Macally’s wooden ECOFAN and ECOFANPRO stands keep your laptop nice and cool, and look good doing it . Each stand has a built-in USB powered cooling fan, and can support any laptop up to 17″. They’re made from Bamboo wood, which not only has a warm natural style, it’s eco-friendly.

While the ECOFAN features a fixed-position stand, I greatly prefer the adjustable height stand on the ECOFANPRO (pictured above). Here’s a snapshot of the simpler model:

Both stands are available over on Amazon, with prices around $32 to 33 (USD) for either model. With virtually no price difference, there’s no reason not to go PRO.

Now all I need is one of those Bamboo laptops to go with this, and I’ll be set.

Yep, thanks to the non-conductive cooling properties of mineral oil, this submerged Xbox system still works as well as it did the day it shipped from Microsoft. As a matter of fact, the CPU in the aquarium Xbox actually runs a full 10-degrees (Celsius) cooler than it used to. The only thing that modder b-rad didn’t have the guts to immerse were the mechanical components like the DVD player and hard drive. I don’t blame him.

B-rad is still putting the finishing touches on his fish tank Xbox, and still plans to add a proper lid and some colorful LEDs before he calls it done. You can read all about it over on the Llama’s Game Console Forums.

Despite the science behind it, the fact that this thing works at all still amazes me.

The CoolIT PC is named after the system’s cooling technologies, provided by CoolIT systems. 19-year old Dominic Heiße painstakingly built the entire CoolIT computer case from scratch, using MDF for the main case structure, overlays of Plexiglas cut to look like icicles, and  (I think) layers of Bondo for building up the snowy look on the surface.

The case is loaded up with a heavy duty Boreas liquid cooling rig, along with 15, count ‘em, 15 neatly arranged fans in the back of the case. The whole thing is illuminated by tons of cool blue LEDs to complete the icy cold look. Check out the gallery below for more pics:

You can see Dominic’s complete photolog of the construction process over on the CoolIT Forums. Very cool indeed. Downright cold, actually.

[via modding.ru]

The stacks also allow for even more specific temperatures for different items – you can freeze your meat in one stack and leave your veggies on a separate stack. As you can see, the fridge is made of up to 4 modules plus a base module, which I think has the temperature controls and the actual cooling mechanism. Wait. So there’s still a problem when you and your fridgemate part ways – who gets the base module?

But if your fridge was as cute as these stacks, I’m sure you’ll be willing to buy another base module of your own. I like the one on the right. This is definitely one of those concepts that deserves to be mass-produced.

[via Inhabitat]

While your run of the mill fan has a diameter no bigger than 5 ft., Big Ass Fans are at least 6 ft and top out at a huge ass 24 ft. in diameter. Big Ass Fans rotate slower than ordinary fans, so they use less energy, but at the same time they produce up to 25 times more airflow compared to conventional models. Big Ass Fans are so effective, they can even ” make the surrounding area feel between 8 – 16ºF cooler.”

The innards of Big Ass Fans are as revolutionary as their size. See, typical fans are turned by gears, which results in the sometimes annoying buzzing sound. Big Ass Fans on the other hand are operated by a series of magnetic pads. Not only does that make the fans run silently, it also makes Big Ass Fans more efficient because of the “friction-free rotation.”

Big Ass Fans come in 5 models: the small and minimalist Isis, the mobile vertical floor fan Airgo, the position-adjustable Pivot, the stylish Element (Flaming Lips’ frontman Wayne Coyne has one in his house), and the strongest Big Ass Fan, the high-performance Powerfoil X.

You can contact Big Ass Fans at 877-BIG FANS (244-3267) if you’re a US resident, +44 (0) 1942 200787 for UK residents, and at +61 (0) 0458 589 955 for those of you in Australia for pricing and other details. You can also fill out a form at the Big Ass Fan website and wait for a representative to contact you.

[via Popular Mechanics]

Fresh Pics has gathered some of these improvised cooling solutions, and man if I had the money I’d get these guys some proper gear. This is like steampunk, but way uglier.

I’m not much of a hardware guy, so I’m really wondering: at that distance, won’t the fan blow away some of the computer’s tiny parts?

With a main fan that huge, is the smaller second fan even necessary?

This one’s actually more sophisticated than the other setups, but doesn’t it need another pipe – or another fan – so that the air inside circulates properly?

Actually, I used to place bottle caps underneath my Macbook to elevate its bottom, thinking that it would help dissipate heat. It did nothing but make the laptop look stupid. At least these guys had common sense. Check out Fresh Pics for more fan fails.

The one on the left is the NB-9100. The pad’s angle is adjustable so you can tweak it to fit your needs. It has 2 2-watt speakers and can support notebooks of up to 17″. The one on the left is perfect for those who want to have their laptops served in bed. Hmmm. Come to think of it, you can also use it to cool actual food. Anyway. This model, the NB-8000, is the one that has a 10-watt subwoofer along with a pair of 5-watt speakers. Both are powered via USB, but the NB-8000 can also run on 4 D batteries.

Both have fan speeds of 1500 rpm and a noise level of 25 dbA. Both are not yet for sale. But soon they will be. And when you get one and people asked you why you got it, just say, ” ’cause it’s Just Cooler.”

[via Chip Chick]

Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde worked with a team of technical wizards to create this mammoth interactive work entitled Flow 5.0. The display dynamically adjusts the speed and direction of the fans, reacting to visitors’ movements. The installation was constructed as two 10-meter-long walls which immerse visitors in the center of the artwork (and gives them a nice cool breeze while they’re at it).

Flow 5.0 is on display through January 3, 2008 at the Kapelica Gallery in Ljubljana, Slovenia. In other words, you probably won’t be seeing it up close and personal, so you’ll just have to live with this video clip instead.

[via dezeen]

According to the poster of the thread, his friend was wondering why his shiny new Playstation 3 had stopped working, when he discovered the unthinkable. His buddy decided to duct tape over the vents in order to keep dust OUT of the console. Yeah, that’ll keep it nice and clean.

I think we might have a new candidate for the Darwin Awards.

[via CrunchGear]

As long as you don’t mind looking like a complete fool, the air conditioned shirt plugs into your computer and blows air onto your sweaty body, keeping you cool all day long. The fans will also run on batteries if there’s no USB power source nearby. Designed by an ex-Sony technician, it’s no wonder the PlayStation 3 has such a good cooling system.

Our friends over at CScout Japan have these shirts for $159 each.

[via Newlaunches via CNet Asia]

However, for those of us who have already purchased said white-hot console, we’re always looking for options too keep the thing from melting down. This add-on takes a vastly different approach than those noisy fans.

This passive “heat radiator” lays on top of your (horizontal) sweltering console or computer. It’s aluminum fins are said to dissipate the hot stuff, decreasing the heat retained inside your precious electronic gear. As a bonus, it’s got a funky picture of some unknown JapAnime character on it (take that Intercooler!)

The Console Heat Radiator is available from Japan’s HimeyaShop for $35.

Along with two cooling fans, the add-on gives you easy access to VGA, Component, Composite and S-Video outputs. There’s also four USB connectors, a TOSLink optical out for digital audio and an Ethernet pass-through. The GA-CX1005XB Docking Station Fan will be available from Japan’s DigitalCowboy starting July 13th. Pricing information hasn’t been announced yet.

[via AV Watch]

The $25 Intercooler for PlayStation 3 features a whopping FIVE additional fans, and wraps around the back, bottom and side of your PS3, making the mammoth console just that much larger, and ruining the console’s virtually silent operation.

While overheating has been a huge issue for Xbox 360 consoles, I’ve heard virtually no reports of heat issues with the PlayStation 3, due to its superior cooling design. I suppose if you’re paranoid, or expect to place your PS3 in a very confined location, supplemental cooling couldn’t hurt, but to me it seems like overkill.

If you think I’m wrong, or if you’ve had heat problems with your PlayStation 3, I’d love to hear from you. But for now, I’ll stick to my stock version.