Archive for February 2009

Have you ever loaded up a retro arcade game with MAME, only to be greeted with an error message about those bad ROMs you downloaded 2 years ago? Well one enterprising developer decided to take that idea and actually turn it into a game.

The chaos that ensues in ROM …

The next generation Nintendo handheld, the DSi, debuted in Japan last November to robust sales while the rest of the world looked wistfully on, wondering when we, too, could have a chance to take pictures with our game systems without spending $300 to import. At last, Nintendo’s set a date…

These little UFO-shaped robot dudes respond to the sound dance around your place, guided by the sounds they hear.

The Gakken Kagaku No Tamago UFO Robot (say that 10 times fast) comes in easy-to-assemble kit form, and is controlled not by a traditional remote, but by the sounds you make…

Make your own Happy Meal with this origami fast food lunch imported from Japan. I’m not sure about the nutritional value of ink-covered paper and Scotch tape, but it’s got to be better than a Quarter Pounder with Cheese and a Large Fry. Available from The Curiosity Shoppe for $6…

Polish designers Witek Stefaniak and Anielka Zdanowicz observed that conventional speakers rarely fit in with our living spaces because of their appearance, so they end up being “put away in the corner of the room or hidden in the wall”. I’ve made the same observation. Anyone blessed with eyesight has…

Theodore Gray is one of the founders of technical computing software company Wolfram Research. But we’re not going to talk about that aspect of his life. You see Gray needed a conference table for his office. He was also reading Oliver Sacks’ Uncle Tungsten…. In one of the chapters

Looking for a cheap thrill (ride)? Why not avoid paying the $50 admission and standing in endless lines at your local theme park and instead ride a tiny roller coaster that you can keep in your pocket?

Ziconic’s SkyCoaster 3D puts a miniature roller coaster simulator inside your iPhone. The…

Okay, ladies, if you’re looking to hide your data in the form of a giant, shiny pendant (that no one would ever steal, right? right…?), then you’re going to want to check this out. After all, it’s shiny, and a necklace, and did I mention it’s shiny?

Okay, I

It’s a well-known fact that fans of Sega mascot Sonic the Hedgehog often need to haul things: rings, outdated Sega consoles, lunch, petitions about voice actors… and luckily, all of those items will fit into this sweet Sonic-themed tote bag (though maybe not all at once; the Dreamcast was pretty…

Can’t figure out where to put that pesky camcorder when you’re out and about? Why not free your hands and strap the darned thing to your head?

This ridiculous looking (and badly named) “Third Eye” video camera attaches to your forehead using a stretchy elastic headband, and lets you capture…