Hasta La Gadget!

New York Times: In the coming months, the likes of Microsoft, Hitachi and major PC makers will begin selling devices that will allow people to flip channels on the TV or move documents on a computer monitor with simple hand gestures. The technology, one of the most significant changes to human-device interfaces since the mouse appeared next to computers in the early 1980s, was being shown in private sessions during the immense Consumer Electronics Show here last week. Past attempts at similar technology have proved clunky and disappointing. In contrast, the latest crop of gesture-powered devices arrives with a refreshing surprise: they actually work.

Now, Electronics That Obey Hand Gestures [New York Times]

Gizmodiva.com: The you and me wall clock is great for couples in a long distance relationship. Keeping track of each others time is the key to make a relationship work in such cases and the ‘You and me wall clock’ is only helping as it keeps track of other time zones too. This clock comes with a total of 6 different blank spare hands and a marker; which means if you are seeing different people in different countries then this is the best thing to have ever happened to you provided you don’t confuse yourself and mess things up. Don’t expect any colors other than bright, hot pink and nothing less than $54.95 can get you the ‘You and Me’ wall clock.

You and Me Wall Clock for long distance relationships! [Gizmodiva.com]

Growing up in upstate New York, I know something about ice, snow and struggling through waist high drifts piled up by the city snow plows with a woefully inadequate Toro snowblower. God, I wish I had some of this crap back then.

This is how Russians melt snow and ice during their intense winters—by strapping a Klimov VK-1 engine from Mig-15 onto a truck. I think one of these would have taken care of the snow at the end of my driveway (and probably my entire lawn, neighbors lawn, and the woods behind my house) no problem. [Link]
This homemade flamethrower was designed to kill mosquitoes in the home, but I think it’s safer to use one of these outside on the ice covering your front steps. Then again, maybe not. [Link]
Now THIS is what I really needed for my driveway—and autonomous Roomba-esque show shovel. The I-Shovel can automatically detect snowfall accumulation and clear the driveway when it determines that the depth is significant enough for action. [I-Shovel via Link]
I remember icicles the size of swords hanging from my gutters during the winter. Needless to say, that is some dangerous shit—and all that ice is hard on the gutters themselves. The solution could be to install Guttergloves to melt the ice before it accumulates. [Gutterglove via Link]
I’ve never used one of these before, but an electric ice scraper with a heating element makes sense. Although, I doubt that most of these things really crank out enough heat to be practical. [Amazon]
It doesn’t get any simpler than this guys—if you don’t have a garage, put a windshield cover on your car to prevent that situation where you’re late for work, and you frantically scrape out just enough of a spot on the windshield to see, but your peephole kind of fogs up going down the road and you wind up in a ditch. Yeah, we’ve all been there. [Amazon]
Dealing with chains and snow tires is a pain in the ass. Supposedly, these fabric and rubber Snowbootz are easier to install and provide great traction in the snow and ice. Consumer Reports didn’t agree with that assessment completely, but they did find that the system worked well on ice and packed snow—but not so well on soft snow. So, at the very least, it should prevent this type of situation. [Snowbootz]
If you can’t beat the ice, you might as well make it work for you. The Eternal Ice Drop is basically a spherical glass bulb with frozen water inside that you use to chill cognac. The idea is to perfectly chill the drink without watering it down. [5.5 Designers via Link]
Remember that scene in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation where Chevy Chase blazes down a hill on a greased-up sled? Well, Ky Michaelson is living that with his homemade rocket sled. This thing should eliminate snow and ice, leaving nothing but a flaming streak of Earth in your wake. [Rocketman via Link]
Have you ever busted your ass slipping on ice in the driveway? It’s painful and embarrassing. One way to conveniently prevent that problem is to wear a pair of boots with reversible cleats. When you’re outside, the cleats can be turned to reveal steel studs that provide traction. When heading back indoors, the cleats can be turned around to a flat, rubber side. [Hammacher via Link]

Today at CES 2010, iRiver joined the throngs of companies that are launching Electronic Ink-based eBook readers with the U.S. debut of the Story. Although the device has been available in Germany, the UK, and South Korea for some time, it will hit select U.S. retailers in the coming months.

The Story has 3GB of internal memory and features an SD slot so you can add 16GB more. The device comes with a 6-inch display and is .4 inches thick. It supports PDF, PPT, DOC, and XLS, but most people will just download their books from CyberRead.com, FictionWise.com, ebooks,.com, or RandomHouse.com. There is no wireless, so you will have to side-load books via USB. No word on pricing yet.

Wasn’t it just yesterday we were writing about the death of reading? Did anyone read those stories?

Do you make new year’s resolutions? If so, you should avoid the following products. Your chance for success in 2010 would be over before it began.

Losing Weight: Sorry, but your diet is blown sky high when you carry around a briefcase full of sausage—as is your resolution about not having heart attacks in 2010. [Link]
Get More Enjoyment Out of Life: Unfortunately, if you purchase any one of the gadgets on our list of the 50 (+10) worst gadgets of the decade, the chances of leading a more joyful life are significantly reduced.
Get On a Budget and Save Money: If you want to save more money in the upcoming year, you should probably steer clear of impulse Back to the Future Delorean replica purchases on eBay—no matter how insanely detailed they might be. [Jalopnik]
Get a Promotion: Forget a promotion, you will be completely unemployable if you decide to bust out the office babe score cards. [Smutty Gifts]
Stop Drinking So Much: After New Year’s Eve, I’m going to cut down on the alcohol—and this time, I mean it. Unfortunately, that goal is going to be a lot harder to achieve with a booze-loading shotgun lying around. [Giftlab]

And if you plan on going out tonight and getting completely hammered, make sure to check out our PSA on the dangers of mixing alcohol and gadgets. You’ve been warned.

Meet a Nice Woman: If you go around wearing a shredder hoodie everywhere, 2010 probably isn’t going to be the year you get lucky in love. [’80s Tees via Link]
Stop Smoking So Much: Cigarette smoking is one thing, but using the Volcano Vaporizer for the purpose in which it was intended is quite another. Instead of smoke, you inhale vapor, which eliminates many of the toxins but retains all of the flavors and mind numbing effects. Sounds great, but this little guy simultaneously puts four new year’s resolutions in jeopardy: get organized, learn something new, get promoted or find a new job, and establish a budget (it costs $500). [Volcano Vaporizer via Link]