drinking

Did you know that my birthday is less than a week from now on March 17? That's also St. Patrick's Day, which everyone celebrates by going out and getting wasted. I'll admit it, that's exactly my plan for my birthday/St. Pat's.

The smart people at Geek Squad, knowing it's my birthday (because I've collaborated with a PR person there in the past), sent me this wonderful cell phone recovery kit in the off chance I drunkenly drop my phone into my beer, a toilet, or, more likely, Puget Sound. It wouldn't be the first time.

What's in the kit, you ask? Everything you need to attempt to resurrect a dunked cell phone. And what better way to show it off than with a series of unboxing pics? Because for some reason people who read tech blogs love unboxing pics.

First off we've got a generously sized Tupperware container that can also be used for storage of last night's leftover lasagna. Inside we see a handy card that features the seven key steps for saving a waterlogged handset: … Read more

Appreciate androids with a taste for technology tipples? BarBot 2010 may be just the event for you.

A dozen drink-making droids served up their mixology skills this week, pouring cocktails for booze-hungry hackers at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco. BarBot 2010, the third event of its kind to celebrate robots and cocktail culture, is the place to get perfectly mixed drinks from well-oiled machines. Watch as these robots use automated algorithms to serve up White Russians, cosmopolitans, and shots of whiskey with a bit of futuristic flare.

The event was put on by the same folks behind the RoboGames, … Read more

There are many theories as to why some Brits like to drink many pints of beer, smash the glasses, and then jab the jagged edges into each other's faces.

Some blame "glassing" on the disappearance of the Colonial Empire. Some point to the limited licensing hours, which have traditionally encouraged little Englanders to down 10 pints in three hours, until their legs have left them for another paradigm. But what has always been clear is that beer glasses made from glass have led far too often to glass eyes.

Now, however, scientists have discovered a way to … Read more

The Exploratorium, a hands-on science museum in San Francisco, opened its doors after-hours on Wednesday to give people the chance to learn a little more about the beverages they throw back during a night on the town.

The Science of Cocktails event featured bartenders from several drinking establishments in the city by the bay. Attendees were treated to experimental cocktails that take advantage of the chemical and physical characteristics of their ingredients, demonstrations of the physics that make bar tricks work, the debunking of myths about absinthe, and scientific explanations for the dreaded hangover.

Watch this audio slideshow to hear … Read more

It seems as if powdered sports drinks and supplements are becoming more and more common. But mixing them up doesn't always end with a tasty drink: they're hard to dissolve entirely in liquid and can leave grit at the bottom of the glass. The Sports Drink Mixer makes those drinks easier to get down. It quickly mixes and dissolves any sports powders. It's not too different from mixing up your drinks on your own: you measure the liquid and the powder into the glass and fasten on the lid. From there, you push a button and the … Read more

You will, no doubt, be plagued this holiday season by real-time conversations from real-time annoyances who claim to be members of your family. You will, therefore, be tempted to indulge in some excessive real-time drinking that might, just might, affect your sense of, well, the real time, the real place, even the real country you are inhabiting.

However, you will, I hope, be delighted that some very enterprising people have considered your plight and decided to offer you the latest hangover cures in real time. All you need to do is to have your smartest phone about your person at … Read more

No party is complete without ice cubes. To further that thought, no Halloween party is complete without pumpkins and spooky lights. Luckily, Halloween is the holiday with the best gadgets. Lawns are decorated with frightening images that scream at you when you walk by and costumes feature everything from glowing lights to voice-changing speakers. But it's the little things that make Halloween gadgets unique, and little details that make your get-together special.

The illuminated pumpkin ice cubes aren't necessarily very scary, but they certainly scream Halloween. Sold in a set of three, the battery-powered drink coolers are made … Read more

The Euro-Pro Ninja Master Prep is like having a blender, a food processor, and a drink maker all in one set. By attaching it to its accompanying 48-ounce pitcher, you can blend up a batch of milkshakes, smoothies or margaritas--it uses a QuadBlade system that even makes it easy to make snow cones in the pitcher. The Ninja Master Prep also comes with a two-cup container, which is just the right size for whipping up a quick batch of salsa. The set also includes a storage lid that makes it easy to stick leftover appetizers and drinks in the refrigerator … Read more

I know many of you think we bloggers are pimple-faced, bloated nerds who live in our mother's basement and survive on Fritos and Mountain Dew. While that is certainly true for some of us (Hi, Devin!), it's not the case for all of us. In fact, many tech bloggers, myself included, are socially well-behaved people. Who drink beer. A lot of beer.

And sometimes we have occasion to swap our T-shirts for button-downs and ties. But as geeks, we prefer that everything, including clothing, has a utilitarian angle. Thus, the After Office Tie by Argentinian design house Sinapsis.

It's a regular black tie for wearing to conventions, meetings, interviews, parole hearings, and other things bloggers need to attend. But unbutton your jacket and you see the magic: a bottle opener integrated into the tip of the tie. Imagine, no more church keys taking up precious room on your key ring where an eighth USB drive could be clipped!

Sadly, the After Office Tie--an entrant to a Designboom competition whose winner will be announced October 4--is just a concept at this point. Until then, we can wear the ThinkGeek Power Tie. Also, more photos of this handsome be-mulleted man after the jump.… Read more