Hasta La Gadget!

Snowmobiles are fun and fast, but when you just want to get down a big snow-covered hill, there’s nothing like a sled. If you’re the kind of speed freak that enjoys going 40mph downhill, then this sled might be for you.

The Snolo Stealth-X Sled might break your bank account, but that’s because it’s made almost completely of carbon fiber. The entire shell is made out of one piece and is contour-molded in the seating area to fit your bum perfectly. It even has a padded back rest to keep you comfortable while you zip along this winter. There’s a single, steerable ski at the front, and two at the back.

The Snolo will give you the maneuverability of a snowboard, and blistering fast downhill speeds – but get ready to cry, because this baby costs a whopping $2,550(USD)!

[via Uncrate]

We’ve seen a couple of devices that let you take 360º videos or images with ease. However, going by their sample shots, the videos they take are significantly warped and blurry. Thomas Seidl and his Eye Mirror promise to let you take 360º videos in high definition. The privilege is going to cost you, but it just might be worth it.

The Eye Mirror is a lens add-on for pretty much any camera, from old point-and-shoots to DSLRS. It even has a special case for the insanely popular GoPro cameras. When paired with the GoPro Hero3 Black (and a custom firmware), you can Eye Mirror claims that you can shoot 3020 x 3020 360º videos at 15fps. In simple terms, the lens has a curved mirror at the top that reflects the surroundings in a ring.

All you have to do is attach the Eye Mirror lens to your camera and point the camera upwards. When you’re done, load the video to your PC to convert it into an interactive 360º video. So you go from that, to this:

Check out the company’s Kickstarter video below:

As implied in the video, you can share the interactive video online through Eye Mirror’s own video sharing site. The company will also be launching a separate viewer for people who own the Oculus Rift, though that software has its separate price tag. Speaking of which, pledge at least £120 (~$196 USD) on Kickstarter to get an Eye Mirror Lens. Check the reward tiers carefully because as I said the lens has different variants, so make sure the one you’re getting fits your camera.

You should also checkout the sample interactive videos on Eye Mirror’s website.

[via DVICE]

Most of the nixie tube hacks and mods we’ve seen involve clocks, which isn’t surprising considering the tubes were primarily used to show numbers. But there are also tubes that display symbols, and those are the ones put to good use by Lasermad in its Nixie Chessboards.

Lasermad uses ex-Soviet Nixies from the 80s. They also designed a neat chessboard that uses induction coils to power the tubes. All you have to do is plug the board to an outlet and the tubes will automatically light up when you place them on the board.

Here’s a demo video of the board:

You can order the Nixie Chessboard from Lasermad either as a ready-to-assemble kit for $340 (USD) or as a fully built set for $759. Note that the DIY kit is not for beginners, although Lasermad does have a help forum for people who opt to get their hands dirty.

[via The UberReview]

Wicked Lasers recently added two new members to its dangerously powerful Spyder III series. The Lunar and Inferno lasers produce malevolent purple and red beams respectively, countering the green Krypton and the blue Arctic.

The Spyder III Lunar is a 400mW laser that emits a 405nm beam that’s still bright enough to be seen from more than 37,500ft. away. The Spyder III Inferno on the other hand is a 750mW laser that emits a 635nm beam visible from at least 26,000ft. away.

If you check out the specs of the Krypton and the Arctic, you’ll see that these light side lasers are more powerful than these newcomers, but that the Lunar and the Inferno still need to be used with care.

You can order the Lunar and the Inferno from Wicked Lasers. The Lunar costs $300 (USD) while the Inferno costs $400. Both lasers have a variety of operating modes, aluminum bodies and use a rechargeable Li-ion battery. They’re compatible with the company’s controversial LaserSaber attachment and come with a pair of safety goggles, a holster and a charger for their battery.

We’ve already seen Etsy seller Philip Isherwood’s Saberforge Battle Sabers, a series of very original prop weapons. While I’m still researching how he came up with his utterly unique designs, Philip already upped the ante. He’s now making Saberforge Staffs, which have not one but two blades. This changes everything. This guy is a genius. A genius I say!

Philip is well aware that his props are used by people who like to play both heroes and villains, so he again fired up his innovation engine and came up with two distinct designs. The Decimator Staff, shown above, looks unmistakably evil, while the Grand Master Staff, shown below, is for those who (pretend to) fight for good. Philip’s imagination truly knows no bounds.

Seriously though, these seem like durable and beautiful props. Not only do they have aircraft-grade aluminum handles, they also have force- and motion-sensitive sound effects, meaning they play appropriate audio effects when swung and when their blades clash. Speaking of clashing, the staff’s coupler can be removed if you want to dual wield or share a saber with a friend. Each staff comes with two sets of blades, a pair of 36″ blades and a pair of 32″ blades. A 10w dual-color LED on each hilt provides the lighting.

Here’s Philip demonstrating the Decimator Staff…

…and the Grand Master Staff:

If you’re ready to take your pretend interstellar armed conflicts to the next level, head to Philip’s Etsy shop Saberforge. The staffs cost $850 (USD) each.

[via DudeIWantThat]