(Credit:
Supermarket)
The music may be horrible, but if you rub a tape head over these ties you can actually hear jumbled sound collages recorded from the NYC metro system. This is possible because the ties are 50 percent audio cassette tape.
If you have $90 to spend on one of the ties, and you are willing to sacrifice an old Walkman for the project, you can make this a fixture of your formal wardrobe. Of course, walking around with a broken Walkman asking every one to rub you with it is not recommended.
This story originally appeared on Gizmodo.
(Credit:
A Dress A Day)
I don't know who you are, Erin, but this Tetris Dress that you made makes me kind of want to marry you. There isn't much more to say about this great garment than that. And sorry, people, but it's a one-of-a-kind, so you can't buy one. But if you're the crafty type you can get the fabric here and make your own fashion tribute to the iconic '80s puzzle game. I really hope this becomes a trend.
Erin, call me?
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Lullabelly)
I do not have kids. At this point it's looking unlikely that I ever will. And that might be a good thing for everyone involved, because I'm a horrible person. At least I do horrible things.
Take the Lullabelly, the Buzz Report's Gadget of the Week. It's a prenatal music belt with a built-in speaker that will play music to your baby in the womb. An expectant mother puts an iPod, smartphone, CD player, etc., into the belt's compartment and plugs it in to play soothing music for her baby. The idea is that nine months of this makes the baby smarter. I buy the theory, but I'm not the type to do things the right way.
(Credit:
Lullabelly)
If I had the Lullabelly I would not load it up with Mozart. I would not bombard my unborn baby with Bach or Beethoven. If I had a Lullabelly it would offer a brand new use for my 2GB of Slayer MP3s. My baby would be the toughest baby on the block.
But that's me. I'm sure responsible parents would actually use this as intended in hopes that they bear pitch-perfect offspring. There's actual science behind the idea, after all. So I'm not discounting the product, I'm just saying it's maybe not for everybody. Like me.
The Lullabelly comes in several polka dot patterns and sells in standard and deluxe packages ($49 and $55, respectively). The former includes a speaker for the baby only and the latter tosses in a dual earphone adapter and earphones with volume control for Mom.
We know, Francesca, we know...
(Credit: MarthaStewart.com)It's a dog. It's a porcupine. It's a dog dressed as a porcupine (Martha Stewart's dog Francesca, no less). Yes, it looks like Francesca will be dressing up as another animal species this Halloween, and she no doubt will suffer a serious identity crisis in the process.
The very creative Alison Lewis, editor of the technology life and style blog Switch, went on Martha's show Monday to demonstrate how to make the illuminated porcupine dog costume.
Required materials include fiber optic strands, electrical tape, a 5-millimeter LED light, AAA batteries, silver reflective paper, a craft knife, and a giant doggie toy to give the pooch as a reward for being mocked endlessly by all its canine friends.
On her blog, Lewis also explains how to make a light-up dandelion costume (pictured below) in case you and your pet would rather go the flora route this holiday. Some might call these costumes cute, but we're just worried about Francesca. Poor thing already has her own blog, and now this...
(Credit:
Switch)
We've read about the upcoming Android-based Sony Ericsson Xperia X3 too many times to count. There was a video of its interface, images published by Expansys, even leaked specifications. Well, those speculations may soon come to an end if the latest teaser from the Japanese-Swedish company is anything to go by. If you visit www.sonyericsson.com/whatsnext, the November 3 date is prominently displayed with a few lines of text under it.
Sometimes there's a thin line between extraordinary and the magical. Did we cross it?
With a bold statement like that, it'd better be something worthy of the hype. We'll be monitoring this like a hawk, so check back for the full story come November 3.
(Source: Crave Asia via Unwired View)
(Credit:
Watchismo)
I'm one of those people who doesn't wear a watch, depending instead on my mobile phone for time. The good thing about doing that is if you set your phone's time to follow the operator's, you never have to adjust the time when traveling across different time zones.
Those who like their analog watches, though, can opt for one of these TX Airport Lounge timepieces. According to the product description, it displays the time and season for 24 locations at the push of a button.
Starting at $490, the TX Airport Lounge is reasonably priced for a watch. Sure, you can get a Casio digital that shows as many time zones for less than $100, but you lose style points for doing that. As for me, I'll stick with my mobile phone.
(Source: Crave Asia via Uncrate)
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CrackBerry.com)
As if checking e-mail on your BlackBerry wasn't addicting enough, there may be an accessory in the works that may just fuel your habit. CrackBerry.com has posted images of what it's claiming to be actual renderings of a BlackBerry watch.
The site claims that the Bluetooth accessory is being developed by a new, dedicated BlackBerry accessory company and will be branded as the inPulse Smartwatch. It's not meant to be a replacement for your BlackBerry but rather shows your notifications and previews of incoming messages for those times when you can't pull out your BlackBerry; for example, during meetings, while driving, and so forth.
CrackBerry says the InPulse will have an OLED screen that's optimized for displaying text clearly and will have solid battery life.
"Connected watches" haven't had the most successful run in the past (read: Microsoft Spot watches), though the LG Watch Phone certainly has piqued some people's interest. While the InPulse is just a rumor right now, what do you think? Useful or a waste of time?
Electronic components are removable from the shirts so the garments can be washed.
(Credit: ThinkGeek)Like huh? Unlike the Wi-Fi Detector and Dynamic Life T-shirts, which could be considered moderately useful, the Interactive Portal Shirt from ThinkGeek simply doesn't seem viable. Mounted in front of the apparel is a wireless 5.8GHz pinhole camera and TFT (thin film transistor) LCD display. The shooter projects what you see to the person wearing the other shirt by displaying it on the wearer's screen and vice versa, creating an imaginary portal between the two people.
It's completely useless if you buy only one shirt since the "portal" requires a pair to work. Two shirts, by the way, will empty $200 from your wallet.
(Source: Crave Asia)
If the new swine flu vaccine doesn't give you the right dose of inner peace, there's another layer of protection at your disposal. It comes from Japan, which means it looks good, too.
The new anti-H1N1 suit doesn't just make you look dapper, it supposedly also helps keep you disease-free.
(Credit: Haruyama Trading)According to the U.K. Telegraph, Japanese menswear company Haruyama Trading has developed a suit that it claims can protect wearers from the H1N1 virus.
The suit is coated with titanium dioxide--a chemical commonly used in toothpaste and cosmetics--that breaks down when reacting with light and supposedly kills the virus upon contact. (If you read Japanese, here is the company's press release.)
Despite the new layer of protection, the suit seems pretty much like other suits commonly worn by Japanese white-collar workers. Each suit costs about $580, about how much a decent suit at Men's Wearhouse costs. The suits go on sale Thursday and in four colors and styles, including medium gray, charcoal, navy, and a gray pinstripe. The company says the suit will retain its protective capability even after being washed multiple times.
Japan, like many other places in Asia, has been gripped by the swine flu since its outbreak a year ago. According to the World Health Organization, more than 340,000 people have been infected with H1N1 worldwide; the disease is responsible for 4,100 deaths.
Generally, most of the new cases were reported to take place in urban areas, where population density increases the risk of transmission. It's unclear if there will be a female version of the suit; it's also unknown when or if the suit will be on sale in the U.S.
A quick sneak peek at Dell's new Adamo design.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)At a press conference to show off new licensed laptop lid designs from Major League Baseball and nail polish brand OPI, Dell teased the audience with a brief peek at the new design for its high-end Adamo laptop.
The system, purported to be only 9.99 millimeters thick, was previously hinted at with a single-shot teaser Web site launched by Dell in September. This time around, Dell VP Alex Gruzen pulled one of the new Adamo systems from a laptop sleeve and, keeping the lid closed, held it aloft for a few seconds before handing it off to be spirited away.
Also onhand were two new partnerships for customizable laptop lids on Dell systems. The Dell Design Studio will offer MLB designs for all 30 teams, with "Fan, Classic, and Die-Hard" versions available. Concurrently, OPI, a leading nail lacquer brand, will offer "26 exciting, high-style OPI fashion shades," as laptop lid design options. On top of that, Dell is adding another 80 designs from artists from around the world to the options available when customizing a laptop.
In keeping with Dell's current premiums for custom lids on most of its laptops, these new designs add $85 to the cost. Basic single-color lids are still an extra $40.
We managed to snap a few photos of the elusive new Adamo's brief appearance--check them out in the gallery below.





