Technabob » whimsical

Mintpass Popsicle Hard Drives Store Creamy, Delicious Memories

Technabob — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 02:58:32 +0000

Yum. This popsicle-shaped hard drive looks good enough to eat. Unfortunately, magnetic platters and circuit boards don’t taste very good. I speak from personal experience.

Currently a concept design from Korean design firm mintpass, this portable storage device is called the “Mint Hard”, which, as it turns out is supposed to be quite funny in Korea, as the word “hard” is also used to refer to an ice cream bar. Perfect – if you live in Korea, that is. Otherwise, not so funny.

Still, the design is pretty clever, in that the main hard drive body looks like the delicious ice cream part of the popsicle, and the stick is actually a removable USB flash drive. And since it’s not made out of wood, there’s an added bonus – no tongue splinters!

The Mint Hard will come in three flavors: Chocolate (120GB HD / 8GB flash), Strawberry (80GB HD / 4GB flash) and Vanilla (60GB HD / 2GB flash). There’s no word if or when you’ll be able to get your hands on one of these outside of Korea, but hopefully we’ll see them turn up sooner or later. In the mean time, you’ll just have to stick with your Good Humor bars.

[via curiosite]

Grocery Store Lets You Play Atari While You Shop

Technabob — Tue, 20 May 2008 00:10:51 +0000

What better way to break up the monotony of trolling the aisles of the grocery store than with a little video game action? The guys at this funky Milwaukee, Wisconsin grocery store are happy to oblige with an in-store Atari 2600 lounge.

The display includes a fully-functional Atari 2600, along with a wide assortment of about 50 classic games to keep your mind sharp in between the Cap ‘N Crunch and the Mrs. Paul’s Frozen Fish. I especially dig the retro wallpaper and crappy old color TV which complete the kitschy rec room motif.

Koppa’s Farwell Foods is a great example of why we need little neighborhood grocery stores (I’ve heard their Fulbeli Deli makes a mean sandwich too). If you happen to be in the Milwaukee area, check them out at 1940 N. Farwell Ave.

[photos via Flickr and Play in the City]

Super Mario Bento Boxes Make Mouths Happy

Technabob — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 23:13:19 +0000

A uniquely Japanese cultural phenomenon is Bento box lunches where the meal is dressed up with whimsical imagery so kids will be more inclined to eat their food. Check out this great example featuring the likeness of everyone’s favorite little Italian plumber, crafted entirely from edible items.

From what I can tell, Mario’s face appears to be made out of some sort of lunch meat, while his bright red hat looks like it might be from radishes or other colorful root veggies. But this clearly obsessed Bento fanatic didn’t stop with Mario.

She went on to create edible versions of Luigi, Bowser, Wario, Princess Peach and a bunch of other citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom.

If these don’t get your kids to choke down his or her bologna and Cheese Whiz sandwiches, I don’t know what else would.

Oddly enough, with all the foods used to make these clever creations, I couldn’t find a single mushroom anywhere in the whole bunch.

[via Samurai Soapbox]