Crave

Mmmm... pizza.

(Credit: Stupidiotic)

Here's something that would be perfect for those long road trips. The Porta-Pizza Oven is a portable pizza-size oven that plugs into your car's 12-volt outlet. The oven features top-mounted heating elements, a high setting for cooking frozen pizzas, and a low setting for warming last night's leftovers or that loose slice you found in your back seat. Nice!

The unit features a fold-out carrying handle, but I'm quite tempted to permanently mod one of these into my glove compartment! I wonder if it features iPod connectivity...

(Source: Stupidiotic)

When you talk about car audio, you're usually discussing amplifiers, audio sources, and speakers. The harmonic qualities of your vehicle's tires usually don't come into play. That is, unless you're talking about Honda's Civic Musical Road in Lancaster, Calif.

The road was modified as part of an advertisement for Honda's Civic and is the latest in a series of musical roads around the world. Grooves were cut in the road in such a way that, when driven over at a certain speed, they cause the vehicle's tires to vibrate and play music. The song we're supposed to hear is a section of "The William Tell Overture," most commonly known as the theme song of The Lone Ranger and as chase music in Bugs Bunny cartoons.

The video above illustrates that it's a very poor rendition of "The William Tell Overture," but Honda insists the road was tuned to the tires and wheelbase of the Honda Civic, which may or may not explain why the song is so out of tune. If our ear for music is right, it also sounds like drivers need to be going much faster than the posted 55mph speed limit to get the octave and tempo right.

The road is due to be paved over Tuesday, due to complaints from neighboring homeowners who have to listen to the song being played so badly and repetitively by the many tourists the musical road has attracted.

Drivers interested in other singing roads should check out South Korea's Anyang Singing Road or Japan's Melody Road. We, on the other hand, will just stick to listening to our music through the vehicle's speakers.

(Credit: Gizoo)

From the moment I first got my driver's license, my parents were always willing to hand over their car keys. At some point I asked my mother why they were so laid back, when my other friends had to beg their parents just to drive the family minivan around the block. "Because I was sick of being a chauffeur," she replied.

I'll be honest: up until that point I hadn't thought about what a hassle it must have been to shuttle me to school, soccer practice, and band concerts--never mind the movies and friends' houses.

Don't let your kids be such ingrates with the Dad's Cab taxi meter. Just mount it to your dashboard with the included adhesive strips, then start racking up charges every time you drive your kids to the mall. Once they've arrived at their destination, hand the kids a "receipt" that details a method of payment: for example, "tidy your room" or "make dad a cup of tea." (In case you couldn't tell, the product is made in the U.K.)

Given today's exchange rate, Dad's Cab costs about 18 bucks--or, if you prefer, 4.5 gallons of gas.

Via Dvice

Pavlov would have been proud.

You've got your head down, diligently working on a big project (or schooling one of your Facebook pals on a word game). The world around you is a blur; you're in your own world. And then, the clock strikes 1, and you instinctively turn to get your reward.

Are you cuckoo for cacao?

(Credit: Firebox)

You, too, can set your internal clock to pause at hourly intervals with the help of the Chococlock. Every hour on the hour, this clock plays "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" and opens the tiny doors on its front to reveal a small chocolate treat.

And before you say, "Hey, wait a minute; what's to stop me from just eating chocolate whenever I want," keep in mind that this is a novelty clock. We know it's easier to just stash a Three Musketeers in your desk drawer and gnaw on it at opportune moments.

But if everyone in the office knows that you have a hoard of candy in your drawer, how long do you think it's going to stay there before it magically disappears?

This clock keeps your chocolate secure because only you (and, um, anyone who happens to read this) know there's a magic cheat button that lets you get a snack whenever you want. It's like a hamster feeder for people!

All this innovation comes for a price, however. It'll set you back about 40 bucks to become the envy of your office mates. Just try not to think about how many candy bars that much money would buy you.

The thing that worries me the most about this clever (if somewhat goofy) clock is that somewhere, someone is redesigning this to look like the back of a moose.

(Via OhGizmo!)

Vegetarians and animal lovers might want shield their eyes.

Produced by Traeger Pellet Grills, the Lil' Pig and Longhorn Steer are here to remind grill masters that what they are cooking was once in cute farm animal form. And yet, who can resist a novelty grill that boasts digital thermostat control, EZ-drain grease system, and 418 square inches of cooking space?

Yet cooks who aren't thrown by the campy eyelash-clad, smiling-animal grills, may be deterred by the price tag. Most wood pellet grills are expensive (ranging from $600 to $2,500) and the cow and the pig grills will cost $1,700, including shipping.

The grills could also make for a pretty lawn ornament, but the real upgrade would be if they could moo or oink when the meat's done.

(Via Uncrate)

(Credit: Traeger Pellet Grills)

(Credit: Traeger Pellet Grills)

(Credit: Archie McPhee)

The wait is (finally) over, as leading electronic-yodelling-item vendor Archie McPhee has just released its next-gen line of yodelware.

McPhee's latest product line targets budget- and high-end yodelling item buyers. Alas, those looking for mid-tier electronic yodelling solutions will have to wait a bit longer.

Here are the major announcements from McPhee, all of which are available immediately for purchase on McPhee.com.

Electronic Yodelling Pickle: McPhee's completely wireless entry-level solution, the Electronic Yodelling Pickle provides portable yodelling solutions to the mobile workforce. Though limited in its feature set, the $12.95 Yodelling Pickle boasts a sleek, lightweight frame, and an eye-catching green color scheme. A rarity for yodelware at this price, the unit also comes with batteries.

(Credit: Archie McPhee)

Remote Control, Hopping, Yodelling Lederhosen: A more immersive and interactive virtual yodelling experience, the Remote Control, Hopping, Yodelling Lederhosen uses cutting-edge infrared technology to let the user operate the base unit remotely. In a fashion-forward design touch, the revolutionary input device is shaped like a knockwurst. This is by all means the best option for the visually oriented, due to the animated user interface. The two-piece package is a bit cumbersome for road warriors and the mobile-minded, but it's the best yodelware option we've seen yet for those needing a fixed, at-home solution. At $19.95, the price tag may raise a few eyebrows, especially when you consider that AAA batteries are not included with the unit.

The bottom line: Yet again, McPhee has given the masses what they've been asking for, but little more. Notable omissions are the lack of Wi-Fi connectivity, nonexistent internal storage capacity, and no RF option for the Remote Control, Hopping, Yodelling Lederhosen, which would allow you to control the unit when it's in a closet, closed display case, or behind a wall. Still, the next generation of McPhee yodelware is here, and it's a nice step up from the analog Windup Hopping (non-yodelling) Lederhosen we've had to settle for over the past few months.

Nothing says class like a levitating photo of a graduate.

(Credit: Urban Junkie Ltd.)

Levitating TVs are nice, if a bit nerve-wracking. Levitating globes are great if you're planning world domination.

But what about in-home object levitation for the rest of us television-boycotting, non-geography-loving types?

It's not new, but the IFO 3000 fills in that gap nicely, offering desktop (actual desktop, not computer desktop) levitation for such items as picture frames, Mini Coopers, and alarm clocks. And, yes, globes. For good measure.

The IFO 3000 does not come with a wizard who makes objects levitate via witchcraft. Instead, magnetic fields are to blame for all the levitation action.

Again, it's nothing new, but I'm working around the clock to bring you all the levitation news, not just the latest. You're welcome.

[Via Chip Chick.]

Finally, a camera accessory that won't be doomed to rapid obsolescence: the Pez candy dispenser.

Attach a Pez dispenser to catch the attention of kids you're photographing.

(Credit: Federico Sartorio/Photo.Net)

Federico Sartorio recommends some basic modifications to the candy dispenser that will let it slip into the hot shoe atop your camera that otherwise would be used for attaching a flash. Use it to grab the attention of children you're trying to photograph--as long as you have plenty of available light.

Be warned that trimming the dispenser's "feet" could reduce its resale value on eBay.

(Via The Online Photographer.)

For those who like manually tuning in FM radio stations instead of using the automatic scanner, this stick-shift FM radio is the way to go.

According to Tokyomango's translation of the vendor site, you shift left and right to change stations and up and down to adjust the volume. You just throw it in park to turn off the unit.

The product page also shows a couple of output ports on the shifter radio, although it's hard to tell what they are. Ideally, one of them is an audio-out port, because I'd imagine the sounds coming out of this thing won't shake the room.

The radio costs 5,000 yen, or about $43.