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The Deathmatch Diaries

Technology by the Space Cowboy

The Road to Hell is Lit with Lamps Like This
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A dramatic, pendant lampshade, shaped into a classic image of guilt and morality. From a distance, The Fall of the Damned appears to be an organic and intricately textured ornament. Upon closer inspection it is revealed as a mass of naked bodies, reminiscent of Dante and Rubens, fused together in agonizing beauty.

The amazingly complex shape of this limited edition lampshade was made possible via the help of Materialise's MGX technology. Using innovative 3D printing, digitally created designs are 'printed' with a laser, adding layer upon layer until an intricately detailed piece is formed.

$45,000 bones (hehe) buys you one of only 40 being made.


Source: Generate
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Sound Asleep Pillow
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Lying in bed and drifting off to sleep listening to your favourite music is heaven. Be it whale song, the sound of waves breaking on the shore, or Born Slippy if you're a bit strange. It's not so much fun for your partner of course, and even less fun for you if, as inevitably happens, you end up throttling yourself on your headphone cord, or wake up with aching ears from wearing ear buds too long. Enter the Sound Asleep Pillow, an ingenious and deeply comfortable pillow that has buried deep within it a speaker. Inaudible to anyone except the dozer, the pillow has a phone jack at one end that will plug into your iPod/MP3 player, and plays your music gently through the pillow. Now your partner can sleep in peace, and you can listen to whatever you like! Nodding off has never been so wonderfully self-indulgent.


Source: I Want One Of Those
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Renegade Gaming Chair Just Lacks Built-In Plumbing for Perfection
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This is something is something you might like to have in your high-tech home. The Renegade Gaming Chair comes fully loaded with 12 game synched Vibration Motors, headrest mounted 3D stereo speakers, game-triggered lighting effects, variable massage mode, MP3, and headphone jacks. Touting a sexy racing seat design, the Renegade Gaming Chair is compatible with most of the gaming systems, including Xbox, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSX, Gamecube and PC/Mac (USB 2.0). The chair rumbles and rocks in time with the gaming action while the ground-effect lighting further adds zing to the fiery action. In case, you are tired, the gaming chair also converts into a relaxing massage-recliner complete with kick plate. The gaming chair has pull-out compartment for easy storage of games and accessories. At a mere £225 (US $530), the Renegade Gaming Chair is worth a buy.


Source: Automated Home via Born Rich
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Weighted Companion Cube, Now a Plushie
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Hot on the heels of the papercraft Weighted Companion Cube comes this plushie version from 4chan's /po/. Apparently requires some mad sewing skillz, since the diagram is supposed to make perfect sense. Any master tailors out there I can commission to do this for me?


Source: 4chan
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30 Frugal Gift Ideas Just in Time for Christmas
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What do you get someone if you want to show you appreciate them, but if you don’t have a lot of money to spend?

If you have a lot of money, you can buy just about anything for that person. But for those of us with limited budgets, you’ll have to show that appreciation with a little creativity.

Let’s first identify what’s essential: that we show the person who has done something nice for us how much we appreciate them. It’s not essential that the gift be big, or expensive, or anything like that. It’s a token of our appreciation … and let me tell you, no matter how small, the person will likely appreciate the gesture.

The gift should also be appropriate to the person — if it’s personal, it’s likely to mean more. So while wine is always a nice gift, if the person is into other types of drinks (such as coffee), that would make a better gift. So take a moment to consider the person, what they like, and the times you’ve spent together.

So, let’s look at some ideas … some obvious, perhaps, but this list is meant only to spark your own ideas. Also, the definition of “frugal” is broad here … some ideas cost more than others, and some can be made for very little.

1. Frame a picture of you with them.
2. Lotions or bath oils.
3. Journal. A nice journal can be beautiful. It’s one of my favorite gifts.
4. Gourmet coffee with a personalized mug.
5. A nice pen.
6. Photo album or scrapbook, with memories already included.
7. Homemade cookies you bake yourself.
8. Or brownies.
9. Spice gift basket. Get some small jars and fill them with exotic spices.
10. Gift certificate for the person’s favorite hobby store.
11. A burned CD with all the person’s favorite songs.
12. A letter, hand-written on nice paper, from you. Make it heart-felt, with all the reasons you appreciate the person.
13. A small plant.
14. A movie pass and a small container of gourmet popcorn kernels.
15. Soup mixes or cookie mixes in nice clear jars.

The rest at the source. My brother had a really neat idea one Christmas to give monogrammed face towels to all his friends. Class idea, and they looked pretty awesome too - can't go very wrong with silver calligraphy letters embroidered on royal blue.


Source: zen habits
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Living Dead Dolls Sadie Pencil Sharpener
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Ever want to ram a pencil in someone's eye and twist it 'round and 'round? Live vicariously through your Living Dead Dolls Pencil Sharpener! A wonderful stress reliever, this Sadie sharpener is the first LDD pencil sharpener and is sure to be followed by others. It features a real doll head with actual rooted hair. As an added bonus, you can push a button in the back of her head and have her tongue spit out your pencil shavings. Sadie is a perfect addition to any home, school, or work environment; let people know what you're really like as you torture a doll's head!


Source: Gundam Store and More via Matthew James Taylor
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Samsung's QUAD Pen Writes Everywhere, Remembers Everything
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Nam Jeong-gyun picks up a glossy black pen and writes in the air as if writing on an invisible whiteboard. The pen has an electronic sensor at the tip, he says, so it can record every movement into a tiny memory chip located inside the streamlined body.

``Let's say that an important idea suddenly hits you, but there is nothing to write on, and you know that you'll lose the idea if you don't record it right away. This pen, allows you to write on any surface, storing everything you write,'' he told spectators at the graduation exhibition of Samsung Art & Design Institute (SADI) held two weeks ago in Seoul.

The futuristic pen named QUAD was one of 32 design works displayed by the graduating students of the Product Design department of SADI. Samsung Group founded the school in 1995 as an academy of future fashion and graphic designers. The PD department was established in 2005 as the need for designers with an engineer's mindset grew at Samsung Electronics and other manufacturing arms of the nations' largest conglomerate.

Although, the brainy pen created by Nam was just a mock-up, and Nam hopes to one day sell the idea to luxury brands such as Montblanc, given that similar technologies are already in use in some consumer electronics such as the popular Wii video game console made by Japan's Nintendo.


Source: The Korea Times
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Giant Swiss Army Knife Has 85 Ways to Inflict Pain
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We know what you're probably thinking about this product - isn't this something that ThinkGeek should be launching in very early April (like, say, April 1st)? Yes, we have a reputation for such things, but this knife is real and was created by Wenger to celebrate 100 years of innovation.

This unique special edition knife contains all 85 tools currently produced by Wenger (Maker of the Genuine Swiss Army Knife). These 85 tools can be used in over 100 functions and it's the World's Largest Swiss Army Knife. It's not exactly going to win any awards for lightest, smallest or most efficient tool but it probably will win you the title "King of All Gadgets". And even though this knife is a monster, weighing almost 3 pounds, don't worry - it does have a key ring so you can carry it on a belt loop.


Source: ThinkGeek
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New Godzilla's Multifunction Display Designed by Polyphony Digital
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This is the interior of the new twin-turbocharged V6 2009 Nissan GT-R, a monster supercar, chicks-with-leather-and-attitude magnet and a wonder of engineering which we would probably only drive in the next Gran Turismo. Ironically, anyone who buys one starting tomorrow will be playing Gran Turismo too. All the time, in fact, since the multifunction display that is the star of its interior was designed with Polyphony Digital, the developers of the famous PlayStation GT games.

According to Nissan, the multifunction display monitors everything from engine coolant temperature to steering angle and longitudinal and lateral G-Force, which in my case will read something between "Wimpy" and "Drivetard." The panel can also display data recorded from your races to the supermarket, telling you how effective your driving is.

More pictures and full details of the car at the source.


Source: Edmunds via Gizmodo
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Airbus A380 Takes to the Sky
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The first commercial flight by the world's largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, will fulfill a rich man's promise to his 91-year-old father and grant a college student's birthday wish.

Outfitted with the most luxurious cabin ever seen on a jetliner, Singapore Airlines flight SQ380 will fly 3,900 miles from Singapore to Sydney on Thursday, carrying travelers ranging from businessmen to college students and aviation enthusiasts.

Most of the places on the 471-seat double-decker plane were auctioned for charity on eBay, raising more than $1.25 million.

"When we were young, we went through hardship and my father had to work extra hard to support us and send us to school," said Singaporean businessman William Leong, who had promised his father, Leong Lou Teck, 91, that he would be on the A380's first flight.

"He took care of us then, and now it's our turn to take care of him," Leong said in an interview before the seven-hour flight that will carry 12 first-class passengers in enclosed suites which the airline calls "A Class Beyond First."

Promising total privacy, each suite — created by French luxury yacht designer Jean-Jacques Coste — is fitted with a leather upholstered seat, a bed, a table and a 23-inch TV screen, plus laptop connections and a range of office software.

Leong is particularly impressed by the suite's sliding doors — "When I snore, it won't disturb my neighbors."

Leong paid $60,000 for eight seats, including three suites for his father, elder brother and himself, as well as four in business class and economy for other relatives.

Two suites can be joined to provide a double bed by lifting a dividing panel for more intimacy under mood lighting, although the carrier's chief executive indicated mile-high behavior should stay grounded.

"I would not encourage it for use for anything other than resting and sleeping," Chew Choon Seng told The Associated Press in Toulouse, France, last week when Airbus handed over the plane to Singapore Airlines. Eighteen more A380s will be delivered over the next four years.

The Singapore Airlines plane has 399 economy class seats on both decks, and on the upper deck 60 business class seats that can turn into flat beds to accommodate an adult and a child comfortably.

See more panoramic shots of the plane's press junkets and interior here.


Source: Associated Press

How to Taste Wine
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Whether you are vacationing in California, Australia, South Africa, France or Italy, wine tasting is one of the most rewarding excursions available. If you long to walk through the vineyards and admire the grapevines and picturesque backdrop, wine glass in hand, you must first learn to appreciate the subtle beauty of wine.

1. Look at the wine, especially around the edges. Tilting the glass a bit can make it easier to see the way the color changes from the center to the edges. Holding the glass in front of a white background, such as a napkin, tablecloth, or sheet of paper, is another good way to make out the wine's true color. Look for the color of the wine and the clarity. White wines become darker as they age while time causes red wines to lose their color turning more brownish, often with a small amount of harmless, dark red sediment in the bottom of the bottle or glass. This is also a good time to catch a preliminary sniff of the wine so you can compare its fragrance after swirling. This will also allow you to check for any off odors that might indicate spoiled (corked) wine.

2. Swirl the wine in your glass. This is to mix oxygen in with the wine, which will soften the tannins of a young wine. It also spreads the liquid over the surface of the glass so that more of the wine can evaporate.

3. While you're swirling, note the wine's viscosity - how slowly it runs back down the side of the glass. More viscous wines are said to have "legs," and are likely to be more alcoholic.

Seven more steps at the source; however, send me a link to an article on How to Taste and Appreciate Scotch, then we'll talk.


Source: wikiHow

Peterbilt Optimus Prime Replica for Sale on eBay
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This Replica of Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, in the hit movie Transformers, is in mint condition.

Accessories include:

-Voice activated alarm, with the voice of Optimus Prime on lock and unlock mode.
-17 inch LCD TV/DVD
-JVC JAVX33 Stereo CD/DVD player with Bluetooth and Satelite Radio ready
-Infinity Sound system, speakers and subwoofer
-New Memory Foam mattress in sleeper
-Custom 2 tone(red and blue) gear shift with flames
-Legacy Low profile leather bucket air Seats
-All pedals are chrome with rubber flames
-Custom interior with two tone (blue/red) flames
-Wood floors
-Chrome wheels with new virgin tires 285/75R22.5.
-All switches, buttons light covers, speaker covers, arm rests and steering in chrome
-Chrome columns and wood steering wheels with flames
-Dual Chrome 7 inch stacks
-Chrome Sunvisor
-Brand new accessories and new, top of the line, custom Sherwin-Williams automotive paint Base coat/Clear coat.
-Too many features to list, the only thing it can't do is transform!!


Source: eBay
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Japanese Urban Camouflage
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On a narrow Tokyo street, near a beef bowl restaurant and a pachinko parlor, Aya Tsukioka demonstrated new clothing designs that she hoped would ease Japan's growing fears of crime.

With a deft motion, Tsukioka, a 29-year-old fashion designer, lifted a flap on the front of her skirt to reveal a large sheet of cloth printed in bright red with a soft drink logo partly visible. By holding the sheet fully open and stepping to the side of the road, she showed how a woman walking alone could elude pursuers - by disguising herself as a vending machine.

The wearer hides behind the sheet, which is printed with a life-size photo of a vending machine. Tsukioka's clothing is still in the developmental stage, but she has already created several versions, including one that unfolds from a kimono, and a deluxe model with four sides for more complete camouflaging.

These elaborate defenses are coming at a time when crime rates are actually declining in Japan. But the Japanese, attuned to the slightest signs of social fraying, say they feel growing anxiety about safety, fanned by a sensationalist news media. Instead of pepper spray, though, the Japanese are devising a variety of novel solutions, some high tech, others downright quirky, but all reflecting a uniquely Japanese sensibility.


Source: International Herald Tribune
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ScooterDesk
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The ScooterDesk is a wheeled standing-aid with an included writing tablet. It serves as a mobile touch-down station for occasional short tasks: - filling out forms - checking data, browsing the net, email or a magazine - taking note while talking on the phone - … It can also be made to order as a dual version; with seating for 2 persons.

Scooterdesk was top-nominated at INDEX:design awards and got an honourable mention at ID magazine.

ScooterDesks support your natural need for movement, both directly and indirectly. They improve the ergonomic wellbeing (of workers) for all possible kinds of activities where occasional sitting and use of a small desk are needed. When using a ScooterDesk: - Your back is in optimal position: straight. - You are stimulated to gently move and change position often: - You train your ligaments and muscles, and stimulate your circulation and metabolic processes. - You may have a lot of fun riding to your co-workers.

Thanks to their bike-analogies ScooterDesks are completely self-explaining: They can be effortlessly shared between co-workers thanks to its height adjustable saddle (with wing-nut). Thanks to the handle in the tablet the ScooterDesks can be easily wheeled along when not in use; both in normal position, and with the castor in the air. The swivelwheel at the front gives you complete freedom of movement.


Source: Utilia
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Gilette Fusion Chrome Collection Power Razor
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The Fusion Chrome Collection POWER RAZOR is perfectly balanced and weighted to feel like a natural extension of your hand, maximizing stability and control. Gentle micro-pulses help you reduce friction and increase razor glide*. The built-in spotlight, the first of its kind, reveals details normally in shadow - such as under the chin and jaw line - to help you avoid missed spots and make every stroke count. The sleek, contemporary handle is an ideal combination of ergonomics and innovative design, handcrafted in polished chrome and wrapped in a matte black, thermo-resin grip.

Gillette® Fusion® is a revolutionary Shaving System with advanced technology on both the front and back of a single shaving cartridge. On the front, 5 PowerGlide™ blades are spaced closer together to help you reduce friction, with less irritation and more comfort. On the back, a Precision Trimmer blade allows you to trim sideburns easily, shave under the nose, and shape facial hair.


Source: The Art of Shaving
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Build Your Own Sportscar from Scratch
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Most of us settle for modding the latest car we've bought. [Steve Graber] took another approach and built his own car from scratch. [John] sent in this impressive project. The original was built around Toyota MR2 parts and the body was made from fiberglass after the design was hand made from a wooden support frame, foam and drywall mud that was sanded down to create the shape. After that, molds were made from the slug to allow the panels to be cast from fiberglass. [Steve] is actually offering the car up as a build-it-yourself kit. Personally, I'd like the see the price come down a bit - the 1,500lb street weight would make a sweet basis for an electric car.


Source: Grabercars via Hack a Day
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Yamaha Tesseract Concept
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And now for something completely different. Yamaha has just announced that it will be bringing a bevy of new motorcycle and scooter models to the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show. One of the more interesting concepts, which we'll roughly refer to as a motorcycle, is the Tesseract. Piaggio has a success on their hands in the form of the MP3, which is capable of leaning into turns despite the third wheel. Yamaha has one-upped that with its Tesseract, though, by adding yet one more whee,l bringing the total count to four. And yet, nobody would confuse this machine with a car!

Again, following Piaggio's lead with its impending hybrid MP3, Yamaha has made this concept a hybrid, boasting both a V-Twin engine of undisclosed size along with an electric motor. Yamaha claims that the machine is about the same width as a standard motorcycle, meaning lane-splitting could feasibly remain an option and parking shouldn't be too difficult. The Tesseract has also been equipped with a mechanism to keep the machine upright when stopped or when parked, once again, like the MP3. As for the styling? It's, uh... different! Imagine a Transformer half transformed and you'll be pretty darn close. And we love it!


Source: Autoblog
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Wi-Fi Detector Shirt
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Here at ThinkGeek we're pretty lazy when it comes to technology. We expect our gadgets to do all the busywork while we focus on the high level important tasks like reading blogs. That's why we hate to have to crack open our laptops just to see if there is any wi-fi internet access about... and keychain wi-fi detectors, we would have to actually remove them from our pockets to look at them. But now thanks to the ingenious ThinkGeek robot monkeys you can display the current wi-fi signal strength to yourself and everyone around you with this stylish Wi-Fi Detector Shirt. The glowing bars on the front of the shirt dynamically change as the surrounding wi-fi signal strength fluctuates. Finally you can get the attention you deserve as others bow to you as their reverential wi-fi god, while geeky chicks swoon at your presence. You can thank us later.


Source: ThinkGeek
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Pedal-Powered Wireframe Lamborghini
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benedict radcliffe is known for his wire frame inspired car sculptures and ben wilson is known for his pedal powered transportation devices. when the two joined forces for the first uk art car parade, they fit together perfectly. they sent us the results of their collaboration: an unbelievable fully functional, pedal powered, wire frame lamborghini.

Also see the wireframe Corolla at the source!


Source: designboom
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Powertune for Gibson Guitars
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Gibson's Powertune system has been in the works for quite awhile, and although there are other axes out there that claim to tune themselves, only a Gibson will do for some. Reportedly, the firm is readying a "new line of instruments" that are equipped with the system, which includes "an additional set of pickups mounted underneath the strings that are used specifically for the tuning process." By using all sorts of digital electronics and fancy algorithms, the equipment is able to automatically tune the strings, but it only activates when users pull out the Master Control Knob. Purportedly, the system can have have all six strings back in tune "within a few seconds," and you can even utilize a number of pre-programmed alternate tunings if that's your bag. 'Course, it's certainly debatable whether the hands-off approach to tuning is worth the extra $899 or so, but it's sure sweet to have the opion.

More pictures at the source.


Source: Technology Review via Engadget
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