Tag: Safety

I can’t think of many worse places to be stuck than in the smoke-filled interior of a building on fire. Between the prospects of suffocating from smoke inhalation, and burning to death, it’s not a pretty thought.

I went through over five years of laboratory classes in college, and before the start of each course, we’d be given a comprehensive lecture on proper lab behavior, safety rules, and what to do in case of emergency.

I’ve always been curious to know if those emergency buttons hidden under the bank teller’s table actually exist. You know, like the ones that you see in those movies where the bank robbers eventually get caught while still inside the bank because at least one of the bank’s personnel managed to push that silent distress button.

Parents and teachers have taught us at a young age not to “judge a book by its cover” because sometimes, it’s what’s on the inside that counts – and this doesn’t just apply to people or actual books, either.

When I was a kid, and barely three feet tall, I remember answering the door once (it was the pizza delivery guy) and getting a long sermon from my mom after that. It wasn’t because I gobbled a slice down before she told me we didn’t order the pizza; it also wasn’t because she was the one who had to go tell our neighbors that we got their pizza (and that I ate a slice) by mistake.

If you’re out camping, the SteriPEN might not be the best water purifying solution, but it sure is nice to have it in your pack if you haven’t got anything else. It can basically replace a Brita filter and help deal with some contaminants, ensuring that the water you are about to drink is clean.

How many times have you heard of stories that involved thieves or rapists involving people you know or victims who live around your neighborhood and thought: Hey, that could’ve been me if I had gone home ten minutes later.

I’ve seen a number of products which let you turn your bike wheels and spokes into a source of illumination, but I have to say that the Revolights are the best idea I’ve seen yet. Not only do they make your bike look almost as cool as a TRON lightcycle, but they actually help illuminate the road – possibly better than conventional headlights.

A long time ago, I had a hamster that would run around the house in one of those little clear balls. I also had a Jack Russell Terrier that hated that hamster. The dog would wait until no one was watching and then smack that ball around hard enough to stick that poor hamster to the side of the ball as it rolled away.

When it comes to driving, some people just aren’t that good at it. They pull out in front of other drivers and just make a nuisance of themselves. BMW has some new tech in its 5-series cars that is very cool and uses lasers.

Why is it that so many of the things with life-saving potential look so silly? Take, for instance, this bicycle helmet that lights up like a halo. The Angel Bicycle Helmet not only protects your noggin from injury with its polycarbonate shell, it’s got a 360-degree ring of LED and fiber-optic encircling your head.

When it comes to riding a bike around town or on the highway, the rider has to be aware of the cars zooming around. Often the drivers in those cars are oblivious to anything in their path that isn’t as large as they are.

One of the finalists in the 2010 James Dyson Awards, the Longreach Buoyancy System by Samuel Adeloju makes being a lifeguard a hundred times cooler. It’s essentially a bazooka that shoots an expanding buoyancy device. Of course there’s also the life-saving aspect – using Longreach, a (skilled) user can launch a buoyancy device to a distance of almost 500 ft.

If you live in an area where people hunt during different times of the year, you know how hard it can be to tell which direction a gunshot comes from. If you are outside for a walk and hear a gunshot it might be nothing more than a curiosity for you and knowing where it came from isn’t that big of a deal.

If you’ve ever used a table saw, you’ve probably had the horrific image of your fingers going flying off if you slip. The incredible SawStop system uses capacitive sensors to detect when you accidentally touch the deadly spinning blade with your flesh.

A sonar-equipped remote-controlled buoy called EMILY (EMergency Integrated Lifesaving lanYard) might someday replace human lifeguards. For now, EMILYs are being used only in Zuma Beach in Malibu, California, but they’ll be watching over 25 more beaches by December.