Some people know this, some people don’t, but standard rechargeable NiMHs self-discharge, constantly losing energy (even when not in use), so people often end up with powerless cameras at weddings or powerless radios or flashlights in survival situations. I’ve found it’s quite possible for the energy in them to have halved after a month or two, and with some older cells I have, the dive can be much faster. Although Eneloops have a quoted total charge capacity that can be smaller than the best premium NiMHs, they lose their charge at a much lower rate – the company says as little as only 15% a year — because of their design. They’re also Cadmium-free, which is supposed to better for the environment.

I guess it’s probably time for me to pick up some Eneloop batteries from the local store for the Wii I have sitting around.

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This solar light is pretty neat.  I’m always a sucker for solar powered anything.  I guess it still amazes me that we can harness the power of the sun.

From Cool Tools:

I’ve used these solar LED lights for reading at night for over a year. There are three models and I have one of each — the Heavy Duty Compact model, the Compact model and the Mini, which I attach with Velcro to my backpack and then to my bike helmet when I need it for night riding. On full brightness, the Mini lasts 12 hours (recharge time is advertised as 7 hours).The Heavy Duty charges completely in 10 hours and, at full brightness, gives 12+ hours of light, while the Compact charges completely in 6 hours and, at full brightness, gives 12+ hours of light.

Very Cool!

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If I had children…I don’t think I would give them one of  these.  They look terrifying in a Flying Monkey sort of way.  I think it’s the big dark eyes that do it.

Contrary to their names, these 5.7-inch Happy Monkey radios do not make me happy. I mean, look at them. They’ve got rubber posable arms, antennae sticking out of their heads, speakers built into their bellies, and vacant eyes that double as scan and reset buttons. Yeah, you can’t tell me that something whose eyes you need to push in isn’t scary.

So strange…

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This is one of those things that make you say…”Why didn’t I think of that!?!?”. It’s such a simple idea, yet such a good one. Too bad I would never remember to throw the little disc on them…

From Cool Tools:

The Sock Pro is a little rubber disc perforated in the center to allow the toes of a pair of socks to be slipped through its center. The perforations hold the socks together through laundry and drying, and they keep socks paired in the dresser drawer. I’ve been using these thingies about a year and half and they really save me time and annoyance at the laundromat. For those with families, you can buy them in different colors and assign one color to each family member.

Prett cool..well…for a sock accessory.
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I am definitely going to check this out.  What a cool idea for a documentary.

From Cool Tools:

This documentary is a wonderful testament to what can happen when bright folks from different disciplines get together to make stuff. In 1966, 30 engineers from Bell Labs collaborated with a number of modern artists in New York to create a series of pieces/experiments. Open Score by Robert Rauschenberg, the first release in a 10-part DVD series on these pieces, captures what is essentially a high-tech indoor tennis match. Two players rallied with racquets wired with FM transmitters that amplified each stroke. As the lights in the room dimmed, the whole event coalesced into a participatory, multi-media “happening.” Since engineers reappropriated infrared lenses — primarily a military tool back then — the artists were able to film and project shots of the crowd.

Too bad there aren’t more of these think tanks that create these crazy ideas!

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There have been a couple TomTom DUO images drifting through blogs in the past few days, but some more information has floated to the surface. It appears the TomTom DUO will have the ability to share a dock with an iPod. This will allow the DUO to completely control the iPod from the touchscreen navigation interface. The dock will also include bluetooth for hands free calling functions, as well as an FM transmitter to create a wireless link between the dock and your radio. Still no word on pricing or availability of the DUO.

Link

ZoneAlarm, typically known for it’s security based applications, has announced it’s own router, aptly titled, Wireless Z100G. It will be a WPA2 (802.11) based router sporting IPSec encryption, and Super-G speeds. It will include a built-in firewall (most routers do), and antivirus protection.

Fossil has announced they will be selling a new watch that has caller ID build in. It will currently sync up with Sony Ericsson mobile phones through the Bluetooth interface.

The watch will include a 96-by-16 pixel OLED screen.

Too bad the watches only work with Sony Ericsson phones.

The watch is expected to sell at $199.

Check out the article here.

This image should speak for itself:

This thing is amazing. It is actually for sale, and can be bought at a hefty price of $395.00.

These are the features:

This beauty is a fully funcitonal machine gun with TWELVE rotating barrels and a live action trigger. Loads 12 bands per barrel for a whopping 144 rubber bands that shoot off as fast as you can turn the handle! Great fun for kids of all ages. MORE than just an amazing machine, this is a true work of art.

It can be purchased here.

This is pretty neat. It is a radio that doesn’t even need a true crystal. It is such an old design, and does work.

The trouble with such a simple receiver (no variable capacitor) is that there is little selectivity and the listener is bombarded by 2 or more stations at once – a mixing of all of the signals within a range of frequencies. To fix it would add complexity, but it’s not hard to do.

For my antenna, I just have an 8′ wire tacked up to the wall. For my ground, I have an 8′ wire precariously plugged into the ground on an electrical outlet (I wouldn’t recommend it, but it does work).

Here is the How To on making your own.