Lifestyle

For today's lesson, boys and girls, we'll learn how to make energy consumption fun! Unlike boring grown-up devices like the "Intelliworks," which are about as interesting as a thermostat, Matsushita Electric's National brand has created an anime-driven home regulator that the whole family can enjoy, according to Akihabara News, at least in Japan.

And how can anyone resist a system that uses penguins to help improve household efficiency? (Certainly fellow Craver Caroline McCarthy couldn't.) Let the little guys loose on this animated interface and let the savings begin.

Are we the only ones who thought this was a ski rack? Never mind. Off the slopes, this is the latest in an ever-growing list of digital bathing controls or, as we prefer to call them, "showers for lazy people."

We will say, however, that the "Ondus" from Grohe definitely has the most unusual name we've come across. But ultimately, it's just a digitally controlled faucet that can pause the water TiVo-style and resume flowing at the previous temperature, as Gizmodo says.

The black finish is a definite plus, and we appreciate the Ondus … Read more

Now that we're all sufficiently terrified that global warming will turn Kansas City into a beach town, there's been a wave of technological efforts designed to put us on an energy diet. Likewise, a proliferation of gadgets have hit the market claiming to monitor our piggish ways, though most of them are fairly limited in scope.

But a device called the "Intelliworks" claims to act as a traffic cop for the entire household or workplace by controlling the total flow of electricity. While plugged into a regular wall socket, "it automatically optimizes the voltage and … Read more

It was only afew days ago that we hought we'd found the ultimate barbecue tool with the "Redi-Chek Remote Thermometer," which monitors your culinary feats wirelessly from up to 100 feet away while you watch TV. How wrong we were.

Oregon Scientific has weighed in with a wireless version of its own that monitors your steaks from a distance up to 330 feet so you can even see the game on the neighbor's new plasma. But here's the real kicker: It talks to you. The "Grill Right" thermometer can "verbally alert you&… Read more

We've seen a few blue-light devices that are supposed to help us sleep (and myriad other types designed to keep us awake), but this is the first one we've seen that looks like a Popsicle. That aside, we do find the blue glow rather soothing. But we're not so sure about this "Circadian" business--isn't that some kind of grasshopper?

Anyway, Discovery says the recalibration of the body's Circadian rhythm is key to the success of the "TwiLight Mini Ultra Blue Light Therapy Sleep System." Just turn it on 30 to 60 … Read more

Dim the lights, chill the Courvoisier, and blow the dust off that Asteroids cartridge. It's time to give your vintage video-game system the affection it deserves. What better way to show you really care than lighting up a romantic display of candles sitting in ceramic replicas of the Atari 2600 joystick. The design is by Mixko and was spotted at this week's New York ICFF showcase.

(via BoingBoing)

DLO has announced its new HomeDock Music Remote for the iPod. It's a wireless solution for controlling your iPod from anywhere in your house or apartment. Your iPod simply rests in a dock, which doubles as a charger, and is connected to your home stereo. With the included OLED remote, you can navigate through all of the artists on your iPod or even create a playlist of your own. Adding even more functionality to the dock, it's also equipped with a USB port, allowing you to sync your iPod with iTunes.

Like other remote-controlled players, the HomeDock uses … Read more

We're sure it happens to you all the time: When you're out for a weekend cruise on your 23-foot yacht, things can get so boring. There's only so much water one can take, after all.

So when you tire of plodding along at 55 miles per hour on your luxury Frauscher Lido, you can check your e-mail with the on-board system installed by Mii AG (no relation to the Wii so far as we know). The digital specialist, as Luxist describes it, has outfitted the Austrian-made vessel with a 15-inch display, a keyboard and a Bluetooth mouse, … Read more

Boating enthusiasts, like people in general, come in all types. Some crave speed, others want strength--and then there are those like us, who would just as soon have a boat that drove itself, out of sheer laziness.

That's why we think the "Sealegs" sounds like the perfect seagoing vehicle. Although it's described as "the world's most advanced amphibian," Gizmag says the inflatable boat is just as notable for its ease of use: "The Sealegs takes the entire process of launching and docking a boat out of the equation--just get in, drive … Read more