Lifestyle

If you're thinking at all about fulfilling those New Year's fitness resolutions, here's one less excuse to stay on the couch. The "Syncwear Fitness Tee" from Malachi has three strategically placed pockets: one for your Nano, one for your headphones and one for your keys, gym ID or other essentials, according to Chip Chic. It even has loops that you can thread your iPod wires through. The $34 shirt is made of the same anti-moisture polyester material found in other overpriced workout apparel--not the cheapest shirt, but if it helps keep you from having a … Read more

Next to the mythical Internet toaster, one of the most parodied digital appliances has been the wired refrigerator. But that's precisely what this item is about--a wireless one, actually--and it comes from a decidedly un-dot-com brand: Whirlpool.

Gearlog says the "Centralpark Connection" can control MP3 devices, DVD players, cell phones, digital photo albums and other gadgetry from a hub built into its door. Why the fridge? Because, as anyone in the housing industry will tell you, the kitchen has increasingly become the focal point for entertaining and family gathering alike, especially in newer homes. That means you, … Read more

A few months ago, we showcased a YouTube trend of videos that feature cats on treadmills. Well, apparently, treadmills just aren't good enough. The latest cat-gadget videos involve getting the little fellas wet.

Check out this one, for example, of a guy with way too much time on his hands who BUILT A SCUBA SUIT FOR HIS CAT. I am not kidding. On an unrelated note, that is the fattest cat I've ever seen:

And, in the "is this funny or sad?" department, here is the link to a video from a pet store that installed … Read more

Leave it to the Aussies to create wearable technology for all seasons. Most of the wired clothing we've seen has been more appropriate for cooler climes (and looking pretty dorky at times). But summer will be here before we know it, and we don't have a thing to wear.

Koyono, a company from the land Down Under, is catering to the beach set with its "BlackCoat" short-sleeved shirt-jacket. Koyono's Web site doesn't detail the technical specs for its latest offering, but we assume it'll use the same technology as its heavier coats, which … Read more

Awhile back we ran an item on a pair of camera binoculars that generated a fair amount of interest. In particular, some eagle-eyed readers noticed discrepancies in the specs from Gadget Universe, which led to confusion over its claims that the device had a 5-megapixel camera. Now, the Discovery Channel Store has a similar gadget that also lists a 5-megapixel camera combined with a pair of high-performance binoculars.

There are some resemblances in the designs of the two devices, but we're not sure if they come from the same manufacturer. (How many variations can there be in camera-binocular combos, … Read more

No matter where we travel, stateside or otherwise, we seem to exude tourist nerdism--which means we're an easy mark for pickpockets and con artists. So even after resorting to dorky money belts and the like, we could still use all the help we can get.

That's why we're so grateful to Tokyomango for pointing out this counterfeit bill detector, which uses ultraviolet rays to scan paper currency for authentication. It was introduced in Japan for that country's universally known camera-toting tourists, but we see no reason the technology should be limited to any particular population. If … Read more

If the term "Apple fanboy" were in the dictionary, a line drawing of Jeremy Mehrle could well appear beside it. Chip Chick says the St. Louis resident has 74 Macs on display, including 30 that adorn the bar pictured here. "His collection contains 18 different CRT-based iMacs, a Next Cube, four different Apple II computers, and a 20th a Anniversary Mac," she says, citing MacLife Magazine as her source. It's even more impressive when you see the photos of the rest of the abode, which can be found on Flickr.

Sometimes we have our issues with, well, fitting in. No, this is not a statement about the confidence levels of gadget freaks, gamers, or nerds--everyone has their junior-high moments. Artist Alice Wang has a new project entitled "Peer Pressure," which consists of a set of gadgets that have been modified to make make cute, humorous, and even provocative statements about how we're all overly concerned about what others think of us (some of us more than others).

Wang's project, which I read about on design blog Notcot, consists of a set of tweaked tech tools that … Read more

With competing high-definition DVD standards HD DVD and Blu-ray, a clear line has been drawn in the sand. Major technology companies are beginning to line up with their support for one side or the other. But it won't necessarily be the Sonys or Microsofts of the world that determine the winner in this standards war. In the end, it may come down to an often overlooked technology influencer: the porn industry.

Adult film producers have a long history of being early adopters of new technology. When the porn industry pushed hard for VHS in the 1980s, Sony took a … Read more