(Credit:
Curiosite)
Are your easily distracted kids having trouble getting motivated to write that term paper? Why not chain them to their desks until they've done what they're supposed to do? It might sound a bit extreme, but hey, if you want your kids to get into Harvard, sometimes extremes are what it takes!
The Study Ball is a prison-style ball and 16.5-inch chain with a built-in, programmable timer. Select the desired duration of the study session and chain the ball to the ankle in question, and the steel manacle won't come off until the scheduled time is up. A red LED indicator shows progress by displaying the "Study Time Left." Sound like good fun? More fun than having to settle for a second-choice college, we guess.
The $115 Study Ball weighs about 20 pounds, which makes it difficult to get up and stroll out into the prison yard while wearing it. Fortunately, the gadget comes with a safety key that can open the shackle at any time--a welcome feature if the wearer needs to take a bathroom break. Also fortunate: the device can't be programmed for more than four straight hours.
The Study Ball was created for gifts site Curiosite by Spanish designer Emilio Alarcon. The project was born of a conversation Alarcon had with a friend who was studying for a civil service exam and said: "I haven't left the house in a week, this is like being in jail."
Beyond use on teenagers, Curiosite also recommends the ball and chain for Web designers, computer programmers, bloggers, architects, translators, and anyone else who spends long hours sitting in front of the computer. Please note that once it comes off, wearers are required to pound out a few license plates.
The Prisoner was a 1960's take on surveillance societies, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence.
We're saddened to learn that actor/writer/director Patrick McGoohan has died at age 80. His cult favorite TV series, The Prisoner (1967-68), was startlingly forward-thinking in its imaginative use of technology, presaging surveillance societies, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence.
After starring in the '60s spy series Danger Man (and turning down the role of James Bond), McGoohan turned the genre on its head and created and starred in (as well as writing and directing several episodes of) this 17-episode story arc about a kidnapped secret agent. The show played off of Cold War paranoia, with plenty of genre-breaking psychological and psychedelic overtones.
AMC TV is currently working on an updated remake of the series, with with Ian McKellen and Jim Caviezel.
If for some reason you've never seen the original series, full episodes are available online from AMC.
(Credit:
Recon Robotics)
From what I hear (from documentaries, reality TV shows), prison ain't nothin' nice. I don't mean just for the prisoners, but for the guards as well. Not a job I envy in the least, but one that obviously is necessary. Sometimes a person just decides to hurt himself or another and prison guards need tools to deal with this. Assault weapons are necessary in some situations, but sometimes knowing a lot about what you're getting into can be useful.
Popular Mechanics posted a story about the California Department of Corrections' decision to test a new recon robot from Minneapolis-based ReconRobotics.
The Recon scout is a small "grenade size" video-recording robot designed for reconnaissance in prisons. The bot is already in use in other law enforcement agencies and by the military in Iraq.
The bot can be tossed into hostile areas and then controlled remotely up to 100 feet away with the handheld controller and integrated viewing screen. ReconRobotics also sells a command monitoring kit, which consists of an additional antenna and software that allows the footage to be recorded on a laptop and then reviewed later. The bot is designed to survive a 30-foot fall onto concrete.
The usage scenario that Popular Mechanics posted is unlikely but supposedly does happen from time to time. "A prisoner barricades himself in a room, disables the cameras, and says he's taken hostages. Or maybe he's holding himself hostage, threatening suicide. Instead of charging in blind, a response team can drive or toss the Recon Scout past the barricade. Even if the drone is spotted, and immediately stomped to death, a quick peek could reveal what kinds of weapons are present, and what condition the hostages are in."
While stomping a small grenade-looking robot to death is not something I'd ever recommend, it might be a reasonable reaction given the above circumstance.
(Credit:
Gizmag)
We love those indefatigable cleaning twins, the "Roomba" and "Scooba," but they're yesterday's news. The "LawnBott"? It's OK, but we just can't get all that excited about cutting grass. But a gadget that seeks out and kills termites--now that's our kinda house-bot.
The "Termibot" uses video and thermal-imaging cameras to detect the presence of a nest and then blasts its hapless inhabitants with pesticides, all without the need to tear down walls. The current version, which Gizmag says is scheduled for release this year, uses a long cable but is likely to go wireless later on.
This robo-exterminator's targets aren't confined to termites, by the way. But no, its definition of domestic pests doesn't include humans.
(Credit:
SlashGear)
If you've ever found yourself lusting after a workstation with multiple monitors or other multi-tasking command centers, wait till you get a load of this futuristic creation from Microsoft. The "DigiDesk" literally turns your desk into a desktop with a dual-pane workstation that features touch-screen surfaces to control everything from documents to workflow, according to SlashGear. Alas, it's only a prototype, which the guy in the video says is one of just two in existence. We applaud the concept, but we're still waiting to take it even one step further, throwing entertainment into the mix as well--with a digital coffee table. Just be careful not to spill.
(Credit:
Engadget)
It was only a matter of time, really. As our multitasking lifestyles force the convergence of all trends (creating some pretty weird byproducts along the way), the ultimate collision was inevitable: iPod docks and Hello Kitty--in a car, no less.
The Hello Kitty car charger works with various iPod versions by plugging into the cigarette lighter and sending your music directly through the dashboard radio, according to Engadget. The bottom line? We've said it before: You can run or drive, but there's simply nowhere to hide.
(Credit:
Spycatcher)
Looking for the perfect gift for the prisoner in your life? Consider the so-called prison pen, which is made from a soft rubbery material that bends under the slightest pressure, making it virtually impossible to do lethal damage with it.
The pen may not be good for stabbing or shivving, but you just know the ingenious Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption would still be able to incorporate it into some impossibly brilliant escape scheme. The product, which is already in use at U.S. federal prisons, according to Spycatcher, sells at that site for $10. And truthfully, prison references aside, it does appear to be a flexible little writing instrument.
(Via Oh Gizmo)
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