Hasta La Gadget!

The computer keyboard has been a staple tool for both work and play for decades now, but it’s still one of the most uncomfortable devices to use. Its descendant, the touchscreen keyboard, is even worse. An unusual invention called TREWGrip wants to solve both the problem of ergonomics in desktop computing and the efficiency of typing in mobile devices. How? By putting the keys at the back.

The TREWGrip is a Bluetooth keyboard and air mouse. Inventor Mark Parker split the traditional keyboard arrangement into two halves and then arranged it horizontally at the rear of the device. Ideally this setup – along with its wireless capability – provides a more comfortable typing position because your arms remain close to your body. Because it’s also a mouse, you can lean back and maintain proper posture.

The familiar layout of the keys and the visual cues in front should help with the learning curve of using the TREWGrip. The suction pad in the middle holds mobile devices up to 5.3″ wide.

So how fast can you type on the TREWGrip? Parker and his company held a typing competition where seasoned touch typists were required to use the TREWGrip. The winner, Robert Price, typed 115 words per minute to win the contest. I dare you to type that fast on your touchscreen.

Pledge at least $249 (USD) on Kickstarter to get a TREWGrip as a reward. They’ll need to rally a lot of backers within a few days though; as of this writing they’ve only raised $15,794 of their $100,000 target. I don’t know how hard it is to learn how to type on the TREWGrip, but other than that I would love to use such a device on my desk. But on the go? I think it needs to be more portable – thinner and perhaps foldable – especially since it was meant to be used with smartphones and small tablets.

Darth Vader. He’s one of the best parts of the original Star Wars saga. What if you could turn him into a badass Sith tank and let him loose on your enemy?

That would be amazing. Tank Vader would just decimate whole armies and lay waste to everything in it’s path. The Vader tank is the work of Gabriel Dishaw. It is a miniature tank with the head of the Lord of the Sith riding atop it, much like Danny Trejo’s head on that turtle in Breaking Bad.

It is made from all kinds of recycled parts: a toy tank, computers, typewriters, adding machines, airplane parts and vintage model pieces.

You can buy Tank Vader from Gabriel’s site for $1000(USD). Sadly my pockets are empty or else I would consider it. It just looks amazing!

[via Damn Geeky]

Robert Morris and Daniel McDuff are currently studying for their doctorate degrees at MIT. But even geniuses get addicted to Facebook. Robert and Dan confessed that they collectively spend about 50 hours a week on the social networking site. To get rid of their bad habit, they decided to undergo a literal shock treatment.

Named after the famous physiologist Ivan Pavlov, the Pavlov Poke is an Arduino-based system that connects to a computer via USB. It works with a program on the computer that monitors application usage; Robert and Dan used the UI Inspector in OS X. If it detects that you’re visiting a specified site or sites – in this case it’s Facebook – too frequently, it will flash an alert on screen and send a current to a couple of conducting strips that are stuck on a keyboard rest.

If being electrocuted won’t be enough to stop you from checking your feed, you can try the outsourced equivalent of Pavlov Poke. It still uses an application monitor, but this time it uses a Python script that asks people on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk to call you whenever you’re slacking off.

I think the second one’s more effective. Not only is it more annoying, the cost for the calls alone may be enough to reform you. Head to Robert’s website to learn more about Pavlov Poke, but only if you’re done working.

[via C|NET]

It started out as a joke, but Shark Pony and the Glitter Riders sounds like a pretty amusing concept for a comic if you ask me. And while the comic itself looks hilarious, this plush creation by RoboShark that goes with it is what really caught my eye.

The comic follows “4 Dude Bros who steal a spaceship and are transformed into 3 Magical Girls and a Sharkpony.” That’s more than enough for me to want more.

If you want to see what happens to Sharkpony and his posse, you’ll need to pledge at least $5 on Indiegogo for the first issue of the comic, and you’ll have to pony up 300 smackeroos if you want one of the three limited-edition plushes.

Do you love bacon? To death? You and your arteries might want to invest in this awesome bacon coffin. Who says you can’t take it with you? Let it wrap your cold dead corpse in smoky delicious bacon.

This $3000(USD) coffin is made from gasketed steel and decorated to look like a mouth-watering slice of bacon. Now you can spend eternity surrounded by your favorite food. Sadly, you won’t smell like bacon. You will smell nasty. Maybe they should include a bacon air freshener for the inside. Just to complete the package. Oh wait. They do.

[via This Is Why I’m Broke]