The whole dress is then connected to a pumping backpack which precisely times the movement of the fluids – resulting in an amazing lightshow. But enough of my yakkin’. Watch, and be mesmerized…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Trippy, no? Now all he has to do is figure out a way to make it truly portable, and he’d be able to sell thousands of these for rave-goers.

[Vimeo via Boing Boing]

Trashbear Labs built this Nixie Soduku board using 81 individual tubes, arranged into a grid, and controlled by a couple of dials and a keypad. There’s even a built-in solver algorithm, in case he gets stuck trying to solve a particularly challenging puzzle.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Want one just like it? Trashbear has been kind enough to share all of the schematics, source code, and design files in one handy .ZIP archive here.

[via Hack A Day via Adafruit Industries]

Created by Japan’s Hanwha, the tube look-a-like speaker plugs into the USB port and audio jack on your computer, and lights up in a cool blue when powered on. Now don’t expect tube-amp quality sound from this thing – it only cranks out an anemic 0.35W per channel, and frequency range is spec’d at just 100Hz to 10kHz. Hoo-boy. I think my old Sony Walkman can do more than that through its headphones. Good thing it only costs ¥2,280 (appx. $25 USD).

So now that I’ve got you all excited to buy one,  you’ll have to head on over to Japan’s Rakuten if you want one of these. I think I’ll stick with my slightly less crappy computer speakers for now.

[via AV Watch]

The Ice Tube clock ($70 USD) gets its brilliant blue display thanks to an old-school Russian-issued VFD (vacuum fluorescent display) tube. It’s set inside of a spiffy clear acrylic shell, which lets you see its internal circuitry whenever you want. Each tube has 8 glowy blue digits, as well as a dot indicator for PM and an alarm on/off indicator.

While the Ice Cube kit includes everything you need to build a standard alarm clock with day/date functionality, both hardware and software are open source, so you can mod this to do something else if you want – say display text messages or run the time backwards.

Keep in mind that the circuit generates very high voltages (up to 70 VDC), so you’ll need significant electronics, soldering and kit-building experience if you want one of these sitting on your bookshelf (and not catching your house on fire). If you’re up to the build challenge, head on over to Adafruit and place your order.

[via LadyAda]

The sound card supports 16Bit 16KHz / 32KHz / 48KHz playback & recording with a THD+N at -73dB, and SNR at 85dB. Now I’m no engineer, but after conducting extensive research I can definitely say without certainty that the lower the THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) and the higher the SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) ratings, the better the sound quality will be. Bet you didn’t know that. I just dropped some knowledge bombs on you, courtesy of Brando. Of course I still don’t know just how good this sound card is without knowing the standard ratings. So. Maybe you can drop me some bombs of your own.

You can get the USB tube delight audio for only $32 (USD) at Brando. I’m content with seeing a well-thought out gadget from those crazy folks and their sources.

[via GeekAlerts]

Aside from an AM & FM internal antenna, the 2B Radio also has an aux input and a recording output, so you can pair it with modern audio devices.

Nice. Wish I could say the same for the price: $350 US. Still cheaper than a PS3 though. You can check out more details about the 2B Radio here (pdf), and the Areaware store’s here.

[via Retro Thing]

Combining retro Nixie tubes with a baroque antique bronze enclosure, it’s definitely different. For some reason, I’m betting your Grandma probably didn’t have one of these on her mantle.

Handcrafted by LCI Electronics, this clock is powered by six funky red Nixie tubes, and not only tells time, but offers a calendar and an alarm that plays four musical memories. And if red isn’t your thing, LCI also makes the same clock with clear Nixies as well.

You can find this unique clock over on eBay for $219.99.

The clock features a set of dramatic surface-mounted Nixie tubes which peek through the front of the warm reddish African Sapele wood case.

The only thing keeping me from putting one of these clocks on my mantle is the fact that it’s only sold as a kit. And between writing this blog, a day job (yes, I have one of those too), and trying to retain some semblance of a life, it’s almost impossible to envision having the time to build this sucker.

For those of you with more free time (and are more adept with your soldering skills than I), the kit comes with everything you need to build the clock, including pre-cut wood case parts, 6 Nixie tubes, a couple of bright neon bulbs for the hour:minute separator, and all the electronic parts you need. In all, there are 115 parts you’ll need to put the clock together.

If you’ve got the time on your hands to build your own clock, you can find this kit (along with a variety of other Nixie kits) from eBay seller Neonixie.

Besides the colored series, a single color white version is available too. All the pieces are available in 71, 102 and 139.5cm heights (about 28″, 40″ and 55″). See more of the collection and find a dealer near you on chameledeon’s website.

[via puremodern]

The Gais Lisire Series 020 is a complete 2.1 channel sound system featuring distinct cylindrical styling. The Lisire’s aluminum covered ported subwoofer tube measures about 12-inches wide and is flanked by a pair of matching round satellite speakers.

The sub is powered by a built-in 6-watt amp, while the satellites output 2.5-watts per channel. While that certainly won’t rattle any windows, it’s probably just fine for a small bookshelf stereo or to provide sound for your PC.

Initially available only in Japan, the system is now being brought to the states by gadget importer AudioCubes for $199.99.

The GeekKlok comes in kit form, and can display 50 different character sets including everything from Roman numerals to Arabic to Chinese, Japanese and even Klingon. Time can even be displayed using special animated digits.

Kits range in price from $124 to $169, depending on the version, and if you want the parts already soldered on. Keep in mind that the kits only come with the PCB and electronics to drive the clock. You’ll need to dig up your own Nixie tubes and sockets (with a little guidance from the Zetalink guys), as well as a power supply.

And for those of you who want to know the current time in Klingon...

[via MAKE]

Designers Maiko Watanabe and Koichi Tanaka’s Sweet Icicle Lamps encase a bright cold cathode tube in a block of crystal clear acrylic to add drama to any room. Cold cathode fluorescents are the same type of lamps used to illuminate modern LCD screens and many desktop scanners.

The fixtures come in two sizes and are available in both blue and white tube colors. I haven’t been able to find a North American outlet for these yet, but if you’re willing to do a little Japanese translation, you can find them on Rakuten ranging from ¥12,600 (appx. $112 USD) to ¥15,750 (appx. $141 USD).

About the only thing the Marksman LCD “Nixie-Style” Alarm Clock has in common with a real Nixie clock is that it has clear tubular containers for each of the digits. Without the ethereal orange glow of the real deal, I think it’s really missing something.

I guess the only reason you’d want this is if you just can’t afford a clock with real Nixie tubes. If that’s the case, you can slum it with one of these on eBay for just $14.99.

This dock from Dice Electronics looks to change that. Not only does the Dice iTPA-220 docking stereo have killer looks, it retails for just $299, which is a great price if it really lives up the the “audiophile quality” claims its manufacturer touts.

The stereo is based on dual 20-watt 6N3 tube pre-amps (usually found in very expensive systems) and comes with a pair of really nice looking wooden bookshelf speakers. The speakers offer a 4-inch mid/bass driver, a 1-inch dome tweeter, and are bass-reflex ported for a bigger thump. The system will also charge your iPod while docked, and a remote-control provides volume and track control capabilities.

Dice is taking pre-orders now for the iTPA-220, and expects to start shipping them in September.

[via Playlist via Gizmodo]

These Toobe lamps can be ordered in either clear, or imbued with a splash of primary color. The unique design provides ambient and directed light as well as sculptural appeal when turned off.

Lumens.com offers these lamps in both a floor standing version ($606 USD) or a smaller, tabletop variant ($275 USD.) Colors include blue, green, red, orange and crystal.

[via Gadgetgarden.nl]

B&W’s Tubes Clock features six independent segmented red LEDs encased in little smoked domes. They’re then placed on top of a stainless steel and wood base to create a really dramatic effect.

One of the big problems with Nixie tubes is that they can burn out over time. By using LEDs, you’ll probably never have to worry about the display losing brightness or going bad.

The Tubes Clock is offered by British home decor shop Posh Pad for £98 (which works out to about $199 USD.)

Time is displayed on the Tubular Time Clock in phrases such as “quarter past four” and “five minutes past six” instead of the pedestrian “4:15″ and “6:05.” The clock mounts to any wall, and runs on a single AA battery. It’s quite large, measuring in at 33″ wide and a 4.5″ diameter, so you’ll need some space to hang this sucker.

The Tubular Time Clock can be found at Uncommon Goods for $160.