Category: Strange + Wonderful

If that 312-key keyboard I told you about recently was a little too complex for you to wrap your head around, here’s another electronic musical instrument that I came across, and this one only has 114 buttons.

There’s really not much I can say about this oddity, except that it’s a handmade candle featuring the likeness of Mario, along with what I think are some butterflies and ribbons. The artist says that the outside won’t burn so you can reuse the candle with a tealight inside.

Just in time for that Halloween fog machine, this strange looking contraption will let you make as much dry ice as you want. Just add a canister of compressed liquid CO2, and it’ll do the rest.

So what do you suppose this strange contraption is? Could it be some kind of thought control device? Perhaps a new version of the Flowbee hair-vacuum? Maybe it’s an alien brain extraction system? Or is it just the latest fashion trend from the runways in Milan?

I was checking out the bargain basement tech over on DealExtreme this morning, and came across this oddity. According to the manufacturer, what we’ve got here is an MP5, yes M-P-FIVE player. As far as I know, there is no official MP5 file format.

In the wee hours of the morning today, Sony Japan rolled out (literally) the Rolly Sound Entertainment Player (model SEP-10BT). The egg-shaped device isn’t just an odd-looking media player, it’s a little robotic gadget that can roll around and do a little “dance” on your tabletop while it plays your tunes.

Artist Giancarlo Neri has put together this stunning installation which places 10,000 individual colored LED orbs in a field. Each sphere gradually cycles through colors, creating a beautiful, dramatic vista. While the illuminated globes are absolutely stunning by night, they’re equally as interesting when turned off during the daylight hours.

These days, video game franchises get merchandized to death. So I decided to set out on a mission to find the strangest game merch and promotional schwag I could find over on eBay. Here are some of my favorites.

Our friends over at CScout Japan turned me onto this wacky digital camera that straps to your dog’s neck and can automatically snap pictures throughout the course of the doggie day. TakaraTomy’s Wonderful Shot camera keeps a visual diary of the happenings in your dog’s life by snapping an image every so often.

A while back I had a very popular post about Plen, a little bipedal humanoid robot who happened to be able to rollerskate. While that was all for show, this robot actually skates around as one of its primary methods of locomotion.

Bird-Electron, the people who brought us iPod speakers made from gourds, has released another set of unique speakers for your portable media player. This time, the speakers are using recylced plastic containers from 35mm film to produce sound.

What’s the one thing that insects and televisions have in common? Antennae, of course. That’s the thought that inspired these whimsical digital television tuners from Korea. The Doori insect TV tuner looks like a giant ladybug and clips onto your laptop or flat screen to provide your computer with digital television capabilities.

If you’re looking for a serious conversation piece, check out this 7-foot tall statue of Halo’s Master Chief that someone has for sale over on eBay. I guess Microsoft made a very limited number of these to promote Halo 2 when it came out.

Until now, Live DJs have been relegated to standing behind their turntables when they want to spin some tracks. This funky-looking controller from Vestax changes all that. Looking more like an uber-modern electric guitar than a turntable, the Vestax S-1 Premium lets DJs move around the stage just like other members of the band.

Everyone remembers Atari for their famous video game consoles, arcade games and even home computers. Being a child of 1970s and 80s technology, I’m surprised that I don’t ever remember seeing this oddity. The Atari Video Music was released in 1976 and was an analog video synthesizer that could generate a kaleidoscopic light show on your TV screen when hooked up to your stereo.

We’ve all heard of electric blankets, right? Japanese electronics giant Panasonic decided to take the basic concept and embed it into a carpet. That way, when you step on the rug, your feet stay nice and toasty.