Critics not amused with the ‘fat-burning’ lip balm
The world is not alien to women’s obsession with weight, and no wonder a lot of companies make big bucks by selling weight loss products to these unsuspecting women. The latest on the list is a ‘Fat-burning’ lip balm. While it claimed to have been a favorite in the US, critics in the UK are not very convinced about its tall claims. The maker of this lip balm Dr Allan Kurtz, claims that it contains appetite suppressants and improves metabolism with a simple lick of the lips. He also claims that ‘People who have used this have reported losing between 6lb and 10lb without changing anything else. It works by just suppressing appetite. Because it goes into your system through your lips it works quickly and you still get the oral gratification of putting something on your mouth’. The British critics say the lip salve will do little to cause 'substantive' weight loss, and there is no substitute for eating less and exercising more rather than spend £4.95 for this product.
iPhone app to provide a virtual bike fitting room
Oh the joys of riding the bike in the mornings on empty streets and through the woods, it is all such a wonderful experience. Couple that with a badly fitted bike and you have an aching back, wrists, legs and probably every other part of your body. The Test Rides iPhone app is a virtual bike fitting room, which measures you up for the perfect-sized bicycle. You just have to click a picture of your self from the sides in a sitting position with the hands and legs properly exposed and then place crosshairs over your joints like elbows, ankles, knees and so on. Test Rides then computes this information and tells you what size and shape of bike you need, from the length of the forks to the drop of the bottom bracket.
A flushing clock
The maker of this clock must be really obsessed with the toilet and spent a considerable part of his life there. Don’t believe me? Well, the design of this clock is inspired by the toilet seat and it makes a flushing sound at the completion of every hour. The perfect place to hang this $25 clock is certainly the bathroom. If you want to get rid of pesky guests, then you can scare the crap out of them, when attend natures call in your bathroom.
Keep your hands free with the Shoulderbrella
Just when you thought you had seen everything in life, Japanese Superstore Tokyu Hands can help has introduced the Shoulderbrella. All you have to do is unscrew the end bit of your umbrella and stick it into the Shoulderbrella and either wrap it around one or both of your shoulders. The Shoulderbrella was invented by a doctor but you might want to stash it if the wind picks up. At $25 it will give you much needed relief from carrying an umbrella if you have too many shopping bags and then you might have to wrestle with the umbrella to keep it in place.
Anxiety control vest for your pet pooch
The worst time for our pets is probably when firecrackers are burst on occasion of 4th of July or by a bunch of hooligans celebrating their high school graduation. It’s really heart breaking to see our pets hiding under the bed or just howling and running around the house with anxiety. How you wish you could do something to calm your beloved pet. Phantom Fireworks, K-9 Calming Vest claims to naturally calm your pet’s noise anxiety. Just wearing this tight-fitting vest gives the dog a feeling of safety and the physical sensation of wearing it distracts your dog from focusing on its fears. The vest can be used for dogs with thunderstorm anxiety as well through out the year. For $36, this vest is available in various sizes too.
Vibrate your boobs to a bigger cup size
While men obsess over their ‘Banana’s’ all their life, women are busy worrying about their twin assets all the time. With Pamela Anderson and Anna Nicole Smith being worshiped by men around the world, the pressure of having bigger boobs has left many women tormented. The Electric Bust Enhancers claim to be a blessing for women wanting to give Pamela a run for her money. These have to be placed in you bra cup and they will vibrate your boobs to make it larger. Whether it really works or not is really questionable, you might end up getting a nipple burn instead. And plus it will be very uncomfortable to have your boobs vibrating, while you are working on that important report at work. At $12, it looks more affordable than a boob job though.
iPhone app sports a virus protection mask
In times when swine flu has wreaked havoc around the world and everyone is sporting a protection mask, why leave your beloved iPhone alone? The $2.99 Virus Protection Mask app, shows a mask on your iPhone and gives you a choice of colors too! I am not getting excited about this app at all, I am just appalled by the sheer brainlessness of its makers. It‘s the perfect example of what happens when you have a lot of time on your hands and then logic goes for a walk!
[Cnet]
Artist creates music from humans with the Humanthesizer
Who would’ve thought our body parts can be used to create music? Electronic musician Calvin Harris and Sony Music UK have jointly created the Humanthesizer with the use of and Bare conductive body ink. The ink was put on 15 bikini clad women to create a giant human synthesizer capable of playing Harris's latest single, Ready For The Weekend. The performers stood on the pads and touched each other on the hands or body to complete a circuit and trigger a sound. Harris had his hands painted with the ink and played the main keyboard line and effects by interacting with a row of eight girls. The rhythmic portions of the track were played by seven dancers by performing a carefully choreographed routine. Watch the video to believe what I am saying. Its pure genius!
AromaUSB- aroma dispenser on a USB
Just when you though USB devices couldn’t get any funkier, AromaUSB has made its appearance. Just plug it in your computers USB port and this device dispenses a fragrance to get rid of all the odd smells around your work station. It doesn’t have any memory though and is available in lavender, lemongrass, and orange fragrance. The AromaUSB is completely customizable from color to shape. In case you're looking for a luxury scented drives, visit Scent-Drive.com to choose from a number of USB drives with memory.
[Gearlog]
Treeson on a USB flash drive
Remember Treeson? The brainchild of Bubi AuYeung, a Hong Kong-born illustrator and graphic designer, who created this unique creature with an environmental cause? For the uninitiated, the story is that Treeson was raised by the trees in the forest and stabbed in the chest with a tree branch when the logger tried to cut down the tree that raised him. After being wounded, he met Ren, his only human friend, who he became his best friend. Treeson and Ren were not very popular with the local kids, but they kept each other company and tried to save the trees in the city from being cut down by humans to put up more buildings. Phew! That’s a long story! Bubi AuYeung has since created many Treeson toys and storylines, all of which underline the importance of nature and the danger humans pose to the flora of the world. She has now brought Treeson to a limited edition USB flash drive priced at $39. This flash drive has a 1 GB capacity, Hi-speed USB 2.0 Mac/PC compatible and comes in a clear box.
Babushka doll photo frames, art or clutter?
Gone are the days when photo frames were rectangular and boring. Enter the Babushka photo frames. These white photo frames are shaped like the Babushka doll have a hole near the face to display the image of the person in the pictures. If I am not wrong, the makers intend to create the illusion of the Babushka doll, having the face of the person in the picture. Creepy I must say. And with the rest of the picture jutting out from the sides, it looks anything but cool. And what if there are too many people in the picture, how do you decide who gets to be the Babushka doll? I don’t know about you, but I feel these “cute” Babushka doll photo frame looks like clutter and nothing else. I would rather stick to my boring rectangular frames instead.
Old tapes and creativity= Tapeography
After CDs and MP3 players started ruling our lives, most of us have a stock of ABBA, Nirvana or Pink Floyd tapes stacked in the garage. Who would’ve though t these old tapes could be put to use, to make art? Turkish designer Ersinhan Ersin did just that and made art for old tapes what he very aptly calls “Tapeography”. This though occurred to Ersin as part of a school project about music and he carried the concept to a variety of projects to create letters, skulls and bones by rearranging the tape’s ribbon and pieces of the mechanics. Must be a very difficult task indeed! I am ready to give up my stack of cassettes for tapeography any day!
Convenience in a pink tie
Just when you though that mankind had invented every tool required for survival the Thomas Pink commuter tie has made an appearance. This 100% silk tie will give any office going guy an edge in that formal suit and also serve as storage to hold the MP3 player. These limited edition pieces are sold for $100 in Thomas Pink stores (or online) starting in September. Just one question though. Who will use a $100 tie to store an MP3 player, when they have the shirt and pant pockets to do the same? Even a two year old will do that!
Flower Robotics introduce automated mannequins
What would you do if you are checking out that super hot dress, and the mannequin suddenly moves? It’s a scary thought right? Well Flower Robotics thinks its cool idea and has made these automated mannequins called Palette that are making their presence known around the city. These mannequins are available in two styles, full body and upper torso Palette. They carry sensors that can detect people around them, turn towards them, and assume appropriate positions. If that hasn’t given you a heart attack yet, they also have an “intelligent system” that records audience reactions and helps them learn over time which poses are likely to generate a positive response. “Motion design software” also allows the person in charge to design and program a specific series of poses. It’s a very innovative thought I agree, but scaring shoppers in the process is a bit of a let down, don’t you think?
Texting can take a toll on the intelligence of teens
The number of people texting is growing every year and more and more teens are opting for this mode of communication. They have even developed a slang for longer words that are very widely acceptable these days. Some researchers have however claimed that this could be bad for the teens brains. Most phones today include the predictive text function that guesses the word after entering the first 2-3 alphabets. While this screams convenience for many, some researchers claim that it may stop teens from thinking.
