Technabob » spring

PumPing Tap Concept Ejects Electronics to Eliminate Extra Energy Expenditure

Lambert Varias — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:00:18 +0000

It’s common knowledge by now that leaving most electronic devices plugged in will cause them to draw a small amount of power even if they’re turned off. It’s also common knowledge that toasters make bread pop up as soon as they’re toasted. Putting these two bits of common knowledge together – or not – a group of Korean designers came up with a spring-loaded socket that ejects the plug of an unused appliance.

Designers Seong Soyeon, Kim Seonmi, Lee Jeongjae, Park Jihye & Lee Yeontaek call their concept the PumPing Tap. An OLED indicator on the PumPing Tap turns blue to indicate that a plugged in device is in use. That in itself is a useful feature, so you don’t accidentally turn anything off while hunting for an open socket. But that’s not the best trick of this device. When it detects that a plugged in device is turned off, the OLED turns red. If the plug is still in the socket after 10 minutes – lazy human! – the PumPing Tap will eject the plug on its own.

Neat concept, but my only concern is the socket itself becoming another device that might malfunction or break down, only this time the device is where my other devices get their juice from. Still, I’m not surprised that the PumPing Tap won a Red Dot Award for Design last year. Plug into the source link to have a look at the socket’s schematics.

[via Yanko Design]

Slink-O-Matic: the Slinky Walks Alone

Technabob — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 03:20:33 +0000

Ah, there’s nothing quite like a truly unuseless invention. The Slink-O-Matic does one thing, and one thing only – it keeps a Slinky going indefinitely.

Created by Jim Sellers, the machine just gradually shifts said Slinky from side to side without need for such pesky annoyances as a pair of human hands or a staircase to walk down.

According to Sellers, it actually does serve one other purpose. “(The Slink-O-Matic is)…useful in determining whether one is in the northern or the southern hemisphere. Due to Coriolis forces it will “slink” from right to left in the northern hemisphere and from left to right in the southern hemisphere.”

[via Make: via OhGizmo! via Neatorama]

Casio Vivid Baby-G Watches Bring Spring Home With a Splash of Color

Range — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:24:40 +0000

When I think of Casio watches, I tend to think about the G-Shock series, which are quite bulky, manly, and filled with functions that you’ll probably never need. On the other hand, we now have Casio’s playful new Baby-G line.

This new collection of watches are most definitely stylish and come in a variety of splashy Spring colors. They also come with a bunch of features, including 5 daily alarms, a timer, stopwatch, and more.

To top things off, each one comes with a 25 page databank and EL backlight. The Baby-G will be available at Macy’s for $79 this spring.

[via Fareastgizmos]

Xbox 360 Spring Dashboard Update Previewed

Technabob — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 03:27:11 +0000

Microsoft has posted a brief video clip which shows off a number of new features which will become available on May 7th, 2007.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Among the improvements, the new version will add Friends List and text chat integration with Windows Live Messenger. In addition, the Xbox Live Marketplace will get broken out into its own blade for easier access, and will feature a changeable look based on seasonality and special events. The dashboard update will also improve the way that achievements are displayed and categorized, making it much simpler to quickly see what you’ve accomplished in your games.

Last, but certainly not least, you’ll be able to set your 360 into a special low power consumption mode so you can continue to download files even when you’re not using the console. You’ll also be able to set your console to automatically shut down after all downloads have completed.

[via Joystiq]