Technabob » snow

KiBiSi-Designed Capital Headphones for AIAIAI: Rain, Snow, Who Cares with These?

Range — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:00:02 +0000

These headphones, which were designed by the Copenhagen-based firm KiBiSi, were made to be weather resistant. This means that they’ll shrug off rain and snow. That might be cool to have, especially if you can’t live without your tunes while you’re walking around this winter.

The Capital headphones were created for AIAIAI and are an urban-style pair, meaning that they’re to be used everyday, on the go. They’re made from nylon-reinforced fiberglass and rubber, and are foldable, and durable. They also have a three-button control and microphone in the cord, allowing you to adjust music or answer calls on your smartphone.

They look pretty cool, but in my book, coolness is secondary to how they should sound and build quality. But even so, I’m sure that these headphones will sell well, simply on their looks. A lot of people look for unusual headphones, that stand out from the crowd and don’t make you look like an alien DJ.

[via Dezeen]

Google Lets it Snow in Your Web Browser

Shane McGlaun — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:23:14 +0000

Here in Texas, it is rare to get snow, so when winter rolls around all we can do is throw handfuls of that foaming hand soap around and pretend its cold. We can go years without seeing any sort of snow around here and if you live in a similarly warm climate, you might want to check out the new Google Easter Egg which turned up this week.

All you have to do to check it out is hop over to Google and enter “let it snow” into the search box. After a second, you will see snowflakes start to fall down the screen. They get heavier over time and then your screen will eventually frost over.

After a bit, a button on the search bar comes on that says “Defrost”. If you hit that button the snow continues to fall, but it won’t fog up again. This is pretty cool. After this one and “do a barrel roll“, what would you like to see for Google’s next Easter Egg?

[via PCMag]

Snowball Crossbow is Robin Hood’s Winter Weapon of Choice

Shane McGlaun — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:00:25 +0000

We don’t get a real winter here in Texas, it rarely snows. If it does snow, it only lasts a few days. In colder climates, like Technabob HQ in Chicago, you guys can spend the winter having snowball fights and digging your car out. If you want an edge in those Winter snowball fights, this is the weapon for you.

It’s called the Crossbow Snow Launcher, and it can shoot a snowball up to 60 feet away. It comes with a snowball press to make up to three snow spheres just the right size for firing. It appears to use some sort of rubber or elastic straps to hurl the snowball towards your victim.

The photo here is actually only a rendering. I would love to see a video of this in action. The Crossbow Snow Launcher is offered by The Sharper Image and sells for $39.99 (USD).

[via OhGizmo! via Dvice]

AT-AT Snow Sculpture Holds Up to Little Kids, But Not a Rebel Attack

Range — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 13:38:20 +0000

I know that making AT-ATs out of snow has been one way of using up some of the massive snowfall that’s been plaguing the U.S. this season, but I have to say that this one from Norway actually looks pretty awesome too.

Mexican Viking recently created this one and it does look quite good. He made sure to follow the overall look of an AT-AT by checking out an image he found over at the Star Wars wiki.

As he built the sculpture, he had to allow the snow to harden before removing that supporting leg under its head. Then, he let harden it some more before adding his children.

It’s perfect to let your kids have some winter fun and pretend to ride an AT-AT. After all, we all know that AT-AT make great pets.

World’s Geekiest Snowplow is Pedal-Powered Trike

Shane McGlaun — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:09:35 +0000

When I was a kid there was a guy that lived in my neighborhood that rode one of those full size tricycles around all the time. We all thought it was the dorkiest bike we had ever seen. A guy somewhere cold and snowy has devised the only cool way possible to use a tricycle as an adult that doesn’t involve Travis Pastrana.

The guy even made the trike himself out of a pair of old normal bikes. He took the two bikes, an old steering wheel, rope, wood, and a pulley and created a pedal-powered snowplow. The idea was that he could use the thing to get snow off his drive when it wasn’t deep enough for a snow thrower, and was too deep for a shovel.

He rides the plow up and down the drive pushing the snow into piles that he can then shovel off with a normal shovel. Seeing people have to do things like this makes me glad I live where snow is rare.

[via Make:]

A Snowman in the Desert

Shane McGlaun — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:48:40 +0000

People that live where it snows a lot take it for granted. The highlight of the year in Texas is the random cold winter when we get some snow and can build snowmen in the yard. If you live in a place like Bahrain – where it never snows thanks to the desert heat – you might never get the chance to see or touch snow.

Panasonic held a contest on where it looked for ideas that spawned a mission to let some kids in Bahrain see snow for the first time. Panasonic used some of its cool high-tech vacuum insulation, packed a snowman away inside a box, and put it on a plane to start its 5,314-mile journey to the desert and the waiting kids.

I am surprised to say that the fancy insulation material actually kept the snowman frozen for the whole trip, and when it arrived in Bahrain, the kids got to touch snow and see their first snowman. As Frosty started to melt, the kids got to have snowball fights and build their own mini snowmen too. This may be the best use ever for boring insulating materials ever.

Watch Out Where the AT-ATs Go, Don’t Eat That Yellow Snow!

Range — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 16:58:43 +0000

Yes, there’s a lot of snow right now and it can be a pain, especially if you’re not used to receiving that much of it at the same time. Personally, even though I’m currently living in Taipei, I love snow. I used to live in Quebec, Canada, and the last year I was there, we had a record snowfall of 16.4′. Well, if you’ve got so much snow around, then go take your AT-AT Imperial Walker for walkies. They like this weather.

This image, titled “In Training” was posted by Reddit user Vandalay797 and it shows a snow trooper taking a toy AT-AT for a walk. It reminds me of that AT-AT that was behaving like a dog, except Fido gets to go outside in a more appropriate climate. I like the fact that he used snow trooper uniform, as clone troopers wouldn’t have been as accurate.

[via Reddit]

Snowdozer Cuts Ice Scraping Time in Half

Chris B. — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 14:37:22 +0000

Has anyone else had enough of the snow? Possibly one of the most annoying things winter has to offer us is the several layers of snow and ice that accumulates on our cars overnight. An ice scraper has FINALLY been created that will combat this nasty part of winter, and give you a lot less cold work to deal with. The Snowdozer is a mega-ice scraper that has two blades to take off ice in two directions, a brush, and a grip. The most interesting thing about this is the grip, and the fact that it extends. So much pressure is taken off of your back and two blades means you’re cutting the time out in the cold in half.

This awesome snow removal device had a 25” length that can go out to 36”, an aluminum handle, plastic head, and nylon bristles. The materials may not be better than any other ice scraper you’ve seen, but it’s design makes sure that none of that matters.

If you’ve ever thought you might have frostbite just from cleaning off your car in the winter, this is definitely something you need to have. And at only $17, you can’t say that it’s not a good investment.

[via 7Gadgets]

Fallen AT-AT Snow Fort: Hoth on Your Lawn

Range — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 17:15:04 +0000

Did the great snowpocalypse get you down? Then head on outside just like Jabo27 and build yourself a fallen AT-AT snow fort. If you’ve got a front yard on the East Coast, then you probably still have enough snow around to do this as well.

Jabo27 admits that the scale is incorrect, but he had lots of fun building it. The AT-AT isn’t very tall, but it’s tall enough. Jabo27 used his son’s toy AT-AT as a model to figure out the dimensions. However, this went out the window once he started creating it, as he didn’t have the right machinery to pile it up high enough.

The last time I built a snow fort was when I was 13 or so and it was fun. I can just imagine how much fun this must have been.

[Reddit via Geekologie]

Jabba the Snowman

Technabob — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 17:28:09 +0000

Okay, this is either the most awesome pile of snow ever, or a great Photoshop job. Either way, with 6 inches of snow in front of my house, I plan on heading out into my driveway later today to attempt to recreate this Jabba the Hutt snowman.

I’m guessing that whoever made this thing tinted the snow with food coloring or the dog peed on it to give it that lovely color. The only thing missing is Princess Leia in her slave bikini chained to him. I’m assuming that she melted.

[via DannyTRS via /Film]

Star Wars Paper Snowflakes: I Wanna Wish You a Jedi Christmas

Range — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 00:33:26 +0000

If that papercraft Steve Jobs is a bit too complex for you, then you can try your hand at Star Wars-themed paper snowflakes, which will make some unique decorations for your home and Christmas tree.

You’ll have to follow these instructions to make your own. It sounds like a fun project to do over the holidays, when you’ve got some time to kill to make your Christmas tree look a bit more festive.

Naturally, I like the Darth Vader snowflake, although it looks more complicated to make than the clone trooper. I also like how he managed to sneak in The Galactic Empire logo in the middle.

[via Star Wars Blog via Laughing Squid]

Millennium Falcon Sled Takes You Into Hyperspace

Technabob — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 13:56:00 +0000

So maybe it won’t make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, but this Millennium Falcon sled should take you down the neighborhood snow mound in 10 seconds flat.

The colorful snow sled doesn’t have the battle scars that the real Falcon has seen, but I’m sure after a few wipeouts (or laser cannon blasts from your neighbor with the personal TIE Fighter), you’ll have it looking pretty close. The sled is only big enough to hold one passenger, so you’ll have to decide if you want Chewbacca or Han to fly solo.

Sure, it’s not as cool as the handmade X-Wing Fighter sled, but this one is only $35 bucks and it probably wont’ break into pieces after a single run. Last I checked, the Millennium Falcon sled was out of stock over on Amazon, but you can get yourself on the backorder list so you can get yours just in time for all the snow to melt.

[via OhGizmo!]

Snowball Blaster Fires Fluffy Stuff Up to 80 Feet

Technabob — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:30:45 +0000

Those of us living in the Midwest know all too well that Winter is about to strangle us with its icy grip. And while 6 months of freezing cold weather can really suck the life out of you, there is a happy side-effect of the season. Snow – lots and lots of snow. So what better way to put all that fluffy white stuff to use but to nail your friends with some major snowballs.

I’ve never been very good at making decent snowballs, but with this heavy-duty mechanical Snowball Blaster, pretty much anyone can become an expert snowball marksman.

Just pack your snow into the three casting chambers, and it’ll roll three perfectly round snowballs. When you’re ready to take aim, just load one of your spherical snowballs into the muzzle, pull back the launcher mechanism, and SPLAT! Your victim is covered in snow. An elastic slingshot mechanism means that you’ll be able to fire off another snowball blast in just seconds, just in case one wasn’t enough.

The $29.95 Snowball Blaster should ship just in time for Christmas over at Hammacher Schlemmer.

[via Switched]

Vholdr Sports Camera Gets the 360-Degree Treatment

Technabob — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 03:51:40 +0000

What do you get when you combine a skateboard wheel, a length of PVC pipe, a driveway marker, a handful of screws, a bolt, washers and nuts, and some Gorilla Tape? Not much, until you throw an awesome new wearable camcorder in the mix. Then, you have one crazy POV video camera system.

That’s exactly what happened when Olympic Snowboarder Graham Watanabe hooked up with the guys who came up with the rugged new VholdR outdoor camera from Twenty20.

Using a design that would make MacGyver proud, the improvised “Granthony Cam” (named for Graham and Twenty20′s Anthony Godoy) screws on top of Watanabe’s helmet as he snowboards downhill, capturing a wild, 360-degree video effect that not only gives you a great sense of motion, but is also some of the wildest camera work this side of a Raising Arizona. The 2 minute video clip is definitely worth a watch, so be sure to check it out.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The VholdR camera at the heart of the rig comes encased in a rugged anodized aluminum shell, and is splash proof, dust proof and dirt proof. Designed to mount just about anywhere, the camera is perfect for sports-nuts or anyone else who wants to capture action video in challenging locations. The whole lens and image sensor can even rotate up to 192-degrees together, and a pair of lasers automatically guide the camera to frame the image properly. The company even offers specially-designed mounts for helmets, bikes, goggles and roll bars… but I still prefer the ingenuity of the Granthony Cam.

At $350, it’s not the cheapest digital video camera out there, but you also wouldn’t want to strap your mom’s HandyCam to your head and go jump out of an airplane with it on.

Make Your Own Snowstorm

Technabob — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 03:10:11 +0000

Want to make sure your kids have a truly white Christmas this year? Well with a little elbow grease, some cold weather and some cold hard cash you can.

The SG4 and SG5 snow makers from Snowathome.com turn water and pressurized air into actual snow. You’ll need to provide your own power washer and an air compressor, and the outside temperature will need to be below 29