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Talking to the Dolphins
The moment I heard of this next device, I couldn’t help but think of this old Far Side cartoon. It would appear that an acoustics engineer John Reed has been working on a way to actually translate dolphin squeaks.
Apparently, the technology used to decipher dolphin chatter is the same as the tech we use to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics. In all honesty, I didn’t know we had technology for that purpose.
The dolphin translator, called the Cymascope, has an odd set up. It uses a basin of water with a video camera, along with sand, brass plates, and a violin bow. When the dolphin sings, it records the input and analyzes it for common syntax patterns.
Eco Gadgets, Toys
Smart Animals Scanopedia
I’ve noticed that a lot of educational toys are always based on animals. I suppose that kids need to learn about animals before they learn that the real world has nothing to do with them.
Okay, that was cynical. Yeah, I know there are many careers available for those who have an interest in animals, and now parents have a way to develop their children’s interest in animals with the Discovery Channel’s Smart Animal Scanopedia.
The Scanopedia comes with a handheld scanner, a laminated sheet full of animals, and a plastic animal figure. When you scan the sheet or figure, the scanner tells you a lot of pertinent information like what the animal sounds like, as well as its habitat.
Audio/Video Gadgets, Miscellaneous Gadgets
Little Sleep Machine is a budget friendly sleep aid
When life gets too stressful, it seems like it always becomes far more difficult to sleep. You could pick up some pills to help you sleep at night, but that’s never a great alternative due to the side effects. Plus it can get expensive over time, especially for those without health insurance. According to the site, after only a few minutes it will begin to work you into a deep and restful sleep. It’d be a nice way to shut off your brain without investing in pricey pharmaceuticals.
Digital Cameras, PC Gadgets, USB Gadgets
Star Trek Webcam
Yesterday, we reported on the Spiderman Webcam, and it is only logical that someone would create a webcam based off Star Trek. The Star Trek webcam celebrates the spirit of one of the most beloved shows of all time, and it is an excellent way to make a buck.
The Star Trek Webcam is set up for 720p, and can mount on your desktop screen with a bendable gooseneck. Apparently, the webcam has a sticker underneath the insignia, and you can plug it in to a USB.
Plug and Play software should get the Enterprise-shaped cam working better than Scotty could, and the nacelles will light up when the camera is on. The nacelles are those red engine things on the spaceship, for those who are non-Trekkies.
Office Gadgets, PC Gadgets, USB Gadgets
The USB Apple Fan
A fan is really just a fan. It blows on you, the only extra that is useful that could possibly be added to a fan is a heating option. Beyond that nothing extra is really needed. Yet, you do need your gadgets to match your style and even your interests. So if you need a fan to blend in with cheesy USB gadgets, this is the one. That or this could be for teachers and Apple/apple fans. Although the fan doesn’t come in very Apple-like colors, meaning, it doesn’t com in white.
Audio/Video Gadgets
Hands on with SanDisk’s SlotRadio
The slotRadio is a simple device that comes ready to use with a microSD preloaded with 1,000 of hits selected from the Billboard charts themselves. The user can use from genres of Rock, Alternative, Country, R &B/Hip Hop, Contemporary, as well as Workout and Chillout.
If you don’t like any of the preloaded tunes, then you can just connect it to your computer and load up the tunes that you do like with drag and drop. So if you want an MP3 player, and don’t want to deal with the hassles of loading, or messing with iTunes, then you don’t have to. In short, this might be the perfect Portable Media Player (PMP) for those who are not in the iGeneration. That’s right, your mother or even your grandmother could use the SlotRadio.
Office Gadgets, PC Gadgets, USB Gadgets
The Marvel Spiderman Webcam
Webcams are a dime a dozen and if you can think up a theme, it likely already exists. For the Spiderman fanatics, there is this cool webcam. It’s an official Marvel product and gives plenty of geek references. Specifically Peter putting his camera in a sticky webbed mess so that he can take pictures of himself in costume. It even has a little film sticking out of the side of the camera showing some shots.
DIY Gadgets, Electronic Gadgets, Miscellaneous Gadgets
The Truth Wristband Kit
Do you remember the scene from Meet the Parents when Robert De Niro has Ben Stiller connected to a lie detector? In all honesty, I don’t see how you could not. After all, it was on the poster. I remember a certain line from that scene where De Niro tells Stiller: “You’d be quite surprised at how reliable [lie detectors] are”.
I always wondered how true that is, and if we really have perfected lie detecting technology. If so, why not just wear a lie detector on our wrist? This is the concept behind the Truth Wristband.
The Truth Wristband measures the user’s galvanic response to a question, and will go from blue to red which will reveal if the user is telling the truth.
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