(Credit:
Branz.org)
Like most social-networking sites, Twitter isn't immune to lurkers, fakes, and creeps. The 404 Twitter account received over 600 followers in the last 24 hours, which leads us to believe that we're either becoming wildly popular or more likely, the new adds are demonized accounts; in other words, people that had their accounts taken over by a spam bot. This has to stop, Biz--stop teasing our egos!
In other ridiculous news, the CBS video print ad we picked apart in Episode 411 is fetching up to $400 on eBay--what the what? If we'd known that prices would skyrocket on the black market, we would have ganked a few more copies from our parent company, CBS! This is a great example of how you can buy practically anything online, including an 800 thread count Egyptian Cotton duvet cover or a set of custom-made Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle drapes from your humble host's childhood...don't ask, just watch the show.
After the break, we get to a few Calls From the Public, including one from a caller all the way in the Caribbean! We also run down the 20 best cartoons from the 1990s, but they forgot about the X-Men cartoon! And where is "Teenage Mutant Ninja Frickin Turtles?!" Take a look at the list and let us know your favorites!
EPISODE 431
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(Credit:
Uncommon Goods)
I still plan on living out my childhood ninja fantasies: jumping across thatched straw rooftops, stealing precious family heirlooms in the middle of the night, throwing pointy stars, and honoring my giant rat sensei by ridding the world of mutated rhinos and warthogs. And now I won't have to worry about getting wet in the process.
The handle to this Ninja Umbrella resembles the old samurai katanas of yore, replete with a crossed grip hilt and a cloth scabbard that you can swing across your back when the sun comes out. The umbrella section expands to a 3-foot-long canopy, and you can buy it here for $30. Do yourself a favor and don't read the description on there that claims ninjas do karate--everyone knows that NINJAS do NINJITSU. Duh.
(Credit:
eBay)
This guitar mania has gone far enough. Not only is it creating practically every accessory imaginable for Guitar Hero and Rock Band, but it's apparently encouraging all manner of offshoots as well, real or virtual.
This "Quadruple-Neck Guitar" may not owe its origins to the current craze, but the trend probably didn't hurt the demand for it on eBay. We just have one question: What human play this thing? Dvice says it requires "proficiency in the intricacies of playing a bluegrass band full of real instruments," not to mention extraordinary manual dexterity to negotiate four necks.
Perhaps it's not for four-limbed individuals at all, but the latest example of another trend we've noticed--music gear for mutants.
(Credit:
Samsung)
There's something about Korean manufacturers that apparently makes them want to experiment with monitors as if they were lab rats. A company called Woojin, for example, saw fit to grow a small screen out of the top of a full-size LCD last year. Now Samsung, which also has already shown a penchant for Frankenstein projects, has grafted a second screen onto the side of one of its displays.
Why? No idea. Coolest-Gadgets speculates that artists and others might want to reserve all 22 inches of the Samsung SyncMaster 2263DX's main screen while leaving lesser functions to the 7-inch sidekick protruding from its right side. Depending on your needs, it's either a bargain or a waste for $550: Yes, you could easily buy two monitors for that price, but it's also a space saving double screen in one. Or, to be more accurate, maybe 1.3 screens.
(Credit:
Mattel)
With an endless stream of remote-controlled toys on the market, it's hard to get excited about yet another entry to the fray. But the "Tri-Clops Mutant" is different, and not just because it's got a great name.
The features alone make it worth the $100 price in our opinion--pincer claws, laser targeting and a disc-firing cannon--but what makes this three-wheeled monster unique is its omindirectional movement, which gives it exceptional abilities to maneuver around obstacles and opponents alike. Manufacturer Tyco calls it "a blend of robotic and organic styling." We call the first item on our holiday wish list.
The perfect tool for mixing that Deanna Troi tribute album you've been working on.
(Credit: Jazz Mutant)Before Apple came along and integrated multitouch-screen technology into the iPhone, one of the first companies to weave multitouch into a commercial product was a boutique music controller company named JazzMutant. Their first product, the Lemur, was an extremely niche (and pricey) product that allowed musicians to use the Lemur's suite of touch-screen tools to play and tweak their music. You know its cool if Bjork takes it out on tour.
Dexter, JazzMutant's latest product, promises to bring multitouch technology to a wider audience. Released just a few days ago, Dexter is aimed at recording studio engineers and music remixers looking for a unique, and hopefully more efficient replacement for a mixing board. If the demo video is any indication, at least it bestows onto its user the design appeal of a Star Trek: TNG control panel. Price looks to be around $3,600. Ouch.
(Credit:
Gadget Lab)
The disturbing trend of technological mutation that has taken hold of the computer industry has apparently been extended to cameras. Case in point: the "120 Tri-lense Stereo Camera."
Why would anyone want or need three lenses, especially in a camera that uses film? According to Gadget Lab, China-based 3D World claims that its camera can produce two slides that "combine to produce an image that gives an illusion of three-dimensional depth." There's apparently a catch, though, as you need one of its viewers to make the whole thing work. But that's the best part, because Gadget Lab says one of them is coin operated!
(Credit:
CineMassive Displays)
The skepticism over the CineMassive's multi-screen displays was certainly understandable. Why, for example, would any company want to sell up to six LCDs connected on a single monitor stand? We thought it was weird to graft just two screens together.
But Gizmodo, which initially smelled Photoshop, now confirms that the company's crown-jewel "MasterPlex"--a 21-inch LCD surrounded by five 17-inch screens--is indeed real. All $3,300 of it. The real mystery, of course, is why anyone would want to buy it.
(Credit:
Woojin)
Remember those grotesque photos of that poor mouse with the human ear growing out of its back? We had successfully managed to suppress those memories for a decade until seeing, of all things, a new LCD.
The dual-screen monitor from Korean company Woojin, proudly dubbed the "Tenbuno," looks like the digital equivalent of a genetic mistake. It has a 19-inch LCD monitor (mouse) with an 8.4-inch screen grafted to its top edge (ear). It's supposed to facilitate multitasking, but we think it would probably just contribute to ADHD.
Technological convergence can be a good thing in measured doses. But as we've seen with other products, the never-ending quest to jam every known function into a single device can sometimes go too far. Besides, if you really must view more than one screen at the same time, you might as well go all the way and get these Siamese twins.
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