic tether will also be part of the set up that suspends swimmers in the water, delivering different levels of resistance. For example, stronger strokes and kicks will yield additional resistance. Even better news is this – there is no need for any special tools, plumbing, or electrical work to get it installed, where all you need to do is fill up the 4.5-feet high pool with 1,500 gallons of fresh, chlorinated, or saltwater. It is about time you start burning those fats accumulated during the holiday season, of course, to get in shape for Valentine’s Day.
Subzero Warm Breath Balaclava
I don’t know about you, but seeing this $79.95 Subzero Warm Breath Balaclava just makes me want to shout, “Mortal Kombatttt!!!” and firing up the iconic soundtrack while I start practising my Fatality moves as Subzero, the undead ninja in the beat ‘em up. Don a yellow suit and you have the license to “Get over here!”, while putting on a green suit and you end up being another speechless ninja known as Reptile. Too bad the Subzero Warm Breath Balaclava has no references to the classic violent video game, but rather, it is meant to facilitate comfortable breathing by humidifying and warming up the winter air.
A special ventilation chamber will sit within the integrated mask, letting you inhale full, unhindered breaths while trapping a small amount of heated, humid exhalation. As a result, you will be able to enjoy a comfortable, fully oxygenated “microclimate” inside the mask, where it will boast humidity of up to 80% higher as well as temperatures up to 60° F warmer compared to the chilly air on the outside. One size fits all, or so the product description says – hopefully that’s true for Bruce Banner.
Zipfy Sledge helps you scoot over the snow
For those of us who live in areas where there is plenty of snowfall, surely having your own sled is a fun way of burning some calories, in addition to obtaining a thrilling ride for free thanks to the bounty of nature. Well, you might want to color your Christmas this year with the £44.99 Zipfy Sledge that will come in a variety of shades – blue, green, red and pink. Being smaller, lighter and infinitely more manoeuvrable compared to your standard plastic toboggan, this is one colorful sled which can be enjoyed by the entire family – simultaneously, to boot! All you need to do is lug it over your shoulder, go up the slope (the steeper the better), sit with a leg on either side of the black handle and give yourself a nice push to launch away.
You would find yourself careering down the hill in no time, seeing your adrenaline levels rise up by a considerable amount, and hitting speeds which might just set the State Troopers down on you for breaking the speed limit. Anyone up for some clean fun this winter?
Waterball Cannons for some splashing fun
I know that summer is long gone, and with everyone wearing thick layers of clothing now to make sure they remain warm and insulated from the coming winter’s chill, here is a toy that you might just want to consider for next year’s watergun fight – the $39.95 Waterball Cannons. Yes sir, this particular cannon will not dispense pellets like a BB gun which sting from up close and personal, but instead, it will shoot out harmless water-saturated pellets.
The blasters will rely on non-toxic 1/16″ polymer pellets that are capable of swelling to 150% their original size when submerged in water for three hours. Each blaster’s hopper is capable of stashing away up to 75 different pellets, and these are loaded and fired one-at-a-time through the simple pulling back and releasing of its spring-loaded bolt carrier. With a range of up to 50′ away, it will ‘detonate’ upon contact unlike some water balloons.
Water Cannon for next summer
I guess if you happen to live in the southern hemisphere, then this £29.99 Water Cannon would definitely be your cup of tea – after all, for folks who are living in areas where the cold chill of winter is setting in, you might not want to run around outdoors soaking wet lest you catch a chill that might last you through the upcoming holiday season. We know that there are super soakers which frankly, are great if you have impeccable aim, because you would naturally run out of ammunition real fast especially if you are trigger happy and are a poor shot. Still, that beats the usual water pistol that is pathetic by today’s standards, and this Water Cannon is definite the ace up your sleeve – all you need to do is mount it on a tripod, and it will be the first water gun in the world that is hooked up directly to your garden hose, now how about that?
You will never run out of ammunition with this puppy, and with a maximum range of 100 feet, you can be sure no one would dare come near your turf – after all, this is a case of defense being the best form of offense.
Arctic Force Snow Tracball
Yes, winter is coming to folks living in the northern hemisphere, and for those who stay in areas where there is snowfall, you can be sure that your kids as well as the others in the neighborhood are going to be excited at the prospect of snowball fights. Old school methods include using a pair of gloves that pack in as much snow as possible in a round ball, then using all of your strength to hurl that snowball at incoming opponents. Good thing modern technology has also stepped into the hallowed ground of snowball fights, as you can now have tools to extend your firing range (and velocity) in the form of the £7.99 Arctic Force Snow Tracball.
No longer do 5 or 6 good throws are all you are able to muster – with the Arctic Force Snow Tracball, this unique device will let you pack your own snowball in a matter of seconds, and hurling them at distances of up to 100 feet away without having to touch snow by itself. Interesting, no? It works as you shovel a little bit of snow into the Tracball’s curved scoop, where pulling up the orange handle will help compact all that snow into a perfect 6cm diameter snowball. When you see your victim in range, just whip the Tracball downwards and watch it fly through the air.
Arctic Force Snowball Blaster
For some of you living in the northern hemisphere, your favorite season is about to arrive soon – winter! And that would mean plenty of snow if you so happen to live in a place that has plenty of those, surely snowball fights are your specialty. You might have developed quite a mean throwing arm after years of practice, but there is nothing quite like having a tool to help you out in your attempt to outshoot your opponents, right? This is where the £24.99 Arctic Force Snowball Blaster comes in handy – it doesn’t hurt to get your preparations done early, right?
The Arctic Force Snowball Blaster works as advertised – thankfully. It is not only tough, but lightweight as well, being able to launch up to three snowballs simultaneously. Something tells me your ammunition line will have to work overtime to feed this puppy, but you can buy them that time if you’re an accurate shot – considering it can launch snowballs up to 80 feet away.
Click and Grow computerized plantpot
For the life of some of us, we can’t quite figure out how come we were born without green fingers, or if you’re a Smurf, you might say “blue fingers”. Well, if that is the case, you might want to give planting your crop of choice one last go after trying out all sorts of methods and devices – with the £49.99 Click and Grow computerized plantpot, of course. Where all else fails, why not take a more scientific and measured approach which might just work?
This is no ordinary plantpont, as it will not require you to water your plants or be involved in other forms of additional care. The seeds within are actually surrounded by internal sensors, while a microprocessor will work hard to figure out just what the plant needs and how much, using a specially written software. Even better is you need not purchase some top soil to get it all mucked up, but on the downside, that means earthworms won’t have a home.
All you need are a quartet of AA batteries, some water when required, and hopefully the plant inside will start to grow well enough without dying on you. With a status light to guide you (Green = ok, Blue = needs water, Red = replace batteries) on what to do, you won’t go wrong with the Click and Grow.
