Oct 7 2009 I'm Pirating All Her Songs Just To Spite Her: A Horribly Singing Robot
Yamaha's HRP-4C robot, best known for having pervs take pictures of its ass and modeling wedding dresses, can now sing song requests sent to it via iPhone. Impressive, Yamaha. I mean, if I DIDN'T SEE MORE IMPRESSIVE TECHNOLOGY AT CHUCK E CHEESE'S 20 YEARS AGO. Oooooh, burn! Seriously -- this thing, with fire. And while we're on the subject, somebody's dad touched my butt in the ballpit.
Hit the jump for a video of the robotic tramp singing terribly.
Continue Reading " I'm Pirating All Her Songs Just To Spite Her: A Horribly Singing Robot "
Jun 5 2009 Finally, I Can Sleep At Night: Researchers Develop Algorithms To Mimic Water Sounds
The watery sounds you hear in this video were all made using algorithms developed by researchers at Cornell, because, honestly, curing diseases can wait.
Doug James and Changxi Zheng, researchers at Cornell University, have developed a way to simulate the sounds of flowing or dripping water, which in real life are produced by tiny air bubbles that compress and expand due to surface tension, creating sound waves in the water.
So by using the geometry of a 3D scene, the Harmonic Fluids algorithm they developed can calculate where the air bubbles would have been created in real life and how they would have moved, which allows realistic accompanying sounds to be generated.
Now don't get me wrong, that's neat as hell, I just wish they would have made their research a little more useful in the real world. Like, I dunno, developing an algorithm to mimic the mating calls of prehistoric dinosaurs. Am I right? If we're not gonna cure cancer I should at least get laid.
Cornell Researchers Develop Algorithms To Simulate The Sounds Of Fluids [ohgizmo]
Dec 4 2008 Annoy Coworkers With The Annoyatron 2.0
The Annoyatron 2.0 is a little gadget that makes annoying noises at random so you can drive a very special coworker to the point of stabbing you and/or stealing your lunch from the communal fridge. The sounds are as follows:
-15kHz (Mosquito tone) (full volume)
-Cricket chirping (medium/low volume)
-IM Doorbell (low volume)
-Grating Electronic noise (full volume)
-Typical Electronic Beep (medium volume)
Just hide the little board in somebody's office, don your stab-proof jacket, and wait for the insanity to set in! Don't have a stab-proof jacket? Well you're in luck -- I happen to be selling them! They may just look like garbage bags, but you have The Geekologie Writer's personal guarantee they are real garbage bags.
Annoy-a-tron 2.0 Lets You to Slowly Drive Your Co-Workers Insane Just for Fun [gizmodo]
Thanks to 42 y/o undead warlock, who doesn't need an Annoyatron, because he's got warlock powers and shit.
Oct 10 2008 Revenge CD Annoys Neighbors, Yourself
The Revenge CD from Fred is a CD packed with 20 of the most annoying sounds ever, from unhappy dog, to violin practice, to house party. The $7 CD even comes with a pair of earplugs, so you don't have to listen to the racket. Clever, but I can't help but think there are better ways of seeking revenge on neighbors. Including, but not limited to: breaking a basement window and leaving a hose running into it while they're on vacation, vandalism, and my personal favorites: kidnapping and arson. But seriously, rake up your leaves already, you're making our block look like shit.
Thanks to Silver Sided, who believes living well is the best revenge, which is total bullshit. Burning a house down, that's where it's at.
Oct 3 2008 The Peri Peri: Get That 'Tearing Open A Fed-Ex Envelope' Feeling Whenever You Want
Made by Bandi, the same company that brought us the electronic bubblewrap popper, comes the Peri Peri ($10), a noisemaker that "recreates the sound and feel of tearing open the paper 'zipper' on a FedEx/UPS/DHL envelope". Because, Jesus, that shit is so fun. Too bad I've got a plethora of the real thing. Take this one for instance *riiiiiiiip* a separation agreement, freaking awesome!
BANDAI Peri Peri Keychain Recreates The Sounds And Thrills Of Tearing Open A FedEx Envelope [ohgizmo]
Sep 25 2008 Play The Drums -- On Your Shirt!
That's right folks, ThinkGeek is selling this $30 Drumkit T-shirt so you can rock out with your high-hat out anywhere you go.
Hit the drums on this shirt with your finger and they play through the built in speaker... simple but amazing. With 7 different drum sounds you're ready for a personal drum solo on your chest.
Hell yes, personal drum solo on my chest! Any of you lovely ladies interested in a duet?
Thanks to Brad and Sarah, who don't need drums to know how to rock.
Aug 18 2008 Kids Add Audio Systems To Their Bikes
A group of immigrant teens from Trinidad that now live in Queens, New York call themselves the Stereobike crew and add bad-to-the-ass audio systems to their bicycles. Systems that put the boombox I keep in my front basket to shame. The speakers, powered by car batteries and run through amps, output thousands of watts, capable of rattling the paint clean off my Prism. Just imagine, when these kids are old enough to drive and start buying their own cars -- they're gonna get broken into and their stereos stolen.
Hit the jump for several more pictures.
Aug 4 2008 Warwick Davis Responds To Accusation That Ewoks Ruined Return Of The Jedi
Interesting screencap there. Anyway, this is a video from part of Disney's Star Wars Weekends (which included the now-infamous character dance-off). It features Warwick Davis (the guy that played Wicket the Ewok and Willow) responding to the accusation that Ewoks ruined Return of the Jedi because George Lucas turned them into giant teddy bears to sell more toys. If you haven't already watched it, I'm about to spoil it for you right now: It was staged and turns into a giant song and dance about the Ewoks. Which made me question everything I know about Ewoks and my sexuality. Which isn't much: I got my shit stuck in a can of Red Bull over the weekend.
Hit the jump for a video of the song without having to watch it on a screen why Wicket sings along.
Continue Reading " Warwick Davis Responds To Accusation That Ewoks Ruined Return Of The Jedi "
Jul 15 2008 Shouting Vase Turns Yelling Into A Whisper
The shouting vase is a $79 jug that you yell into after you stub your toe on the coffee table or your wife cooks your eggs the wrong way. It drastically reduces the volume of your screaming, as is evident from the scientific picture in the bottom right.
Turn your loudest, most urgent frustrations into mere whispers with the Shouting Vase. The plastic jug is designed to fit over the contours of your mouth and absorb your screams and shouts, "storing" them in the vase and emitting a softer version of your angry cries through the tiny hole at the base. Ideal for when you feel like shouting, but know that speaking softly is more likely to do the trick. Or the perfect gift for the loud one in your life.
The loud one in my life, huh? Why don't you just come out and say "your wife"? Because that's obviously what you meant. I'd get one, but $79 is kind of expensive for a plastic freaking scream jug. Let me know when they're under $20, until then I'm sticking to pillow biting.
THANKS FRANK, THIS THING REALLY WORKS WONDERS!!!
Apr 23 2008 Cat "Plays" Theremin, It Sounds Like Noise
This is a short video of a cat "playing" a mini-theremin. I wrote playing in quotations because he pretty much sucks. I mostly posted this because I thought the cat was cute. Which he is, isn't he? I like how he sits up on his back legs. I was almost convinced it was a person in a cat suit. Almost, but not quite. It's probably just a leprechaun. Regardless of what it is though, it's certainly got a pot of gold more talent than these cheeseweasels.
An old (but good) video of the Zelda theme on a theramin (because I love Zelda damnit), after the jump
Continue Reading " Cat "Plays" Theremin, It Sounds Like Noise "
Nov 20 2007 Toilet Tunes Prevents Unwanted Situations
The Toilet Tunes Automatic Bathroom Entertainment device plays music whenever your toilet lid is up. You get to choose what you listen to, like soothing jazz, Latin guitar, modern techno/ pop or nature sounds (rain, ocean waves, mountain stream). It costs $30 and runs on 3 AAA batteries. The idea is that it will remind men to put the seat and lid down, as well as provide extra privacy. Because nobody likes hearing another person use the restroom. I'm definitely getting one for the apartment. I swear my roommate actually catches air based on some of the sounds I hear coming from the bathroom. One day he'll be yelling for help because he blasted himself through the ceiling.
Toilet Tunes - Music for your throne [coolestgadgets]
Nov 16 2007 Personal Cell Phone Booths: Make It A Law
Nick Rodrigues, a Boston artist, has developed the Personal Cell Phone Booth. If you're making or receiving a call you pull this clunky bastard out and put it on over your head. That way no one else has to listen to you talk about why your boss sucks or what you're making for dinner or whatever the hell people talk about. I really wish they'd make these things required by law. Because just yesterday I was at the bus stop putting my moves on the homeless bag lady that lives there, and this other freaking woman was on her cell phone talking about how her colon was acting up again. Talk about a mood breaker! Sure the bag lady was into it, but she's a bag lady. She shits her pants all the time.
A video after the jump, but it's just a guy walking around a city with the thing on. Don't expect much.
Continue Reading " Personal Cell Phone Booths: Make It A Law "
Nov 15 2007 POP POP: Electronic Bubble Wrap Popper
The Electronic Bubble Wrap Keychain from ThinkGeek ($10) is exactly what it sounds like. It's a little keychain with 8 buttons, and every time you push one it makes a popping noise like bubble wrap. For every 100 pops it rewards you with a round of applause or some other noise. You know, this thing reminds me of the Snap Your Fingers keychain I tried to market a few years back.
Video after the jump.
Nov 9 2007 USB Engine Hub Makes 'Awesome' Noise
You may remember the SolidAlliance (maker of the infamous sushi flash-drives) USB Engine Hub from awhile ago, and now we've finally scored some video of that mother in action.
Based on the design of a Motorbike Engine, the USB Engine Hub, is a 2.0 3 port USB Hub which not only look nice but ALSO provides you with an amazing engine noise.
Now why didn't I think of that? That's exactly what my USB hub has been missing -- engine styling and "amazing" noise. Watch the video after the jump to see the sucker in action. I will admit it's cool, but I bet after awhile the noise becomes less "awesome" and more "annoying as shit".
USB Engine Hub Sounds the Part, Not Streetable [techeblog]
Aug 29 2007 Complaint Coconuts Not Edible
MIT Media Lab researcher Tad Hirsh has developed, um, these things. Coconuts with cell phones inside that call the San Jose Airport complaint line when they detect low flying aircraft noise. The following is a real message one of them leaves, believe it or not.
Uh… Hey. Um, yeah. So… Um, this is…. Yeah, no, like, I’m… Shut up, no, I’m talking. Okay, so, yeah. So, all these planes, man… It’s crazy. It’s like a roooaarrrrr. Dude, I need a pizza… Could you send me a pepperoni pizza? Dude, that would be great. Wait wait wait wait wait, put some mushrooms on that. Yeah, mushrooms. Sweet.
Now with messages like that, this project is going to accomplish nothing. Better to call it off and tell bums in the area there are trees that grow cell phones, then film the hilarity that ensues. Then pay two of them a dollar each to punch the hell out of each other.
Check out the official site to listen to the other painful messages.
Official Site [via ohgizmo]
