Taking their temperature often involves a lot of coaxing. Something that could make taking their temperature easier is the Lollipop Thermometer, which is a thermometer in the shape of – you guessed it – a lollipop.

I don’t know how they’ll account how the shape of the measuring surface will affect the temperature reading, though I hope they considered that point. Another con to the design is that you don’t actually get to read off the value of the temperature. Instead, you’ll have to rely on a color-coding system that lets you know it’s time to go to the hospital when the lollipop stick reaches the “red” color level.

This design by Dano Su and Young Lee Kim could still use a lot of work, but it’s a good idea to get kids to cooperate when they don’t feel like it. Especially if they somehow made it taste like candy.

[via Yanko Design]

Namely, it would keep me from the daily morning conversation with my seven-year-old about the weather outside. She rolls out of bed each morning and comes in my office and wants to know how hot or cold it is outside. Her little brain doesn’t work in absolutes, so telling her it’s going to be 65° out means nothing to her. She’s also got a lot that fiery Italian in her thanks to her mom, so she gets pretty upset if I tell her she needs long sleeves and a jacket in the morning, and then she gets hot on the playground.

What she needs is this Cryoscope gadget, which lets you feel what the temperature outside is like without leaving the house. An LED glows to give you an indication at a glance if it’s hot or cold outside. The current build actually lets you feel what tomorrow’s temperature will be like, but there’s no reason it couldn’t be used for current weather too.

To build the Cryoscope, Godshaw took a Peltier element and placed it on top of a heat sink with a cooling fan, and a RGB LED on the bottom. The system gets its temperature information from a web-based application, relaying it to an Arduino controller. The controller and the Peltier element then heat or cool an aluminum cover to the appropriate temperature, with a range of 0 to 100°F. Then you simply lay a hand on it and know exactly what it will feel like when you go outside tomorrow. It even compensates the temperature to account for wind chill, humidity and the properties of the aluminum cube itself.

I wonder how hard it would be to build one of these for myself.

[via CNET]

She was running a pretty high fever, that much I could tell by putting my palm to her forehead. But as for the exact temperature? I dare say it was pretty much close to a miracle that I was able to get her temperature because she wouldn’t keep still because the thermometer “tickled.”

But as her fever waned, her energy came back full force, and it was getting harder and harder to gauge her temperature. A smart solution? The Easy Read Thermometer – a concept design by Wang Dongwei and Liu Yisha. And while it won’t be able to give you the exact temperature of your kid or baby, at least it gives you the range so you’ll know when you’re in the clear or not.

It seems like a pretty useful concept, especially for parents and for people who take care of young kids on a regular basis.

[via Yanko Design]

The 4.5″ tall LCD numbers are visible from about 30 feet away. In addition to time in either 12 or 24 hour modes, it also displays the current day and date. Plus, you’ll get all of the benefits of knowing the exact (indoor) temperature, if you care about that. It’s made by a company that supplies these clocks for Canadian hospitals and government buildings. The clock will refresh the time each night so it’s completely accurate. It uses 3 “C” batteries to power it’s large display, and can easily be wall-mounted.

You can buy it on Amazon from American Science & Surplus for $79.95 (USD).

[via GeekAlerts]

I rarely leave her at home alone, given that she’s still 8 weeks-old and all, but sometimes, there’s just no one left at home to care for the little tyke. On those days, I end up postponing my out-of-the-house chores or getting groceries because I am just not comfortable with the idea of leaving little Remy alone in the car while I go out shopping. (Dogs get heat stroke and die when left in hot, enclosed areas, like parked cars under the sweltering heat.)

However, for dog owners who do bring their best friend along with them for a ride or while they run errands, then getting the ‘Too Hot For Spot?’ Static Cling Car Window Thermometer would probably be a good idea.

These creatively-designed clings are also functioning thermometers that give you an approximation of just how hot it is in your car and if it’s a temperature that your dog can tolerate.  I think this is a fine idea, given that a lot of owners, both negligent or simply clueless, leave their pets inside locked cars only to return and discover that their dog is already, well… *makes slicing motion across neck*

Obviously, this isn’t something that you’d want. Your dog definitely deserves better, so you can take the extra precaution by getting one of these thermometer clings from TooHotForSpot.com for $10.95 (USD) each.

[via Cool Hunting via Oh Gizmo!]

This cat-shaped alarm clock, and not only tells the time, but releases an unknown fragrance as it does its business. One can only hope it doesn’t smell like my cat’s litter box. In addition to stinkin’ up the place, the cat is a speaks the time in 14 “diverse languages” – not one of them my tabby understands. There’s also a digital thermometer mode which can display the current temperature in either Centigrade or Celsius. Last time I checked, those were both the same thing. Eh, what do you expect from a stinkin tetradeca-lingual talkin’ cat?

What I really love about this thing is that the guys who made it felt the need to patent it. So if you plan on making your own 1″ lcd fragrance releasing talking cat alarm clock with temperature display, you’d better watch your ass. The holders of patent number 200930164072.X will rain down on you with the wrath of God (and an army of fragranced talking cats).

While you’re mulling over whether or not you want to buy Fragrance Cat, here’s some informative Engrish from the package for your enjoyment…

Wow, it’s got high definition time. Even my Blu-ray player can’t do that. And what the heck do you think a hypnosis alarm is? Does it put you into a trance the minute you wake up? In my house, we call that the “snooze bar”. If you just absolutely have to have one of these ridiculous things by the side of your bed you need help, you can get your hands on one over at DealExtreme for $7.23 (USD).

Brando calls it the “USB 3-in-1 Rota-Rota Combo Hub”. I think its named like that because each of the 3 USB ports can be turned up to 90°, but you never know with Brando. Also, I don’t see how having rotating USB ports is useful. Does it make it easier to remove a device that’s plugged into a port?

Aside from the rota-rota ports, the Rota-Rota is also a multi-card reader and can read SD, SDHC, Memory Stick Duo, MicroSD and M2 cards.

I’d like to think of Brando’s product development process as open-minded: “Sally at HR’s niece says she’s always wanted to have a USB hub with built-in thermometers. Let’s make her dream come true.”

But Brando will benefit from a bit of the old spell-checking and proofreading; I think mass-producing gadgets with unnecessary gauges labeled “Tempreture” makes your company look a tad unprofessional. But that’s just me.

You can buy the USB 3-in-1 Rota-Rota Hub at Brando’s shop for $15.50 USD. Tempreture gauges included.

[via 7Gadgets]

These aren’t the first clocks I’ve seen that pull off this illusion, but what makes these ones unique is their stylish angular face design, which makes them easy to read whether standing up or sitting down. As an added bonus, the clocks display not just the time, but also the date and temperature.

The clocks measure in at 8.25″ x 3.5″ x 3.5″ (21 x 9 x 9 cm) and come with an 110v – 240v A/C adapter, so they should work worldwide. LED Wood Triangle Clocks are available in either a dark and light wood veneer finish and can be found over at HOMELOO for $39 USD.

I think it’s the bright full-color 7-inch diagonal TFT LCD screen that’s got me hooked. I’m so used to seeing crummy monochrome displays on weather devices. The screen can display indoor and outdoor temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity, phase of the moon, times of sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset, among other things. To provide accurate weather info, a wireless sensor sits outside your house and transmits a wide variety of climactic information back to the basestation.

Speaking of other things – when you’re done checking the weather, flip over to photo frame mode, and you’ll be able to display images from Compact Flash, SD, MMC, Memory Stick™, and xD memory cards — or if you don’t have one lying around, there’s a wee bit of internal memory (128 MB), which can hold direct transfers from your computer.

And thanks to a built-in atomic synchronized alarm clock, you just might want to put this on your bedside table in place of your crappy old clock radio. The digital weather station / photo frame is available now from Hammacher Schlemmer for $199.95.

This Rubik’s-inspired clock takes the basic design concept of the classic cube puzzler, and turns it into an LCD digital alarm clock. Rest assured, that you’ll never get all the colors lined up on the proper sides of this cube, as only the top row rotates letting you switch between the time, calendar, alarm and temperature modes.

So when you’re ready to go back to the 80′s, swing on over to Perpetual Kid and grab one for just $19.99.

Featuring a striking black and white case with a futuristic, bright orange-on-black display, there’s no way you’ll miss one of these clocks when you roll over in the middle of the night to check the time. And even if you did, just look straight up from your pillow, since these clocks can also project the current time directly on your ceiling. Both models also include dual alarms in case you and your significant other need to wake up at different times.

The $39.99 RRA320P is the basic AM/FM alarm clock radio model, while the $59.99 RRM320PA adds an atomic-synchronized movement, temperature display and a wireless thermometer that lets you check the outdoor temperature from up to 300 feet away.

In addition to telling time, day and date, the Jet wall clock also features a temperature display and an alarm. If you really dig his style, Williams has also designed a Jet clock radio and a smaller travel alarm clock too. All three models will come in either brushed anodized aluminum or shiny gold finishes.

The first model to be released — the Jet wall clock — is available now from French design boutique Singulier for €45 (appx. $69 USD). Pricing and a release date haven’t been announced for the travel clock and clock radio yet.

With it’s curvy egg-shaped design, modern typography and bold icons, it’s a definite nod to 1960s space-age futurism. The BAR210 Weather Forecaster offers easy-to-read amber numbers, which toggle easily between time and temperature readings with a wave of your hand.

Colorful weather forecast icons light up to indicate sun, rain or clouds, and it can display either indoor or outdoor temperatures thanks to an included wireless temperature sensor. Time is automatically set using a remote atomic clock, so you can be sure it’ll be accurate.

You can find the BAR210 forecaster from Ambient Weather for $47.95.

Also along for the ride are an altimeter, thermometer and barometer for tracking weather conditions. There’s even analog and digital magnetic compass displays so you can get your bearings when you’re lost in the woods. A chronometer lets you track time in 1/100th of a second intervals, while a tachymeter lets you calculate the rate of speed traveled over a specific distance in a particular amount of time.

All of the models are water resistant to 100 feet, and feature durable mineral glass crystals. Glow-in-the-dark hands let make it easy to read in dark conditions. The HT2 comes in three variants, ranging in price from $295 to $345 USD and can be found on the Timberland online store.

[via acquire]

Japan’s DARS 22° C premium chocolate bars now include a color-coded temperature gauge which tells you when the bar is at exactly 22° C (about 71.6° F), apparently the “perfect” climate for chocolately goodness.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

To ensure the perfect candy eating experience, the company is even offering regular customers the opportunity to grab a special chocolate storage drawer (aka “the chocolate cellar”) that’s designed to help maintain the perfect temperature.

Personally, I’ve always liked my chocolate refrigerator cold, but according to the manufacturer, 22° C is the RIGHT temperature for getting your sugar fix. Anything else just won’t do.

[via Inventor Spot]

The $24.95 MicroTemp MT100 Keychain Thermometer from Spark Industries uses an infrared sensor to tell you the temperature of any item you point it at. It can measure temperatures from a frigid -27°F (-33°C) to a burn-inducing 230°F (+110°C), all without ever touching the surface of the item you aim it at. The read area for the sensor is about 1:1 (so if you hold it about an inch away from a surface, you’ll get the temperature for a 1-inch area.

Maybe McDonalds should include one of these with every cup of coffee, just so nobody ever sues them over leg burns again.

These compact Weather Hubs (6.6″ x 3.1″ x 0.8″) can be easily mounted on a wall, on a desktop using a built-in kickstand, or even on a refrigerator thanks to an included magnetic mount. The unique design features two LCDs: on one side, it shows icons for the upcoming weather conditions (sunny, partially cloudy, cloudy, rainy); on the other side, the current indoor temperature in C° or F°.

Weather Hubs retail for $19.99 (but can be found for quite a bit less on eBay.) They comes in four colors: white, red, black and blue to suit your individual taste.