sinks

As a product category, CPU cooling hardware tends to offer few worthwhile developments, but a new heat sink concept from Sandia National Laboratories seems to offer tremendous promise for computers, as well as cooling appliances. Designed by researcher Jeffrey Koplow, the new "Sandia Cooler" does away with a separate fan component, and instead relies on the heat sink itself to disperse heated air.

If you're familiar with traditional CPU heat sink designs, they usually feature a metal heat sink and a fan working in concert to siphon off the heat generated by CPU, graphics chips, and other computer parts that draw, and therefore emit, energy. The problem with that design is what's called the boundary layer of air that hugs the heat sink. That boundary layer retains heat, which the fan is then supposed to disperse. Because of the power necessary to drive the fan, as well as the fan's proximity to the boundary layer, that design is inefficient. The Sandia Cooler eliminates the fan, replacing it with a finned heat sink that can disperse the boundary layer far more efficiently since the two are in closer contact.… Read more

Think the sink is the last thing in the kitchen that can do with an upgrade? Think again. This electronically controlled kitchen sink is a Dornbracht product study, and doesn't look to be presently available, but that may change soon. Shown at the recent Living Kitchen 2011 trade show in Germany, the kitchen sink features push-button operation that could represent a change in how the kitchen sink is perceived.

Just as with a standard sink, water flow and temperature are easily controlled. The series of buttons expands on that by adding additional features. One of the buttons triggers the … Read more

A hands-free faucet is a great way to improve your kitchen efficiency, conserve water, and prevent the spread of germs. Tearing up that kitchen for a costly renovation? Not so great. For a digital boost that won't break your wallet, consider Toto's Wi-Touch. This wireless remote can be placed anywhere--at foot, knee, or elbow height --within 3 feet of the control box, which you can install yourself in under an hour. It's compatible with virtually all standard manual faucets, both with and without pullout sprays.

The remote costs about $300 and needs four AA batteries for the … Read more

One of the first applications built to find and remove malware and spyware, Ad-Aware's reputation is well-justified. The latest version continues the publisher's tradition of adroitly addressing user concerns, but flaws remain.

Building on the improvements made in version 8, former Ad-Aware users should be glad to hear that the program installs faster than before. This version of Ad-Aware offers two new features to users of the free version that had previously been restricted to the paid upgrades: antivirus protection, and a long-awaited scheduler. The AV protection comes courtesy Sunbelt, makers of Vipre. Ad-Aware 8.3 loads faster … Read more

Summertime means vacation, and for some folks, that means camping. I'm told that getting in touch with nature makes for a fantastic experience. I wouldn't know--I'm a hotel kind of girl, myself--but my daughters assure me that camping out leads to bonding, exciting adventures, and happy times. Those meals around the campfire, however, can generate a lot of trash if you're using paper goods, and many dirty dishes if you're not.

Apparently, nature does not provide sinks, but the good folks at Kelty make a kitchen sink you can take with you. The PVC-free kitchen … Read more

I certainly don't go out of my way to buy hand-washable clothing, but there are those items you don't want to just toss into the machine. For those special garments, the laundry room sink doesn't always get the job done properly: either you soak the item and don't get it thoroughly clean, or you scrub it by hand and risk damaging it.

The Jentle Jet sink from MTI Whirlpools provides a new solution: three micro-jets that let you properly clean delicate hand-washables. Only jetted water touches the garments, and you can regulate the speed from a … Read more

Titanic Rescue is a simple, cartoonish, quick-to-play arcade game in which you rescue dapper little gentlemen from a sinking ship.

The touch-based interface is both fun and challenging: you can touch and "flick" passengers off the ship (hopefully in a helpful trajectory) and you rescue the passengers by sliding a row of lifeboats (and, later, life preservers) underneath the falling passengers. The gameplay is quick, intuitive, and challenging, as you switch back and forth between flicking dudes and maneuvering boats. Passengers will bounce off of boats and full life preservers (although more than three will sink a boat), … Read more

One of the first applications built to find and remove malware and spyware, Ad-Aware's reputation is well-justified. The latest version continues the publisher's tradition of adroitly addressing user concerns, but isn't yet perfect.

Building on the improvements made in version 8, former Ad-Aware users should be glad to hear that the program installs faster than it used to. Without a doubt, though, this version of Ad-Aware improves greatly on what has come before. It loads faster during your boot cycle, and scans are faster. Empirical tests noted that while the Quick Scan finished in less than 10 … Read more

Most of the time, you get everything BUT the kitchen sink. But being that we're the Gadgettes, we've decided you deserve a little something extra. So we decided to give you a kitchen sink too.

Misting kitchen sink

Water Lounge Offers Relaxing Stink Control

Gorenje unveils new generation of kitchen appliances at IFA 2009 (thanks Karl!)

Rhapsody approved for iphone

USB Posture Alert Reminder will set you on the straight and narrow

Fug Hoof shoes (thanks Sparkman!)

Why Didn’t … Read more