Gadzooki

Take a Dump. Clean Your Clothes.

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 washup

The WashUP concept, created by Sevin Coskun, stacks a washing machine on top of your toilet.

Let me start off by telling you that the toilet water doesn’t clean your clothes.  In fact, it’s the exact opposite.  The water that’s used in the washing machine is stored for later use to eliminate your waste.

PROS:

– Water conservation.  Instead of just flushing all of that perfectly good H2O away, it can be used in a practical manner.

– The washing machine takes up less space, utilizing an often unused piece of real estate in your home – the area above your toilet.

– Loading and unloading is easier due to the upright nature of the WashUp. No more bending over to move clothes in and out.

CONS:

– The bathroom is the worst smelling room in the joint, regardless of how much fabric softener you use.  I would not want to spend any extra time in the loo.

– The washing machine would likely be more narrow, accepting smaller loads than we are accustomed to.

– Human waste is simply a bit too close to clean clothes.  There’s something just not right about the whole thing.

Read more.

Ride Motorized Bike. Save World.

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the_wheel

Teasing folks since 2006 is RevoPower, creators of The Wheel, an after-market addition to your bicycle, enabling you to utilize a small motor to drive forward.

Topping out at around 17mph, and getting approximately 250 miles per gallon, The Wheel has the potential to revolutionize the way people travel.  It’s a great solution for people who only have to commute several miles to work or are looking to run local errands.  Having the option to exercise or automatically coast is very appealing.

The small motor (which gets it’s gas supply from a water bottle-sized tank) creates less carbon dioxide than the equivalent size 4-cycle engine.

The Wheel is expected to be released within the next few months as it undergoes final engineering and testing.

The $600 product will fit most 26″ bikes (that don’t have front disc brakes).  You must be over 16 years old and wearing a helmet to operate.  State laws vary, so check yours out before you sign up.

Help reduce the world’s dependence on oil and remove congestion from crowded roads.

RevoPower, I’m begging you, hook me up with a test version so I can blog to the world about how amazing this product is.

Interchangeable Lenses on a Digital Point-and-Shoot Camera?

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Often this blog tells you about the latest and greatest gadgets and gizmos that are either just hitting shelves or soon to be released. Well today I need YOU to give me a better understanding of something…

Recently, I listed my home with a real estate agent. Part of the selling process is taking pictures of each room to be posting on a Website. None of the rooms are humongous, and I found myself having trouble capturing multiple walls with my point-and-shoot digital Canon.

What I needed was some type of wide-angle lens. Since I don’t to shell out the money for (or learn how to use, for that matter) a camera with interchangeable lenses, I figured there had to be a cheap alternative.

I came up empty. The closest I came to finding what I needed was this lens adaptor hack.

So my question is this: Does a point-and-shoot camera with interchangeable lenses exist?

And since I don’t really understand many photography basics: If it doesn’t exist, why not?

Even if the photos aren’t “professional” grade, isn’t there a market for consumers who want to have fun with some silly (yet useful) snap-on lenses?

1970s Pump Scooter Returns

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scooter

Anyone out there remember the Kick ‘N Go scooter of the 1970s?  Well, the highly-sought after  two-wheeled scooter is back, re-engineered for a new century.  To propel this bad boy forward, your feet never have to touch the ground.  Instead, you accelerate with a kick lever that connects to a chain-driven propulsion system.

The Pulse Kick ‘N Go promises a faster and smoother ride, new high-tech gearing and a more
contemporary design.  A high-performance Chro-moly steel frame, band brakes and state of the art high speed polyurethane wheels will allow your kids (or you) to be big pimpin’ on the streets.

According to the manufacturer, the scooter is easy to use, requiring even novice users to execute
tight turns and maintain balance.

Storage is a cinch too.  The internal downtube folding mechanism lets you easily store and transport the scooter without sacrificing responsiveness or safety.

The scooter is currently available with black, a red model is in the works for later this year.  The product is available at Toys R Us and will set you back around $120.

Cheap Therapy Calms Your Nerves

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relax

The world is a stressful place; especially here in New York City. Anxiety and despair weigh down the air. We don’t need new baseball stadiums, we need a jumbo-sized LTK-2000 Therapy Station.

Already looking custom-made for the bright lights in Times Square, the LTK-2000 is designed to calm your senses.

– Over 24 sounds are designed to chill you out.

– Bright LED lights will send those depressive feelings running in the other direction.

– Your rattled beast will be tamed when your nose is rendered calm by a choice of select scents. Choose from lavender, jasmine, rosemary, and more.

– A heater will keep the temperature exactly where you want it, while an anion generator will improve the local air quality.

If you live in Korea, your calm sensations are right around the corner. If you’re here in the States, it could be awhile. But we’re already used to the stress, so what’s another few months?

This type of tranquility will run you about $400.

Ripping CDs Made Foolproof

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MP3s have deleted CD collections from homes across the world. Sure you can rip tracks into iTunes or the music management system of your choice. But often, the process is time consuming and cumbersome.

Meet Ripserver: A turnkey solution to rip and store your entire CD collection (to MP3s or FLAC), all on a device that requires no monitor, no keyboard and no user intelligence! Just insert a disc and the Linux-based device will convert your music, also saving any related metadata.

Available in white or black at storage limits of 500GB or 1TB, you’ll pay big dollars for all of this simplicity – approximately $1,200 to be exact.

Ripserver needs a single network point and provides USB connections for expandability and backup. Even with the steep price tag, I suddenly regret selling all those CDs on eBay.

New Time Travel Market

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I’ve always said that in my next life I’d like to come back with the looks of Brad Pitt, the voice of Bono and the writing skills of Dave Eggers.

Thanks to the latter, all of your time travel needs can now be met. Actually, they already have.  Welcome to the Echo Park Time Travel Mart, the retail component of Eggers’ empire which centers around a free literacy and writing center for kids.

If you happen to be in Los Angeles and near Sunset Boulevard, feel free to pick up a bottle of socialism, a jar of leeches or a can of Mammoth Chunks.

Aside from the wickedly clever products, you also can drop off your child (aged 6 to 18) for drop-in, one-on-one tutoring,  Monday through Thursday from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.

You can pick up some canisters of Robot Emotion for the future. And some Caveman Candy for you kid. cause their grades will soar.  We know.  We’ve been to the future.

Bluetooth Headsets Get Fashion Makeover

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We’ve put Swarovski crystals on Macbook Airs and re-skinned our iPhones, so I’m not surprised that an emerging trend is the accessorization of the Bluetooth headset.

Clunky, dark and ugly no more!  These wireless sensations are about to get all dolled up.

The first of what promises to be many in the growing cell phone sector, is the Plantronic Discovery 925.  Currently available to celebs only (Eva Longoria Parker and Brooke Shields have been spotted sporting the 925), the general public can expect these headsets to be released in April.

Thinner and lighter than most available earpieces, the 925 will initially be offered black, gold and magenta – with nine more flavors to follow. $149 will not only get you good looks, but on-the-go wireless charging as well.

Not 100% sure if these are unisex or not, but I’ll roll the dice!

Meet the Invisible Belt

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This tech-savvy generation is increasingly turning to bells and whistles to get geekily aroused.  But sometimes the best gizmos are low-tech.

Case in point, the IsABelt, a virtually invisible adjustable belt that will tighten up those jeans or pants. No more bunching fabric or bulging belt buckles, just streamlined pants that press against your waist, firmly in place.

Whether it’s your first day on The Biggest Loser or the size of a pencil, isABelt has you covered, offering belts ranging from 28 to 50 inches.

At 1/2 an inch wide, the flexible belt appears to virtually disappear when worn.

The isABelt was included in the non-winning nominees at the Oscars.  Cause as you know, those celebs don’t make enough money and need more free stuff.

Reduce the risk of a wardrobe malfunction! If it’s good enough for actors snubbed by Oscar, it’s good enough for us!

Solar Powered Digital Tire Gauge

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Maybe it’s just me, but do you have trouble reading the tire gauge when you check your car’s pressure?  This, coupled with sheer laziness, has me filling my tires way less than I know I should.  Low tire pressure is a catalyst for lots of bad stuff.

That’s why I’m stoked about this Solar Powered Digital Tire Gauge.  The hand-held gadget let’s you check your pressure anywhere, displaying a digital readout on a large, back-lit screen.

The one-button operation is foolproof and the device automatically turns off after a few seconds.

A solar recharging panel means you’ll never have to worry about batteries. But what if it’s a rainy day?  Fear not! The built-in solar recharged lithium battery will keep you operating.

Choose from PSI, bar, KPA, or kg/cm2 pressure settings.

No more confusion. No more excuses.

For about $12 US you can keep yourself and everyone else on the road a little safer.