Thanks to miracle of modern miniaturization, you can now fit a fully-functional Windows or Linux PC inside of one of these. It’s pretty amazing when you think about it - as the ZX81 only measures in at about 6.6″ wide x 6.9″ deep x 1.6″ tall.

Modder Unravelled managed to cram the entire system - including a tiny hard drive - inside the diminutive ZX81 case by using a newfangled VIA EPIA Pico-ITX motherboard. (As small as the Pico-ITX is, I defy anyone to cram a complete system into the even smaller ZX Spectrum).

Pretty impressive, eh? Now all Unravelled needs to do is install a copy of EightyOne or XTender on there to play original ZX81 applications inside of a modern OS, and he’ll be all set.

Designed by Adafruit (in collaboration with Jay Silver), Drawdio is an analog synthesizer circuit that straps to any soft-leaded pencil, and lets you crank out electronic sounds while you sketch. The kit takes advantage of the conductive properties of the graphite in the pencil lead, and produces a veritable cacophony of sounds as you put pencil to paper.

So maybe you can’t call those otherworldly bleeps, beeps and squeaks “music”, but with enough practice you might be able to carry a basic tune… or you could give one of these a try the next time you have to fill in all those perfect little circles on your SAT or GMAT exam. I’m sure the test administrator would love that.

Adafruit sells the Drawdio kit for $19.50 (USD), including the circuit board, all necessary hardware and a 2B pencil. You’ll need basic soldering skills to put Drawdio together, so don’t expect it to work without some experience building electronic kits.

At $49.99, the add-on may seem a little expensive, particularly when most gamers gravitate toward voice-communication in online gaming, but sometimes a little typing is necessary. The keypad can also be used with the PS3’s web browser, which is where it’s likely to be most helpful. Unlike the Xbox 360’s Chatpad, which fits into the bottom of the controller, Sony’s keypad nestles into the top.

Sony’s wireless keypad is set for release December 15 and can be pre-ordered at Amazon. If you simply can’t wait, you can get one at Play-Asia right now for $49.90. If you could afford a PS3, you might just have the cash to burn.

Aside from new fish and new fishing spots, the update also brings a tournament mode to the game. In tournament mode, players can compete against the computer, against another player on the same iPhone/iPod Touch, or even via Wi-Fi versus other flick fishermen.

For those who are unfamiliar with the game, Flick Fishing is an intuitive and beautiful fishing game. Players have to find the right combination of bait, location and flicking & reeling techniques that works with each type of fish. It definitely does not get its name from the fact that players cast the line with just a flick of their wrist. Nope. Do you know why it’s called Flick Fishing?

Like all iPhone/iPod Touch apps, Flick Fishing is available at Apple’s App Store for $0.99. Honestly I don’t know how it plays, because I don’t have an iPhone, but Freeverse has a video demo over at their site so go check that out if you’re interested.

[via TUAW]

And then you think, “Yes, yes… and this Mystical Fire should be in powder form, so I could just sprinkle 1 to 3 packages on any outdoor/indoor wood burning fire, and so I can use it not only for camping and for luring my brother into the fireplace but also as props for Friday night D&D’s. Also, I think they should come in 25 gram sachets. Not 26 grams. 25. Because 25 grams is the right amount to create fires like the one below.”

Finally you think, “If such a Mystical Fire powder should exist, it would be really nice if it sells for like… £1.49 (appx. $2.29 USD). Over at Boy’s Stuff. Man. it sure would be nice if there really was some Mystical Fire powder.”

Here’s where I come in, and say “You there, red flame hater! You crazy psychic! Call me if you begin thinking of the numbers that a winning lottery ticket would have.”

[via boy'sstuff via random good stuff]

Alisha comes to Technabob after a long history of blogging, and she will be working her poor fingers to the bone to bring you lots of weird and wacky geek content.

She currently writes for Wii Fanboy, DS Fanboy, and Tiny Cartridge, and she is also pursuing a bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Her most important job, however, is helping her husband chase after their ten month old son, Jack. He’s not a gamer (yet), but he does like to make zombie noises. Alisha is very proud.

In the four minutes of spare time she has in the middle of the night, Alisha also writes fiction, but never, ever poetry. The world is a better place without her poetry, which once killed a kitten at fifteen paces.

If you’ve got a second to spare, leave a comment below, and say howdy to Alisha.

While Nanovision is making several models of these diminutive displays, the one I got to try out was the UM-710, which is the most basic of the three models available stateside. While the UM-710 ($129 USD) only works as a secondary monitor, the UM-730 ($169 USD) adds a webcam and microphone, and the UM-740 ($199 USD) ups the ante by adding a touchscreen.

The model I tested came in a high-gloss black plastic that’s reminiscent of the exterior of the Playstation 3. The black model is definitely a bit of a fingerprint magnet, so you might want to check out the white model if you’re anal retentive about those things. Personally, I prefer the black model, as I think it looks cooler on my desktop. (Plus, it’s the only color currently available outside of Korea).

Setup of the Nanovision screen couldn’t be much easier. Just attach the display to the included stand with a simple turn of the shiny chrome thumbscrew, install the included driver software, and plug in the included USB cable between the display and your computer (the display comes with a dual USB connector in case one port doesn’t provide sufficient power). Thanks to the USB 2.0-based connection, you can connect multiple monitors without need for an additional video card. Keep in mind that each display you add will eat up somewhere around 50 to 75 MB of your system memory.

The drivers I tested were a pre-release of the English language version of Nanovisions DisplayLink Core software. I only got to test the Windows version, but OS X support is also supposed to be included. The software installed easily and without much incident on my Dell Latitude laptop, running Windows Vista Pro. The only challenge with the driver was that after installation, it messed with the resolution of my main display, and I had to reboot. After the reboot, all went smoothly, and the mini Mimo display started to work as a mirror of my main screen. A simple tick of the “Extend” option on the included task bar application turned the external display into its own unique desktop. You can decide whether the screen is extended from the left, right, top or bottom of your primary display. For more precision, you can tweak this using the Windows standard multiple monitor properties controls.

When I first connected the display, I was immediately impressed by the sharpness of the 7-inch 800×480 widescreen display, which packs a singnificantly higher pixel density than typical PC monitors. There was a little bit of flicker when I first plugged in the display, but bumping up the backlight control on the side of the display by one or two notches immediately resolved this issue. The photo below doesn’t nearly do justice to the sharp focus of the diminutive screen.

The Mimo displays all feature a pivot feature, which lets you rotate the monitor from landscape to portrait mode with just a simple twist of your wrist. It took me a few minutes to figure out that the display doesn’t auto-sense the pivot. Even though the box says “auto-pivot”, it turns out that you do need to go into the task bar app and set the rotation manually. It’s unclear to me if there is or isn’t a motion sensor inside the screen and if this is a software bug or just bad labeling on the box. Either way, the display worked quite well in either orientation once I figured this out.

I did find that off-axis viewing angles of the screen were quite a bit better in landscape mode than portrait mode, however, so you’ll need to make sure the display is oriented properly if you’re operating in portrait mode for optimal brightness. After playing with both modes, I decided to stick with landscape since I could watch videos or open web pages most efficiently on the screen in that orientation.

A couple of minor things to be aware of with the Mimo. First off, I couldn’t find a way to apply color correction to make the display match my primary screen. While there might be a way to do this with Windows color profiles, I couldn’t figure out a way to make that work. Nanovision should consider including color correction software to make this possible. One other minor issue is the stand. The arm only has a single pivot point, which somewhat limits the angles you can set the display to. Also, if you swing the arm back too far, it’s very top-heavy and can easily tip over. That said, with proper adjustment of the arm, it’s not a big deal. There’s also no cord-control for the small USB cable, so it does interfere a bit with the sleek lines of the monitor.

At first, I wondered how much I’d use a display like this. But after just a few hours with the Mimo, I was hooked. I pawned off all of my Windows Sidebar gadgets, instant messenger windows, and used the display as a holding place for extraneous palettes in Photoshop whenever I worked on larger images. The mini-screen is exceptionally sharp, so it’s even possible to read entire web pages on the display while working on other documents on your larger screen.

Overall, I was really impressed with this pint-size monitor. It took just a couple of minutes to get set up, and it looks really great (especially in landscape mode). While you probably wouldn’t trust the color accuracy of the display for image retouching work, it’s more than capable of handling the secondary display usage that it was designed for. And while I wondered about USB’s ability to handle fast-motion data, I managed to play back full-screen video clips on the display with not the slightest stutter.

If you’ve ever find yourself running out of space on your computer screen, you need one of these. If you just want a cool toy for your desktop, you need one too. I’m already feeling like I can’t live without one, and want to order the touchscreen UM-740 as soon as its available. It’s already made me more productive, and it just looks really damned cool sitting alongside my other monitor. To get your hands on one, head on over to The Gadgeteers, who have worked hard to bring these slick little displays to North America for all of us to enjoy.

The phone was seized in a raid of the Naples-based mafia group Camorra. According to BBC, the ugly outdated monochromatic phone gun can shoot up to four .22-caliber bullets out of its antenna ”in quick succession”. Look at that abomination. In a world filled with iPhones and Blackberrys, how the hell is that a disguise? What’s next? Pager Grenades?

[via BBC]

It seems that piggy banks that double as tiny gaming machines are quite the happening trend in Japan these days. These simpler banks offer a variety of money-saving experience for the gamer who doesn’t need much razzle-dazzle. The Jinsei Ginko, shown above, is like a Tamagotchi or other virtual pet: you “feed” your tiny stickman your cold, hard cash. The more he “eats,” the more he succeeds. When your little guy gets enough money, he’s rewarded with a sweet crib and a loving sticklady. If only real life were so simple.

If the idea of a virtual pet makes you want to bury your money in the backyard instead, you could try Bankquest, a simple RPG, or Ikemen Bank, a heart-shaped bank with a dating sim.

Of course, in order to actually use these banks, you’ll probably need to convert all your money to yen. At least that will make you less likely to spend it… unless you happen to be in Japan.

[Wired via Kotaku]

Eagle this is Houston, what’s poppin? Over?

“Yeah, so.. I float over to where the cooler’s supposed to be, but in it’s place there’s this…I’m looking at this machine labeled “Urine Recycler”. Over.”

Don’t tell me it’s broken again! Dammit Timmy, I thought I told you to fix the Urine Recycler on the Endeavour!

“Houston, Houston: I don’t think it’s broken.”

What? So what’s the problem?

“The concept is the problem Houston. I have a problem with the whole freaking concept behind this machine.”

Eagle we spent $154 million on the Urine Recycler –

“And I spent half of my life training to do what? Drink my own — Jeebus Houston! How much does Gatorade cost nowadays?! How much for tap water?! What is this, Jackass? Am I being Punk’d or something?”

Eagle it’s not always urine; it also recycles moisture and sweat–

“I’m crashing the ISS on your ass in 3-2-1 you sadists.”

[via Scientific American]

The speakers whisper boom for 4 to 5 hours, after which you can charge them via USB. If you still have them, that is, and have not mistaken them for candy. They’ll be out by next week in Japan. Where weird shit comes from. If they come up with a widescreen HDTV that can fit on a nostril I wouldn’t be surprised. But I would be interested.

[via Slash Gear]

This cotton/poly hoodie is a steal at $22.99 from jamjamtees’ Etsy storefront, and the graphic is screen-printed on navy for a very basic look. Anyone who’s ever seen those all-brown next-gen titles knows gamers don’t like color anyway. No wonder they avoid going outside.

jamjamtees has a great selection of other custom items as well, from Pac-Man t-shirts to earrings made from 10-sided dice. Get ‘em now before they’re spawn-camped into oblivion.

[Via Etsy]