Bike Cuffs
By Weirdzilla | February 10, 2008
We hate bike thieves, especially the ones that made off with our delivery boy’s BMX (well how else do you think we get our goodies to you so quickly?). That’s why we’ve been looking for a bandit-bamboozling lock to flummox would-be bicycle thieves. Step forward Bike Cuffs. Based on standard issue police handcuffs, these ingenious loops of hardened laminated steel are set to become the bane of bike-nickers everywhere, and they make other locking systems seem as effective as bits of string.
The heavy-duty cuffs attach around the fork and disc rotor so would-be thieves can’t make off with your bike unless they’re armed with some kind of Fort Knox-busting wonder weapon. This nifty arrangement means you won’t have to faff around taking off your wheel for full lockdown. You don’t even need to use the keys to secure your bike, just click the cuffs using the integrated buttons.
Thanks to a hardened pivot link, wannabe crooks can’t use leverage to defeat the cuffs. What’s more, the heat-treated, patented lock core is virtually pick-proof. Even Houdini would have problems busting out of these babies. In fact build-quality is so high, Bike Cuffs come with a lifetime guarantee. [via]
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The mole rats
By Weirdzilla | February 2, 2008
As vulnerable as naked mole rats seem, researchers now find the hairless, bucktoothed rodents are invulnerable to the pain of acid and the sting of chili peppers.
A better understanding of pain resistance in these sausage-like creatures could lead to new drugs for people with chronic pain, scientists added.
Naked mole rats live in cramped, oxygen-starved burrows some six feet underground in central East Africa. Unusually, they are cold-blooded — which, as far as anyone knows, is unique among mammals.
“They’re the nicest, sweetest animals I’ve ever worked with — they look frightening, but they’re very gentle,” said neurobiologist Thomas Park at the University of Illinois at Chicago
Scientists knew the mole rats were quite sensitive to touch — perhaps to help replace their almost useless eyes. After probing their skin, Park and his colleagues unexpectedly discovered the rodents lacked the chemical Substance P, which causes the feeling of burning pain in mammals.
[Via]
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20Q Challenge Tabletop
By Weirdzilla | January 30, 2008
Forget R2-D2 and meet 20Q. He has several significant benefits over the droid: he sits on your tabletop. He has a display in plain English. He isn’t storing a message for Obi Wan Kenobi. And, most notably, he can actually read your mind.
Well, he can actually read your mind with the help of 20 ever-so-clever questions (to which you can answer from a set of pre-defined responses) allied to an even cleverer electronic brain packed with stupefyingly intelligent deductive algorithms.
A gadget that knows exactly what’s on one’s mind? Now that’s what we call the appliance of science. Read on to discover how to interface with 20Q.
Start by thinking of an object - any object. Animal, vegetable, mineral and more. Then keep it a secret and let 20Q loose on the problem. He’ll begin by asking you quickfire questions, all projected on his domed display device. One can answer “yes”, “no”, “sometimes” or “don’t know” to each. Then, with amazing accuracy, he’ll guess the object you’ve imagined. Just do be prepared to be flabbergasted, for his powers of intuition are truly amazing.
Styled in futuristic white and blue, with a sleek control surface, 20Q is more Space 1999 than Blankety Blank. Which is probably just as well, all things considered.
[Buy]
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Borat Mankini Swimsuit
By Weirdzilla | January 29, 2008
Attention. This is not a gadget. It is a bikini for men, a subject which makes us men here at gadgetshop HQ hastily cross and uncross our legs before coughing loudly and talking about ’sports’ and slasher movies.
It looks better on Borat than it does on my colleage Simon, which is genuinely saying something. Maybe it’s Simon’s Clarks Pathfinders that spoil the effect.
So let’s not talk about men. Let’s take a dispassionate look at the functional benefits of the mankini over more conventional swimwear. First, it’s a one-piece for convenience. Then, it’s lurid shade of lime, meaning that it’s going to get you seen. Lots. So it’s safe when you’re in the water. Additionally, it’s official 20th Century Fox cinematic merchandise, so it’s not some Khazak rio-off that will have you scratching all the way to your GP.
Crucially, it possesses a pouch in which to safely stow one’s crown jewels. And finally, it is emblazoned with the Borat cinematic logo device, just in case anyone should think your efforts serious.
So there you have it. Makes a terrific comedy gift. An amazing Secret Santa. A self-deprecating poolside appearance. And a guaranteed (but polite) refusal at the door to the Sistine Chapel.
[Buy]
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Giant Inflatable Heart
By Weirdzilla | January 29, 2008
How big is your lurve? Cos this is real big lurve. This is the biggest lurve thaing out there, and of course it will be full of your sweet breath. The Giant Inflatable Heart is rather silly, and yet delightfully charming in the same breath, so to speak. You can say it with words, you can say it with flowers, and in some parts of Latvia you can say it with custard, but what better way to say ‘I Love You’ than with an outrageously large inflatable heart.
[Buy]
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I Love You Toast
By Weirdzilla | January 25, 2008
There are myriad ways to say ‘I Love You’. Flowers and chocolates are hackneyed, and sky writing’s just absurd, but embossing the words in your morning toast is the best we’ve ever heard. What better way to start the day than with slices of hot buttered toast, that proclaim to the world in words unfurled, that they’re the one you love the most. Poetry was never our strong point. This toast embosser (until recently not two words you’d expect to see together) transforms everyday bread into a missive of lurve. Simply press into a slice of bread, pop it in the toaster, and in a matter of moments you’ll have a slice of piping hot toast emblazoned with the immortal words ‘I Love You’, and if that doesn’t earn you major brownie points, we don’t know what will. [Buy]
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Frog to Prince
By Weirdzilla | January 25, 2008
The saying ‘You need to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince’ may well be true, but it’s fraught with pitfalls, not least the fact that they don’t taste too good and many of them can be poisonous. Snogging amphibians has never been that attractive a prospect, so what’s needed is the ability to improve your hit rate, enabling you to keep your pond stalking to a minimum. Somewhere there are people who worry about this sort of thing, which is in itself rather worrying, but also quite sweet - and they’ve come up with a solution. The Magic Frog to Prince removes the need for the whole ‘kissing amorous hopping things’ behaviour (which must count as some kind of species abuse anyway). You simply add water to this little green fella, and within minutes he’ll be transformed into a handsome prince. We use the word handsome in its broadest possible sense of course. Within 72 hours your prince will have grown to a mighty, if not very useful, 10cm in height. Diminutive and unable to whisk you off to his castle he may be, but he’s cheap, fun and people love him.
[Buy]
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Swarovski Crystal Toaster
By Weirdzilla | January 20, 2008
Keeping in sync with a house that houses almost all stuff caked (richly or weakly) with Swarovski crystals, here’s one more gadget on the blog – the Swarovski Limited Edition Crystal Toaster. Covered with more than 200 dazzling Swarovski crystals, this kitchen gadget is designed by Russell Hobbs. So kick start your day with warm and crunchy toasts popping up from this bejewled toaster. Via
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15 Million Zimbabwe Dollars
By Weirdzilla | January 20, 2008
Forget the glitzy restaurants of New York and London: only in Zimbabwe would a hamburger actually cost millions of dollars.
The central bank of the southern African country has a issued a 10million Zimbabwe dollar note. The move increases the denomination of the nation’s highest bank note more than tenfold.
Even so, a hamburger in an ordinary cafe in Zimbabwe costs 15 million Zimbabwe dollars. Link
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Elvis Watches
By Weirdzilla | January 6, 2008
FOREVER “THE KING”
Elvis watches were designed by fans, for fans, and is a collectable tribute to probably the worlds best known and loved entertainers.
Elvis died on August 16th 1977 and thirty years later the Elvis sound and style is even more popular today with the fan base growing year by year.
We agree and that is why people of all ages from all walks of life enjoy not only the music but the unique world of the man who is the “KING”.
These collectable wrist watches are despatched to you in a guitar shaped case covered in the titles of some of his greatest hits. The ‘His’ Watch in black and white and the ‘Hers’ Watch in pink are suitable retro reminders of that bygone era, and yet would fit in with most fashions of today.
This is a must for all Elvis Fans, or makes a great gift for some one who appreciates the legend.
KEEP ON ROCKING!!!
Chose from ‘his’ or ‘Hers’ editions.
Features:
His: Velcro strap for ‘one size fits all’, clock hand is a moving guitar.
Size: 3.2 cm dia., adjustable strap - one size fits all
Hers: Pink enamelled metal strap, stainless steel face with colour Elvis Image
Size: 2.2 cm dia., adjustable strap - one size fits all
[Buy]
Topics: Retro, Gift Ideas | No Comments »
