technabob » knife

assassinate your friends with real-life “extension knife”

chris h. — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:11:51 +0000

I didn’t much care for Assassin’s Creed, but I will concede that the assassin’s retractable dagger is a pretty badass weapon. And in the most literal sense of “badass.” So you would think news of a real-life assassin’s dagger being manufactured would elicit a sheepish smirk from me. Well, not so much. No, instead I’m very, very concerned.

The “assassin extension knife” is being made by Museum Replicas, prop makers whose catalog is rife with replicas from Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Terminator, 300, and lots of other geek-friendly names. And while a lot of their products run pretty high in price, the extension knife is a paltry $125 (USD). In addition to Altaïr’s extension knife, Museum Replicas are also selling virtually every component of his outfit – over tunic, under tunic, vambraces, boots, belt . . . if I were a cosplayer, I’d have struck gold.

So why am I concerned about this knife, which is designed to be concealed, hitting the market? Remember that scene towards the end of V for Vendetta, where the inspector says how he can “see” how everything will unfold? Well, I’m having the same experience, but about this knife. Prophetically, I can see an “accidental discharge,” blood being shed, and the ensuing media storm (spearheaded by Fox News) that will damage video games’ already weak credibility.

So by all means, get your fan boy or fan girl on. Just… exercise a whole lot of caution when you do. My last roommate once stabbed himself in his gut with a katana, and that thing’s big. I imagine it’s much easier to wound yourself, or others, with a retractable knife strapped to your forearm.

[via Kotaku]

use a table saw to cut your cake

technabob — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 11:32:37 +0000

Imagine the next time you have friends over to dinner, you bring out a delicious chocolate cake on the table, then proceed to hack it apart with a hand saw.

Now you can slice and dice cakes and other tender foods with the Table Saw, a serrated kitchen knife that looks just like a hand saw. Designed by Winnif Pang for Fred & Friends, you can pre-order one over at Amazon for $7.99 (USD).

Or you could just head down to your neighborhood Home Depot, and grab a real saw.

zipit electric clamshell package opener: overkill defined

technabob — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 23:01:36 +0000

I’m sure you’ve all had your share of frustration opening up those annoying heat-sealed plastic clamshell packages. I’ve certainly had a war-wound or two from the nasty sharp edges as I tried desperately to crack into my new gadgets and goodies. And while a decent pair of scissors or an X-Acto should do the trick, there’s something I like about the idea of an electrical gadget dedicated to the purpose.

The ZIPIt does one thing and one thing only. It shears through those awful clamshell packages like butta. Just slap 3 AA batteries into the ZIPIt, snap off the protective cover, and slide your package into the end of the cutter. In seconds, your package will be open, and your plastic entombed purchase will once again be free to breathe in the air.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Sure, devices like this one are complete overkill, IMHO, but isn’t that what disposable income is for? You can grab the ZIPIt clamshell package opener over on Amazon for about $25 (USD). Best of all, it does NOT come packaged inside a clamshell itself.

‘wasp knife’ will stab your victims then freeze their organs

karen m. — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 01:00:45 +0000

Britain is reportedly on alert for the wasp knife, a knife that can “deliver a ball of compressed gas capable of killing its victim at the press of a button.” A needle in the tip of the knife’s blade shoots out a little frozen gas ball which instantaneously grows to “the size of a basketball” and freezes the victim’s internal organs.

The Wasp Knife was created to kill bears and sharks, which is super handy if you’re like me and you find that bears and sharks are constantly bothering you. Especially bears. Then again, I spend most weekends hiking the back-country of rural Montana while slathered from head to toe in a delicious layer of honey, so maybe it’s related to that.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Guess where the knife is made? The U.S.A., of course. Do we know how to kick ass or what? Just kidding. This is insanely scary. You can read the full article in the UK Daily Mail.

snack and stack cutlery is extremely lego-like

karen m. — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:36:08 +0000

The Snack & Stack cutlery set comes with a lego-esque fork, knife, and spoon with silicone handles that stack up for easy packing and, of course, a bit of fun.

The Snack & Stack was designed by Winnif Pang. It’s a product from Fred & Friends, and isn’t out yet, but should be in stores soon.

Even though the cutlery (ahem) strongly resembles Legos, it’s not a Lego-branded product, it just happens to look extremely Lego-like. It’s a good thing Lego Corp. isn’t all litigious and stuff or none of these products would fly and we’d all just be stuck stacking up Legos that serve no additional purpose whatsoever.