Aug 10 2009 Sure, Why Not?: Fireplace In A Tool Chest
The 'Mall Fire' by Ataria is a $5,400 tool chest (sans tools) that turns into a romantic ethanol fireplace whenever opened. Well, as romantic as a fireplace in a tool chest can be anyways. Which is very. And also why I just had one mounted in the bed of my truck. What do you say I spread a tarp back there and we make ourselves a little pool? Me, you, a box of wine and a pool with a fireplace. I'm sorry, am I being too romantic? Because I can't help myself. Bathing suits optional. For you. Me? I'm a nevernude.
There's Nothing Dangerous About a Fireplace in a Chest [gizmodo]
Thanks to Julian, who knows a romantic evening when he hears one (nuclear hot wings and a titty bar).
Jul 30 2009 Don't Eat The Pan!: Pac-Man Oven Mitts
This $12 Pac-Man Hothead from Fred is a silicon oven mitt that's "ready to eat the heat". Or, I dunno, your cookies! I like how the inside of his mouth looks like a Pac-Man level, I thought that was a nice touch. But not as nice as yours. No seriously -- this back isn't gonna rub itself.
Product Site (click 'buy' and 'shop online' if you want to find a place that sells them)
Jul 24 2009 That's No Ordinary Ruler!: It's Electronic
You know what sucks about rulers? When you'd fall asleep in class and the nuns would beat you with them. Except that never happened because I didn't go to Catholic school AND NOBODY BEATS ME BUT ME. But yeah, this is an electronic ruler by designer Shay Shafranek that has the form factor of an analog one. What will they think of next?! Affordable jetpacks? I sure hope so.
Press the power/reset button on the ruler and the LEDs light up, waiting for your input. The wooden cover conceals what the pencil in the image above is touching: a line of metal points jutting out from the inner edge of the ruler. The ruler uses the change in voltage induced by touching one of these points to calculate the distance.
I dig it, but not as much as I'm digging you. Is that a new perfume you're wearing? Because it smells like flowers and shit. And that dress -- you look better than a sackful of potatoes. I mean it, I want to kiss you till your teeth break. I'm sorry, is this too romantic for you?
Hit the jump for two more shots showing how the device works.
Continue Reading " That's No Ordinary Ruler!: It's Electronic "
Jul 14 2009 Blown Off The Throne: Toilet Paper Prank
I'd never seen this prank before, but maybe you have. Regardless, it's awesome. Now I don't want to spoil it, but I love how the girl put a hidden camera in the bathroom TO FILM HER DAD USING THE JOHN. Because that's a healthy father/daughter relationship.
Thanks to Towhee, who once got tape-measured off the john and hit her head on the bathtub and almost drowned. Pranks are dangerous, kids.
Jun 30 2009 It's Itsy Bitsy!: Tiny Drill Is Tiny
This is a super tiny drill. It is the opposite of this drill. If these two drills were siblings, this one would be Danny Devito in Twins. But it does actually work (video HERE). Now I have no idea what in the hell you'd use such a tiny drill for, but if I had to guess, I'd go with dollhouse repairs. You hear that, Ken? *sobbing* THIS DREAMHOUSE IS IN SHAMBLES!
Micro Power Drill [bookofjoe]
Thanks to naas, whose drill is not much bigger. Burn? BURN!
Mar 12 2009 Freaky Deaky: DIY Bedroom Toy Goes Wrong
Now I'm not saying there's not a place for reciprocating saws in the bedroom, I'm just saying if you do decide to get freaky with a power tool, TAKE THE BLADE OFF FIRST. Do not, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES (except really, really dire ones) just ram a fake wiener on the existing blade. Because then you'll end up like this poor lady.
The saw cut through the plastic toy and wounded the woman, according to TheBayNet.com. The injuries were severe enough for medevac, but the woman was released from the hospital Monday and is recovering from her unusual injuries.
Investigators talked to the woman, who told them she suffered the injuries during a consensual act and that she and her partner were trying something new and no crime was committed, the sheriff's office said.
Trying something new -- I'll say! When I think 'trying something new' I think a clean sock or sitting on my hand for awhile, not power tools. Although....
MEDIC!
Woman Injured in Power Tool Sex Toy Encounter [nbcnewyork]
via
Saber Saw Sex Toy Incident: DIY Gone Very, Very Wrong [gizmodo]
Feb 4 2009 Pizza Pro 3000: Finally, A Manlier Pizza Cutter
The Pizza Pro 3000 by Fred is a pizza cutter designed to look like a circular saw. That way, you can feel like a real toughass instead of a guy who just baked a frozen pizza for his Friday night Friends marathon. That Chandler, what a nut.
Pizza Pro 3000 Circular Saw [nerdapproved]
Thanks to Michael, who cuts his pizza the way God intended: with Paul Bunyon's axe.
Continue Reading " Pizza Pro 3000: Finally, A Manlier Pizza Cutter "
Dec 8 2008 ISS Orbiting Toolbag Filmed From Earth
Remember last month when a NASA toolbag accidentally floated off into space during a repair to the International Space Station (if not, video after the jump. Skip to about 0:55 to see the loss)?
Endeavor astronaut Heidi Stefanyshyn-Piper's loss has turned out to be an amateur star gazers' event of the season. The $100,000 tool bag slipped out of her reach and floated into space while she was trying to clean up a greasy mess on the starboard section of the space station. The tool bag is now dubbed ISS Toolbag and is orbiting the Earth. According to Space.com, Edward Light spotted the orbiting tool bag using 10 x 50 binoculars from his backyard in Lakewood, New Jersey.
The orbiting tool bag weighs approximately 30-pounds. It measures 20-inches wide and 12-inches long. The tool bag contains two grease guns, a scraper tool, a large trash bag and a small debris bag. Given the size and dim magnitude of the orbiting tool bag, star gazers will need binoculars or a small telescope to view it.
The video above is actual footage of the bag sailing by. Go here and enter your ZIP code to find out when and were to look to see the toolbag for yourself. Alternatively, come over to my place around six when my roommate gets home.
Hit the jump for the loss video.
Oct 29 2008 Circular Saw Won't Cut Fingers, Hot Dogs
The SawStop is a circular saw designed to prevent you from cutting all your fingers off. Personally, I think fingers are overrated.
The blade carries a small electrical charge. This charge is continuously monitored by a digital signal processor. When contact is made, the human body absorbs some of the charge, causing the voltage to drop. The drop in voltage triggers a quick release aluminum break. A heavy duty spring forces the brake into the teeth of the spinning blade. The teeth dig into the aluminum, stopping the blade cold. The blade's momentum forces it to retract below the table, and the motor is automatically shut off.
Wow, that's great. Except in the video, they only use hot dogs. If it works so well, why not use a real finger? F*** it, I say the inventor put his junk on line.
Thanks to Jeff, who makes beans & weenies the old fashioned way, with a table saw.
Aug 19 2008 World's Largest Digging Machine Is Huge
The world's largest digger is a giant trencher built a couple years ago by German manufacturer Krupp. It took more than 5 years and $100 million to design and manufacture.
The machine is almost 95 meters (311 ft) high and 215 meters (705 ft) long which is just like almost 2.5 football fields in length with 45,500 tons in weight. Maximum digging speed is 10 meters (32 ft) per minute and it can move more than 76,000 cubic meters (~2,700,000 cubic ft) of coal, rock, and earth per day.
Wow, pretty impressive. You get two of these things working around the clock for a couple days and I could finally bury my girlfriend. Haha! No, but seriously honey, go to the gym.
Hit the jump for several more pictures of the digging behemoth.
Continue Reading " World's Largest Digging Machine Is Huge "
Jul 31 2008 Sure, Why Not: The USB Memory Nail
The USB Nail is the first product from a company called plankton and is a 2GB flash drive shaped like a giant nail. It costs about $46 and is sure to get a rise out of the IT department. You know, because they won't believe you paid fifty bucks for a giant nail drive. You've gotta admit though, it does bring new meaning to the phrase "nailing your computer", doesn't it? Haha, I had sex with the hole in my CD tray!
"nailed" memory stick - stop: hammer time! [technabob]
Jul 2 2008 Oh Great: Robot Can Learn To Use Tools
Wonderful, just wonderful. The UMass Mobile Manipulator, developed at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, can learn (by itself) how to use different tools (weapons).
UMan uses a regular webcam to look down at a table from above. By analyzing differences between adjacent pixels, it guesses where an object's edges might be found. Then it prods the object and, on the basis of how it moves, revises its estimate of the object's shape. It continues shoving the object around, observing how its parts move in relation to each other. UMan will push the object backward and forward along its width and length and at a 45-degree angle to both, if necessary, until it's satisfied that it understands how the object moves. Wherever the movement is restricted, the robot concludes that there's a joint. UMan then uses that information to figure out the best way to manipulate the object. It can also tell if there are multiple joints, and how those relate to each other.
Oh my God this is the exact opposite of awesome. I can see it now: some robot lopping my melon off with a pair of compound pruning shears. Great, this is just great. F*** you, UMass robot sympathizers.
Robot Learns To Use Tools [technologyreview]
Thanks Steve, Shawn and Jim, now I have to break everything in my toolbox.
Jun 4 2008 Handwrench Is A Real Hand Wrench, But Not A Real Hand, Or A Real Practical Wrench
This is the Handwrench by designer Paul Julius Martus. It's a hand wrench, with a little hand on the end. BWAHAH HA HA HA! Some people, so clever. I'm pretty sure it's just an art piece though, seeing how your little fingers would probably break off if you were trying to bust a real serious nut loose. Still, Paul gets clever points for being clever with the little hand. But I get 2x clever points for that bust a nut thing I said.
Handwrench [notcot]
Thanks Shawn, you wanna come over and help me build a deck?
May 7 2008 I Know What I Want For Mother's Day!
It's this -- Craftsman's 1,470 piece tool set. Actually 10 other different tool sets combined, it includes such hits as the:
300 pc. Professional Tool Set
198 pc. Advanced Essentials Professional Tool Set
189 pc. Specialized Essentials Professional Tool Set
204 pc. Advanced Access Professional Tool Set
106 pc. Advanced Professional Tool Set
89 pc. Specialized Access Professional Tool Set
83 pc. Fully Polished Ratcheting Tool Set
77 pc. Heavy-Duty Mechanics Tool Set
94 pc. Auto Specialty Tool Set
130 pc. Professional Impact Tool Set
Now if you're a woman you're probably thinking to yourself, "You know, I should probably be in the kitchen cooking something". And I wouldn't argue . Kidding ladies! That only applies to my wife. But if you're a guy you're probably thinking, "Is my firstborn son worth the $8,600 pricetag?" And the answer, sadly, is no. You're gonna have to sell the second one too.
Product Page (check it out for more pictures of the individual sets and whatnot)
via
$8,600 Craftsman 1470 piece tool set: your house is doomed [dvice]
Apr 9 2008 Indiana Jones Figures Are Cute, Big Headed
These are two Indiana Jones (well one Indiana, one Henry) figures available from PansonWorks. Each costs $30 and would look awesome on my bookshelf. Damn, I just love that Indiana. I was so inspired by the movies that I actually took an archaeology course in college. I had to pay a $60 lab fee, which I assumed was for a fedora and a freaking bullwhip. Wrong! I got a crappy little pick and brush. Talk about a let down. There was no temple of doom, no last crusading, just a horrible damn professor that stared off into space when lecturing. I egged his house after he failed me.
A picture of PansonWorks Street Fighter figures (also $30), just for the halibut, after the jump
Continue Reading " Indiana Jones Figures Are Cute, Big Headed "
Mar 25 2008 Raytheon Tool Blows Through Concrete
The Raytheon Controlled Impact Rescue Tool (CIRT) weighs 100 pounds and can smash through concrete walls. The product has rescue in its name, but I assure you it'll be busting down all kind of walls where the primary objective isn't to save anyone. A little slow though Raytheon, because I've had one of these for years. It's called a jealous girlfriend. She thinks she hears another girl's voice on the other side of locked door/wall and she'll tear through it like a wet paper bag with a chocolate bar inside.
Worthwhile video of the unit in action after the jump.
Jan 18 2008 World's Largest Drill Bit Is Pretty Big, I Guess
The world's largest drill bit was put to use last month boring a subway tunnel in Leipzig, Germany. This is it. As you can see it's relatively large. Not huge, but pretty big. For a drill bit. Now if it was a Reuben sandwich, that would be impressive. And filling. Can you imagine the amount of sauerkraut required for a sandwich that big? I'm thinking several cans at least. I'm also thinking about making one. Who's with me? You bring the ingredients, and I'll bring an appetite and my "kiss the cook but don't touch the buns" apron.
A close up picture of the bit after the jump.
Continue Reading " World's Largest Drill Bit Is Pretty Big, I Guess "
Dec 13 2007 Man Converts Cordless Drill To Tesla Coil
The picture above shows a cordless drill a man modded into a little handheld Tesla Coil. As is evident from the picture, the little coil is great for things like, um, making a light bulb glow like a plasma globe. Neat buddy, but can you mod a cordless drill to put holes in wood and other objects? Because that, my friend, would be frickin' sweeeeeet.
Video of the coil in action after the shock.
Continue Reading " Man Converts Cordless Drill To Tesla Coil "
Dec 4 2007 Cigarette Lighter Flashlight For Your Car
The Spotlight Rechargeable LED Light ($15) is a little flashlight that charges in you car's 12 volt cigarette lighter. It's got a high output 0.5 watt LED, fully charges in 3 hours, and will last over an hour on a charge. Could be handy if you're hungry and remember there are probably some Wendy's fries under the seat. I'd get it for that purpose alone, because I'm tired of just randomly fishing around down there with my hand. Just yesterday I thought I had scored a fry but didn't realize it was a pencil until after I had swallowed it.
Note: The concept was apparently conceived on a piece of lined paper, which we all know is inferior to a bar napkin for ground breaking ideas, so purchase at your own risk.
Spotlight Rechargeable LED Light For Your Vehicle [coolestgadgets]
Nov 23 2007 Nail Cushion: If You Suck With A Hammer
I'm well versed in the use of tools because I'm big into home improvement projects. I just love doing stuff around the house. Like yesterday I ran electricity from my elderly neighbor's shed to my house. I’m a regular handyman. But for those of you out there that can't manage to complete a project without hurting yourself, here comes the Nail Cushion. It's a "rubberized plate that holds various nail diameters to allow an easy and safe strike." So your precious little digits don't get all smashed up. But what happens when you get marooned on a tropical island with no Nail Cushion? You ain't building a house like the Swiss Family Robinson, that's for sure. Nope, you get eaten by a shark one morning when you're collecting sea urchins. And all because you never learned to wield a hammer.
Note: I'm not even going to comment on the way the hand in the picture is holding the hammer.
Nail Cushion Saves Fingers [yankodesign]
