Hasta La Gadget!

Video and interactive artist Eran Amir created this silly contraption which does one thing and one thing only – it helps you twiddle your thumbs. Clearly, he did this because if you are truly so bored that you are twiddling your thumbs, you probably won’t have the patience to flex your own muscles to make it happen either.

Built from a couple of motors and a simple wood frame, the user places their fat fingers into the thumbrings, switches it on, and the rest is self-explanatory:

I wonder what would happen if you tried to twiddle your index fingers with it.

If you have ever worked in an office or sat by someone typing on a Das Keyboard, you may not be a fan. The keyboards the company makes are very clicky making them loud, but they promise very comfortable and responsive typing thanks to all the clicks and clacks. Das Keyboard is back with a new keyboard called the Das Keyboard 4.

Unlike one of the original keyboards from the company that you couldn’t get with labeled keys, the new version can be had with or without letters. That is good news considering I can’t type without glancing at where my fingers are at least half the time. In addition to its world-class keys, the new keyboard has dedicated media controls, including a large volume knob. It’s also got a 2-port USB 3.0 hub built in. Another neat feature of the DasKeyboard is its foot bar, which doubles as a detachable 16-inch red ruler. Clever.

The Das Keyboard 4 Ultimate is blank and the Professional version has key labels. You can get it with super clicky Cherry MX Blue mechanical switches for $169(USD). If you want something a bit quieter, you can opt for the Cherry MX Brown switches for $173. That’s right. It costs more to be less annoying.

LEGO expert Raul Oaida and Steve Sammartino have built themselves the stuff of childhood dreams for many LEGO builders. I know I wanted to build a full-size car I could drive around the neighborhood more times than I can count. Their incredible black and yellow LEGO hot rod consists of over half a million bricks.

This is very cool indeed and the project is known as the Super Awesome Micro Project. It’s unclear exactly how the LEGO-based motor of the car works, but it is said to run on compressed air. The engine has four radial units with 256 pistons. The car isn’t made completely from LEGO, there are some structural pieces, wheels, and tires. I would assume there is some sort of frame that isn’t LEGO.

The car can cruise at speeds of up to 18MPH. It might be able to go faster, but they won’t drive it any faster because of its fragile nature. The car was taken from a concept design to a finished product in 20 months. Incredibly, Oaida built it in Romania, and shipped it to Sammartino for final assembly in Melbourne, Australia.

[via Geek.com via Crave Australia via C|NET]

Do you find yourself sitting in the dark, even if it’s bright and sunny outside? Well, speaking from experience, regular exposure to sunlight can really make you feel better both mentally and physically. But if the Sun isn’t hitting your windows you might be missing out on its radiant glow. With the help of this device, you can now automatically reflect the Sun into your rooms.

Designed by an engineer named “Mr. Lim” the Sunflower is a compact version of a heliostat you can place in your yard. It automatically follows the Sun throughout the day and reflects it into a location of your choice. It uses a solar panel along with a motorized array of mirrors to ensure the light is always reflected to a specific point you aim it at – like your living room window.

Each Sunflower is handmade in Concord, Massachusetts by One Sunny Home, and sells for $299(USD) over on their Etsy shop.

If you and your indolent ass ever wished that there was a gadget that could insert your Xbox 360′s discs for you, this contraption is not the answer. Not only because it’s not really practical, but because you’ll never be able to build it in the first place.

This impressive, but silly disc changer system was made by a mad genius who calls himself Zwenkka. He made it out of about 3,000 parts, including three LEGO Mindstorms NXT micro-computers, seven NXT servos, an R/C motor and a light sensor. The system is operated via a mobile app. Zwenkka selects a disc by entering a number between 1 and 32 (because the tray holds 32 discs). His phone relays the selected disc via Bluetooth and the robot does the rest – slowly. It takes 42 seconds to change a disc.

I wonder how it remembers the location of the open slot on the tray when it has to return a disc. I also wonder if it can be tweaked so it delivers food to one’s mouth instead. Head to Palikkatakomo for more on the Xbox 360 disc changer.

[via Gamefreaks]