Hasta La Gadget!

Gov.UK Product Manager Richard J. Pope hacked an old clock and turned it into an odd sort of barometer. But instead of measuring and displaying the pressure, Richard’s device tells him if it’s better to take the train or ride his bike to work.

Although it would make Richard’s life a bit more exciting if the Bicycle Barometer dictated his mornings on a whim, Richard chose the safe route and hooked it up to look for three pieces of data. Using a webapp, the device looks at the latest weather forecast, the status of the train line that Richard takes to work and the status of the station where he waits for the train. The device itself is powered by a Nanode microprocessor along with a servo to move the clock hand.

Head to Richard’s blog for more on his hack. I wonder if Richard could fill out the scale with other modes of transportation, like walking, taking a cab, or swimming (if the weather ever gets that bad).

[via PSFK via Freshness]

Most men I know don’t smell like bacon, baseball gloves, top soil, or urinal cakes, but maybe it’s because the men I know take baths regularly and practice good hygiene. At least, I’d like to think so.

Nonetheless, it’s still funny to see ManHands’ line of man-branded soap featuring all sorts of weird and unusual scents like the ones I mentioned, plus more like muscle rub, bonfire, red wine, cash, and brewed coffee.

The product page boasts that the soaps will make any man ‘smell like a man’ and ‘smell the way they need to smell.’ That’s pretty ironic, considering the fact that all 19 scents being offered smell, well, pretty disgusting to me. At least, I’d imagine they would, given the actual things they based on aren’t exactly stuff any girl (or guy) would want to sniff on a regular basis.

They are: bacon, baseball glove, beer, bonfire, brewed coffee, buttered popcorn, cannabis, cash, cedar log cabin, democrat(?), fresh cut grass, margarita, muscle rub, nag champa incense, obsession cologne, red wine, republican, top soil – and, saving the best for last – urinal mint.

Each 3-ounce bar of ManHands soap is priced at $6.95.

Reports of an amazing story concerning a lost cat have turned up this week. A couple who owned a four-year-old cat named Holly took her on vacation, 200 miles from home. While they were there, the cat ran away and they couldn’t find her anywhere. The couple eventually gave up looking and had to return home, figuring they would never see their beloved kitty again.

You can imagine their surprise when a month later they received a call from their hometown vet that their cat had turned up there. That means that somehow Holly traveled 200 miles and found her way home.

Not Holly the Cat

The cat was found in a part of West Palm Beach, Florida where Jacob and Bonnie Richter reside. Some people on the other side of their town found Holly, and took her to the vet because she was weak and thin. The veterinarian discovered that Holly was implanted with a tracking chip and called the Richters to come pick her up. Apparently, some cats have integrated GPS. This is even more amazing because our cat won’t come to me from across the couch.

[via Science Recorder]

Even though they’ve been around for thousands of years, umbrellas still have two main parts: a canopy and a shaft. But this concept for an umbrella by 22-year old industrial design student Quentin Debaene gets rid of the canopy in favor of something cooler, er drier: air.

Debaene calls his concept the Airblow 2050. He imagines it will use Dyson’s digital motor, which today powers Dyson’s famous bladeless fans and powerful vacuum cleaners. The idea is for the motor to suck air from around the bottom of the shaft and then force it out in a small arc on top, making an invisible canopy. You won’t have to deal with a wet or broken canopy or bumping into other people’s umbrellas. You may even be able to use it to literally blow people away.

I don’t know enough about engineering and physics to fully judge if the concept will work as intended. I’m also wondering why it still looks like an umbrella or at least, an umbrella’s handle. Wouldn’t it be better if it was a small device that you could clip on your backpack or hat? Would we be able to use the Airblow 2050 to carry our stuff and/or friend? Could it be modified and used as a lethal weapon? If a small child pointed it downwards, could said child then use it as a means of transportation? So many questions.

[via Coroflot]

It’s crazy how we’re now living in a world where Facebook plays a larger role than it should. For example, did you know that there’s a site that lets men ‘buy’ fake girlfriends online for just $10?

If you didn’t, then now you do.

It’s a Brazilian website called NamoroFake, and it’s completely ridiculous. The fake ‘girlfriend’ only comes in the form of a Facebook account that will be maintained for a specific number of days. The number of comments that the ‘girlfriend’ will make, as well as how long the account will be valid, depends on how much you’re willing to pay.

I can think of several reasons why someone would pay to have a fake ‘girlfriend’ (piss off an ex-girlfriend, pretend to be a huge stud and boast to friends, or completely mess with a football player’s head), but the whole thing is just pretty sad.

[via MSN]