iSafe Bag with built-in alarm

iSafe Bag with built-in alarm

When kids are sent off to school, be it elementary, high school or college, parents are going to worry.  It just comes with the territory.  However, if you feel your kids could come into harm there are gadgets out there to help them out.  One of them is this iSafe bookbag that has a built-in alarm directly in the strap.  If the child is in trouble and needs help they can just activate the alarm to get the person that’s scaring the child to run off.

These bags come in all sorts from messenger bags to backpacks on up to laptop bags.  They even have bags specifically designed for girls that love their pink.  The alarm gets set off by pulling on a pin in the strap and doesn’t stop until the pin is put back.  The rest of the bag is just like any other bag out there.  You can purchase them for anywhere from $60 on up to about $100.  It is a little pricey for a child’s backpack, but at least it’ll help you stay calm.

Box Cooler Backpack

Box Cooler Backpack

It’s tough making sure you always have cold drinks on you.  It’s especially tough going to different festivals where it’s extremely hot and the drinks are far overpriced while also being heavily watered down.  Thankfully there is this backpack that looks like nothing more than a backpack, that can easily be slung over your shoulder.  With this around it won’t be quite so obvious that you’re carrying around your own personal stash of drinks.

The canvas is completely waterproof and the cooler itself is removable.  Within the cooler it’ll hold 18 of your normal-sized 12oz cans.  It also has a zippered cellphone holder to make sure you can keep your phone handy.  It has extra padding for your back and waist straps that are filled with padding as well.  It comes in the color scheme shown here and doesn’t come in any other colors.  You can purchase the Chilly Box Cooler Backpack for $42.95 through Family Travel Gear.

Remote Controlled Water Soaker

Remote Controlled Water Soaker

Swimways offers all sorts of fun gadgets for out in the pool.  One of them has already made it onto Coolest Gadgets and this one is just as awesome as the last.  The other one was a game that required you to dive and search for the gadget as fast as possible.  This one allows you to attack just about anyone that happens to come within shooting distance of the pool.  This is the absolute perfect gift to give someone else’s kids for them to torture their parents with.

The toy comes with a water-resistant radio controller that will work whether it’s in or out of the water.  The soaker itself is capable of shooting up to 20 feet away.  That’ll make it possible to shoot at all sorts of people unwilling to dive into the pool themselves.  To keep it powered it has a battery and a charger that are included with the package deal.  You can pick up the Swimways R/C Water Soaker in either orange or green for $39.21 through Amazon.

Mac Keyboard turned into USB drive

Mac Keyboard turned into USB drive

The serious Mac fans out there can’t help but show their fanboy side just every now and then.  Well if you are one of those fans then you might enjoy this USB drive.  Especially since carrying around this drive means you’ve rescued a little bit of plastic from making it to the nearest landfill.  It never hurts to be just a little extra eco-friendly from time to time.

The drive is made by using old recycled keys straight from a MacBook.  Within the drive itself is 4GB of storage space for you to transport all of your important files.  Beyond that it’s a pretty basic drive.  To pick one up it’ll cost you $60 through Etsy, which truthfully is a little steep.  At least you’ll get to show off your Mac loving side.

Treehouse in Sweeden is nearly invisible

Treehouse in Sweeden is nearly invisible

This is the Tree Hotel, designed by Swedish architects Tham and Videgard. As you can see, it is nearly invisible as it is a box made of mirrors.

It was once a concept that others mocked, saying it was “computer-generated eye candy, impossible to build, and death for birds”. There is apparently a special film that is visible to birds and applied to the glass.

As you might have guessed, it is a somewhat eco-friendly resort. It was constructed from sustainably harvested wood, has an electric radiant floor heating and a state-of-the-art incineration toilet.

The designers want to maintain the beauty of this untouched forest, and they are on record as saying:

“This is untouched forest, and we want to maintain it the same way. We decided, for example, to not offer snowmobile safari which is very common up here,” says Selberg. Instead, wilderness walks will be offered.

This is one of apparently six mirrored cubes that is planned to be built at this location, and it is located about 40 miles south of the Arctic Circle.

I certainly wouldn’t mind staying here, but I hope that it stays warm in the wintertime. Something tells me that the snow would make this mirrored cube very visible. I hope the architects took these factors into account. Let’s just say they did.

Pen can do shredding and invisible writing

Pen can do shredding and invisible writing

This is the “Paper Lacerating Pen”, and it has many features. At least two more than the average pen.

First of all, it allows you to write messages or anything else in “invisible letters”. Then, with the LED light on top, you can shine on what you have written and have a secret be revealed. I wonder if it is like that thing from the Da Vinci Code.

Not only can you write down coded messages, but you can shred them after you are finished. Yes, this pen actually has a paper shredder built right in. Granted, it looks like you can only shred things that are less than two inches wide, but hey, how many other pens can say they come with a shredder? Take that, Bic!

I suppose that the best use of this product is a toy. Unless you have a spy agency. Just think about how an agent can leave another agent a message on a small piece of paper with this pen. Then the other agent, who also has this pen, can read the message, and then shred it!

Oddly enough, my Source did not link to the company that makes these. I ran a search on “Paper Lacerating Pen” and it was also fruitless. I could easily see this marketed as something that Spy Gear would make.

Heads-up Virtual Reality (HUVR) Project at UC San Diego

Heads-up Virtual Reality (HUVR) Project at UC San Diego

This is a project going on a the University of California, San Diego. They call it the Heads-Up Virtual Reality device, or HUVR (pronounced like the word “hover”). I call it awesome.

HUVR “couples a consumer 3D HDTV panel with a half-silvered mirror to project any graphic image onto the user’s hands and/or into the space surrounding them”. Apparently, the user’s head is tracked in order to get the correct perspective, and there is a haptic feedback device on hand for manipulation. I noticed that their haptic device looks a lot like a Novint Falcon, which I believe was designed for 3D gaming.

I have a video of this after the jump if you want to see this in action. Personally, I think that the possibilities for this technology are limitless. For example, medical researchers can use this for 3D manipulation of brainscans from an MRI. Archaeologists can use this handle an artifact that is too precious to be handled with the hands-on approach.

Best of all, this technology has come relatively cheap. It uses a $2,300 Samsung 3D TV and a heads up virtual reality system that costs $7,000. I look forward to the day when it costs as much as a desktop computer. I can totally see desktop and possibly even laptop computers being like this.

Spy Clock helps you keep tabs at home when you’re absent in body

Spy Clock helps you keep tabs at home when you’re absent in body

Are you suspicious that the tap at home keeps on leaking, and the handyman who drops by is beefier than Mr. America? Well, you might want to make sure the missus isn’t two-timing you behind your back then with the help of the £79.99 Spy Clock (surely that is much cheaper than hiring a private investigator, although a device such as a Spy Clock certainly needs a whole lot more providence to catch someone in the act). This might just be one of the smartest spy gadgets around, looking pretty classy to be placed anywhere in your home while holding an almost-invisible video camera with a motion and sound detector, ready at any opportunity to snap a photo which might lead to incriminating evidence. If its 4GB capacity isn’t up to your liking, you can always expand it further with another microSD memory card. All photos can be transferred over to your computer when no one’s looking via USB.

Multi-Color Animated LED Art Cube

Multi-Color Animated LED Art Cube

Want a little something to spruce up your home, be it in the bedroom or living room? The Multi-Color Animated LED Art Cube might just do the trick, considering this handy home decorative device will keep you interested for at least a couple of minutes. Of course, it might also have a relaxing side effect if you stare at the myriad of soothing colors, changing in a soft and slow manner. Sometimes, these lights will blink and morph its colors for an added touch of variety. While a picture speaks a thousand words, ThinkGeek recommends you look at it in person to do the Multi-Color Animated LED Art Cube justice. Perfect for zoning out, we wonder whether those who love going on highs might want to purchase this for added effect during one of their trips. A total of 64 multi-color LEDs will dot the Multi-Color Animated LED Art Cube, where it is going for $99.99 a pop.

Spinning Tow Ball for water sports lovers

Spinning Tow Ball for water sports lovers

If you happen to have the penchant for water sports, then the Spinning Tow Ball is just the thing for you as you seek for ever new experiences in getting that new adrenaline rush high. This inflatable tow ball can spins 360º on its horizontal axis while careening across the water, being pulled by a boat. It spans 78″ in diameter, where the ball itself is composed of two hulls, an outer shell that glides across the water as well as a recessed 60″ diameter inner shell suspended by 114 shock absorbing nylon cords. This results in a human sized open-ended sphere which accommodates one rider up to 250 lbs. A swivel joint which attaches the ball’s front to a boat’s tow rope allows the rider to push against the interior using a trio of sturdy handholds to begin (or counteract) the spinning motion. As for the chamber’s shock absorption, it enables riders to enjoy the inherent jostles, caroms, and rotations that result from a full-speed joyride. Thanks to its durable 24-gauge PVC construction, the Spinning Tow Ball is more than able to withstand bumps, scrapes, and repeated buffeting by water and rider. Good thing you need not rely on lung power to inflate this puppy since it comes with a heavy duty valve which is pump-friendly. The price for adventure? $799.95.

Scorpion Bow for little ones

Scorpion Bow for little ones

Have some outdoor fun for the little ones this summer with the Scorpion Bow, where it might just turn Timmy into a future avid hunter. Capable of blasting arrows up to 40 feet away, it comes with half a dozen Mega Foam Arrows for you to play with. Chances are with kids being kids, they will most likely lose a couple of arrows down the road, so don’t get disheartened but instead be prepared to face such a situation. In addition, it comes with a Bowstring Tension Adjuster as well as a built in Scope and Vision Lens to increase one’s accuracy, although it will not make any compensation automatically for other factors such as wind speed. The Scorpion Bow can be yours for $33.11.

Giant Laser blasts 300mph aircraft

In case you thought that the pain gun was the only real-life science fiction weapon that Raytheon was up to, then you haven’t heard about this real-life laser.

Giant Laser blasts 300mph aircraft

This Laser Close-In Weapon System was recently unveiled in an airshow in England, and it has recently made history as the first time a laser has shot down an aircraft in flight.

This demonstration took place last May, and I don’t know why this is the first time I am hearing so much buzz about it just now. This project was developed by Raytheon and the Navy, and I can only assume that they have de-classified it or something. The laser blast happened 100 miles west of Los Angeles, and the target was an aircraft flying at 300 miles per hour.

The laser was about 50kW, and, unlike what you see in science fiction, the beam was completely invisible. They only know that it hit because the target exploded. The event is being called, and I quote from my source: “the real Star Wars” or “better than Star Wars”.

My source also says that battle-ready lasers probably won’t be ready until 2016. Hopefully, the US won’t use them then, because we will have stopped fighting these wars that we are currently fighting. I can always hope.

Watermelon cooler

Watermelon cooler

The problem is that it is tough to transport a watermelon to your picnic. Not only are they heavy, but their smooth rind and curvaceous shape make them easy to slip out from underneath the arm. I suppose you could put them in a cooler, but they are often so big that they don’t fit. Someone at the picnic always gets “watermelon duty”, and is forced to lug the melon around. By the time that it is eaten, it is usually lukewarm, not as good as when it comes from the fridge.

Imagine if you could easily transport your watermelon, and had someplace cool to store them in. That is apparently the premise behind this Japanese device that you see here. As you can see, you just lift the lid, and put in the melon and tote it around like rolling luggage.

Of course, you had better have a watermelon that is not too long in order for this to work. I’m also guessing that you must really think that you need this, as this watermelon cooler will set you back about $230.

ThruVision TS4 scanners

ThruVision TS4 scanners

I think that this age of personal security demands full-body scanners, but X-rays have that whole harmful radiation thing going on.

Thruvision TS4 is able to see through your body without any radiation. It doesn’t use the X-ray vision lens that we reported on a while ago, but it scans body heat.

These body heat scanners would be able to detect a weapon or other type of contraband as a dark spot that you see on the belt of the scanned person in the photo here. The good news is that the scans go under the clothes, but the operator can’t see what you look like naked.

According to my source, the TS4 is more portable than a metal detector. I would imagine that it just uses one camera, and not that door frame set up that you see in courthouses and airports.

Well, I suppose that would improve security. Of course, I’m sure that even now, people who really do smuggle contraband and weapons through security are probably thinking about how to evade this type of scanning. For example, wrapping an illegal item in some sort of warm package so it is “cloaked” from the scanners. Something like that, at least.

Digital Compass Carabiner with Thermometer and Clock

Digital Compass Carabiner with Thermometer and Clock

I don’t know a whole lot of people that still prefer to use a compass besides myself and all of one other person.  However, I do know that there are still a few of you out there that like to turn off the GPS and just rely on directionality to get you to where you’re headed.  Plus, using a compass is a whole lot better to use while you’re hiking.  This particular compass will be extra handy while hiking since it has a thermometer and a clock built into it.

Thanks to the handy clip you can attach this to your backpack, belt or bike to make sure that it won’t get dropped.  The compass, clock, stopwatch and thermometer are all electronic of course and displayed on the LCD screen.  You unfortunately have to buy a minimum of 3 of these to purchase it, but if you have 2 friends that might be interested then that’s not too big of a problem.  Should you buy 3 they will cost you $12.98 a piece or $38.94 total through Chinavasion.

Jeans made to shock pickpockets

Jeans made to shock pickpockets
In my home area I’m not in the slightest bit concerned about someone picking through my pockets or purse.  However, no one in a large and strange city doesn’t realize the risk you run when you let on that you’re a tourist.  Even if you live in a city all of the time, as soon as you get into a crowded area you’re abundantly aware of how easy it’d be for someone to swipe your wallet and the thief to disappear into the crowd.  Thankfully one person created a kit to attempt to keep pickpockets from being successful.

You just fit a small battery-operated kit into the garment.  After you’ve gotten it all set up in your jeans and flipped the on switch, anyone that tries to remove your wallet will receive a 220-volt shock.  To protect you from getting the same shock there is a rubber coating that, Syam Chaurasia, slipped into the pockets.  This isn’t currently up for sale just yet, but the creator has hopes that he could connect with a company to help him sell these.

Eraser USB Stick attempts to raise awareness

Eraser USB Stick attempts to raise awareness:

This Eraser USB Stick has a quirky design, but a serious message.  It was made to help people to remember how hard it is for those going through Alzheimer’s, while also reminding you of the importance of your own precious memories.  With such a serious message, it might be enough to remind you to back up those picture files you’ve been meaning to deal with.

This is a design that was created in New Zealand for those that live in New Zealand.  These were sent off to local politicians and organizations along with a letter to help raise awareness of their Alzheimer’s charity.   Thus far these seem to have worked pretty well and have gotten a positive response in that part of the world.  It’s a great creative idea and it’s even better that they’re doing it for a good cause.  There’s no word if there’s somewhere to purchase these online so far.