TFTS - Technology, Gadgets & Curiosities » Strange But True

Earn $25,000 Completing A Space Mission to Titan [Craigslist Ad Offers $25,000 For Astronaut, But There’s A (Fairly Big) Catch]

Andrew Tingle — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:16:22 +0000

If you’ve ever wanted to venture into space but have nerves of steel you may be interested in an ad that’s appeared on Craigslist seeking ‘someone unique’ who’s interested in taking a trip to Titan for a cool $25,000 – but there’s slight a catch (isn’t there always).
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Grant Fidelity Reference Tube CD-1000 CD Player [Ultra-Expensive Disc Player, Tube and Solid State Circuits, Tube Analog Output, Sounds Like My $15 Discman]

Robert Lesher — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:56:17 +0000

I love to poke fun at the companies out there that are toting really expensive versions of fairly cheap technology. There just seems to be something inherently wrong with someone telling me that a 32GB USB flash drive is worth $200 because some high-end car company has allowed them to emblazon it with their logo. Please. The same goes for audio companies like Grant Fidelity that are clearly trying to convince people that a technology that has been around for decades (might as well be eons in the world of electronics) is worth spending thousands of dollars on when you can get what boils down to the same gear for orders of magnitude less. That being said, it is my duty and great honor to bring you the latest overpriced CD player, the Grant Fidelity Reference Tube CD-1000, a.k.a. The Impression II. (...)
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The Sonic Chair Gets a 20″ iMac Touch Upgrade

Piyush — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:32:17 +0000

What do you get when you marry a strange looking piece of furniture with a multimedia device? You get the Sonic Chair and should you wish to buy it, be prepared to shell out in excess of $10,000 for it. The Sonic Chair is a concept piece shaped like a speaker and YOU get to sit inside the speaker. The base of the chair is a stainless steel pedestal used for cable management as well as support and the body is made from very high quality leather with suede microfiber lining.

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The Hitch, Designed By Robert Nightingale, Is A Conceptual Nightmare!

Bo — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:59:12 +0000

Hmmm … it’s not often I start a review with those words but then this invention is making me ponder somewhat into the mind of the designer/inventor, like … is he on drugs??? The “Hitch” is an object that was borne in the mind of someone nuts or simply sporting a grand sense of humour.

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This Air Hog Zero Gravity R/C Will Drive You Up The Wall – Literally!

Bo — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 21:39:46 +0000

We’ve all heard the saying, “Driving me up the wall!” which is something your sibling or boss can do to you … but now you can literally drive up the wall by yourself! That’s right … The Air Hog Zero Gravity R/C defies all that we know from our good friend, Newton!

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Smencils? Smelly Pencils? Yup! And I’m So Excited!

Bo — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:06:11 +0000

Ok … So I know I get excited about the wierdest stuff imaginable but I am in heaven again!!! I’m a designer during the day and LOVE my pencils and one of my youngest memories is smelling my pencils and getting a warm fuzzy feeling inside knowing that this would be my destiny. 24 years later enter Smencils!

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Get Your Grubby Fingers On The Cadaver USB Flash Drive. You Know Your Morbid Curiosity Wants To!

Bo — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 01:50:17 +0000

A little gory perhaps … but perfect for the upcoming Halloween holidays! The USB Cadaver finger is perfect for those Goths, arty types and anyone with morbid curiosity etched into their psyche.

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TA-DA!!! Presenting Ice-Cream In A Ball! Play While You Make Your Favourite Desert With The Play & Freeze™ Ice Cream Maker

Bo — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:40:11 +0000

Bar from buying ice-cream at the shops, it has always been a mission and a half to make the ice-cold creamy concoction, until now that is. The Play & Freeze™ Ice Cream Maker has changed the way we will think of ice-cream forever.

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German Inventor Develops Miracle AR 1 Stealth Paint Having Given Up On Worm Excrement Project [Will Come in Beige, Probably]

Andrew Tingle — Sun, 04 May 2008 11:01:11 +0000

According to reports surfacing in the German press, a German inventor by the name of Werner Nickel, who was initially working in the United Arab Emirates on a project that employed worm excrement to grow radishes in the desert (we couldn’t make this stuff up if we tried) has developed a stealth paint, known merely as AR 1, that has confounded the experts who have confirmed that Nickel’s stealth paint does indeed work, but they’re not exactly sure why.

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Conceptual Darth Vader Helmet Gives Tantalising Glimpse into a Curiously More Modern Vader

Andrew Tingle — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 23:42:04 +0000

Whilst it would be all too easy to view this Conceptual Darth Vader Helmet, realised by Kropserkel Design, as a refreshingly modern take on Darth Vader’s Helmet, the somewhat surprising fact is that, though it undoubtedly looks more modern than the original as featured in the cult sci-fi Star Wars films, this work is actually based on Ralph McQuarrie’s original illustrations that subsequently evolved into Vader as we know him today.

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Not so Rock ‘n’ Roll Tattoo Sleeves

Andrew Tingle — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 12:09:52 +0000

You either love or hate tattoos but there’s no denying that they seem to have become rather fashionable of late. But if you are not prepared to go under the needle or are concerned that you partner/parents will disown you should you get a tattoo then this tattoo sleeve could provide you with a great deal of fun.

The Tattoo Sleeves are, in essence, tight fitting nylon skins that you wear on your arms that give the impression that your arms are entirely covered in tattoos and, whilst they’re actually rather crass, it could be interesting to see what the aforementioned partner/parents thinks when they see you appear in a T-shirt wearing these. (Of course, for the full effect, remember to spit on the ground/wall/ceiling at random intervals whilst engaging in any subsequent no doubt heated conversations).

The Tattoo Sleeves are available in four styles – eye balls, skull, snake and tiger – and can be purchased from this online retailer for £9.95 ($18.86).

Bid for Jessica Simpson’s Used Chewing Gum

Andrew Tingle — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 14:29:05 +0000

If you’re a fan of Jessica Simpson and you have no life whatsoever, you may be interested to know that you can now bid to own a piece of gum as chewed by her on the set of Employee of the Month.

At the time of writing the bid is presently standing at $255 with a few days to run and though I really don’t see the point in this, the seller claims that as it is perfectly genuine it will therefore contain Jessica’s DNA – thus, with a touch of cloning, you can own your very own Jessica. And, it has to be said, that whilst $250 for a piece of chewed gum seems rather steep to me, I would not be completely averse to paying the equivalent sum for my own Jessica – would you?

If you have one of those children’s science kits at home it’s time to sterilize those test tubes, get Bunsen burner at the ready and start bidding via this Ebay page.

Virtual Air Guitar Shirt

Andrew Tingle — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 13:04:13 +0000

For those of you who like nothing better than to pump up the volume of your music centre and strut about the room with your air guitar, culminating in trying to crowd surf your sofa, this could be a dream come true.

Thanks to the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) you may soon be able to wear a shirt that uses sensors around the elbow and sleeves to detect your movements and relay them to a computer which will create the appropriate stadium shattering sound.

And if this isn’t rock ‘n’ roll enough for you, you’ll be interested to know that the technology is also being used to develop virtual tambourine playing – and, of course, as all rock aficionados already know, the tambourine is very much the unsung hero of all guitar and heavy rock bands.

You can read more about this as well as other technological developments at CSIRO via this link.

Season Shot – Ammo with Flavour

Andrew Tingle — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 16:46:46 +0000

Bizarrely, thanks to a US company, the hunters amongst you will soon be able to season their kills on point of impact with ammo that impregnates the bird with a range of pre-seasoned, flavoured shot. And, as the shot is edible and melts when in the oven, it does not require the tedious removal associated with the use of regular shot.

Available in a range of mouth watering flavours, from Cajun to Honey Mustard, Lemon Pepper to Teriyaki, Season Shot also happens to be fully biodegradable and so is completely environmentally friendly (though obviously not quite as friendly towards the intended target).

No word as to when Season Shot will become commercially available or regarding cost, however, if you want to gain further information concerning this product you can visit the official site via this link.

Antonio Riello’s Ladies Weapons

Andrew Tingle — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 01:24:38 +0000

Weapons, one could reasonably argue, are rather masculine in nature so it is good to see that, in these times of improving gender equality, designer Antonio Riello has taken it upon himself to redress the balance somewhat by producing a series of “Ladies Weapons”.

Though these weapons are not for resale as yet – they are conceptual pieces – I can think of many women who I know who would find these items particularly appealing – which is perhaps something, in itself, that should be of concern.

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Automated Church Collections Kiosk

Andrew Tingle — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 22:32:51 +0000

The days of a collection bowl being passed around a church’s congregation may well be numbered, at least if the American company SecureGive has anything to do with it as they have developed an automated kiosk that will not only accept donations by credit card but that that will even allow for tax-deductible contributions.

Based on a system running Windows XP, each kiosk is hooked up to the internet via a broadband connection so as to allow the processing of card donations as well as the logging of all transactions which will facilitate each church in maintaining full financial records as well as actively monitoring all of its congregation’s contribution habits.

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Smart Cars that Bite!

Andrew Tingle — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 09:39:16 +0000

Whilst the Smart car will never hold quite the appeal of the super, trophy cars, there’s no denying that, certainly as far as those in heavily urbanised areas are concerned, the Smart car offers a great degree of practicality – not least because you can virtually park it in a matchbox.

But what happens when a group of determined mechanics get their hands on one? The answer is simple: you get a Smart Car that bites. As a homage to this undeniably cute, motorised roller-skate – a car that has proven that small can be cool – I present you with the following videos and pictures of modified Smart Cars which, if you have not seen them before, are well worth a view. After all, there is something curiously satisfying about seeing a Smart Car out race a Ferrari, isn’t there.

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The Case of “Hung Electric”

Andrew Tingle — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:41:16 +0000

Some things shouldn’t be funny, but somehow, much against your better judgement, they just are. This news item, released today by news network Reuters, is a classic case in point.

A Vietnamese man, Nguyen Van Hung, who appeared on the national television network showing how he could withstand massive electric shocks has died from electrocution. The man, nicknamed “Hung Electric”, who used to amuse his work colleagues by sticking his fingers into a live electricity socket, was working to repair a generator without switching off the power supply when he received the fatal shock.

Wacky USB Memory Sticks

Andrew Tingle — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 10:15:43 +0000

The USB memory stick has rapidly become a d’ rigour accessory of late. No longer considered merely a toy for geeks, the sheer versatility of the USB memory stick has seen its sales escalate considerably as we look to carry more and more data about with us, whether it be spreadsheets and presentations for work or video clips to show friends.

With the popularity of these devices on the rise, and the cost of memory on the fall, it is inevitable that some have looked to offer memory sticks that are a little out of the ordinary and, in this post, we’ll take a brief look at some of the more curious manifestations on offer – which may get you noticed, though not necessarily for being a style icon.

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Kick Start Your Day with Caffeinated Soap

Andrew Tingle — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 07:18:57 +0000

As our lives become evermore hectic one cannot have failed to notice the increasing availability of products which are designed specifically to keep us alert and active for longer periods of time.

From caffeine tablets to high energy drinks, it seems that many of us are turning to products that offer us a boost during the day, whether at work or play.

Now, if popping caffeine tablets and guzzling back taurine drinks isn’t enough you can even start your day with a specially formulated caffeine enriched soap, known as Shower Shock, offering 200 milligrams of caffeine per wash (based on average usage). By way of comparison, the average cup of filtered coffee contains 100mg caffeine per small cup.

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The World’s Most Expensive Pen

Andrew Tingle — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 16:24:35 +0000

Sold in the exclusive Harrods store in London, UK, the “La Modernista Diamonds” pen went for a cool $265,000. Designed by the Swiss company Caran d’Ache, and created in memory of the modernist architect Antonio Gaudi, the solid silver pen boasts an 18-carat Rhodium-coated gold nib and is set with a total of 5,072 Wesselton diamonds weighing in at 20-carats, as well as and 96 rubies totalling 32-carats.

The pen was hand made by master jeweller Robert Perron and took six months to complete.

The Big Maoi Tissue Dispenser

Andrew Tingle — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 14:20:46 +0000

Is this the height of bad taste? The Big Maoi Tissue Dispenser stands at 34cm tall and is moulded from heavy resin. Simply load the dispenser with a regular box of tissues in the back of the statue’s head and then, whenever you need a tissue, you pull one out from the statue’s nostrils.

Featured on the I Want One of Those website, what discerning style guru could possibly be without one?

Thankfully I have never considered myself to be especially stylish – and I see no reason to start now.

Man Disqualified for “Abusing his Equipment”

Andrew Tingle — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 17:52:08 +0000

Organisers of the Bubble Baba Challenge Tournament in St. Petersburg, Russia, which sees its participants having to cross the Vuoksa River on inflatable, latex sex dolls, should really have seen it coming.

Following complaints during this years event, they had to disqualify one of the entrants on the grounds of him “abusing his equipment” when he was caught trying to have sex with his vessel.

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