Hasta La Gadget!

A few months ago we featured iSketchnote, an iPad cover that can record and digitize handwritten or handdrawn notes. If chipmaker Qualcomm has its way, that feature may be integrated into the next wave of tablets. To show off the power of its upcoming Snapdragon 805 processor, Qualcomm will be displaying what it calls Ultra Sound at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

Like iSketchnote, Ultra Sound copies doodles made with ink and paper in real time. The prototype shown in the video below requires a digital pen that’s also an ink pen. When you use the digital pen on paper, it emits ultrasonic vibrations. Those vibrations are picked up by microphones embedded in the Snapdragon 805-powered tablet and then analyzed to replicate the paper sketch on the tablet’s screen.

It would be nice if Ultra Sound worked even if the tablet was in sleep mode, so you can keep writing or doodling for long periods of time knowing that your work is being backed up in real time.

[via SlashGear]

Are you bored by the conventional ho-hum design of a traditional wooden knife block? If you like everything on your kitchen counter to be a conversation piece, you can’t go wrong with this Spicy Magnum Knife Set, featuring six entwined knife holders that look like they’re all holding each other up.

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These special shotgun shells take the green revolution to the next level. If planting stuff the traditional way is too boring for you, then you might want to shoot up gardens instead with Flower Shells as your ammo. You could also pack a couple of seed bombs that you can toss when you’re out of shells.

The Flower Shells were thought up by developer Per Cromwell of Studio Total. Unlike Flower Grenades, Flower Shells actually contain gunpowder so you can blast them as you would blast real bullets with your shotgun. Each shell contains a reduced amount of gunpowder and is filled with flower seeds. Shoot the shells into patches of dirt or grass with it and you’ll see daisies, sunflowers, and meadow flowers blossoming in those spots in a matter of weeks.

The Flower Shells are currently up for funding on Indiegogo, where a pledge of $50(USD) will get you a set of four shells. Shotgun sold separately.

[via C|NET]

Throughout the years, a lot of things have evolved, including light bulbs. The latest of these is the SlimStyle by Philips, which is different from all the others because it’s a flat light bulb.

It’s still shaped like the typical light bulb, only it’s not as three-dimensional as you’re used to anymore.

The SlimStyle is covered by rubber and has LED lights arranged in a horseshoe shape on the inside. This configuration disperses heat throughout the bulb more efficiently than conventional LED bulbs, eliminating the need for aluminum heat sinks. This makes the flat light bulbs cheaper in comparison to the non-flat ones, and they’ll be priced below $10 when they finally hit the market.

The SlimStyle will go on sale today, January 2nd at The Home Depot, with the first bulbs offering the equivalent of a 60-watt incandescent for only 10.5 watts.

[via Mashable via Dvice]

One of the great joys offered by an old library is stepping through the doors and being greeted by an overwhelming sense of stillness. Endless stories exist between the covers resting on the shelves but, until you crack open a title and start to read, it’s blissfully oh so quiet.

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