Dean Cheesman has spent the past two years perfecting his set of iTunes smart playlists. Fortunately for us Internet dwellers, he was kind enough to open up and share his technique of creating smart playlists and explains what it takes to make it extremely easy to play what you want to hear. That means more Beatles and less death metal. Unless you’re Yanni.
If you’re LED crazy, you won’t find a cooler LED anywhere else. The BlinkM-Smart LED is king over all other LEDs. It’s able to drastically change color and using BlinkM Sequencer, software that fuses a color picker with a drum machine, it can blink and fade in nearly any pattern. Make it flicker like a candle or flash like a police light. It can pretty much do anything but walk your dog for you. They’re $13 bucks a pop and are sure to illuminate your life with variety. All it requires is 5 volts applied to it in your project and you’re good to glow.
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Even if it looks a little too much like a purse to be completely unisex, as the designers claim it to be, the idea is a snazzy one. The Urban Performer Unit is a handbag with slick crystallized controlling, allowing you to operate your iPod from the Swarovski crystal laced surface.
The crystals indicate the iPod’s functions, incorporating an emotional feel to a smart electronic handbag. The bag doesn’t only work with iPod’s, but with most any pieces of mobile gadgets, including your PDA or cellphone. The Urban Performer Unit will be available in Christmas 2008 for the price of about $517.80. (more…)
Made by Viking, the new “Turnout Gear” is a combination of Thermal Sensor Technology (TST) and Smart Textiles, creating a smart uniform for firefighters to use in the heat of the moment. Turnout Gear visually communicates any critical hot spots on the suit that might put the fireman in danger of burns.
A LED display on the upper left shoulder glows to notify fellow firemen that you might be in danger, while a LED on the sleeve indicates to you that you might be in some trouble. The suit LED will blink faster as the heat gets hotter, warning that the heat is reaching a dangerous level. If there’s a fire in your pants, you just might need someone to “put it out”. Or at least see an STD specialist. (more…)
Part alarm clock, part weather forecaster, part newspaper, part communication device, and 100% cool. If we knew something like this existed, you all would have known about it way before now. Nabaztag is a smart rabbit which is capable of so many things that it’s hard to explain them all here.
For example, you can email your family member’s Nabaztags, and the rabbit will dictate your email through voice. When they say this is a smart bunny, they really mean that this is a genius bunny with the mind of a secretary / assistant. Check out the link for more details about what this little guy can do. — Andrew Dobrow
Hey, sissy. We’ve got a great new product just for your girly-man needs. The Flex Smart Apron was designed using a basis of men’s hunting gear. But don’t think that will make you any more macho. It’s still an apron.
The apron splits into two tails that become pot holders, so your fleshy, moisturized fingers won’t get a little boo-boo. And as for being hunter-themed, it’s a shame the only meat you’ll be handling was slaughtered long ago. Yeah…I will own one soon. — Andrew Dobrow
What would you say If we told you the next pair of glasses you own could adapt to match any clothing style or lighting situation? According to the American Chemical Society (ACS), “smart” sunglasses that can literally change to any color in the spectrum within seconds is just around the corner for commercial availability. Eyeware technology could be forever changed because of an electrochromatic polymer capable of changing darkness levels based on an electrical current. These smart glasses are able to block anywhere from 55 to 95% of incoming ray’s.
The same material used on these sunglasses might one day be used on a energy efficient home and shielded windows. The prototype model of the sunglasses run off of a watch battery connected throught the glasses frames. There color changing glasses won’t be ready for public use for a year or two at least, but patents have filed by project manager Chunye Xu and might lead to be extremely popular based on its versatility. So far, the polymers have been developed for red, blue, and green, but the list of available choices is expected to grow. The same material used on these sunglasses might one day be used on a energy efficient home and shielded windows. — Andrew Dobrow
Loved the idea of college but hated the thought of living in dorms, or even worse, frat houses with their raging parties 24/7? Well if you did, you should work your butt off and try to get accepted to Duke University so you can live in the newly designed Smart House, funded by Home Depot. Starting in fall 2007, 10 Duke students will get to spend a semester living in this home filled to the brim with techie delights. The students are acting as guinea pigs with benefits, testing the technology that is included in the house. This 6000 sq. ft. home was designed and filled with the projects of 220 students and cost $2.5 million. Every inch of the house was created with some purpose, from cement floors to absorb heat all day and release it all night, to smart toilets that check for nutrient levels and glucose concentrations (we all needed to know that). Catch the jump for more details.
With people these days flipping out if they can’t know their favorite team’s score or the latest stock reports, the Abacus Smart Watch takes care of them by providing up to date information and never leaving their side. What’s different about this watch from all the other watches on the market is that it has internet connectivity and can receive information that is so important to know instantly. The MSN direct service that comes standard with the watch allows you to choose exactly what you want to receive on your watch. For all you travelers out there, listen up: this watch automatically changes time when you travel to different time zones, saving you the 30 seconds of changing it yourself. For $179 you get one year of MSN Direct service included and a choice between 4 different watch bands. It’s almost pointless to get a watch like this just because everyone has a cell phone now, and most have features which allow you to keep up to date on those precious football games or stock trends; it would be a really cool idea if only everyone and their mom didn’t have a cell phone. — Nick Rice
