Hasta La Gadget!

ThinkGeek is intent on getting us all ready for the zombie apocalypse. They will sell you the Crovel or Crovel II which will certainly come in handy to take on the zombie hoard. A new tool has turned up that looks even more impressive than the Crovel, called the NAX 2.0.

The NAX 2.0 is a multitool that can function as a hatchet, machete, and a kukuri knife. I don’t know what that last one is, but it sounds really cool. The handle of the NAX 2.0 can be used as a pry bar so you can open any wood crates of Twinkies you might run across.

The handle also has a bottle opener, which is key to surviving the zombie apocalypse. Few things are worse than running across the last beer in the world and not having a bottle opener. The handle also has a gas shut off wrench, I guess that will help to burn up some zombies or cook Ramen soup to enjoy with your beer. Plus, the handle is wrapped in 550 paracord, which is perfect for setting booby traps and strangling the undead.

The Nax 2.0 is available from ThinkGeek for $149.99(USD).

Check out this wheeled snow shovel design. It looks like it will allow you to shovel your driveway in record time and with ease. This has got to be better for your back than a standard snow shovel.

The Snow Wolf SW0310 Wheeled Snow Shovel (aka the “Snow Wovel”) has a sturdy wheel built right into the frame, so you’ll be able to scoop up large amounts of snow with minimal effort, and greater efficiency. It is the snow shovel of the future, but it is available today. In fact, it’s been available for several years – no time travel required.

Its makers claim it clears snow three times faster than conventional snow shovels. It sells for $139(USD) from Amazon, which also means it costs more than three times the price of conventional snow shovels.

What do you think? Has anyone tried one of these? Are they as great as they look?

[via This Is Why I’m Broke]

Online chat agents are far from novel, but they’re evidently getting a lot more sophisticated with age. In a bid to trap pedophiles, engineers at the University of Deusto have concocted Negobot. Essentially, the tool employs game theory in order to meticulously extract vital identification nuggets from a suspected abuser. In order to disguise itself from being a digital representation of a child, it actually employs seven different conversational agents, with each having its own way of behaving. In use, the program begins with a neutral stance that it can maintain indefinitely, and if the subject shows interest, it can elevate its approach in an attempt to get said subject to give himself / herself up. Developers are still working on language and linguistic abilities, but we wouldn’t be shocked if it ends up being put to use by certain agencies in the very near future.

Filed under: Internet, Software, Alt

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Source: Physorg

Over the years, there have been numerous attempts to make motorized shop tools out of LEGO. Now, the guy behind the LEGO 3D milling machine is back with a new creation – a lathe that can create custom forms by tracing a simple outline.

Arthur Sacek actually made his first LEGO lathe back in 2005, and now he’s remade the machine and shared it with the world to enjoy. The machine uses LEGO RCX components (now known as Mindstorms), and can cut cylindrical forms from floral foam using a spinning bit. To make a shape, Arthur loads up a block of foam, then draws a curve profile on a white piece of paper. The system then automatically traces the line and carves the shape from the rapidly-spinning foam. It’s quite impressive in action:

The LEGO motors probably aren’t powerful enough to turn wood, though I wonder if it could handle something soft like balsa.

While I haven’t been around naval mines much, I have to say that this does look like a naval weapon of some kind. Thankfully, it’s not. It’s actually an intelligently-designed task light.

The Striker Magnetic LED Light Mine Professional is about the size of a baseball, and has 11 neodymium magnets on the spikes. Each of these will let you attach the light to a variety of surfaces. In the middle are 12 Lumen Tech LEDs that provide plenty of light, using one of four different modes. There’s a low-power spotlight, high-power floodlight, a red light for nighttime visibility and a high-visibility signal beacon.

It sounds like it’s something quite useful to have in your Bug-out bag, in case of the upcoming zombie apocalypse. The Striker Light Mine Professional sell for about $18(USD) each over on Amazon.

[via Uncrate]