Your Brain on Toast

Image source CreativeApplications.net

Tired of starting your day with lackluster toast? German designer/engineer Scott van Haastrecht understands the feeling. To pump up the brain stimulation in your early a.m. carbo-loading routine, the uber-intelligent inventor has cooked up a smarty-pants toaster that kicks off your morning with a Google image relevant to the day’s news.

That’s right, the Image Toaster helps you to greet the sun while crunching on a portrait of Pope Francis’ holy face or the media-hyped kiddos from American Idol.

The appliance works with your wi-fi to search images related to the day’s date and toast a newsworthy 6×6 pic on your daily dose of carbs. Technology inside the toaster then commands certain burners to cook and others to hold back until the image is fully crisped onto your informative slice of bread.

I dig. Now if only Scott could whip up a toaster to print my daily to-dos… That’s the kind of morning prep I could really bite into!

Posted by Mary

Will Google’s Goggles Be A New Accessory We Can Expect To See By 2013?

Image source Gearfuse

I was eight when I first dialed up on AOL.

I can’t imagine going to a library and using the Dewey Decimal System for research.

I get pissed if a public place doesn’t have wireless (does that still happen?!).

Technology has played a huge role in the way I grew up. Duh, old news, I know. But in response to our upbringing in the age of iPhones, Google, and Facebook, I think a lot of “millennials” have started contemplating where to draw the line between what’s cool and what’s borderline creepy.

Cue the introduction of “Google Goggles,” expected to be revealed by 2013. Resembling sunglasses, these babies sit centimeters away from your eyes and stream info about whatever you’re looking at. Stopped in front of a restaurant? Put on the glasses and reviews of its food and service will pop up. On vacation in Rome? Expect historical facts to appear on the lens. And my favorite — see someone you know but can’t place him? Face recognition technology, if approved, could pull up his Facebook page confirming his identity, location and education.

Cool? I guess. But I can’t be the only one weirded out by the idea of walking around with a computer on my face, right? Not to mention the whole lack of privacy thing. Maybe I’m old fashioned, but will people really be receptive to the goggles’ camera capturing everything they see in real time? Who knows — I also didn’t understand the point of Twitter three years ago and thought FourSquare was the equivalent of a stalker’s paradise…and look at me now. Maybe in 2015 I’ll have no other choice than to rock Google Goggles…in the most technologically stylish way possible, of course!

Posted by Kate

Rise and Swine

Are you tired of the rude greeting you receive from your alarm clock every morning? I know I am. Luckily, there is a solution. My friends, it’s time to wake up and smell the bacon!

The Wake n’ Bacon joins the ranks of other bizarre bacon products offered for bacon lovers everywhere. This new pork-a-licious product is an alarm clock that prompts the sleeper to wake-up—not with a heinous and constant chiming, but with the aroma of slow-cooked bacon. And this is no faux-fragrance; the alarm clock cooks actual bacon! Simply place a frozen strip of bacon in the side compartment of the pig-shaped gadget before you go to bed, then, 10 minutes before your alarm is set to go off, the Wake n’ Bacon starts cooking.

Although this sounds wonderful in theory, I’m not sure I’m quite ready to turn my nightstand into a diner. However, for those of you out there excited about feeding your alarm clock frozen bacon every night, get ready to rise and swine!

Posted by Alex

Ri-dick-ulous iPhone Gadgetry

Ask me for a favorite, utterly offensive expression and usually I think, “[It/he/she] is about as useful as a limp dick.”  Concise, inappropriate, perfection. Or so I thought. Here to challenge that logic in all its blue-balled glory: Phoneballs, silicone protective gear for your iPhone. Complete with a teeny set of danglers for your tugging pleasure, the just-launched product helps prevent everyday scrapes and dings befalling the smartphone in your life. What’s more, 10% of all proceeds from the $15 case go to the Sean Kimerling Testicular Cancer Foundation.

I don’t think I’ll be sporting a pair anytime soon, but hey, who’d have thought blue balls could be so multifunctional?

Posted by Abby

Got Cash Flow Woes? There’s an App for That

It was only a matter of time until smart phone technicians figured out a way to turn everyone into a businessman.  Two new mobile applications, PayAnywhere and Square, are truly innovating the way we interact as people and consumers.  As reported in last week’s news cycle, these applications allow you to turn your smart phone into an actual credit card machine.  The applications are free, and Square even sends you the card swiping attachment thingamajig for free, too!  Do you know what this means?!? 

• That friend who owes you money, because she never has cash and promises, “I’ll get you back later,” can now pay you back via credit card.  The joke’s on you, my mooching amigo!
• Are you a scalper who needs to sell your tickets, but no one seems to have enough bills?  Suck them in with your mobile credit machine!
• Are you suffering from withdrawal, but don’t have enough moola to call your dealer?  You let him know that he needs to download this app so he can boost sales and expand his customer base.  (Fueling your addiction in a more efficient, practical manner.)

Technology has truly figured out a way to streamline business transactions, so much so that brick-and-mortar storefronts are hardly necessary anymore. Forget all that crap I said about bringing old clothes to the consignment shop…now I can sell them straight from my closet, no middle man required!

Posted by Hannah