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]

But if you happen to have the Njord Portable Water Creator with you, then it might just be a matter of time before you can get some drinking water for yourself. This concept design is by Reymin De Leon, who aptly named it after the god of the sea.

Basically, the Njord condenses moisture in the atmosphere and “creates” water by gathering enough of this moisture inside the bottle. There’s also an internal thermostat that monitors air temperature and a “polar polymer” (whatever that is) in the Njord to regulate the conditions inside the bottle for condensation to occur.

So to get a liter of water, all you have to do is turn the device on and wait for two hours. You’ll probably be able to get your liter faster if you’re in a more humid area.

[via Yanko Design]

The onboard generator will provide live hydrogen production, meaning that you won’t have to worry about unstable hydrogen tanks which might blow up in the rough seas. The only emissions of this boat are water vapor. It’s produced by Quimperié, a French company, and they aren’t saying if the boat needs other types of fuel, or if it can operate indefinitely using seawater.

The hydrogen generator will power all of the electrical devices, which include a GPS, a 10-inch touchscreen controller, and an electric anchor roller. The boat has a 500 horsepower motor and is supposed to go up to 70 mph. The boat itself is a 22-footer that weighs 2,866 lbs. The hull is made out of aluminum. There are more goodies, but you’ll have to spend €250,000 (~$326,000 USD) to find out for yourself.

[Gizmag via DVice]

The Iguana 29 has retractable tank treads that will deploy when needed. The treads are powered by electricity, so they don’t make much noise, either. This means that to beach or dock the boat, you won’t need any help at all. It’s also designed to help you get out of a jam at low tide or if you get too close to a sandbar in shallow waters.

It was created by Antoine Fritsch. The idea was to create a design for the treads that wouldn’t compromise the look of the hull.

While there are already other amphibious boats, none of them look as stylish or modern as this one. The Iguana 29 is available starting at around €215,000 (~$280,000 USD).

[via TrendsNow (FR)]

But I digress. For those of you who have a better memory of Episode I than I do, you might remember that the planet of Naboo had some sort of sea habitat. Well, if you’re especially fond of this unmemorable Star Wars locale, you can recreate it in your living room, thanks to the Naboo Sea Creatures Science Kit.

The kit is basically just a plastic aquarium, decked out to look vaguely like the underwater world of Naboo – minus the Gungans. Where does the “science” part come into play? Well, this watery world will soon be filled with a family of Tripod Longicudatus. While that sounds like some sort of otherworldly critter from Naboo, they’re actually just some sort of weird looking shrimp.

In case you’re wondering what they look like up close, scroll down for a picture:

Damn, and I was planning on deep-frying a batch of them for dinner tonight. Stupid “Not for Human Consumption” labeling. I have it on good authority that you could feed some to Jar Jar though. Nothing bad will happen to him, meesa promise yousa.

Frankly, this whole thing reminds me of the old Sea Monkeys scam from when I was a kid. Here I thought that I’d have a tiny underwater civilization of “eager to please” underwater indentured servants, and all I got were a bunch of microscopic, ugly looking brine shrimp.

Why is it that they had to recreate Naboo anyhow? Why couldn’t they have released a Hoth Science Kit, complete with blocks of dry ice and tiny little wampa and a tautaun you can cut open so its warm guts can spill for you to stick your Luke Skywalker action figure inside of it? And while they have released a Mustafar Volcano Kit, it really should spew hot lava and ash instead of vinegar and baking soda.

The AirDrop works like a refrigerator or an air conditioner. But whereas water is just a byproduct in the other two devices, it’s the main output in this instance. An air turbine intake near the top of the device sucks air in, which is then cooled by the surrounding soil as it passes through the copper tubing to facilitate condensation.  The collected water is then pumped out through a semi-permeable hose to the roots of plants. The parts that need power – the turbine and the pump – get their juice from a battery, which in turn is charged by the solar panel on top of the device.

Here’s Gizmag’s interview with Linnacre:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Good man. Linnacre and his university were each awarded £10,000 (~$16,000 USD) for his invention. Linnacre, who invented the AirDrop as a potential aid to drought-stricken farmers, plans to use his winnings to further develop his device. I hope he succeeds. I also hope Apple doesn’t sue him.

[James Dyson Award via OhGizmo!, Gizmag & Fast Co. Design]

The new SteriPEN Freedom is charged up with USB power and relies on UV rays to purify water. It’s also a lot more compact than a Brita filter or filtration device, but then again it doesn’t actually filter contaminants. However, in under a minute, after you’ve stuck it into a glass of water, it will have killed off 99.9% of the nasty bacteria, viruses and protozoa hanging out in the water. This makes it quite convenient, especially if you’re stuck in the outdoors.

The Steripen sells for $120(USD) and it’s available right now.

[via PopGadget via DVice]

I get the whole thing with wanting to recycle water, but what I don’t understand is why a lot of scientists are going to great extremes in trying to turn urine into something that can be drinkable again. I mean, why not find better ways to desalinate sea water? Or better yet, develop something like the Raincatch raincoat that turns rainwater into drinking water on the go?

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

That’s right folks. The Raincatch by Hyeona Yang and Joshua Noble isn’t just your normal old raincoat. It was actually made to collect rainwater and then purify it by passing the water through charcoal filters. The water will be stored in the shoulders of the coat and sipped via the straw near the collar.

Obviously the Raincatch is a concept for now, but it’s one invention I’d choose any day over the urine-recycling processes.

[Fashioning Tech via Dvice]

A little town called Big Spring, Texas has found that the water supply is in such crisis that it is taking to extreme measures to ensure that residents have water for drinking and cooking. The city has started laying out plans to create massive sewage filtration system that would convert urine and wastewater into drinkable water for the residents.

The process would be hygienic and use technology that is similar to what NASA uses on the ISS. Still the thought of drinking your neighbor’s urine no matter how many times it is filtered seems very disgusting. The 27,000 residents of the city typically get their water from the Colorado River Municipal Water District.

[via Discovery News]

ThinkGeek has a cool gadget perfect for the summer called the Tie Knot Water Balloon Filler that takes the pain in the rear out of one part.

The gadget attaches to your water hose and has an attachment for filling your balloon.

The coolest part is the attachment that you wrap the balloon end around for fast and easy tying off when it is full.

The gadget only costs $9.99 (USD) and will pay for itself in one water balloon battle. The device is available right now over at ThinkGeek, and you can see it in action on the video here.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The dude in the video is obviously a veteran of several water balloon wars, and knows his pals are gunning for the groin. The only way this gadget could get batter is if they bundled with an athletic cup.

NASA has announced that its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has found evidence of what may be flowing water on some slopes on the red planet. The orbiter found dark finger-like features that are going down the slopes of some features on Mars. NASA says that the features show up in early spring and stay though summer before disappearing. Since they appear during warmer seasons the though it that the flows might be water.

NASA notes that normal water would be frozen even during summer temperatures on Mars. The flows, if they are in fact water would be “briny water” or salt water with salt concentrations close to that of the oceans on Earth. Salt lowers the freezing point of water. The flows are half a yard to five yards wide and are up to hundreds of yards long.

There is still no evidence of human-breathable levels of oxygen on Mars though…

The smaller waterfalls are falling over the edge of the cliff and them simply being blown back into the air by winds that are reaching speeds as high as 75 mph. Look at the shot of the city ferry taking people to work rocking in the high winds. I bet it was a veritable Barf-o-rama in that ferry.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Apparently, in a 24 hours period, a month’s worth of rain has fallen in Sydney. If waterfalls flowing upwards isn’t enough to call in sick for work, I don’t know what is. The coast is has also seen waves as high as 16-feet. I bet the surfers are out in droves.

[via Gizmodo]

The Blackfish apparently starts as a normal jet ski, then QinetiQ, the company that makes the Blackfish, hacks the top off and crams a bunch of sensors inside what’s left. Those sensors allow the Blackfish to see under the water and on top of the water to look for attackers that might be swimming up to attack Navy ships.

The Blackfish will be able to be remotely controlled at distances of up to 1KM and can also be autonomous and patrol pre-set GPS waypoints. Care was taken to be sure the jet ski could go slow enough to be useful for surveillance. Bow thrusters were added to allow the Blackfish to move slowly enough in the water. The Blackfish is 10-feet long and can hit 40mph on the water.

[via Discovery News]

The sign was built using an extremely water-repellent material called Monat from Japan’s Unitika. The fabric predictably beads water off its surface, resulting in a dramatic display of droplets coursing down its face. It’s best explained by watching this video the guys at DigInfo.TV shot:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The word “SENSEWARE” at the top of the display is formed using tiny beads of water which are secreted through pinholes in the fabric. When the beads reach just the right size, the droplets slide down the face of the slightly tilted fabric, then recirculates back to the top, and starting the show all over again. It’s pretty spectacular, especially when you realize that this entire show is basically done using a sheet of fabric, a water pump and some tubing to circulate the water.

[Thanks for the tip, Christopher!]

The kits are not really kits – it’s a bag filled with absorbent beads. Basically you just take out the battery if possible and then place the gadget in the bag. As you can see Dry-All has three different types of electronics bag, although the cellphone and smartphone variants seem to be misleading. From what I can tell both bags can dry any type of mobile phone, but the cellular phone bag is cheaper, can only be used once, and takes about 24-48 hours to do its job. The smartphone one can be reused up to 5 times and supposedly dries wet phones in just 6 hours. Here’s a tacky commercial for the cellular phone bag – I suggest you mute the video.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The ad of course is barely proof of the efficacy of Dry-All; they could have easily switched the wet gadgets with dry ones. Still, if you’d like to try them you can purchase all three at Buy.com. The Cellular Phone Kit costs $17 (USD), the Smartphone Kit costs $46 and the Tablet Kit costs $35. Feel free to share your experience if you’ve tried any of these kits or if you know of alternatives.

[via The Gadgeteer]

These awesome photos are the result of milk, paint, and water that are mixed together to make all sorts of rich colors. Some of the photos are of simple drops, and they look so cool. I like the plain white one; it reminds me of a mushroom cloud from a nuclear explosion. My favorite is the drop with the rainbow colors around it though.

The water balloon ones are very cool too. It’s interesting that the camera shutter is so fast that it can capture the water from inside the balloon, still in the shape of the balloon after it pops. These photos are some of the coolest I have seen, and you can check out the artist’s Flickr page for more.

[via Colossal Art & Design]

I imagine that is exactly what would happen if you were to say, spring a leak at the bottom of the deepest oceanic trench on earth. A really cool looking submarine has been unveiled called the Triton 36,000. The sub is designed to dive as deep as the ocean goes with two lunatics sitting inside the clear glass dome.

That dome is most of the high-tech science here. The thing is made from some sort of fancy glass concocted at Rayotek Scientific. The design of the dome allows it to actually get stronger the more pressure is on it. The sub is strong enough to dive at 500 feet per minute to the bottom of the 35,797 foot Challenger Deep, which is the deepest part of the Mariana Trench. A leak at that depth and the last thing you would hear would be your co-pilot screaming “OW! My Balls!” Would you ride this thing to the bottom of the ocean?

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

[via Thescuttlefish]

A new shower radio has surfaced that is called the H2O Shower Powered Radio and the device actually gathers its power from the force of running water in the shower. It uses a little H2O micro-turbine to drive a generator that creates the power needed to run the radio. The power doesn’t run the radio directly, but is used to charge an internal battery.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The device connects to a shower hose and the designer says it will fit 99% of showers. I would assume that showers in Europe are different from what we have in the states as I have never had a shower that had a hose that could connect to this thing in my life. You can pick it up in Europe for £34.99 from one of these retailers.

[via TechDigest]

The watch is hand decorated and it’s official name is the ArtyA Artpiece 1/1 Liquid Dial. The satin-finished case is clad in black PVD and it has a self-winding movement. The strap is made from hand-sewn rubber that is processed with some sort of “Alzavel waterproof” technique. The waterproof design allows the watch to survive up to 50 meter depths.

I can only imagine what a single one-of-a-kind watch from a master watchmaker would cost. It would certainly be what is technically referred to as a shit-ton of money.

[via BornRich]

As you can see, the +-Water is meant to be attached to the end of faucets. It will then display the equivalent cost of the water flowing out of the faucet. It can also display the volume of water consumed in liters. It seems practical right? But if we give it a little more thought we’ll see that it’s barely useful.

I think the biggest flaw with this concept is that the device can only measure the water flowing out of the faucet it’s installed on. Unless you live in a prison cell, you’ll most likely have more than one faucet, not to mention other devices that let water in, like the ones in your bathroom or on your garden.

Not only would we need to install this add-on on each of those devices, all the add-ons would have to be networked in some way so that they display the total amount of water consumed by the whole house, because if they each show readings only for the valves they’re connected to then we’d still have to add them all up.

Still, I can see what Young-Suk Kim was trying to do, and I really would appreciate having a utility meter that displayed my consumption in real-time, and not in terms of volume or kWh but in terms of money, even if it’s just an estimate. But having meters all over my house would give me both too much and too little information, because all I really need to know is my total consumption.

[via Yanko Design]