{ Home and Living }

The Exploding Mechanical Picture Frame

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This picture frame doesn’t hold… pictures. It, instead, just explodes and then resembles itself and explodes again. I think this would work more better being a clock, but, whatever.

[Make via Neatorama]

{ Home and Living }

Why You Should Just Call The Garbage Man

Listen, folks. I know the economy’s not the best, but why not spend an extra $10-20 a month on the garbage man? At least you’ll save your self from exploding trash cans to the face.

I thought I would have put this under fail, but after watching the replay of his face smashing into the side of his out, it’s so WIN!

{ Home and Living }

iRobot Eyes Your Gutters With ‘Looj’ Robot

The makers of the famous Roomba steadily helping the robot apocalypse by making the leap outside your home. The Looj, pronounced “luge,” is a new gutter robot from iRobot. It’s task is simple but it effectively cleans your gutters very efficiently and in less time than you can.

The way it works is you place the Looj in your gutter, detached the handle (which is also it’s remote control) and tell it to start cleaning. It has a rotating rubber auger that spins at 500 revolutions a minute, giving those pesky leaves, pine needles and other unwanted debris a run for the money. The models start at $129, depending on which one you choose. You can pick from the list over at iRobots website.

{ Computers / PC, Home and Living }

Dad Programs Computer To Rock His Baby To Sleep

We all know computers can multi-task. But, did you know that they can also rock your baby to sleep? Neither did we! One lazy incredibly smart dad found a way by creating a program in Linux. It was simple, really. All he had to do was make the CD drive eject and slide back in while tying a string from it to his baby’s car seat. Genius.

If this video does anything, it’s just an incentive for me to continue learning Java. Hell, any programming language for that matter.

[Bits & Pieces via Neatorama via Dvice]

{ Home and Living }

The Best of: Awkward Family Photos (June 20th – June 27th)

Let me admit something real quick: there’s nothing like seeing awkward family photos that aren’t of your family. Why? Because it’s nice to know there are other dysfunctional families out there besides your own. This is why every week I will be posting the “best of Awkward Family Photos” to spread the awkwardness around the web. I’d like to give a HUGE thanks to Summer for sharing the website! If you have a website you’d like me to check out, hit up the contact form and shoot me an email. Alright, now on to the rest. Head past the break. Read more

{ Home and Living }

The Last Flashlight You’ll Ever Buy

Using an ultracapacitor energy storage system, the 5.11 Tactical Series LED flashlight may be the last flashlight you ever buy. I say that because (1) it’s rated for 50,000 recharges (or once per day for the next 135 years) and (2) it recharges in 90-seconds without batteries. No, you didn’t hear wrong. I said ninety-seconds. Whats more is that in between charging, the flashlight can stay on for almost two hours (at 90 lumens).

[via Gizmodo]

{ Eco-Friendly, Home and Living }

EFCI: Save Lives, Homes, Energy and Your Wallet

Question: how can we save lives, energy and homes? Can it really be as easy as buying a EFCI, or Electrical Fault Circuit Interrupter? What is an EFCI you ask? It’s a new breed of power outlets, designed to do just as the title says. Invented by John La Grou, this new power outlet is designed first of all to save lives. Inside the outlet is a ten-cent digital transponder that tells the circuit breaker when the outlet is drawing to much power. This in return would shut off the outlet completely saving you and your family from a fire. Whats also great about the device is that the power is always off. This new breakthrough only allows electrical current to flow is an intelligent plug is detected, aka: contains a data tag.

Speaking of always being off, the energy savings from the EFCI are astounding. Think about this folks, there are over 10 billion power outlets in the United States. If this device works as it says it should, when not in use, power consumption would drop enormously. As it stands right now, even though our devices are turned off or not in use, they are still drawing power. With John’s new power outlet, the monthly power bill would sure as hell be less intimidating.

I urge you to watch the video. And, when the product hits the market, I urge you to buy it as well.

[via Tree Hugger]

{ Home and Living }

New Roomba 550 Caught In The Wild?

A new Roomba — you know, that cool robot vacuum cleaner — has surfaced on the internet and the shot was posted by Crunch Gear earlier today. A tipster by the name of DC sent in the image saying that beta testing has been underway on the new Roomba, but, no amazingly awesome features have been added. Boo.

The tipster did note that the new Roomba is missing it’s carrying handle and that it sports a textured surface. Also, the bases, which create the invisible wall that keeps the Roomba in (or out) of each room, will be much smaller and compact.

Nothing innovative. Guess we’ll have to wait until the boxed front version hits the store shelves.

[via Crunch Gear]

{ Home and Living }

‘WTF Lamp’ Lights Up With Style

When you go to switch on a lamp, you’ve got the preconceived notion that the light within the shade will turn on. Not anymore. Enter the “WTF Lamp,” a new lamp designed by John Nouanesing.

Among the countless interesting ideas on display, this is the newest of Nouanesing creations. It basically adds new flare with its counterintuitive design. Although the WTF Lamp is interesting enough to make  buy it, I’m still waiting to buy one of those Windows window.

By the way, make sure you check out his “catalogue” below for some neat and interesting designs. This guys got talent.

[John Nouanesing Catalogue via CrunchGear]