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funny posts

Houston newscaster dictates slide transitions, goes bowling with Wiimote

by Darren Murph posted Oct 28th 2009 at 3:14PM

We're not sure who's winning the ratings war in Houston, but we're going to give the upper-hand to KHOU based on these shots alone. As you can clearly see in the image above (and the enlarged versions there in the gallery), this newscaster is wielding a Wiimote. It's hard to say if the news station actually has their slide transitions setup to change with a swing of the controller, or if weather map zooming is handled with something typically used for gaming, but one thing's for darn sure -- lightning rounds of Wii bowling during commercial breaks are definitely happening.

[Thanks, Edmar]

Update: Whoa, looks like this was indeed the real deal. Check the details here!

Gallery: Houston newscaster dictates slide transitions, goes bowling with Wiimote

DIYer concocts homegrown View-Master, relies on HTC Magic and Google Street View (video)

by Darren Murph posted Oct 27th 2009 at 11:21AM

It's been far, far too long since we broke out the View-Master from the admittedly dusty toy chest, but now we're guessing it'll be at least a score before we get the urge again. Why, you ask? The View-Master 2009. These homegrown virtual reality goggles are surprisingly impressive despite their ragged look, and by utilizing some form of cardboard enclosure, an HTC Magic and Google Street View, the designer was able to mimic that "immersive" environment we've grown to know and never forget. Don't believe us? Have a look at the vid just past the break, and hang in there 'til the end if you're scouting a how-to guide.

Continue reading DIYer concocts homegrown View-Master, relies on HTC Magic and Google Street View (video)

Pocket steel drums aren't made of steel, aren't really drums (video)

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 15th 2009 at 4:52PM

You'd be surprised how many requests we get for more gadgets that help our readers celebrate their love of the Caribbean culture and music. Luckily for us, the kids at Vat19 are now hawking a mini steel drum set that seems like it just might do the trick (that is, if the 'trick' can be 'done' by putting more red, yellow, and green-colored crap on your desk). By all accounts, this thing is pretty unexceptional -- it'll let you bang out an 8 note major scale, let you record your performance, and that's about it. Hell, it doesn't even really sound like steel drums! But the distributor did manage to get it to play Just A Friend by the incomparable Biz Markie -- and in our eyes, that's definitely worth a mention. All the same, we're rather have the Stylophone Beatbox. Yours for $18.95. Video after the break.

[Via Engadget German]

Continue reading Pocket steel drums aren't made of steel, aren't really drums (video)

Stylophone Beatbox made interesting, desirable by superstar Brett Domino (video)

by Darren Murph posted Oct 14th 2009 at 9:17PM

The $25.50 Stylophone Beatbox doesn't look like much, and if it weren't for one Brett Domino and his partner in hip-hop crime Steven Peavis, we just might have continued about our lives without knowing of this thing's potential. Described as the ultimate street cred token for the average white boy, this diminutive box reacts to panel presses by dishing out the hottest beats this side of Compton. The result? An eclectic mix of melodic rap tunes, all beautifully re-rendered by Leeds' most handsome, talented and skilled resident. Hit the video after the break if you know what's good for ya, and feel free to fast forward to 1:33 before having your mind blown. Thug lyfe, y'all.

[Via Gizmodo]

Continue reading Stylophone Beatbox made interesting, desirable by superstar Brett Domino (video)

Video: Precision Urban Hopper leaps over fences, makes enemies cringe

by Darren Murph posted Sep 15th 2009 at 10:46AM

It's only been a few months since we heard from the whiz kids over at Boston Dynamics, and honestly, we've been waiting on pins and needles to see what miracle would emerge from its labs next. Said outfit has just been awarded a contract by Sandia to build the next generation of the Precision Urban Hopper, which will be a four-wheeled jumping robot that can navigate autonomously. When it rolls into battle, it'll also be equipped with a single jumping leg, giving it the ability to hop over fences, giant humans, Gort or anything else that's 25 feet tall. Best of all, testing and delivery is scheduled for late 2010, so if you were planning on getting on our bad side, you should probably have a look at the video past the break. Chances are you'll be second guessing that urge.

[Via TG Daily]

Gallery: Precision Urban Hopper leaps over fence, makes enemies cringe

Continue reading Video: Precision Urban Hopper leaps over fences, makes enemies cringe

Lanyu LY-EB01 is world's cheapest laptop with built-in obsolescence

by Vladislav Savov posted Aug 13th 2009 at 11:32AM

Step aside, World's Cheapest Laptop, Lanyu of China just undercut you -- and the magical $100 barrier -- with the 666 Yuan ($98) LY-EB01. This marketing marvel might have a processor slower than most netbooks' FSB at 266MHz, and its 128MB of RAM might spontaneously combust if you even type the word Vista into it, but it is, technically, a laptop. And you can totally store, like, a few hundred Word files on the 2GB flash drive. Having played around with the previous champ of the 'cheap 'n useless' weight class, we must at least congratulate Lanyu on a solid looking construction, and hey, apparently there's a chance for a release outside China. Aren't you excited?

[Via Cloned in China]

Caption Contest: Waterproof BlackBerry Storm doubles as flotation device

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Aug 10th 2009 at 6:06PM

Following hot on the heels of a similar outing from Samsung, it seems that RIM's finally wading into the oversized novelty smart phone market.

Josh T: "Even at that size, the Storm was still difficult to type on."
Tim: "HELLO? WHAT? NO I'M IN A SWIMMING POOL. YEAH, IT'S RUBBISH."
Darren: "Clickable touchscreen, huh? Riiiiiight."
Jacob: "I never thought the Storm could've been such a lifesaver."
Laura: "I'm not sure this is what people meant when they said RIM should try to make a BlackBerry that appeals to younger people."
Joe: "Looks like it's time to try out that 'rice bowl' trick."
Ross: "It's pretty rude of him to sit on those text messages all day."
Don: "Gotta watch out for those deep end roaming charges."
Nilay: "A U2 backstage pass is not what it used to be."
Chris: "Analysts say that the Storm's price is inflated and RIM's touchscreen support is still in its infancy."

London Calling Mobile Phone makes us long to be British

by Darren Murph posted Jul 18th 2009 at 6:02PM

You know those red K6 telephone boxes that are such an iconic and unmissable part of any stay in London? Yeah, that's the inspiration for the mobile you're peering at above, just in case you couldn't guess. The so-called London Calling Mobile Phone is a fully-functional handset, packing a color LCD, SMS and MMS functionality, tri-band GSM connectivity and pre-programmed ringtones that include "Rule Britannia" and "God Save the Queen." We'd continue swooning if we had to, but we're pretty sure you're already whipping the plastic out to make this happen. Check the backside after the break, and tap the read link to get your £85.95 ($141) pre-order in.

[Via Pocket-lint]

Continue reading London Calling Mobile Phone makes us long to be British

SmartSwipe helps you max out your Diners Club card without leaving the house

by Darren Murph posted Jul 14th 2009 at 12:42PM

Check it, big spenders. If you just can't get enough of that swipe-to-buy action seen prominently at most modern fuel pumps and McDonald's restaurants, why not bring the action back to your home turf? Available now in the wondrous United States of America, NetSecure's $99.95 SmartSwipe is a USB-enabled device that literally allows you to swipe your credit card in order to make online purchases. Reportedly, this device "scrambles and encrypts the user's credit card data before it reaches the user's computer or internet," thus making online shopping safe once and for all. If you're still confused, hop on past the break for a dead-serious infomercial. Trust us, it's a must-watch.

Continue reading SmartSwipe helps you max out your Diners Club card without leaving the house

Video: Grocery cart morphs into electric go-kart, insanity ensues

by Darren Murph posted Jul 1st 2009 at 9:33AM

We won't bother detailing just how sophisticated the system is that's powering the wild whip you're peering at above. We won't bother mentioning just how many A123Systems batteries are installed, nor how intelligent the creator is. We won't bother wearing our jealously on our sleeves. What we will do, however, is point you after the break in order to have a look at just how exhilarating a ride in the LOLrio Cart (otherwise known as an electric go-kart) is. Harris Teeter, you getting all this?

[Via AutoblogGreen]

Continue reading Video: Grocery cart morphs into electric go-kart, insanity ensues

Video: Stephen Colbert unveils the Microsoft XXbox

by Laura June posted Jun 20th 2009 at 6:24PM

Taking aim at Microsoft's recently unveiled Project Natal, Stephen Colbert unveiled a new-new console on The Colbert Report the other night. The XXbox (or Ex-Xbox, one of our readers cleverly pointed out) bests Natal's lack of controller by at least one point, lacking a console and games. For about 500 bucks, it sounds like a steal. But you know, we'll buy any new gadget. Video is after the break.

[Via Joystiq]

Continue reading Video: Stephen Colbert unveils the Microsoft XXbox

Full-fledged Atom PC finds home in toy Ferrari

by Darren Murph posted Jun 3rd 2009 at 9:44AM

This, folks, is the definition of oxymoron. Intel's Atom processors are just barely quick enough to serve our lowly needs; would anything other than a Core i7 975 Extreme Edition really be fitting here? Ah well, at least it's not playing back copies of pirated material while out on the show floor.

Microsoft Future: hallucinating icons will be an everyday occurrence

by Nilay Patel posted May 20th 2009 at 2:44PM

There's nothing like a cheesy tech company promo video to make us all feel all warm and fuzzy with the promise of amazing sci-fi tech to come, and Microsoft's Future vids are a pinnacle of the form, what with their vision of a pervasive natural computing interface. Of course, strident idealism is a ripe target for mockery, and the kids at Sarcastic Gamer are at it again, taking the piss out of the last Future spot with their own dysfunctional narration. Grins after the break!

[Thanks, Sean]

Continue reading Microsoft Future: hallucinating icons will be an everyday occurrence

Plain English Campaign wants to bring down walls of technobabble, rule the world

by Darren Murph posted Apr 28th 2009 at 10:55AM

So look, we fully understand that not everyone "gets" technology-related lingo -- we've had to walk our mums and dads through setting up a WLAN router with a WPA2 password and 1337 encryption many, many times. But this... this is just comical. Peter Griffiths, who we can only imagine looks and speaks exactly like Peter Griffin (pictured), is hoping that his Plain English Campaign can knock down the "walls of techobabble" by "pulling our heads out of the digital clouds and using plain English." Ironic, really, given that most of the technologically illiterate wouldn't know that a digital cloud actually refers to an off-site storage hub where information is exchanged. At any rate, it seems the campaign is pushing to have flummoxing terms such as digital TV, phone jack, desktop and dongle (yes, seriously) changed, or at worse, have them defined clearly in a dictionary that precisely no one would ever read.

Gold Bullion Wireless Mouse only looks like a million bucks

by Darren Murph posted Apr 9th 2009 at 2:06AM

Look, we fully understand the dilemma. You picked up a Pure*Gold PC late last year, and you've been tirelessly searching for a suitable mouse to use with it ever since. At long, long last, said device is finally upon us. Too comical for Crapgadget and too outlandish to be taken seriously, the Gold Bullion Wireless Mouse operates on practically any USB-enabled machine and is coated with precisely zero atoms of gold film. In other words, around 98 percent of the $34.68 asking price is for the looks alone, but you know it's worth it.

[Via technabob]