Plus-Minus-Zero (+-0) designer Naoto Fukasawa’a stylish design inspires Apple’s design team, and now it can inspire your home with its smooth curves and functionality. The +-0 Humidifier Ver. 3 beats the dry winter air and acts as perfect room décor as well.
Monday, March 30, 2009
PlusMinusZero Fukasawa Humidifier with aroma
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Monday, March 30, 2009
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If you’ve ever thought about trying your hand at shiatsu massage but didn’t know where to begin, we have the perfect starter set for you. The Tsubo Towel Set includes two colorful towels marked with key “tsubo,” the Japanese word for pressure point, along the back to make sure you get it right.
Also included are other tricks of the trade, spiky wooden tsubo balls and stick that are used to stimulate the points, taking the pressure off your thumbs. Because massage should be simple and relaxing for both the giver and the receiver!
The 100% cotton towels also contain germanium, a mineral found in Japan and purported to bring a number of heath benefits. All packaged together in an attractive case, the Tsubo Towel set makes a great gift that is sure to be appreciated.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Will OnLive change PC gaming as we know it?
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There's yet another entry in the already crowded list of PC game online services that will be formally introduced at the Game Developers Conference this week. However info about the service, called OnLive, has already started to hit the Internet. And from the looks of things this venture, if it is successful, could change the face of PC gaming and perhaps console gaming as well.
Few startups have a chance to revolutionize an industry. But if entrepreneur Steve Perlman’s OnLive lives up to its goals, the company will disrupt the entire video game industry — to the delight of both game publishers and gamers.
Perlman, a serial entrepreneur whose startup credits include WebTV and Mova, says his Palo Alto, Calif.-based company has developed a data compression technology and an accompanying online game service that allows game computation to be done in distant servers, rather than on game consoles or high-end computers. So rather than buying games at stores, gamers could play them across the network — without downloading them.
Perlman first told me about his plans two years ago. But he managed to keep the whole project secret until today. OnLive plans to show the technology live on Tuesday night at the SF Museum of Modern Art. Over time, Perlman says the company will unveil more interesting projects, features, partners and investors.
“This is video gaming on demand, where we deliver the games as a service, not something on a disk or in hardware,” Perlman said. “Hardware is no longer the defining factor of the game experience.”
A bunch of major game publishers are backing the idea, which is simple but hard to believe. If you compress game data so much that it can be sent instantaneously over the Internet, then you no longer have to compute that data in a game machine. You can compute the data in a very powerful Internet server and then send the results to be displayed in the home. That’s a pretty big earthquake in a $46 billion worldwide industry ruled by three hardware makers who sell powerful consoles.
The problem with this server-centric approach, which has been talked about for a long time, has always been that the computing power required to process a game has been growing by leaps and bounds, while the ability to compress data hasn’t been growing at nearly the same rate. By vastly improving compression and reducing the computing power required to do compression, Perlman has turned the situation around.
The concept was originally evangelized as the “telecosm” by George Gilder in the pre-bubble days of the 1990s. Gilder thought that the Internet would “hollow out” the PC, meaning that Intel and Microsoft would become less important because their products would become commoditized. If you could spread processing loads across broadband connections, that would obviate the need for a powerful PC in the home. That is, you could do a lot of computing in the centralized Internet server, pass that data over fast Internet pipes, and do very little processing in the client-side computer in the home. Back then, a lot of people felt Gilder was out of touch with reality. Larry Ellison, Oracle’s chief, tried selling a Network Computer, but it never got of the ground. The idea has now evolved into cloud computing.
As consumers began to demand data-heavy software such as video over the Internet or high-end games, people needed more powerful PCs. Fast computers in the home made up for relatively slow broadband connections. But Gilder’s idea could now make a comeback, thanks to OnLive’s ability to compress data 200-fold, as well as the fact that broadband is more pervasive and the demand for ever more powerful computers has stalled. (We know that last point is true in part because $400 Netbooks, which aren’t full-fledged laptops, are selling fast).
Last week, Perlman showed me a demo of the technology. He was playing Crysis, one of the most demanding 3-D shooting games ever made, running on a simple Mac laptop and also on a rudimentary game console, known as a micro-console, which does almost no computing but merely displays the images on a TV in either standard or 720p high-definition. The graphics ran smoothly.
OnLive’s technology has the potential to move beyond games to the broader level that Gilder was talking about. It could eventually sweep through all forms of entertainment and applications, providing the missing link in helping the Internet take over our living rooms.
With OnLive, players can join each other in the same multiplayer game, regardless of whether they have a PC, Mac or OnLive’s own micro-console (a simple box with minimal processing power) connected to a TV. Such cross-platform game play usually isn’t possible.
Big game publishers and developers — Electronic Arts, THQ, Take-Two Interactive, Codemasters, Eidos, Atari, Warner Bros., Epic Games and Ubisoft — have agreed to distribute their games through the OnLive network, bypassing traditional retail game sales in an effort to reach people who don’t buy game consoles or expensive game computers.
To address naysayers who think this can’t be done, given all of the Internet’s trade-offs, OnLive will show 16 games being played live on the floor of the Game Developers Conference this week in San Francisco. The game service is expected to be available before the end of the year. If this sounds to you like the interactive TV hogwash of the 1990s, like Time Warner’s Full Service Network, it is indeed very similar. The difference this time is that this looks like the real thing.
In the live demo, Perlman showed me how the user interface is built around a grid of clickable windows, with any one of them running video clips as previews for what’s behind the window. You can select a window to play a particular game or watch a demo. After playing a game, you can share video with players of the most interesting sequence in your game in a window dubbed “Brag clip.” You can also be a spectator and watch how the most skillful players in the rankings play the game. Or you can chat via voice headset with your friends.
Versions of these social features are available in a few games now. Halo 3, for instance, had the “Brag Up” feature built in. But with OnLive, every game can have these features. OnLive plans to charge users a monthly subscription fee, much like Microsoft charges for its Xbox Live online service. The company can also save publishers a lot of money and share in some of the extra profits.
“OnLive . . . will be very well received in the marketplace and it is a good fit with our strategy of bringing our games to consumers on the format of their choice,” said Kevin Tsujihara, President, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, in a statement. The top executives of THQ, Ubisoft, and Take-Two Interactive offered similar praise for the service.
Will you ever have to buy a new game console and computer upgrades?
Mike McGarvey, chief operating officer of OnLive, said the new technology “breaks the console cycle where a gamer has to buy a new machine every few years.” If this happens, the obvious losers are Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo.
Beyond console makers, makers of PCs and high-end chips will be affected. The micro-console is so simple it has a custom chip but very little else. It is a lightweight box that has a universal serial bus (USB) power connector, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) connector to hook up with a TV, and an Ethernet jack for a broadband connection. You can plug a standard PC game controller or computer mouse into it.
Losers would include the makers of high-end chips such as Intel, Advanced Micro Devices and Nvidia. However, Perlman noted that Nvidia will benefit to a degree because OnLive’s data centers use high-end graphics chips in their servers. Nvidia has been a development partner in helping to create the server technology.
How does it work?
The secret sauce in OnLive’s technology is its compression algorithms. On the home device, the only software component OnLive needs is a one-megabyte plug-in for a standard Internet browser. That code is enough to decompress the data and display it. Normally, decompression takes much more hardware.
Perlman hasn’t said much about exactly how it works. One clue: the algorithms change the structure and order of Internet data, or packets, so they can sail through the Internet. A packet can make an entire round trip in 80 milliseconds, a very short amount of time compared to other Internet traffic that travels through hardware that either compresses or decompresses the data.
A lot of people have chased after the Holy Grail of games delivered and played via the internet. But they have been stymied either by slow computing power or by broadband choke points. Infinium Labs promised something similar years ago with its Phantom gaming console, but the company failed. Trion World Network chief executive Lars Buttler has talked about doing server-based games, but it isn’t clear if Trion — which hasn’t described its technical details — has the same kind of technology OnLive has demonstrated. Trion is building its own games, while OnLive is building a platform for all game makers instead.
Sony enabled the entire base of PlayStation 3s to be used in Stanford University’s Folding@Home project, which takes the spare processing power of connected PS 3s and uses them collectively to solve tough scientific problems. But Sony didn’t have the compression technology that OnLive uses to effectively send a lot of data over a broadband connection at very fast rates. So while Sony had the same idea, it didn’t have the means to do what OnLive can do.
To use OnLive, all you need is a broadband connection running at two megabits a second for standard graphics or five megabits a second for high-definition graphics. Those data rates are well within the speeds of most broadband connections. (One report said 71 percent of U.S. homes have two-megabit per second or faster Internet connections). The compression is so good that players can play games even if their homes are as much as 1,000 miles away from the server. For now, OnLive needs only five data center locations to be able to cover the entire country.
Of course, there are some limitations. The technology isn’t quite good enough to be able to do 1080p resolution, which is the highest available on game consoles and TVs. That’s because it would require broadband speeds of up to 10 megabits per second. Countries such as Japan have those speeds, but you have to pay a premium for that kind of service in the U.S.
Fighting game piracy and enabling episodic updates
One nice side-effect of OnLive’s service for game publishers and developers is that it promises to cut down on piracy. Since there’s no call for users to download games to their computer or console, there’s nothing to copy or steal. Gamers simply buy a subscription or rent a game online. McGarvey estimated that currently for every $60 game sold, game piracy results in $12 in lost revenues for the publisher or developer.
Game publishers could also frequently update their games on OnLive by changing the code running on the servers. If one part of a game is too hard, the publishers can simply patch that part and then everyone will play the new version the next time they log in. Publishers can also pull the plug on games that aren’t selling well without taking a big inventory hit. And they can add new episodes of popular games quickly, much like the TV networks cancel unpopular shows and add episodes for successful pilots.
Effects on retailers
Retailers and purveyors of used games could be cut out of the picture entirely.
Typically, a game publisher keeps only about $27 for every $60 game sold. Retailers keep $15 and then keep all of the revenues when a used game is resold. About $7 goes to the game console owner. Services such as Valve’s Steam cut out the retailer via digital distribution, but it requires powerful computers, fast connections, and lots of download time. McGarvey said that OnLive will dis-intermediate retail. He said that while OnLive will take a cut of what users pay for games on the service, it saves publishers so much money that it can help the game creators raise their profits dramatically.
OnLive’s history
OnLive has been in stealth mode for seven years. I first learned about it two years ago and have been anxiously waiting to see whether the company pulls of its mission. Perlman said it took a lot of work to get the technology done, but almost everyone he has shown it to has jumped aboard as a partner. The company has received funding from Warner Bros., Maverick Capital and Autodesk.
Perlman scored big when he sold WebTV, an early Internet appliance, to Microsoft in 1997 for $425 million. He went on to found Rearden, a startup incubator (named after the Hank Rearden character in the Ayn Rand novel Atlas Shrugged) that did deep research and development. His goal was to do the kind of long-term research that venture capitalists and even big companies have shied away from.
He worked on a set-top box dubbed Moxi and sold that to Paul Allen’s Vulcan Ventures. Then he created Mova, which captures human faces with imaging technology so they can easily be turned into animated faces in movies or video games. Mova is now a subsidiary of OnLive, which spun out of Rearden in January, 2007. Mova’s facial animation technology was behind the aging of Brad Pitt in the Oscar-winning film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. At that point in the development, Perlman was convinced the technology would work.
The company had to do a lot of fundamental work, resulting in more than 100 patents or patent applications. The patent filings amounted to more than 5,000 pages, Perlman said. The company also hired more than 100 people and acquired top talent, including Tom Paquin, executive vice president of engineering and the former engineering head at Netscape. McGarvey also spent 12 years in the video game industry, most recently as chief executive of Eidos, which he sold in 2005.
It may seem hard to believe. But I’ve seen it work. Perlman’s got a good track record. He has invested heavily, as have some very big media companies. The game publishers are behind him. And he’s showing off 16 working games this week. Perlman has a grand plan. But the little pieces of it that he has already shown are going to turn the game industry, and perhaps everything else, upside down.
from
Monday, March 23, 2009
P3 International P4400 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor
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Monday, March 23, 2009
Watts killing you? Electricity bills are rising and your lights and appliances can be draining your wallet. Now you can analyze and reduce costs. Find out what appliances are actually worth keeping plugged in. Simply connect these appliances to the Kill A Watt, and it will assess how efficient they really are. The Large LCD display will count consumption by the Killowatt-hour, same as your local utility. You can calculate your electrical expenses by the day, week, month, even an entire year. Also check the quality of your power by monitoring Voltage, Line Frequency, and Power Factor. Now you´ll know if it is time for a new refrigerator or if that old air conditioner is still saving you money. With the amazing Kill A Watt you´ll know ?Watts" killing you. Now do something about it! Operating Voltage - 115 VAC Max Voltage - 125 VAC Max Current - 15 A Max Power - 1875 VA Unit Dimensions - 5 1/8H x 2 3/8 W x 1 5/8 / Weighs 5 ounces
Product Review
From the Manufacturer
Electric bills can be murder. But now you can cut down on costs and find out which machines are actually worth keeping plugged in. Simply connect your appliances to the Kill-a-Watt electricity usage monitor and it will assess how efficient they really are. The unit's large LCD display counts consumption by the kilowatt-hour, the same as your local utility. You can calculate your electrical expenses by the day, week, month, or year while also checking the quality of your power by monitoring voltage, line frequency, and power factor. Now you'll know if it's time for a new refrigerator or if that old air conditioner is saving you money. Don't be another casualty. With the amazing Kill-a-Watt, you'll have wasteful devices pushing up daisies.
Product Description
Kill A Watt can help you reduce your power bill. Kill A Watt will help find power-wasting appliances then you decide whether it is worth keeping them plugged in. For standard 115 VAC appliances only, 15 Amps maximum, 125 VAC maximum.
Funny Banana Ball Chain Toy
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Each electronic banana charm has a unique kawaii phrases plus secret "MOE" voice. Fujita Saki rolls every banana's character, lovely, comicaly, sexily like an akiba tsundele, maid or moe moe gal just we can imagine and adore :D)
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Caomaru design stress balls
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Sunday, March 22, 2009
Designed by Makiko Yoshida, Caomaru are stress balls let you relieve tension while expressing emotion in the balls themselves. Featuring four different facial expressions in both brown and white versions, Caomaru are right at home on your desk or table waiting for you to squeeze their little faces in all sorts of ways!
Caomaru features:
• Colors: White or Brown
• Faces: Ho-, Ge-, Ni-, or Pu-
• Material: Pliable polyurethane resin
• OPTIONAL: Order an entire 4-piece set in the color of your choice (below)
from
AC to 5-USB Power Adaptor (3000mA)
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What you need when several USB devices need to charge or power while your computer/laptop is not available? Would you need those heavy and bulky AC power adaptors for each device or this 'AC to 5-USB Power Adaptor'? This adapter can power up to 5 USB devices simultaneously from one wall socket as it comes with 4 built-in female ports and a 5 pin male connector. It is an ideal travel charger kit for travelers who need a number of USB devices without burden.
Features:
# Charges 5 devices at the same time
# Included 4 USB ports and 1 Mini USB Cable
# Recharge on the go. The travel charger makes it
# LED charge indicator
# Overload protection
# Overheat protection
# Short circuit protection
# Compatible with all USB charge cable use
# Alternative plug for U.S., U.K., Australia, Asia and Europe
# Input: AC 100-240V, 50~60Hz, 3000mA
# Output: DC 5.4V, 3.0A
# World traveler (100~240V AC)
# The innovative travel charger automatically adjusts to all voltages and grequencies in the U.S., Europe, and Asia
# Compatible with all USB charger cable and Mini USB charger cable use
# Certificate: ROHS, CE & FCC
# Dimension: 80 x 67 x 35mm(approx.)
Packge Content:
# AC to 5-USB Power Adaptor (3,000mA)
product by brando
Harmony 1100 Universal Remote Color Touch Screen
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Powerful Control Through a Customizable 3.5-Inch Color Touch Screen The Logitech® Harmony® 1100 gives you powerful home-entertainment control through a customizable, 3.5-inch full-color touch screen. Controls are easy to access and backlit so you can find them in the dark. One-touch, activity-based controls turn on the right devices in the right order with a single command. RF wireless capability lets you control devices without direct line-of-sight, so you can keep components in a closed cabinet or even another room (requires Logitech® Harmony RF Extender, sold separately). And the on-screen commands are customizable, so you get the commands you want, when you want them. Harmony supports 5000+ brands and 225,000+ devices.
Product Review 
Floating Blackjack Table Pool Game
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What happens in Vegas stays...in your pool. Our innovative blackjack table pool game keeps you cool even if you're breaking a sweat deciding whether to hit or stand. So call the Elvis impersonator, deal 'em up, double down, and enjoy a game of blackjack Vegas style! This pool game set comes complete with the floating blackjack card table, playing chips (100 white, 100 red, and 100 blue), netted bags for gaming chips, and one deck of water-safe plastic playing cards. The vinyl blackjack table measures 48” x 24” x 3” and transports easily with an accompanying carrying case.
Product Here
Earthbox® Garden Kit
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With this amazing EarthBox planter, you can grow vegetables, herbs or flowers on a balcony, patio, or outside your back door--anywhere you get up to 6-8 hours of daily sunlight. This high-tech growing system controls soil conditions and eliminates guesswork...the EarthBox planter produces up to double the yield of a conventional garden. With this EarthBox planter kit, you use less fertilizer and water, too.
Easy-roll casters let you move the Earthbox planter indoors at night and outside during the day, to extend the growing season. The EarthBox planter's plastic cover reduces the water evaporation rate and returns condensed water vapor to the potting mix. As the plants draw water from the reservoir, they consume only what they need to stay healthy. Plants cannot be over-watered or under-watered if the EartBox planter's reservoir is kept full. Use the EarthBox planter year after year to enjoy gardening that's nearly effortless. EarthBox Garden Kit includes green polypropylene planter box with casters, aeration screen, 2.0-cu. ft. potting soil, 16-oz. bag of 7-7-7 fertilizer, water fill tube, 16-oz. bag of dolomite, and mulch cover.
Benefits of the EarthBox® Garden Kit:
* Use the EarthBox Garden Kit to grow vegetables, herbs, tomatoes, strawberries, or flowers
* Self-contained EarthBox planter kit is ideal for any home or apartment
* With the EarthBox planter, your crop stays covered so you never have to pull weeds or use herbicides
* EarthBox planter includes enough fertilizer for one growing season
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Automatic Plant Watering System
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Saturday, March 21, 2009
Automatic Plant Watering System
Automatic container watering system waters up to 10 potted plants while you're away.
No need to bother a neighbor. This unique Automatic Plant Watering System does the watering for you. Just place the battery-operated pump into a large container filled with water, and run tubing (32-1/2 feet included) from the automatic plant watering system to each plant, cutting enough tube to comfortably reach soil and securing in place with included peg. Timer can be programmed to adjust the amount of water and frequency of watering, anywhere from 5 times a day to once a week. This automatic container watering system also has an LCD display that shows your settings, with visual and audible alerts when battery or water is low. The Automatic Plant Watering System requires 4 AA batteries, sold separately.
Benefits of the Automatic Plant Watering System:
* Provides automatic container watering for up to 10 plants
* Timer can be adjusted to alter the frequency and length of time the plants are watered by the Automatic Plant Watering System
* When setting up this automatic container watering unit, you can use multiple tubes for larger plants
* Automatic Plant Watering System is easy to set up outdoors or indoors
from
Thursday, March 19, 2009
USB tulip hub
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Thursday, March 19, 2009
Turn your desk into a blooming gardenwith this pretty tulip USB hub! Four USBhigh-speed ports are included, with one
colorful red flower for each. Compatiblewith most USB plugs, for both Mac andWindows systems.
Pixel Sunscreen V 2.0
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Even the best laptop displays take a sever beating when viewed under direct sunlight, but the new version of Pixel Sunscreen from Think Tank Photo can fix that, as long as you don’t mind looking a little silly. It’s made from blackout material on a flexible frame, much like a reflector so folds up into a surprisingly small, round case. The $69 price tag seems a little steep for the casual user, but for someone who does a lot of outdoor editing, it’s probably well worth it.
The Rocket Alarm Clock
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Blast off every morning with our Rocket Alarm Clock! Just set the digital alarm, and as "launch time" approaches, you'll hear a countdown begin. If you're not awake to disarm the launch procedure, the Rocket Alarm Clock's launches its missile, beeping until you return it to the clock's base. It's a space-age wake-up call! Features a Snooze function and backlight. Imported. Wipe clean.
from
Space Invaders Piggy-Bank with real gameplay
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Some things are so brilliant they make you want to jump on a plane and fly to Japan for them. This Space Invaders piggy-bank is one such example, gobbling up your spare 100 yen coins and letting you play a tiny version of the game itself on the table-top LCD.
The bank holds up to 80 coins and has realistic audio from the original Space Invaders game. A counter on the LCD shows how many you’ve put in, and the whole thing is 1/6th scale.
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USB Jewel Butterfly Flash Drive
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Fashionable jewel series USB thumb drive with decorative crystal butterfly. Strap is included to attach to your cellphone or keys for convenient.
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Eneloop Solar Light USB from Sanyo
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Whether you’re preparing for emergencies or are often in need of power or lighting on the go, the Eneloop Solar Light from Sanyo is fully charged by the sun and outputs lights in both arranged LEDs for rooms/emergencies and as a beam for flashlight use. On top of that, the USB port charges your phone/gadgets, all using clean solar energy!
form
Vibrating Alarm Clock Pillow
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Whether you’re trying not to wake others, or simply need a more discrete way to wake up, there are few options out there besides a loud alarm to get you up. The Vibrating Alarm Clock Pillow is the world’s first support pillow with a built in vibration alarm, allowing you a comfortable sleep with a brilliantly subtle wake-up function.
Simply set the alarm before you go to sleep, and allow the pillows strong internal vibrations to wake you from your slumber without disturbing others, or opt for a loud audio alarm if you need some more kick.
form
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Sonic Bomb Alarm Clock
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Wednesday, March 18, 2009
No-one likes getting sacked. So, if you are one of the many folk who struggle to rouse from the land of nod and often suffer the boss' wrath for sleeping in, then the Sonic Bomb Alarm Clock is for you!
Not only is this behemoth the worlds loudest alarm... at 113 decibels it's louder than a chainsaw... it also comes fitted with a vibrating mattress shaker (don't worry it's not as kinky as it sounds!). So if the fearsome alarm doesn't wake you then the earthquake simulator certainly will! And just to add insult to injury, the makers of this uber-alarm added some pulsating alert lights just for good measure.
As well as being King of all alarms this robust little beauty comes packed with a host of other features. You can alter the volume of the alarm (to save shaking the fillings out of your teeth), change the backlight illumination brightness with a nifty dimmer switch, set a snooze function and add a backup battery in case of a power cut.
The perfect gift for a sleepy friend or relative. Hurry while stocks last.
Grow It - Chilli Plant
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Grow five different types of chilli plant - including some of the world's hottest varieties - with this red hot gift box.
Growing your chillies is simple - everything you need is inside this gift box including starter growing pots, compost discs,
ThumbTacks For iPod Nano4G / iPod Touch2G
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The first thing you'll notice about ThumbTacks™ is that it's a familiar day to day object in your life. This unique design feature not only looks great, but is also the perfect shape to easily push and pull out of your iPod. This distinctive yet functional design was only achievable due to our meticulous design and detailed engineering. We shaved everything out to bring you the smallest mic of its kind, while still tough enough to withstand your everyday use.
ThumbTacks™
For iPod Nano4G / iPod Touch2G
MICRO-MICROPHONE
Now your iPods can listen.
Key Features:
* Ultra small Microphone
* Unique "ThumbTack" design
* Outstanding quality sound recording
* Hi quality gold-plated non-corrosive plug
* Works with third party Apps
Note: Please upgrade your iPod to the latest firmware before using ThumbTacks™.
Form
speakal iPanda
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With great sound and a cute, catchy design, the iPanda iPod speaker system is sure to please the eyes and ears. The new iPanda is compact in size but packs a real punch with 25 Watts of 2.1-channel sound. It includes patented Touch technology that lets you change the volume by touching the panda's "ears." The iPanda is the perfect music buddy for all occasions, with five speakers positioned for maximum sound separation and distribution. A 15-Watt Subwoofer and Bass Reflex Technology ensure solid bass tones, and a 3.5-mm auxiliary input jack is perfect for connecting iPod shuffles, TVs, gaming consoles, or other music sources.
Scientist comes up with a solution to solve Sudoku puzzles
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J.F. Crook, a computer scientist from South Carolina has come up with what he says as a infallible system for solving Sudoku puzzles.
Sudoku generally involves a grid of 81 squares, some of which contain numbers 1-9. The object is to fill in the remaining boxes with single-digits while avoiding repeating numbers in a row, column or the nine interior 3-by-3 boxes.
"The algorithm is a tree-based search algorithm based on backtracking in a tree until a solution is found," Crook wrote in his paper, which was published Monday at ams.com.
Crook said the solution involves considering two possible numbers for each box and he recommends using different colors of pencils to keep track along the way. i think very good idea for hotel or resort use it.
The Spalding iHoop Speakers
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Here’s a device that I’m actually in complete shock that it took this long to come out. We’ve gotten to the point where grills are being sold with speakers built-in and playing music while playing basketball is extremely common. Making the obvious next step to put speakers in a basketball hoop. Well now they finally have and it’s the first of its kind. With this you’ll be able to hook up your iPod or MP3 player through the jack and play music loud enough for both you and your friends.
The iHoop has built directly into the base a 30” watt 2.1 audio system with a 5” subwoofer. It’s made with marine grade speakers to make sure that the speakers are weather resistant. It also has a suspension cradle that is meant to keep your iPod protected. All around it’s a great solution to keep music going while you play. It’s far better than the obnoxious sports bands or a pair of portable speakers that you have to worry about breaking. So far there is no word on pricing for the Spalding iHoop Speakers or when these will become available.
Source: Newlanunches
Logitech introduces the Cooling Pad N100 and Notebook Riser N110
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It’s clearly evident that laptops are the main driving force behind computer sales these days as more and more vendors are releasing products designed around improving the laptop/notebook experience. Last week we had a new notebook cooling base from Microsoft. Today we have two new notebook products from Logitech – the Logitech Cooling Pad N100 – focused on improving the airflow around your notebook and the Logitech Notebook Riser N110 – designed to improve the comfort level in using a notebook.
The Logitech Cooling Pad N100 features the following:
* Designed to be usable on your lap or on your desk
* Built-in USB powered fan for cooling your notebook
* Rear air-intake allows for unobstructed airflow
* Enclosed durable construction protects the internal fan from dust and damage
* Slotted surface
* Low-power consumption USB cable with minimal impact on your notebook battery
N110_Bty1
The Logitech Notebook Riser N110 features:
* Designed to be used on a table
* Elevates the notebook’s display to a more comfortable height
* Usable with external keyboard and mouse
* Adjustable tilt – with 20, 30, and 40 degree angles
* Rubber-soled swivel base
* Flips open and folds flat for easy setup, transport, and storage
Astrotheater Home Planetarium
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The AstroTheater brings the cosmos into your living room! Bright, clear, and easy to use, it lets you enjoy the heavens on any flat surface in your house. See full-color projections of the earth, moon, and sun, or look up the arrangement of the heavens on your birthday. With bright LED lamps, six lenses, 9,000 stars, and 35 constellations, it creates a real planetarium right inside your home.
Link
Green Capsule mini mobile garden
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The Green Capsule is the world's smallest garden, a self-sufficient habitat you carry around in your pocket. The Green Capsule includes three varieties of vegetable seeds and a homegrown "secret soil" that ensures a healthy, happy, plant. Hang it like a pendant, or attach it to your cellphone to carry a bit of nature around with you even in urban areas. Once your plant grows too big for the capsule, you can use the included Roof Soil to transplant it and start your very own rooftop garden and start all over again with a new seed!
Link
Philips DECT Digital Baby Monitor
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Having suffered through two kids worth of basic, no-frills baby monitors, I now greatly appreciate the features that Philips have built into their new DECT digital baby monitors. DECT stands for Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunication, and it's basically the same technology built into high-quality digital cordless phones. Unlike the older-style baby monitors I had to use before, this one has zero interference from nearby monitors or other devices in or around the home. It's also a totally private connection -- the neighbors can no longer listen in.
Recently featured in Time Magazine, the Philips DECT Baby Monitor features a two-way intercom so you can communicate with your child directly from the handset, an integrated thermometer reads ambient room temperature and displays it on the handset and base, 5 different lullabies are controllable from the handset, a nighlight is controllable from the handset, and rechargeable batteries with up to 12 hours operation between charges.
Also included are a belt clip, neck cord, zippered travel bag, and a lifetime guarantee.
Form : thegadgetbox
Motion Activated Lawn Sprinkler
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I wish I had one of these last spring when raccoons were digging up my lawn. It's a motion activated lawn sprinkler, for the express purpose of scaring away garden pests such as raccoons, dogs, cats, and other animals. When triggered by its infrared day-or-night motion sensor, it sprays a forceful stream of water at the intruders.
Sony Ericsson MS500 Speaker
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The MS500 speaker is the ultimate accessory for any dedicated pop rocker or dancing queen - small enough to fit into the palm of a hand and so light it can be taken anywhere and everywhere. The MS500 speaker is designed for the outdoor environment with a durable splash proof shell and a handy strap which makes it perfect for attaching to a bag, or hanging from the wrist. The Outdoor Wireless Speaker MS500 is compatible with most Bluetooth phones from Sony Ericsson and other brands.
Accessorise your life with music and Sony Ericsson’s first outdoor Bluetooth speaker
Listen to your favourite sounds while on the move with the trendy Outdoor Wireless Speaker MS500. A first for Sony Ericsson, the colourful and powerful Bluetooth speaker gives you a festival experience wherever you are or want to go!
Whether hanging out on a beach or enjoying urban life, the superior sound quality and cool design of the MS500 will impress all your friends.
Outdoor Wireless Speaker MS500
Available in trendy orange and black or chic white and pink the MS500 speaker is the ultimate accessory for any dedicated pop rocker or dancing queen - small enough to fit into the palm of a hand and so light it can be taken anywhere and everywhere.
The MS500 speaker is designed for the outdoor environment with a durable splash proof shell and a handy strap which makes it perfect for attaching to a bag, or hanging from the wrist. This makes it an ideal outdoor accessory for everyday use and ensures your music will still be heard loud and proud.
The Bluetooth technology enables your phone to be used as a remote control to change tracks and increase volume, allowing you to just sit back and relax with music without the need to move. Simply connect the speaker to any mobile handset within a 10 metre range and in just seconds hear your favourite songs blast out, with clear treble and rich bass.
Additionally you don’t have to deal with the hassle of wires or the need of a charger as it’s powered by two AA batteries, which allows you to immerse yourself in music for up to five hours!
The Outdoor Wireless Speaker MS500 is compatible with most Bluetooth phones from Sony Ericsson and other brands.
The designer of the MS500 Wireless Outdoor Speaker, Leonardo Salzedo comments: “If I had to describe the MS500 speaker in three words, I would use the following; fun, compact and freedom. The word freedom has various meanings, as it refers to the speaker’s lightweight, small, splash proof shell, which enables you to take it with you everywhere and anywhere. No cables allow freedom of movement and a handy strap enables you to hang it from the wrist or attach it to clothing, so you have the ability to stylishly accessorise your life with music.”
The Sony Ericsson MS500 speaker at a glance
Design
- Colours: Black and orange (carbine hook) and White and Pink (white strap)
- Materials: coloured plastic
- Size: 113 x 83 x45mm
- Weight: 155g with batteries/ 105g without batteries (2 AA batteries are included in the package)
Technology
- Steaming music: Up to 5hrs
- Efficiency: 2 watts
- DSP for audio enhancement
- Bluetooth version: 2.1 + EDR
- Bluetooth profile: A2DP, AVRCP
- Bluetooth profile: 10m
Compatibility
* Most Bluetooth phones from SEMC and with A2DP, plus other brands
More information about Sony Ericsson MS500 Speaker can be found at Sony Ericsson website
Scope Node Mouse, as Precise as a Pen
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It has a laser sensor (1600dpi) placed where a pen point was located once in your hand… Thanks to its off-center laser, Elecom claims a great level of precision.
Only available in Japan, you can however order it online at GeekStuff4U.com.
Form : akihabaranews
Floating Rose Spa Lights (3 Pack)
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Rule one of DIY Spa Day: make sure you have plenty of time. Rule two of DIY Spa Day: make sure you have a bath. Rule three of DIY Spa Day: make sure you have items on hand to create relaxing ambience. We suggest: Floating Rose Spa Lights.
Naturally, they are waterproof. And float. But they also gently change colour and look remarkably like real roses. This means they are rather good at creating a perfect Bali-esque atmosphere in your humble bathroom. More importantly, they overcome the perils of surrounding yourself with candles and the dangers of scattering real rose petals in the tub - which could leave dead greenfly floating around your unmentionables.
Features
- 3 floating rose lights included in each pack
Specification
- Dimensions: Height: 8.0cm Width: 8.0cm Depth: 4.0cm
- Weight: 0.05Kg
- Batteries Included: Yes
Tengu
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There are times in one's life when one could simply do with a new buddy. You know, not a real-world entity like a faithful hound called Rory, but a virtual desktop chum.
Permit us to explain in words of just a few syllables. Tengu is a USB-powered character that lights up and lip-syncs to music or your voice or whatever noise happens to be around at the time. Tengu has different facial expressions that you can match to different music. When there's no sound, he'll simply fall asleep but as soon as he detects some noise, he'll wake up again.
And how does it earn its spurs? Tengu guarantees to bring a smile to your weary face as he mimes along to your favourite songs. To change Tengu's facial expressions you just need to blow on his face for a second (his face will change automatically if he hears a lot of loud music). Tengu responds to sound level and with the right music, he magically synchs with the singer.
Tengu comes with a 1m white USB cable and draws power through any free USB port. As a standalone device, he doesn't need any software on the host computer, so he is compatible with most operating systems (Windows, Mac, Linux etc).
Woody Bamboo USB Flash Drive
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Memotrek offers the Woody Bamboo USB flash drive that is made of hardened bamboo material. The Woody Bamboo claimed to be eco-friendly but it’s made of wood? Woody Bamboo supports USB 2.0 interface and is available in 128MB to 8GB of capacity. You may also get the bamboo gift box. It measures 67 x 20 x 12 mm.
Solar LED Candle
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A spin-off of solar path lighting technology, these attractive amber LED luminaries provide warm, dependable, flicker-free lighting for your deck or outdoor table.
Healing Hands chiropractic massager
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There’s no home massager with a more realistic experience than the Healing Hands Chiropractic Massager. Based on the practice of applied kinesiology, Healing Hands works to ease neck strain and muscle tension around the base of the head, just like a real chiropractor.
In fact, these colorful foam hands are created from a mold of real ones set in the actual clinical position used for straightening neck vertebrae. Simply place your head (it doesn’t matter how big or small) face up on the Healing Hands to feel the therapeutic effects, which can be achieved from just three minutes of daily use.
Anyone who has felt the headaches and eye-strain from too many hours slouched over the computer or an uncomfortable night’s sleep can understand the value of having this home practitioner within arm’s reach.
Buy it
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