Monster Vision Max 3D Glasses

3D is a bit of a mess in itself, but to make matters more complicated, a pair of shutter glasses that work with your Samsung TV won't work with your Panasonic TV or not very well. Monster is changing that, almost.

Their Vision Max 3D glasses promise universal compatibility on all 3D TVs—which is fantastic—but you'll need to use Monster's base station to make said TVs work with the glasses.

$250 buys you a base station (transmitting shutter sync information over 2.4GHz) and one pair of glasses. $180 buys you an extra pair of glasses.

It's not a bad idea—not at all. But so long as you can't just bring your glasses to a friend's house to watch a movie, so long as the glasses themselves can't decode every manufacturer's particular 3D timing, so long as you need a intermediary piece of equipment to make it all work, Monster's solution doesn't look much more tempting (or flexible) than that of the original manufacturers.

 

 

Bring Pleasing Visual Conformity to Cabling With the Rigid E-Line Cord

Turn your death-trap of precarious wiring into a design feature with E-Line. By placing a grooved, flexible exo-skin around the inner power cord, E-Line creates a semi-rigid cable you're able to spend hours obsessively tidying into a pleasing shape.

But don't throw out your last-gen floppy cables in a frenzy of excitement—the E-Line Cord is only a design concept at the moment. It'll be several weeks at the least before the Chinese can ship a supertanker full of clones of these out to the US.

 

 

Humans Can Only Walk In Circles and We Don't Know Why

Humans can't walk in straight lines. If there's no fixed point of reference, we just walk in circles and inevitably get lost. Nobody knows why, but researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics have confirmed it in several experiments.

If you walk, drive or sail blindfolded, in the middle of the fog or at night, with no stars in sight, you will not be able to keep a straight line. No matter how hard you try, you will end going in circles because, for some mysterious reason, humans have a tendency to lean to one side more than the other. Some people speculate that this is because one side of the brain is the dominating one. Others point out that the reason may be purely mechanical, because one of our legs is always sightly shorter than the other. But, according to the results of the study, these are not the causes for this unique behavior. At least, there's not one single explanation and it may be a combination of many.

Whatever it is, don't get into a dark forest without a compass—screw the GPS.

The Starship Enterprise's Universal Remote

The Cyclops universal remote would fit in so well in someone's Star Fleet quarters, I'm surprised it doesn't have a replicator button on it. Fortunately, you won't have to wait for the far-flung future to own one.

The Cyclops, from GenosTV, is a wireless universal remote that's meant to be ergonomically superior for two-handed use. One version will be designed for all consumer electronics, while apparently there will be another that's geared more specifically towards gaming systems. They'll also incorporate Bluetooth, meaning you can use this bad boy to send text messages as well.

As for what star date you'll be able to have one of your own: there's no official word yet, but apparently the Cyclops is "ready to go to manufacturing" and should be available in time for the holidays this year. Presumably the instruction manual tells you how to set it to stun.

 

 

Traditional Terracotta Roof That Happens to Harness the Sun

There are plenty of technical hurdles keeping the masses from decking out their roofs withsolar panels, but their general ugliness doesn't help much either. Tegolasolare puts their photovoltaic panels second to the surrounding architecture, not the other way around.

The Italian company's red clay roof tiles look just like traditional terracotta and incorporatephotovoltaic panels, as opposed to merely accommodating them. It's a perfect example of how forward-looking, sustainable technology can exist in harmony with traditional architecture.

Of course, lose the drab solar roof look and you lose your eco-savvy neighbor visibility along with it, and really, what fun is having an Earth-saving roof if it looks just like your regular old one?

Are the Aliens Coming?

NASA and SETI and countless other groups have been searching for evidence of extraterrestrial life for as long as humanity has been looking at the stars. On Thursday, December 2, several NASA astrobiologists will announce results “that will impact the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life”.

What does that mean? Judging by the research interests of the scientists involved in the upcoming announcement, this astrobiological discovery will have something to do with water, evolutionary biology, and aquatic bacteria.

The press conference and the discovery will be announced on Thursday after 11AM PST (2PM EST), NASA will also show a video broadcast of the press conference to journalists at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View.

Until then, what do you think this discovery will be? Has extraterrestrial bacterial been discovered preserved in a meteorite? Have we seen evidence of life on a ocean-covered exoplanet?

Toshiba Libretto W100 Is a Full Windows 7 Dual-Screen Curiosity

The Libretto has the specs of a halfway decent ultraportable: a 1.2 GHz Pentium U5400 processor, 2GB DDR3 RAM, 62GB SSD, a USB port and a microSD slot. But that body isn't really like anything else, unfolding to reveal two 7-inch multitouch displays. The screens can either be used together or independently meaning one web page can span the whole device, or be sequestered on top while the bottom is filled with email, documents, or an on-screen keyboard. Pricing has been set at $1,100.

 

 

A Vinyl-CD Hybrid To Keep the Hipster-Yuppies Satisfied

Can't vinyl and CDs get along? That's the reasonable question posed by electronic/techno musician Jeff Mills, who has released his latest album on a two-for-one hybrid format. Thoughtful mediation, or sixth sign of the apocalypse? Check out the flip side:

Personally, I'm always fan of the convergence of analog and digital. The album, called The Occurrence and the latest in a series from Mills called The Sleeper Wakes, is a limited edition release from Axis Records.

Turn a KFC Double Down into Chicken Cordon Bleu

Over at food weblog Slashfood, they've made the observation that the new KFC Double Down (you know, that heavily marketed sandwich that uses fried chicken instead of bread) is actually not that original. In fact, it's barely different from Chicken Cordon Bleu, a popular French dish. In an effort to prove their point (and eat lots of KFC, no doubt), they've shared their recipe for Chicken Cordon Bleu, using only 1 KFC Double Down and some organic French tarragon.

Sure, it sounds silly, but we love KFC so much we've learned how to make it at home—so all logic has already been thrown out the window. Plus, it's a great way to make a great tasting "fancy" dish at the last second, when you've set the duck on fire and your guests are arriving in 20 minutes.

Google Employees Sleep In Alien-Like Pods

How does Google keep its employees fresh for long days and nights of working? With sleep pods.

FT reporter Richard Waters was in Google's Mountain View headquarters and snapped this photo of an anonymous Googler catching some rest. When Richard walked past the pod later, he said a pair of female legs were sticking out from the pod.

This contraption is a MetroNap EnergyPod. Metronap says it "harnesses science and NASA technology" to deliver a refreshing nap for users.

On its site, Metronap says, "Occupants are reclined into the optimal napping position to promote blood circulation and reduce pressure on the lower back and ambient sounds help nappers drift into light sleep."

When it's time to wake up, the EnergyPod delivers a light vibration.

Facebook Like and Dislike Button Rubber Stamps Now Available

The Facebook Like rubber stamp was so popular, that its creators are now selling them. Not only that, but they've created what everyone wants for the real Facebook: A dislike button stamp. Come on, Zuckerberg, you know you want it.

Like them? Then hit that like button in Facebook and go buy one. They are only $15 plus shipping each.Shop

 

 

Scientists Discover the First Planet With a Tail

Scientists have discovered the first cometary planet, one with a huge tail, a stream of gas being ripped off by solar winds at 22,000 miles per hour. This jovian world is located 153 light-years from Earth.

The planet—called HD 209458b—orbits 100 times closer to its home star than our Jovian neighbor, traveling in an astonishingly fast 3.5-day orbit. For comparison, Mercury—our solar system fastest planet—has an 88-day orbit.

Since HD 209458b is so close to the sun, the stellar winds are ripping the planet's atmosphere apart. Scientists have used the Hubble's Cosmic Origins Spectrograph to gather evidence that support the theory that its 2,000ºF atmosphere is being ejected from its body at 22,000 miles per hour.

 

 

Samson Q2U Mic Is a Cheap USB/XLR Solution For Home Foley Action

You can easily make your own 1080p movies with relatively inexpensive gear at home now, but what if you want quality sound effects? Samson's (a name brand for microphones) Q2U might be your ticket for do-it-at-home Foley times.

The Q2U supports both XLR and USB cables, letting you plug it into basically any machine you have in your house. Now you can break glass, stomp on light bulbs and do whatever it is those crazy sound recording artists do to get effects to seem more exciting than they actually are in real life. It also has a 3.5mm headphone port so you can listen to what you're recording while you're recording it. Price $117.35

Tokyo Flash is Making This Watch a Reality

Enough people voted on this "Kisai RPM" concept watch submitted to Tokyo Flash by Brit James Fursedon, that the Japanese company is making it a reality. There's even better news—it's on sale now!

Thankfully, it's one of the easiest-to-read designs we've seen by the crazy watch manufacturer. Inspired by DJ decks, the glowing blue LEDs indicate the hours and minutes around the brushed stainless steel center. It costs £132 in the UK, which is around $208—get in quick!

 

 

LG's Got a Tablet Too. A Windows 7 Tablet, in Korea

Would you buy a 10.1-inch tablet, running Windows 7 with mediocre specs? LG's hoping Koreans will, because the tablet's launching there first. Citizens are probably better off waiting for LG's Android tablet, due out in January.

 

 

This Is the Fanciest Farm House You Can Imagine

This beautiful 4564-square-foot house reminds me of Magneto's base in Secret Wars, with its second floor almost fully suspended over the air. At night it looks like the Jawas' Sandcrawler. It's actually a farm house on the Minija Valley, Lithuania.

The owner of the Utriai Residence, who is dedicated to the production of chicken eggs and pigs, and his wife, an art college student interested in furniture design, wanted a house that looked like a place "made from huge logs". Like Noah's Ark, "where the family with all their belongings and animals moved from the city."

And on top of having an awesome house, they can have fresh eggs and bacon every morning.

2010 DeLorean Nike Dunk 6.0

As part of the Nike 6.0 Dunk series, the company teamed up with the DeLorean Motor Company to create a stylish shoe inspired by the retro-cocaine-era-cool car. But, just because they've got the DMC label doesn't mean they're magic. Let's get a few misconceptions out of the way:

1. They are dunks, but they will not help you dunk.

2. They say Belfast on them, but they were not made in Belfast.

3. If you can run 88 mph you will not go back in time, but you'll still be running 88 mph. Which is pretty cool.

4. There's no secret pocket for transporting cocaine.

5. They don't auto-lace or auto-dry

It's almost a shame to wear them as the material slightly deforms when you do — the only drawback to the look. For just $90, the shoes are cheap, which will make tracking down a pair of the limited edition, 1,000-copy shoes is the real challenge.

 

 

Chameleon Lamp Copies the Color of His Surroundings

While it won't cast enough light to read by, Huey the chameleon lamp would make a great night-light. Like a true chameleon, he adapts to his environment and glows in the same color as whatever's underneath him.

If your whole house is void of color, he can otherwise cycle through the whole color range. A small squeeze of his body when he settles on your preferred color locks it in. Surprisingly, this lamp only costs $30, which I think is a great price for something that uses a couple of white LEDs and an optical sensor to recognize and emulate the color under his belly.

 

 

Playboy's Hard Drive Has 250GB

Got National Geographic's external hard drive on your Christmas wish list? You may want to replace it with Playboy's $300 250GB drive which contains every single issue of Playboy, from vintage 1953 gals to current-day plastic zombies.

 

 

Self-Charging Batteries Powered by Vibration

Brother Industries has developed an AA battery sized generator powered by vibration, which can be used to charge another AA battery. Shaking your remote every once in a while could soon be all that's needed to keep it alive.

Inside the generator battery sits an "electromagnetic induction generator and an electric double layer capacitor" and although you'd have to do an impossibly vigorous amount of shaking to power a DSLR, for low-drain gadgets like remotes and LED torches a quick shuffle should dribble out enough energy for a brief spell of use.