More Cool Inventions! Top USB gadgets and Cool USB Toys

USB has always fascinated me — it’s amazing how you can transfer both data and power through USB. And many companies have leveraged on that to create some really cool inventions! Just check these USB gadgets that I found..some of them are positively zany - like the USB Chameleon, while some can really promise serious fun, like the USB Laser Guided Missile Launcher!

I think they make fantastic gifts too, because anyone can get a kick out of them. Especially since computers are so common too.

	USB BirthDay Decoration Kit Celebrate birthdays the high-tech way with this USB-powered instant decorating kit - it comes with festive lights and ribbons along with a birthday wish mouse pad and party hat! More details
	USB Mini Arcade Basketball You can take a break from your work day or homework to get in some quality court time with this USB mini arcade basketball set! You don’t have to wait in line at busy arcades - all you need is a computer with a USB port to start the fun. Great for challenging your friends and co-workers to see who can score the highest in a 30 second round! More details
	USB Missile Launcher The USB missile launcher is a simple, fun toy that fires three foam darts from any Windows computer with the handy included software. (Some enterprising hackers have also rigged up open source software for even more compatibility!) More details
	USB Pole Dancer The USB Pole Dancer is the perfect gift for a friend in the office, a bachelor’s party gag or the gadget loving guy. She (it?) will perform to the default dance track, or you can connect your MP3 player / iPod and she will dance to your favorite tunes, all the while moving to the beat of the song. It’s USB powered, so no batteries or software required. More details
	USB Airplane Powered Fan This airplane fan simply plugs up to your computer with a USB cord to set the propellers spinning. Uses a high quality quiet motor, so you don’t have to worry about it making excessive noise. More details
	USB Humping Dog USB Humping Dog is a unique USB toy for computers. Just plug it into an USB port and watch it in action. This spunky mutt will not stop, until you pull him out. More details
	USB iMood Clock Color changing desktop alarm clock (blue, green and red) that runs off USB, or even batteries if you want! Has 8 different melodies for the alarm function. More details
	Twistable Notebook Light for Laptop There are tonnes of notebook lights on the market, but beware because some have off-white (or even blue) lights, aren’t long enough or have inferior bulbs that blow easily or aren’t bright enough. This one is definitely a cut above. Produced by Thermaltake, the two LEDs are bright and are controllable by an on/off switch, and feel well-constructed. More details
	USB Laser Guided Missile Launcher There are USB missile launchers, and then there are USB missile launchers. This is the next generation USB Missile Launcher that features a powerful Class 3 laser. Powered by your computer, you can actually use it to properly aim at your foes in the office. Simply install the accompanying targetting software, then connect the Striker II™ toy to your USB port on your computer. Now defend your space with foam missiles and a real laser! Moves 180 degrees left and right, and tilts up and down 45 degrees. Awesome fun! More details
	USB Family Guy Stewie figure I love Family Guy, and Stewie rocks! So I thought this makes a pretty cool USB toy. Stewie responds to keystrokes with movement and sound! He blinks his evil beady eyes, menacingly waves his arm and his leathel laser lights up too. Ignore him and he will remind you who is boss with random phrases and action More details
	USB Circus Cannon You plug the USB Circus Cannon into your computer and then using your arrow keys and space bar, you can aim and fire at anything within 10 feet of your PC. It has pretty cool sound effects and shoots with authority. More details
	USB Chameleon With its bendable arms, legs and tail, you can place your Chameleon anywhere you want. When it’s connected to a USB port, it will randomly roll its eyes and stick its tongue. More details
	USB Tengu Working on your PC can sometimes be a lonely experience. Well, not anymore, because now you can get yourself a new buddy in the form of Tengu! He’s (though he might be a she…) a USB-powered gadget that lights up and lip-syncs to music, or your voice, or whatever noise happens to be banging around at the time. Tengu has seven different facial expressions, and when there’s no sounds to lip-sync to, he’ll simply nod off. As soon as he detects some noise, he’ll wake up and lip-sync along to it. Tengu is a fun little object that guarantees to raise a smile as he lip-syncs along to your favorite songs. More details
	USB Plasma Ball This is a miniature plasma ball which works in exactly the same way as the full-sized ones found in museums and in the movies! As a kid, I had always wanted one of these…on touching it, blue flashes of lightning will move to greet your fingertips. Just plug this plasma ball into any USB port on your computer, flick the switch to ‘On’ and watch as it comes to life! More details
	USB Mini Aquarium Watch beautiful tropical fish swimming and playing in these desktop aquariums and feel your stress fading away. They won’t starve, they don’t make a mess, and they just swim gently back and forth with playful movements. More details
	Homer Simpson USB Desk Light This is a cool looking USD desk light that’s actually Homer Simpson relaxing as usual in his armchair. Seat him right next to your computer — the lamp lights up when plugged into any USB port. More details

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Cool Looking Electric Single Seater Car Inventions

Wow! I saw a really cute looking three-wheeled single-seater car today and immediately went to look for information about it online. Turns out that it’s the creatively-named, Electric One-Person Car!

It’s produced by Hammacher, and has a top speed of 70mph. The amazing thing about this car is that it can travel up to 30 miles per charge, it operates with zero emissions and uses less than half the energy of todays most efficient hybrid vehicles! How’s that for cool!

The only problem is its price. At $24,899.95, the Electric One-Person Car isn’t exactly very affordable — given the sacrifices that you have to make in terms of space. Imagine trying to put your grocery shopping in that car!

Good news though, my poking around also led me to a seemingly technologically more advanced car called the VentureOne, produced by VentureVehicles.

This car is simply fantastic! Just check out the videos on Carver on the VentureOne website. The car looks absolutely fun to drive because of its unique tilt mechanism.

And with 100mpg, what price is too high for this car? I’d imagine the cost savings that you’ll gain from petrol will make up for the car’s purchase price — and think of the fun! I can’t wait for this to appear in Singapore. With its high manoeuvrability, low maintenance costs, low emissions, I think this could potentially revolutionise the automobile industry. I know I’d want one!

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When Graphic Designers Get Bored (Cool and Funny Pictures)

This is what happens when graphic designers get bored!

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How To Edit .htaccess So That SSI Include Code Will Run

If you have tried adding in SSI include codes into your HTML files, but find that it doesn’t work, the problem may be that you might not have enabled SSI yet.

The easier way to do so is to edit your .htaccess file to have these lines of code:

AddHandler server-parsed .html
Options Indexes FollowSymLinks Includes

By setting this, you are telling your server to parse all HTML files. There’s a drawback though — ALL HTML files are parsed — even if they don’t have SSI or include code in them. So, there’s a bit of an overhead. Otherwise, this is fine.

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Funny Lift Floor Prank

This is an ingenius prank where they paint an elevator’s floor to look like it’s a bottomless pit. I must say it’s rather realistic!

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Tim Ferris 4 Hour Work Week Review

When I first heard this joke some time ago, I thought it was just like any other joke. But I saw it again recently (in Tim Ferris’ book, The 4-Hour Workweek), it suddenly dawned upon me about how strong the underlying message is.

An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow-finned tuna. The banker complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, “Only a little while.”

The banker then asked why he didn’t stay out longer and catch more fish. The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.

The banker was puzzled and then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, swim a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, Senor.”

The banker scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you’ll have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middle man, you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles, and eventually to New York City where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, Senor, how long will this all take?”

To which the banker replied, “Five to ten years.”

“But what then, Senor?”

The banker laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company’s stock to the public and become very rich. You would be worth millions!”

“Millions, Senor? Then what?”

The banker said, “Then you would retire, move to a small coastal fishing village, take siesta with your wife, play with your kids, stroll to the village in the evenings where you would sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

Yes, then, after wasting your years in the pursuit of money you might finally realize those very dreams that could have been yours without it!

It makes you think about what you really want out of life:

• Working to get a fast car? And then what?
• Working so that you can get a relaxing retirement? When you’re in your final years and barely able to enjoy yourself?

Perhaps the point is — why are you working your ass off for? Would you choose money or something that gives you real meaning to your life? Maybe we’re missing the point of life. The 4-Hour Workweek gave me a tonne of insight. If anything, it made me remember about my goals, and made me realise how much I was getting “lost”, as though conformity was a requirement for success. And that “success” was something defined by the people around you, and not yourself. It’s a thoroughly good read that’s entertaining at the same time. It’s been a while since I had a book that I couldn’t put down like this.

In summary, I think that the irony of life is that we give up health and the best years of our life in our youth for the sake of wealth, just for what? To try to recapture our health in our old age with our wealth? Don’t get me wrong — have adequate cash flow is important, but you should be considering a good work-life balance to get the most out of your life. If you’re saving up for retirement and not experiencing life to the fullest in your youth — have you asked yourself why?

I think it’s really important to have a sense of purpose and truly know what you’re living life for. Reading Tim’s book only refreshed, reinforced, and reminded me what I’m really working for.

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Found the Funniest T-Shirts on Earth

Recently I’ve been seeing ads for this company called BustedTees, so I popped over to check them out. Well, I thought I’d seen every kind of funny t-shirts around, but I was proven so wrong after I took a look at BustedTees’ catalogue. They have some seriously funny and witty tshirts. Check these out:

I particularly like the one that says “you’re handsome” in reverse! I couldn’t figure it out at first, then I realised it. The person wearing this tee would have to look in a mirror to see the message the right way! Heh. That got me for a second. A nicely designed site, a smooth and very intuitive, customer-friendly checkout process, and great prices make BustedTees one of my favourite online stores.

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