Hasta La Gadget!

Thanko is a Japanese gadget firm that makes just about anything you can think of and a slew of things sane people wouldn’t think to plug their your USB ports. If you need a set of Santa boots to warm your feet using USB power, Thanko has it. If your butt gets too hot in the summer, get the Thanko water-cooled seat cushion. You get the idea, if it’s powered by USB you can find it at Thanko.

If your boss is a bosshole, and you really need something to help get rid of the headache from listening to him prattle on about spelling and punctuation constantly causes you (maybe that’s just me) Thanko has a USB head massager. It looks as weird as you might expect it too. It will undoubtedly mess up your hair, and will do nothing to impress that cute girl that works down the hall.

What it will do is adjust to fit most domes, no matter how gargantuan, and vibrate when plugged in. The idea is that it will help get rid of stress. If you need to use it and you don’t have a USB port, it can be powered by batteries.

The USB-powered head massager is available for ¥2,980 (~$30 USD) in Japan.

[via EverythingUSB]

When I was a kid, if you wanted to spruce up your bike, you just put a baseball card in the spokes. These days kids have all kinds of cool features on their bikes. Take the Phantom Frames kids’ bike. It is made from sturdy polycarbonate, which is cool, but the main feature here is the bike’s cool glowing effect.

This illumination is achieved through an array of LEDs set inside the bike’s translucent frame. It subtly stands out during the day time, and at night it gets all wild and crazy. The “pipeline” technology of the Phantom Frames bike allows the design to have working LEDs inside its frame, powered by AAA batteries.

There are two different versions of the frame: The smoked Ghost Frame and the Ice Frame which is completely clear.

You can help fund the Phantom Bike on Kickstarter now through 1/3/14. And check this out. You can get an entire bike with all the LED lighted frames with a pledge starting at $165. Before you get too excited though, the bike is just available in kids’ size.

[via Damn Geeky]

Earlier this year we learned about Twinkind, a 3D printing shop that makes personalized figurines. Its products are highly detailed, but it has two drawbacks: the figurines are expensive and you have to go to Germany to be scanned. A similar service called Shapify.me has none of those drawbacks, although it requires you to have a Kinect.

Before Shapify.me can make your figurine, you have to scan yourself using a Kinect and a Mac or a PC running Shapify’s software. Assuming you can hold your pose, the process will only take a few minutes, after which the software will generate your 3D model. You can of course re-do the scan if you like.

If you’re satisfied, send your model online through the software and fill-up a form on Shapify.me’s website to place your order. The company will then print a 1/20th scale figurine and deliver it to you for a flat fee of $59 (USD). You can also specify if you want a monochrome or a full-color figurine.

Based on the images, it seems like Shapify.me’s figurines are not as detailed as the ones made by Twinkind or other shops with dedicated 3D scanners. On the other hand, these are way cheaper (well, if you already have a Kinect!) and more convenient. As of this writing Shapify.me caters to residents of the US, Canada and Europe. Check out Shapify.me’s website to learn more.

There’s just something about Nicolas Cage that inspires people to create memes, apps, and even eyeshadows in his likeness. The latest one is called “Feeling Cagey?” and it inserts a little bit (or rather, a whole lot) of Nicolas Cage in each and every selfie it finds on Instagram.

The website basically parses through Instagram’s live feed and automatically tacks Nicolas Cage’s mug on people’s faces. It’s silly, it’s weird, and in a way, it’s strangely addicting.

Feeling Cagey? was created by web developer Josh McMilan, who clearly has way too much time on his hands.

[via Laughing Squid]

It seems like every time I turn around my daughter has my iPhone and she is playing Minecraft. I hear her constantly yelling at the Creepers for creeping up and doing their thang – namely blowing up. If you or someone you know is a fan of Minecraft and goes to school or work where a backpack is a benefit, this is the gift for you.

ThinkGeek has a Minecraft Creeper Backpack that is available right now for $59.99(USD). That’s not exactly cheap, but if you have ever shopped for name brand backpacks, it’s not exactly expensive either. This is also the coolest backpack in all the blocky world.

The backpack is made of woven nylon and has three compartments with double zippers. The main compartment measures 11″ x 14″ x 2″ with 360-degree padding for laptop protection. The middle section is 11″ x 13.5″ x 2.5″. The front pocket has a 5-pocket organizer and measures 10″ x 13″ x 1″.

You can be sure that no one else in grade school will have a backpack like this – unless of course they also read Technabob or shop at ThinkGeek.