Technabob » flower

USB Flower Light With Aroma Diffuser: the Gift That Keeps on Stinking

Range — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 19:50:18 +0000

Ah, aromatherapy. I’ve always meant to try it on my laptop. Not really. But thanks to Brando, I can do so now with this handy USB Flower Aroma Diffuser with Light. Thanks guys!

At first glance, this is just another USB light. But wait! That’s not all! It can stink up your home, office, and car, thanks to fragrance oils, which will also helps you relax! Honestly, my laptop’s batteries don’t last that long, so I’m not going to waste juice on this thing, but maybe you will love it?

This smelly flower sells for $12 (USD) and is available in either pink or purple. Heck, at that price why bother choosing? Just take ‘em both.

[via Geek Alerts]

Brinno Gardenwatchcam: Time-Lapse Digital Garden Camera Shoots Video Slightly More Interesting Than Watching Paint Dry

Technabob — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:50:58 +0000

Want to know if your green thumb is really green? This nifty garden gadget lets you keep watch over your budding plants 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from across the globe if you want.

The Brinno GardenWatchCam observes your flowers as they grow, taking time lapse digital photos at intervals ranging from 1 minute to 24 hours apart. Just set the camera in front of your plants, set the desired interval, and start capturing your garden as it takes shape. You can also include time and date stamps on your images if you want. Here’s an example video taken from the GardenWatchCam’s time lapse images.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The camera is designed to take 1.2 megapixel macro images from as little as 20-inches away from your subject, or can be set to a distance focus mode for plants more than 20 inches away. Images are captured in JPEG format and can be saved into an AVI video file, and you can store up to 2GB of pictures on any USB flash drive. The camera runs on 4-AA batteries and should be able to shoot images for 4 to 6 months depending on the interval you set.

Of course, you don’t have to use it to shoot time lapse videos of flowers. Pretty much anything that takes a long time to happen is a potential subject…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

You can find the GardenWatchCam over at Amazon for $139.99 (USD). More example videos can be seen here.

Dream With the Petals in Psn’S Flower in February

Alisha K. — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 13:54:29 +0000

Do flowers dream of petals dancing on the wind? According to ThatGameCompany (makers of flOw, predecessor), they just might, especially if they’re stuck on the dull, lifeless windowsill of an apartment. And here you thought it was just guilt-inducing to bring a pet into your apartment; now the flora is fighting back, too.

flower (lower case “f” preferred) is game-as-art-project (or perhaps vice versa) in which players guide petals through abstract landscapes. Each “level” is a new dream, with its own rules and objectives, and there’s no handy, helpful guide to explain what those are. In dreams, we drift along, struggling to gain a grip; in flower, we do the same. If that doesn’t sound like much of a game to you, that’s okay. As flower is a PlayStation Network release, the downloadable game will be less than $20, and maybe even less than $10 (though that’s unlikely).

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

flower has been scheduled for a release in the United States on February 12, though pricing has not yet been determined, and we can expect one more title, at least, from ThatGameCompany on the PlayStation Network.

Giant Asimo at Rose Bowl Parade

Lambert Varias — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 12:30:29 +0000

Honda’s hand-shaking, stair-climbing, head-bowing, face-not having robot ASIMO has been exposed to Gigantor rays and has been blown up to 12 times it’s size. But don’t expect any Double Blizzards coming out of it: Robert over at GeekAlerts says that Gigantor ASIMO “will be completed with natural materials like lettuce seed, rice, carnations and strawflower.” Yay?

The 49-foot tall Veggie Gigantor Top Hat Asimo will be featured in the 120th Rose Bowl Parade, along with the Prairie View A&M University Marching Band. Since 2008 also marks Honda’s 50th anniversary of US operations, a Honda Super Cub motorcycle (the first model sold in the U.S.) will also parade, and be ignored, alongside ASIMO.

I hope they discover Gundamium soon, because carnations just won’t do.

Flower Rock 2.0: Dancing Flowers Get a Makeover

Technabob — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:04:26 +0000

Back in the late 1980s, a sensation swept the streets of Asia called the “Flower Rock”. The desktop gadget did one thing, and one thing only — it danced to any music that you played near it. Flower Rock 2.0 commemorates the 20th anniversary of the original Flower Rock, giving it a thoroughly modern makeover.

Takara Tomy and Sanyo put their heads together to create the Flower Rock 2.0, which takes the original concept and infuses it with a new look. Sure, the 2.0 version will dance to your tunes, but it also puts on a light show, thanks to colored LEDs in each of its leaves and petals.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Just plug the Flower Rock 2.0 into your iPod or other music source, and it’ll get to dancing and grooving. There’s also a built-in 1-watt amp and speaker, so you can listen to your tunes as it gets its funk on.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Initially available only in Japan, the guys over at Japan Trend Shop are now shipping them worldwide for $77 US each. Sure, that’s a whole lot to pay for a dancing flower that you’ll probably find annoying after a couple of hours, but I know you still want one.

[Flower Rock 2.0]

Junk Mobile Phones Give Way to Flowers

Technabob — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 12:45:27 +0000

Ever wonder what to do with your old cell phone when you’re ready to upgrade to the latest and greatest? Why not bury it in the ground? That’s what a group of scientists will have us doing if they have their way.

Researchers in the UK have devised a new mobile phone body which can simply be tossed into the compost heap, and will disintegrate within weeks. Once the phone’s shell has broken down, an embedded sunflower seed is released into the earth, sprouting life anew from your wayward technological garbage.

A team at the University of Warwick’s Warwick Manufacturing Group, in conjunction with PVAXX Research & Development Ltd. and Motorola used a special biodegradable polymer which is completely functional under normal working conditions, yet starts to rapidly decompose when placed in compost. Now they haven’t solved the problem of what to do with all those nasty toxins in your phone’s electronic components and battery pack, but at least they’ve got a solution for all those cheap plastic cases.

For those of us with iPhones, we’ll just have to melt down our aluminum and glass beauties using conventional recycling techniques when that iPhone 2.0 eventually comes along.

[via Baby Ruthless via Roadside Scholar]

USB Greenhouse Keeps Desk Gardens Growing

Technabob — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 19:13:56 +0000

Here’s a way to add a little green to your desktop surroundings. This USB mini greenhouse helps you easily grow a little garden with the help of your computer

The egg-shaped device from DreamCheeky holds artificial soil, seeds and water, then helps your budding garden grow by feeding it with a USB-powered grow-light. The kit comes with everything you need to get started, including some marigold seeds. It even ships with software that lets you monitor the growth rate of your plantings.

You can pick one up for yourself over at Geeks.com for about 20 bucks.

[via EverythingUSB]