The results of the exposé are frightening: of the 6 repair shops, only Pix 4 in Shepherds Bush fixed the problem while the Sky News agent waited. The Pix 4 technician didn’t even ask for payment. The other 5 shops did all sorts of jackassery: nearly all of them informed Sky News that the laptop’s motherboard had to be replaced, a false and expensive diagnosis. Worse, the technicians at Laptop Revival in Hammersmith and Digitech in Putney perused the contents of the laptop – Sky News intentionally placed pictures of women in swimwear as well as fake bank details – and copied what they liked. The technician at Laptop Revival even tried to access the fake bank account. Here’s the report:

As the PC Pro article says, please please please back up your data and remove anything sensitive from your computer before sending them in for repairs. And try to get other people’s opinion about a repair shop before entrusting them with your computer, because you never know what’s going to happen if it falls into the hands of jerks like these.

That’s the British for you. Let’s hope the Australians respond by beating England at the tournament.

[via Forever Geek]

The limited-edition Storm Synth conceals the current time by taking standard hour hand, minute hand, second hand equation and multiplying it by three. The trick to reading the time on the Synth is to keep your eye on the hands that have the tiny pointers on their tips. All of the other hands are actually decoys.

At least if it’s gonna confuse the heck out of you, the Synth looks good while doing it. The watch features a substantial modern metal design and suspends the watch movement inside of an open “cage,” encased in crystals on all sides.

So if you’re ready to start tripling the amount of time it takes to check the current time, you can grab the Storm Synth in either stainless steel ($170 USD) or slate black finishes ($199 USD) over at Watchismo.

[via The Watchismo Times]

The bridge’s design takes into account the wonderful scenery, which means that instead of merely being something to pass through, people can actually chill out on the bridge and enjoy the view, turning the bridge itself into a destination. To that effect the bridge has curving benches in the middle of the pathway.

Here’s an excerpt from World Architecture News’ article on the bridge: “The boards run longitudinally along the bridge and over the benches (with anti-slip strips on the edge) and are fitted together by a unique concealed clamped-fixing system, tailor made for the project. This system avoids invasive drilling and minimises disruption to the bridge’s slender deck and streamlined form. It presents the maximum timber surface to walk on, while allowing the wood to expand, contract and weather naturally.”

Castleford bridge’s safety features were also integrated without sacrificing aesthetics. Lighting is embedded into the handrails that span the length of the bridge. The supports are curved to discourage stupid people from climbing them, and as you saw above, the benches are divided by arm rests. The arm rests not only create “personal space”, they also deter skaters from grinding on the bench. Castleford Bridge is just one of the structures built in the revitalization of Castleford. One other cool bridge that was made is named Tickle Cock Bridge. I kid you not. The design must be so cool that when you enter the bridge I am going to stop there.

[also via square magazine and dezeen]

Designed by inventor Wayne Poulton of Addject, Machine PP3 glides and spins along any smooth surface while his little bug-like red eyeballs light his way. His buddy bOb is only described as “a bit more skittery” than PP3, and buzzes along to keep him company on your desktop. With no 9-volt battery, he’d not likely to be as mighty as PP3, either.

Still, with his googly eyes, and vibraty metal ball feet, what’s not to like. You couldn’t possibly separate this dynamic duo, could you?

Both Machine PP3 and bOb can be found over at UK hobby shop AntiGravity for £9.99 (appx. $14 USD) each.

Featuring a stealthy face design that looks like some sort of bar code when the watch is dormant, you’d never know the time was hiding beneath its unassuming surface. But with a push of the button, a bright red LED dot-matrix display comes to life.

Ambition watches are available in four finishes: silver, black, brown or red, and feature a sturdy, shiny stainless steel band.

You can find the Ambition series over on Storm Watches’ UK website for £89.99 (appx. $160 USD).

[Funshop Korea via e-Potpourri]

Tetris Tiles come in a variety of shapes inspired by the classic arcade puzzler, and let you create unique patterns on any wall or floor. Just like the game, it’s up to you to interlock them to fill in every single spot. They come in just about every color under the sun, and are made from fine Italian ceramics.

Tiles are custom cut to order by their UK creator and it takes about 3 to 4 weeks for delivery. Ready to decorate? Just drop the guys at Tetris Tiles an e-mail to place your order.

[via DesignMilk via Apartment Therapy]

A series of cryptic looking numeric black on white segments are printed on vertical sliders which gradually move into position within a black masking box to reveal the current time. As time passes, the sliders climb to the top, until the 9th digit on any given position hits. After that, the mechanism disengages and drops the slider all the way back to the zero position. Each slider is pushed and pulled through the device by a set of 3 servos driven by a PIC16F628 microcontroller.

Check out the video clip below to see this amazing clock movement in action:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Duncan – can I please have one of these in my living room?

[Digimech via NOTCOT]

I’m not sure if SuperMario Plumbing & Heating thinks they can avoid the wrath of the Big “N” by removing the space from the name, or if the fact that Luigi doesn’t work there is is enough to differentiate them. (Although I do wonder if Princess Peach is their receptionist).

I don’t know about you guys, but if I lived in Edinburgh, I’d definitely want guys who have experience tossing Koopa shells, jumping over flaming barrels, and eating 1-up mushrooms fixing my toilet.

[via Flickr]

Designed by UK studio Axelsson Design, these awesome dragon speakers look like something that belong in the villain’s lair in a John Woo film. The 2-way speakers are made from sturdy polyurethane plastic cabinets, and bass is actually ported through the mouth of each dragon (no fire breathing, however). Both the 1-inch tweeter and 4-inch woofer are provided by respected audio manufacturer Peerless.

The speakers measure about 15.4-inches tall, and are available in gloss black, white or candy apple red finishes. Axelsson also says they’ll embellish them in a color of your choice if you have something else in mind (how about something really off the wall, like a GREEN dragon?)

A pair of Axelsson’s dragon speakers will set you back $940 USD.

[via Home Theater Blog]

Each spherical puzzle has a set of movable bands, covered with hieroglyphic images. You’ll need to decipher a set of 10 encrypted clues in order to figure out the correct sequence for the glyphs. Since each puzzle is unique, you’ll need to register online to reveal the specific set of clues for your ISIS. If you manage to crack the puzzle, you’ll get access to the maker’s “Award Zone”, which gives you a chance to win some actual cash prizes and gifts. But finishing the puzzle is probably reward enough.

The ISIS comes in both a monochromatic silver/black finish and purple/gold version that reminds me more of New Orleans at Mardi Gras than ancient Egypt. They measure about 2.75″ in diameter, and weigh in at about a pound, so they’re definitely substantial. At $199 each, they’re not inexpensive. But if you have a serious puzzle fanatic on your holiday shopping list, this really is something special.

While the whole concept is a wee bit reminiscent of Richard Lawson’s minimal 9-Volt LED lamps, it’s different enough that I’ll give Sam and Jude a break. I especially like the pull-chain switch. It’s a nice little touch that makes it just a little more like a regular table lamp.

The $35 Little Lamp is available for pre-order now from Generate.

The artisans over at Britain’s Trifle Design have the answer with this contemporary Offside Foosball Coffee Table. Each table is handmade from high quality materials including solid oak, stainless steel and a glass top where you can put your drinks.

I especially dig the mirrored finish and sandblasted yardage lines on the playing field. I’d love one of these, but the price is a bit of an obstacle at £2999 (about $6062 USD), putting it out of reach of all but those of you with really deep pockets and money to burn.

For the rest of us, I guess we’re left to some divey sports bar or 1970’s rec room to play it ‘old school.’

[via NOTCOT]

These color-changing speakers have a set of LEDs that can be set to automatically change to the rhythm of the currently playing track. For those of you who prefer to be more subtle, they can also be locked-in at the current color.

The 5-watt per channel speakers are packaged in clear acrylic cases, which expose their inner workings when switched off. A pair will set your back £43.96 (appx. $79 USD.)