Who can it be now? -or- Anonymous Web Surfing Made EASY!

Like Men at Work singing "Who can it be now?" don't you ever want to have some "junk" email addresses..? Sure, you can go and create some Yahoo or Hotmail addresses, but that is a pain and takes a few steps.


But for the James Bond in you, here are some alternatives that are a bit easier and quicker to use.



10 Minute Mail is a new site that's being Slashdotted as I type. It creates a new temporary email address for you that just goes away after 10 minutes!


Mailinator is another service that has been around for a while. The difference is that this gives you an address that lasts a few hours.

Lust rating = not applicable.

What TIME is it? and how's the weather as well?

As Flava Flav would say, "What TIIIIMMEE is it?"

Getting weather info along with time is always useful. This Oregon Scientific clock projects the time on a wall. Additionally, it shows weather information.


The display on this clock seems much more viewable.


And finally, a phone/clock/weather station for your enjoyment. Unless you are using your phone like a telemarketer, you probably will not be viewing this gadget too often.

Cyber Monday is coming!!

Whoa...ready for Cyber Monday? I'm sure there will be a lot of good deals on GREAT gadgets. Get your keyboards and credit cards ready!!

Tasty bits to get rid of that turkey aftertaste

A couple of tasty treats from Japan to refresh your mouth after all that turkey dinner.

Sharp just announced Papyrus, a color dictionary that has "WanSeg" capability (click here for info on WanSeg).

Now, an electronic dictionary is something used often to look up kanji, an English translation, or others. It has SD expansion slot allowing additional data/software and MP3 tune playing.

Lust rating = meh (need to live in Japan to enjoy WanSeg functionality)

TurboLinux Japan announced their "Wizpy." It's a MP3 player powered by Linux! It also includes FM radio reception, video playing (DivX!), OGG/AAC compatibility, and, like a U3 drive, the ability to have your own environment anywhere ~ like running Firefox off the gadget at any computer and not leaving any cookies, history behind.


I've gotta say, the marketing includes 「パソコンとして」(as a Computer). It's a lil misleading as it cannot be used as a computer per se. Ahh well, no need to gripe. :)

Lust rating = have to wait and see. Doesn't come out till Feb, 2007 according to the site

Black Friday Info!

Well, if you are reading this, you aren't in line for any Black Friday sale. If you've stumbled upon this blog, it means you need to keep "Googling" for Black Friday info.

Rumor is that some Black Friday sale prices are already available ONLINE NOW!

Happy Hunting!

Wacky gift idea - Bunk bed for your remote controls

OK, this isn't necessarily a gadget, but it is an accessory for your gadgets. :)

Just like the orgy of headphones, remote controls are also a group of objects that can pile up really quickly. This is photo of an orgy of remote controls.

Handy? Uhhh, sure. Until your dog/cat/baby/significant other comes and knocks it over.

Lust rating = not applicable

Virgin Sweet Sound

Getting nostalgic and going back a few posts...while you are travelling, do you ever want to record some sounds from the country/area that you are visiting?

Sure video will get you both visual and audio, but I'm more of a photographer. Getting some more flavor of the locale with the sounds is a great way to keep the memories.

This Sony PCM D-1 audio recorder is for "professionals." ooohh. 4 GB of internal memory and a slot for a MemoryStick, 96 kHz sound, and USB port. How exciting is that?

Lust rating = Want it! (but a bit out of reach with its pricetag)


Yamaha also has their own version called the SH-01. This one is geared more toward recording sound from musical instruments - guitar, saxophone, piano, etc. Of course, it also works for regular audio, but doesn't have that sexy look of Sony's recorder.

Headphone Orgy

Being a self-confessed gadget fanatic, I end up having many gadgets of the same type, but different manufacturer. In this case, I'm referring to MP3 players.

Here's a photo of the orgy of headphones that results from such rampant consumerism. If you're slick, you can see a couple of headphones that aren't even opened yet! In fact, one pair (the white ones) are from an iPod no less.

I've been trying to come up with some type of project to make use of these lil gimps. I remember reading about using headphones like these and stuffing 3 of each in each side to make some cool effects. To really make that work though, I'd imagine that you'd need a splitter to split the highs, mediums, and looooowws into each headphone.
Maybe someone from Make Magazine will see this post and figure out some project.

Gimme my TV, and NOW!

Another Japan-only gadget. It's a USB gadget that lets you pick up DMB signals. Of course, the Vaio Type U gives you the small form factor AND DMB. Can you tell I am still lusting for that Vaio?? :)

007 - Top 5 gadget wishlist (????)

Mathmos aduki

007 gets tired and needs some relaxation. This small, portable light with changing colors is just the thing. It cycles through colors of pinks and violets. It's a shame that it doesn't receive and then relay any information, but that's what the next gadget is for.



Nabaztag
This gadget in the image of a rabbit actually receives RSS feeds and then relays that information via sounds, lights, and movement of its ears! This article at CNet News sheds light on its features.

Hiding something in broad view is always the best way to hide. 007 would be wise to use this for receiving high priority messages regarding deception or new objectives for his current mission.










Tv watch

Being stuck on a long mission in an unknown country is never fun. Cold coffee, take-out food, and hours of waiting.

This gadget will bring in the antics of the SNL gang, updates on the saga of strandees on Lost, or hot scenes from Las Vegas. Of course, weather updates will also help in avoiding pneumonnia.




Meade eyepiece

Back to work...just the thing for those times when 007 happens to take a nap. This eyepiece will connect to a telescope and output to any video source - VCR, TV, portable PC with video input(!)

Sure, the image is black and white, but it provides LIVE feeds.

Lust rating = Want it (and think I "need it")


Spy gadgets book


And last but not least...we all know 007 is not MacGyver. This book will come in handy in those tight squeeze situations. How good is the book? Not sure, but it still comes in in the top 5 wishlist. :)

iPod + FM radio = FMiPod?

Just the fact that the price is sooo low! I'm sure the speakers are about as good as speakers in a '71 Pinto, but this is a neat gadget. What would increase the neat factor would be a way to record the FM/AM radio signal to the iPod, even at the measly 32kbps. Maybe v2.0?

Lust rating = Want it (to play with)

007 could use this G7

Mmmmm! The latest in Canon's "G" (gangsta, great, good, gorgeous?) series cameras. These stand out in that they actually allow full manual control of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO speed - up to 1600 ISO! With that fast ISO, you can take a photo while in a basement at midnight during a rainy day.

You can find more detail here and here.

Lust rating = WANT it! Santa, Santa??

Is it Live, or is it Memorex?

You know how it is...you have stacks of old cassette tapes that you just can't bring yourself to throw out. Some of them are mix tapes and others are tapes you made.

This gadget (Sanyo MAJ-U4CT1) let's you easily digitize those tapes with no fuss. Stick in your tape, stick in a USB thumbdrive, click a button, and you're done!
Very sweet.

Lust factor = want it (but can't find anyone selling one!)

PS3 lusting

In other news, this is what the scene was in Tokyo for the much-awaited PS3.

Scanner Darkly

Not the movie, but an actual portable scanner. Just to give you that secret agent feel. Practical applications would be scanning a newspaper/magazine while you are out or scanning a few business cards.

Combine it with an "anywhere WAN" PCMCIA card and you are in business! It'd be cool to use this for a portable Delicious Library type of deal.

Lust factor = meh (can't find anywhere to buy one!)

MP3 Player - Can you hear me now?

Small MP3 players are a dime a dozen these days, but what about a small player that has a speaker?!! This lil guy has all the features expected these days - MP3/WMA/WAV, on-board MP3 encoding, FM receiver, voice recorder - but adds a tiny speaker to it all. The FM receiver works worldwide. Important for those who want to receive radio stations in Japan which has it's own radio spectrum.

Samsung has its own incarnation of late. It's a little bit more sexy, and the speaker is probably a bit better, but I always have an affinity for small gadgets from off-brand makers. Of course, if the price tag goes over ~120 USD that goes away


Lust rating = meh (have something similiar already, albeit w/o speaker)

GPS logger

When you travel to a different country, especially one that you've never been before, don't you want to gather all the data you can?

Before going, you want to know about places to visit, food to eat, things to do. While you're there, you photograph every little detail that seems mundane to the people living there, but not to you. You also want to try out the "specialties" of food. And you also want to log your GPS coordinates so you know where you've been.

Wha?

You know, it's all the rage now to take photos and tag them with the GPS coordinates of where the photo was taken. The biggest project that did this was "Friendly Planet's BHUTAN" book. You can read about it here and here. Every photo was tagged with GPS data.


Of course, unless you are a Geocacher, you probably don't have a portable GPS unit lying around. Along comes the "TrackStick GPS data logger."


It looks like this thing will fit in the palm of your hand. Think of it, taking photos, and then click, grab the GPS coords. All that juicy data waiting to be exploited when you get home! Methinks this to be a good stocking stuffer.

Lust rating = want it