Reuters: It may only be a matter of time before we will be using our shirts to charge our cellphones. Researchers at the University of Toronto have invented a flexible plastic solar cell that is said to be five times more efficient than current methods in converting energy from the sun into electrical energy. Team leader Ted Sargent, a professor […]
The Battery of our Shirts
My Treehouse
We Make Money Not Art: The HangOut is a 2.9 meters diameter housing module designed — by Vancouver-based Tom Chud — to be suspended from a tree. It comes with a double bed, counter, table, bench seats and storage lockers. Four attachment points on the top and four on the bottom carry the weight of the dwelling. The spheres are […]
Patients Put on Thinking Caps
Wired News: Any geek worthy of the moniker has dreamed of connecting his or her brain directly to a computer for blissful freedom from keyboard and mouse. For quadriplegics, that ability would give life a whole new dimension. If people with physical handicaps could control a computer by just thinking, they could also operate light switches, television, even a robotic […]
Monster Fueled by Caffeine
Wired News: Delicious Monster is the Mac software company behind the hit Delicious Library, a program for cataloging collections of books, movies and games. The software is selling like hot cakes and has garnered rave reviews and awards, yet the company’s headquarters is a Seattle coffee house. Co-founded by graphic designer Mike Matas and programmer Wil Shipley, the company’s first […]
How To Sell Toys
Influx Insights: Great ideas need to be relevant, yet unexpected. And everywhere the idea lives should feel like the right home. A recent collaboration between Kidrobot and fashion and art publication, Visionaire, is an example of how to develop an idea that feels fluid rather than forced. An idea that exploits a cultural trend, but doesn’t scream, “me too!” For […]
I Love My Neighbourhood!
Business 2.0 Blog: Here is a sweet story courtesy of Josh Rubin’s hot products site. Neighborhoodies is the success story of a couple kids running a t-shirt business out of a basement apartment and 2 years later having a thriving 30 person company. As the name suggests, their t-shirts, hoodies and underwear shout out local pride. It’s taking I Love […]
Wearable Wireless
wirelessIQ.info: Motorola, Inc. and Oakley, Inc. today announced a joint venture to introduce new Bluetooth(TM)-enabled wearable wireless communications devices for innovative hands-free operation of electronic devices. Motorola is collaborating with Oakley — a leader in eyewear design, technology and innovation — to fuse Motorola’s latest Bluetooth technology with Oakley’s advanced eyewear concepts. Motorola is a Fortune 100 global communications company. […]
Hand Crank Radio Cell-phone Charger
Popgadget: Battery-less radios and flashlights, powered by hand cranking, have been out for a while now but Hisatomi Electric Ind. Co in Japan has put a new twist on these emergency gadgets. Their new flashlight will also power up a cell phone for about three minutes of talk time after a minute or two of twisting the crank. There are […]
Desktop Dining
Iconoculture: Too swamped to hit the food court? Deskbound diners keep their workspaces clean with Vessel’s workplace dish set, a stylish, professionally minded mess kit that wraps up neatly in a desktop-size placemat. The pert, practical kit packs a complete personal workplace place-setting, including a plate, bowl, cup, and utensil set. It’s designed to fit in front of a keyboard […]
Real Estate Prices On The Go
The Mobile Technology Weblog: SMSeenHuis (“Text a House”) is a Dutch service that allows mobile users to text the Real Estate boards outside residential houses. In response, they get details of asking price, address, number of rooms and square footage, along with the Real Estate Agent contact details. Participating real estate agents pay a EUR 20 fee (USD 27 / […]