Hasta La Gadget!

Remember when you needed a phone line and a dial-up modem to get online? Heck, I was using modems to connect to services like Compuserve and Prodigy before anyone even knew what the Internet was. One of the most annoying things about dial-up modems was that stupid squealing sound they made when you were trying to connect. Especially when you accidentally picked up the phone and had to listen to that incessant noise. Now, thanks to ThinkGeek, you can recreate those sounds whenever you feel like it.

That’s right, the box shown here isn’t a modem, but it’s a machine that makes modem sounds. You can simply press any button and relive the sounds of days gone by, including the dialing and ringer sounds, or you can use multiple buttons to play screechy, unappealing music with it.

Bonus points if you recognize that piece of music at the end there. Yes, that’s the closing theme to Buckaroo Banzai. Wow, I’m really dating myself now. Trust me, if you never saw that movie, you must Netflix it tonight.

While I suppose there’s some nostalgic value to the Music Modem, I think I’d quickly tire of its sounds – just like I did back in the 1980s and early 1990s. But if you really must make these noises, you can grab the Music Modem from ThinkGeek for $29.99(USD). Personally, I’m waiting for a device that sounds like the cassette tapes that software used to come on. Oh, that’s called a cassette player with a speaker.

3D printed objects are usually rigid, or at least made of parts that were printed separately. This makes it time-consuming if not outright impossible to print large objects or ones that need to be flexible or adjustable. But what if you could break down an object into smaller, foldable parts? That’s the idea behind Kinematics.

Made by Nervous System in collaboration with Motorola’s Advanced Technology and Projects group, Kinematics is a proof-of-concept 3D modeling software that lets you design a complex 3D model made of interlocking triangles. In the same way that you can make 3D graphics using two-dimensional triangles, Kinematics can theoretically make any 3D object out of interlocking triangles.

The 3D models it makes can be printed without modifying existing 3D printers. They don’t need to be assembled because their hinges are printed in place. Kinematics can also make a scrunched version of the 3D model, allowing you to print objects that are larger than your printer’s capacity. You just unfold the printed object into its final shape.

For now, the Kinematics app can only be used to make a 3D model of a bracelet. Nervous System also set up a Kinematics shop where you can design and then order a bracelet, a necklace or earrings. But as pointed out by several commenters at The Verge, imagine if the app could be improved such that it prints very tiny triangles, the way 3D graphics eventually improved from being spiky and blocky into the smooth and realistic ones we see in games and movies. It’d be like turning a 3D printer into a loom.

[Nervous System via The Verge]

I recently purchased a Supermoto, and I have to say that I’m having lots of fun. All that fun would probably be multiplied by ten if it was an all-electric bike. Check out the Zero FX Stealthfighter motorcycle, which can basically go anywhere, all without sipping a drop of fossil fuel.

The Zero FX Stealthfighter promises no fuss, and not much maintenance. The best part is that it’s all electric, so you won’t have to fill it up. It does well on the dirt track, the streets, or off road. It has 44 hp, 70 lb-ft. of torque, and weighs 280 lbs. The range for this bike varies between 35 miles and 70 miles, depending on which model you choose.

There are two versions of the bike available, one costs $9,495(USD) and has a 2.8 kWh battery. The other costs $11,990 and has a 5.7 kWh battery. Just like most electric vehicles, this is a clutch-less, direct-drive system, so no more shifting around to maximize power.

[via Gizmag]

If you are an avid hunter or if you just like to wear camo clothing, you will be familiar with the name Cabela’s. The company makes all sorts of camouflage clothing and other accessories for hunting and outdoors. Cabela’s has announced a very cool new line of camo clothing called ColorPhase that will save hunters […]

It’s not just the elderly that experience the loss of hearing.  We
boomers spent a good deal of our youths blasting our auditory hair cells
to bits with the Rolling Stones et als.  Hearing aids are not cheap and
may not even be suitable for everyone, having their own drawbacks, but
there are plenty of gadgets available that can help hard-of-hearing
folks in specific situations like watching TV, conversation, hearing
signals in your home or car, or talking on the phone, and they’re
helpful even if you do use hearing aids.