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study on salamanders may hold key to human tissue regeneration – or a monster.

salamander

In a study published in Nature magazine, a group of scientists revealed that human cells may be induced to regenerate appendages in the same way that salamanders do. Meaning we can also grow salamander limbs. Kidding.

Apparently the cells on the stumps of a salamander “only” need to revert to a “less mature” state instead of a day 1 embryonic…

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July 3rd, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: future tech strange + wonderful weird science

usb gadget charger looks like a penguin – why? i have no idea.

usb_penguin_charger

Sure, you can charge your USB gadgets with that boring old A/C adapter that the factory shipped with your electronics, but why would you want to do that if you could have one that looks like this?

These goofy looking Penguin chargers juice up any gadget that can plug into a USB connector.

You can also cram the battery from…

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July 1st, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: gadgets strange + wonderful technology

the pimptendo has got everything under control

nintendo pimp mod nes

I’ve seen a lot of console mods in my time. I’ve seen really horrible systems destroyed with ink pens and low quality paint, and I’ve seen consoles turned into art. What I’ve never seen is a console affixed with feathers. And now that is something I can never say again.

Apparently this pimped-out (heh) console’s name is actually the PIMPendo…

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June 19th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: alisha k.

filed under: design hacks + mods just plain fun strange + wonderful video games

handmade frog and duck usb flash disks (just don’t drop ‘em in a pond)

usb frog

The gadgets that Brando sells are often weird but they’re mostly affordable. GeekStuff4U has it the other way around: slightly weird gadgets that really hurt the pockets. Case in point: handmade frog and duck USB flash disks. Why? I mean, sure, they look nice, but… Why?

Okay I must admit, USB frog looks cool. He looks like a tatooed alien…

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June 18th, 2009 comments (4) stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: computing gadgets geek art + craft just plain fun mobile tech

ozaki imini pet ipod dock/radio/alarm clock: cute or just plain creepy?

iminipet-1

I’m pretty sure that the guys at Ozaki love Brando. My proof? Ozaki’s iMini Pet. Like most of Brando’s gadgets, it’s a mish mash of functionality – in this case an iPod dock, a radio and an alarm clock – with a touch of weird – a stuffed pet that can “dance” as music is being played. They nailed it.…

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June 10th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: audio gadgets just plain fun media players strange + wonderful technology

miffy digital audio player: minimalist cuteness

miffy-dap-1

Miffy is a children’s book character made by Dutch author Dick Bruna in 1955. Although she’s obviously a rabbit, her resemblance to Hello Kitty has made her a hit not just in the Netherlands but in Japan as well. mobiBLU is banking on the support – and money – of Miffy’s fans with the release of their Miffy digital audio…

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June 3rd, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: audio gadgets just plain fun media players mobile tech

perfect petzzz: cute or stupid?

petzzz-1

Welcome to another edition of Cute or Stupid?, where we examine stuff and mull over their existence, whether they are useless but cute or just plain useless and therefore stupid. Today we have Perfect Petzzz, “life like” puppies and kittens that do nothing but sleep. And they’re battery-powered.

Perhaps you’re wondering: what’s the battery for, to power its dreams?  I…

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June 2nd, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: cool toys just plain fun strange + wonderful

the western world finally going on a beautiful safari in afrika [ps3]

afrika ps3 safari photo natsume

Sony’s stunning safari photo hunt game, Afrika, was left languishing when it came to an English-language release. Sony declined to take the title outside of Asia after it was released last August, but the game has been picked up by Natsume–of Harvest Moon fame–for release in other major markets later this year. Sofa photos, rejoice!

Afrika has frequently been compared to Pokémon…

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May 28th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: alisha k.

filed under: video games

furry keyboard and flash drives are perfect for the crazy cat lady who has everything

furry_keyboard_1

Leave it to the Japanese to come up with yet another just plain weird accessory for you to put on your desktop next to your computer. Unlike your boring, everyday keyboard, this keyboard is bordered by a plush layer of cat-like (hopefully faux) fur to make those hard edges soft and cuddly.

These plush furry white keyboards are apparently designed…

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May 22nd, 2009 comments (1) stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: computing strange + wonderful

spotlight gps pet locator will make lost pet posters obsolete

spotlightgps-2

Positioning Animals Worldwide, Inc. (PAW) and the American Kennel Club will soon be offering a high-tech way of keeping track of your pet dogs. The service is called SpotLight, and it combines Assisted GPS technology along with round-the-clock service to ensure that pet owners can track  – and recover – their pet as easily as possible. If Bolt had this…

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May 17th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: future tech gadgets gps + navigation technology

out of body experience: machine keeps disembodied animal hearts beating

out-of-body-experience

Researchers at North Carolina State University have invented a machine that can keep an animal heart functional even after it has been removed from its body. Freaky. Andrew Richards, a Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering, designed the “dynamic heart system”, which “pumps fluid through a pig heart so that it functions in a very realistic way.”

The machine uses a…

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May 15th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: future tech strange + wonderful technology weird science

oshaberi oumu puts a virtual parrot inside your nintendo ds: polly wanna silicon cracker?

oshaberi_oumu_ds

There’s one thing you can always rely on Japanese game companies for, and that’s weird games. Lots and lots of weird games.

Oshaberi Oumu for the Nintendo DS continues that tradition by putting the fate of a digital bird in your hands. It’s your job to care for and nurture your avian plaything – feeding it, giving it toys to play…

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May 8th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: strange + wonderful video games

samsung ultratouch ad uses brute force cuteness to lure people. it works.

samsung-hedgehog

Samsung’s UltraTOUCH S8300 is one of the phones that the Korean company revealed at the recently concluded Mobile World Congress. Samsung knows that all touchscreen phones stand under the shadow of the mighty iPhone. In an effort to differentiate their product from the iMoneyprinter, Samsung came up with an ad that showcases “8 different uses” for the S8300. But like…

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February 20th, 2009 comments (1) stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: just plain fun mobile tech technology

the latest in hamster-based video game technology

hamster_video_game

I’m not sure how I missed this great video clip when it first hit the Inter-tubes. Maybe I was too busy playing video games. The clip involves a hamster shimmying his way through a maze of dark jagged tunnels in search of an exit (and no, Richard Gere had nothing to do with this).

All I know for sure is…

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February 13th, 2009 comments (2) stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: geek art + craft strange + wonderful video games

holy mole-y: desktop whac-a-mole

desktop_whac_a_mole

I don’t know why bopping moles on the head with a mallet is fun. It just is.

This desktop Whac-A-Mole game lets you whack to your hearts content. Got an important conference call? Why not whack some while you’ve got your speakerphone on “mute”? Nobody will know. You can whack all day long. You know you want to.

I’ve never…

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February 5th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: cool toys just plain fun

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