Hasta La Gadget!

When we were kids, my sisters and I used to think that we were literally growing whenever we got hiccups. That was partly the reason why we never did anything to get rid of them, since we wanted to be tall and all.

We eventually realized that that wasn’t true, so we began doing things most people did to get rid of hiccups, like drinking water, holding our breaths, and swallowing spoonfuls of sugar. Those methods were usually a hit or miss – but mostly they missed.

But there’s a company called Hicural that claims to have developed a surefire way to get rid of hiccups. It’s called the Hiccup Stick, and it’s basically a stick with a cavity in the middle that you’re supposed to bite while drinking a glass of water.

Apparently, doing so will tense up the muscles in your throat. This stops the spasms in your diaphragm which causes the hiccups, eliminating the hiccups right at the source.

Hiccup Sticks are available for $7.99(USD) each.

[via Red Ferret]

I think it’s safe to say everyone knows William Shatner, whether it’s from Star Trek, T.J. Hooker,  various TV commercials, or Psych. Shat is particularly well known for his “larger than life” acting style and being a generally over-the-top guy. Shatner is also apparently really into spoken-word poetry and has a new app called Shatoetry.

The app has a bunch of different words recorded in Shatner’s distinctive voice that you can piece together to make your own poetry or Shatisms. Think Magnetic Poetry, but with Captain Kirk. The app supports multiple users allowing two users to work together to create their own ridiculous spoken word poems too. Once you create your own Shatoetry, you can share with friends.

The app promises updates with special word packs for holidays and other special occasions. The app is available right now for iOS  for $2.99(USD) on the App Store. If you’re willing to throw away your three bucks to try this app out, be sure and let us know if it’s a piece of Shat.

We’ve seen a lot of notable applications of 3D printing technology, but this one has to be the most cutting edge of them all. Some companies have made considerable progress in special 3D printers and ink. Instead of printing replicas, food or gadgets, they print living tissue.

The screenshot above is from a presentation made by Andras Forgacs at a conference held by The Economist. Forgacs is the co-founder of Organovo, one of the companies who are looking into 3D printing live tissue, which is now being called bioprinting. Forgacs implies that Organovo is interested in using bioprinting to help pharmaceutical companies reduce costs in developing drugs. Listen to Forgacs explain bioprinting in a nutshell in the video below, courtesy of Fora.tv:

As noted by the Wall Street Journal, researchers and “bioengineers” in various academic institutions have also been experimenting with bioprinting. Some have been able to print blood vessels, while others are making a portable printer designed to print tissue directly to a wound to make it heal faster.

All of these experts hope that someday they will get to the next level and print entire organs. Perhaps by then we can “map” the organs of other people, then copy and print those templates. Want to be smarter? Download a template of Stephen Hawking’s brain, print it then have it transplanted on your noggin. Want to be stronger? Download and print Lebron James’ physique. Want to be braver? Download and print the heart of a champ. Or not.

[via ZDNet, Wall Street Journal & CNBC Tech Edge]

A pregnant baby doll that has its own pregnant baby? This ‘toy’ would probably become every mothers’ worst nightmare, if it actually existed. Aside from that, the whole concept is just plain wrong and twisted.

Fortunately, it’s not really a toy.

Rather, the ‘Baby’s First Baby’ doll is actually an art piece by Darren Cullen. With this project, he wanted to make a statement on teen pregnancies, consumerism, and how each gender is prepared for adulthood, by way of the toys that are being made for them.

Stretch marks? Water that really breaks? Darren really didn’t hold anything back. Maybe that’s why a lot of people were outraged when they thought that this was actually a real doll. Then again, creating an actual listing for the doll on Etsy probably made a lot of people think that it was actually for sale.

The doll is going to be displayed at the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art in Sunderland, UK from October 26 to January 12, 2013 as part of a group show called Moral Holiday.

Children are masters at breaking toys. They also have a doctorate in getting themselves hurt. Kyosho’s remote-controlled helicopter mitigates both tendencies with one feature. The entire thing is inside a spherical plastic cage that protects both itself and the people it will inevitably hit. Better a slight bruise than a nasty cut.

If the company’s name didn’t clue you in as to where this toy is from, its bonus feature will. It has an atomizer, so you can put perfume in it and spread the fragrance around. Because that’s what every toy helicopter has been missing all along.

You can order the Space Ball on Kyosho’s online shop [JP] for ¥6,279 (~$79 USD). Perfume not included.

[via UberReview]