How to Get Your Stolen Car Back

Alan Heuss was sitting in his BMW in Ohio one night. ”Some young man came up and opened the passenger door and stuck a gun in my face and told me to get out,” Heuss said.

The thieves got away with Heuss’ car, cell phone and some cash.

Later that night, one of his friends got the brilliant Idea to use the stolen phone to get back the stolen car. His friend texted the stolen phone: ‘I’m going to tell them I’ve got a bunch of hot chicks, as if I’m texting you, and that we’ve got some drugs, too.’”

The thieves took the bait and arrived in the stolen car, only to find cops rather than chicks and drugs.

(va 10tv)

Vanishing Point Navigation

This  laptop rides a Roomba around and looks for straight lines. By triangulating their convergence, the little droid is able to navigate endless hallways, blasting zombies with its on-board shotgun…well, maybe in the next model.

This may not be a likely standalone navigation system, but combined with those systems used by things like the robotic rats, and maybe some GPS, we could have these things zipping around our hallways doing errands and causing accidents in the very near future. (via botjunie)

D.I.Y Carbonation

There have been a lot of expensive home carbonator units making the rounds lately, but someone has devised a way to do it that is so simple it is mind boggling to think we haven’t seen this before.

In order to carbonate something, you have to put it under pressure and add carbon dioxide.

All you need to do is affix a hose connecting two two litre plastic bottles. Fill one with whatever you want carbonated,, and the other with a mixture of baking soda and vinegar. Seal it up and let the reaction do the rest. The Baking soda and vinegar turn into water, sodium, and carbon dioxide.

More detailed instructions here.

If you don’t feel like making the parts, you can purchase them here

A New Way to Keep the Cat Off the Table

 

Do your cats like to jump up on the table? Of course they do! You’ve tried scolding them, but now they just wait until you aren’t looking. Let Newton lay down the law with this table constructed out of two by fours and skateboard trucks. The three sided construction keeps the glass from sliding around, while letting it spin freely. 

Available from thefutureperfect for about $1800, or for quite a bit less made from that stuff you have been meaning to throw away in your garage; such is the the lot of the inventor who finds their brilliance in simplicity.

When the cat keeps jumping on my table, I just put some strips of scotch tape on it, sticky side up. They hate that. It only takes a couple applications to make them quit for years.

Putting Obama On-Notice

Obama standing in the way of progress? I knew this was coming, but I’m shocked it originated from him.

On Feb 17, analog TV should be no more. The conversion to digital has been a long drawn out process, for which we have already paid a ridiculous price in commercials and other time wasters, and well over a billion dollars. The conversion will retire a dinosaur of a technology that has been bogging down huge swaths of prime spectrum that could be used for far more useful new technologies. The spectrum has been sold. New products that will use the new digital service are everywhere and have been sold for years. They have a better picture and better features.

Now Barack Obama puts out a last minute memo asking that the conversion be delayed until mid-summer. Heaven forbid anyone illiterate and living in a cave might be surprised to find their television not working and have to venture into reality long enough to figure out why. What we really should have done is just cut the TV resolution in half every month until everyone gets sick enough of it to get their crap together and convert. 

The switch from analog to digital was change we could believe in.

Update: The Chairman of the FCC, Kevin Martin, has now come out at CES and said about Obama’s request, “[W]e’ve spent a lot of time and energy getting ready for the February 17 date,” “I am concerned about the consumer confusion that would be created.”

Update: Obama has named June 12 as the date he would like the switch to digital to be postponed to.

After Obama requested that the change from analog to digital television be delayed, the Senate voted to postpone the switch until June 12th.

Update: The house just voted this down. It looks like we are back on track, barring any further sillyness. (via CrunchGear)

Update: Grrr…stupid government. Postponed again.

Logic Wireless: Logic Bolt – Projector Phone

 

A while back I posted a review of a laser projected keyboard with bluetooth connectivity, and was wondering how long it would be until our cellphones simply projected a keyboard and display, essentially creating a full sized laptop that would fit in a shirt pocket. That day is approaching faster than I anticipated. Logic Wireless will get you half way there with this phone it is displaying at CES ‘08 going by the name ‘Logic Bolt’, which contains a projector capable of projecting an image up to five feet away with two hours worth of battery life.  The phone has a touch screen and a 3 megapixel camera, and will sell for around $600.

(via MobileCrunch)

Vent-Miser

You know those forced air heater vents you gave up opening and closing years ago because they are rusty and hard to reach? Replace them with these Vent-Misers, which contain a timer (battery powered, so no wiring necessary)  to turn the vents on and off automatically. Start your morning off warming the bedroom, then switch to the vents in the kitchen, etc. Face it, you are a creature of habit, and your home should know this. This is the kind of purchase that pays for itself many times over in heating costs, warm feet, and environmental conservation.

You can get them from Amazon in your choice of size and color

Laser Communicator

The coherent nature of laser light, combined with its low-divergence beam, makes it perfect for all sorts of fun projects. This is one you can do at home with simple, cheap parts. When you speak, the microphone picks up your voice and converts it into a signal that is used to vary the output of a  laser pointer.  The receiver is a solar cell attached to a piezoelectric speaker. With a pair of each, you can stay in communication as long as you have line of sight. It has the benefit of being hard to eavesdrop on as well. Pdf with instructions here. (Via crunchGear)

a similar project could be made to use the reflected light of a laser pointer off of a window to pick up vibrations and transmit sounds from distant buildings.

FunflyStick: Levitate Objects with Static Electricity

I don’t know why this magic wand isn’t being aggressively marketed towards Harry Potter fans. It works like a portable Van de Graaff generator, creating enough static electricity to levitate the tinsel-like fliers. I’m sure the more innovative among you can find plenty of other uses for it. Amazon has them cheap. Or you can use the below link and get them from thinkgeek with free fedEx if you order $40.

Free FedEx Home Delivery. Use code: DEALNEWS

 

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