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Kick back in your rocking chair. Relax. Knit some booties for your basset hound. Blast some AC/DC through built-in speakers and recharge your iPad at the same time. You have an iRock, an iPhone and iPad-charging rocking chair.

Though it's still listed as being under development, a lot of details are already available for the iRock. It comes in five colors ranging from white to bright red. It is made from Swedish pine. It has a very classic shape. There's no attempt at making the rocking chair look like it was built by Apple's design team. That's pretty refreshing.… Read more

Lightbulbs. Simple, cheap, and easy to replace, right? Not anymore! Philips is dragging the humble bulb into the future with its "Hue" technology -- wirelessly controlled light orbs that give you complete control over the lighting in your house.

The Hue bulbs look like ordinary lightbulbs, and screw into light sockets as normal. Inside each bulb, however, is a wireless transmitter that communicates with a hub you plug into the back of your router.

Once connected, you can use a Web site or download an app (the iOS version is out now -- there's no sight of an Android version, though Gizmodo reports it's coming in December), then use the wonderful power of the Internet to fiddle with the lights in your home. … Read more

You may have had a cool treehouse as a kid, but would you want to spend more than five minutes in it today? Well, try spending the night in this deluxe pod that hangs from the branches.

The Cocoon Tree is a spherical tent formed by 24 aluminum rods. It hangs from polyester ropes tied to trunks and branches, and has a net below for access and safety.

The tent weighs about 130 pounds without anyone in it. The structure itself can support more than 2 tons. The ropes can bear loads of 1.6 tons, and there are six … Read more

Stained glass is usually associated with Sunday mornings, proper attitudes, and at least a hint of guilt.

If you happen to worship at the altar of Marvel, though, Etsy seller MartianGlassWorks has the perfect accessory for your alternative cathedral: a 47-inch tall Iron Man stained glass window -- just one of a collection of brilliantly rendered, geeky glass creations.

The Iron Man window, which apparently took over 100 hours to construct, uses 334 pieces of glass in 11 different colors. It will set you back $4,500 to possess this artistic wonder, but that's much less than an actual, working Iron Man suit.… Read more

The launch of Windows 8 also brings an opportunity for PC makers to release third-party peripherals that complement the push for touch sensitivity. If you're planning to purchase tablet, laptop, desktop, or some combination of the three, these accessories let you get hands-on with your new computer, because let's face it -- a touch-based device is only as good as the accessories available for it.

Many of the devices in this list already have reviews, but we'll continue to add products as they emerge. Head here for a comprehensive list of every major computer launching with Windows 8 or RT.… Read more

Last time I stayed at an Ibis hotel, I had a good experience. Quick service, decent decor, and a great location in central Busan, South Korea. Sadly, it lacked a robot.

The international chain is making up for this shortcoming by offering something no guest can do without: a robot that paints your sleep patterns.

In a decidedly wacky PR stunt being held in Paris, Berlin, and London, Ibis commissioned a robot arm to turn select guests' sleep data into painted canvases.

The Sleep Art project involves an ABB industrial robot and a special mattress equipped with 80 sensors. … Read more

We know "Star Wars" fans love to pamper their pets in the form of Wampug costumes and massive AT-AT cat condos. There's a new entry into the genre: an All Terrain Scout Transport cat playhouse.

Buffy is the name of the lucky feline to benefit from an owner with some woodworking skills and an incurable case of fandom. The bipedal walker model is crafted from scraps left over from a home renovation and took four weekends to complete.… Read more

Apparently, people-shaped pillows for lonely folks have been around for a while, but I just found out about this particular variation. I could really use a hug right now, so here goes.

Some women dream of the perfect man. He listens without interrupting. He wraps his arms around your shoulder while you sob at Tasha Yar's demise during a "Star Trek" rerun. Does such a man really exist? Sort of. Your dreamboat may be the $34.95 Boyfriend Pillow.

The pillow is half of a headless torso with one arm reaching out from the body. I know that sounds like a description from "The Walking Dead." It wears a blue shirt and won't judge you for watching chick flicks or "Prometheus."… Read more

Normally I try to provide thoughtful commentary in the Common Sense Tech column, with solutions to problems that I raise when I can find them. But indulge me in rant. Because, once again, I've had it with printers.

I hate printers. They never seem to work. I don't care the model. I don't care the operating system talking to them. I don't care if it's printing through wireless or USB. Printers don't work.

I print far less than I ever used to, but the odd occasion still comes up requiring it. Often it's that there's some form that requires an actual physical signature be written on it, because some bank, government agency, or other bureaucracy is still operating in the paper age.

With a sigh, I push print and hope that the form actually comes out of the printer. Sometimes it does, which leaves me in dread of the next step -- will I be able to scan it with my signature, in order to e-mail it back. Or worse, can I get the fax to work, if that's the only way to send it? Where's my phone cord again?… Read more