6 Trendy Concept Gadgets You KNOW You Want

This past year, my family bought my grandparents a cell phone.  It was a sleek looking Galaxy S2 (I know, those bad boys are already wayyyy outdated) with the newest interfaces and platforms installed.

It was my and my sister’s duty to introduce them to the intricate new world of cell-phone land.  After an elongated hour, we finally managed to teach them how to turn the phone ‘on’ (not ‘off yet,’ we would save that for another lesson).

The next day when we visited, we found that beautiful Galaxy S2 was being used as a plant stand to make sure the orchids grew straight (maybe the next big lifehack?).  To make a long story short: those are still the straightest orchids I’ve ever seen.

These trendy new gadgets are just a reminder that some day I’ll be that old grandfather still attached to the golden ages of rusty laptops and antiquated cell phones.

1. Flexible Tablet: Squeeze it, jump on it, twist it, bend it.  Also sounds like the perfect way to relieve stress.  Or the next Bop-It.

Concept from gadget-ideaz.

2. Seashell iPhone Passive Speakers:  I was just getting acquainted with the sound of the ocean coming from shells.  Now this?!?!

Imagine finding this baby washed up on the beach

Product of  WAAM Industries.

3. Velopresso: the coffee shop on wheels: Move over Harley D. there’s a new beast on the road.  Drink your coffee to-go.  Actually, though.

Now your pretty next-door neighbor can’t turn down your carpool offer

Concept from technabob.com.

4. Electromagnetic Energy Ambient Harvester: For laymen like myself, this device can use the electromagnetic fields emitted by an electronic device and store it as usable energy.  Now they need to find a way to attach this device to me.

Concept from technabob.com.

5. Smart Finger Measuring Device: With this device, “it’s this big” now makes perfect quantifiable sense.

Concept from Yanko Design.

6. Cloud Sofa: The next best alternative to jumping out a plane window. This cloud is held up with a magnetic base, holding the cloud aloft.

Everybody’s secret dream

Thanks for the read!  I hope you’re as hopeful about these gadgets as I am.

Boy do I feel old.

Beat the Summer Heat (Part 2): Favorite Tips for Staying Cool

Previously on Beat the Summer Heat:

That’s one way Fido

Summer brought a swift hand down to strike, hoping to catch you off guard.  But you were ready; with your newly constructed AC apparatus you were able to parry off the blows like newspaper in the wind.  Days have passed now without incident, but you know that Summer is plotting for revenge, seething its way for its next attack.  What will it do next?  Will you be prepared?  And will this show ever air?  This time on Beat the Summer Heat.

1. Put up sheets over the windows: Blocking the sun with blinds can reduce the amount of heat that passes into your home by up to 45 percent. It has been Death Valley tested and proven that if the air outside is dry and cooler than the air inside, hang a damp sheet in an open window to cool the incoming breeze with the evaporating water.

2. Set up around small fans around the house: Instead of having the AC on full blast where everyone and their mother isn’t, invest in a few small fans and set them up in places you usually are like your desk, bed, or under the table.

3. Shut your fireplace damper: According to Tommy Spoto, a master chimney sweep at Chimney Chap, in Copiague, New York, an open one “pulls hot air into your house instead of sucking it out.” This is known as flow reversal.

4. Chill a few spray bottles and place them strategically around the house: If you’re not worried about ruining your makeup, squirt yourself a few times every now and then.  If you place the spray bottles in the same place as your fan, you can keep doubly cool.

5. Direct a fan out an open window when the temperature drops below 77 degrees Fahrenheit: This is particularly effective at night when the temperature is usually cooler outside than inside.  It also gives you a relaxing noise to fall asleep to.  For added affect, open windows throughout the house for circulation.

6. Invest in a USB fan so you can wick while you work: For those of us who are attached to their computer like myself, check out this desktop USB powered fan.  It can come in handy outside of summer as well for those of us who really get into online gaming.

7. Lose the shoes: As much as we hate to admit it, we all have sweaty feet.  But that’s a good thing!  As the sweat on the foot evaporates, it cools the skin blood in your feet, which is transferred to other parts of your body.

8. Kick it up a notch: Sometimes you have to get hot to get cold.  Those who live in scorching hot climates such as Mexico and India know that eating spicy food can actually cool you down, at the price of your tongue.  Most hot peppers release chemicals that helps us perspire and cool down a bit.  Or it just averts the pain to your mouth.

9. Eat lightly: Fruits and vegetables are your best bet in the summer because they are mainly composed of water.  There’s also something refreshing about digging your teeth into a crisp peach.

10. Go fluorescent: Long-lasting compact fluorescent bulbs produce about 70 percent less heat than standard incandescent.

11. Take a late-night swim or cold shower before sleeping: By lowering your body’s core temperature you can stay cooler all through the night.

12. Check out the Chillow: The Chillow is a cooling pad that can be slipped into most standard-sized pillows.  Be the envy of all fellow sleepers.

13. Invest in a natural latex mattress: Natural latex mattresses are designed to pull away heat from the skin, keeping you cool throughout the night.

14. STAY HYDRATED: To replace the moisture that you lose as you perspire (and perspire you will), be sure to drink. As you lose water to dehydration, your body temperature rises, so replacing fluids is essential to keeping cool. Avoid beverages that contain alcohol, caffeine, or lots of sugar, which are dehydrating.Credits to realsimple.com and Amber Merton

Soup Your Ride: Simple LED Lighting for Your Bike Wheels

Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?

Remember the days when you were a “cool kid” if you had those sneakers that lit up with every step?  Well, now imagine how cool you’ll look riding this bad boy around.  Cars and bikes alike will part before you and kneel in your presence as you speed down the freeway at night with these LED rope lights on your wheels.

For full instructions click here.

Related articles

• Motion-Activated Bike-Wheel LEDs Light up as Graphics (mashable.com)
• Bikes light up the night at Capital (daytimerunninglights.wordpress.com)