StrobeLight
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Strobe lighting goggles shown to improve short-term memory, all-night ravers feel validated
Those goggles you see above aren't for stylish looks while playing dodgeball -- they're the keys to a potentially important discovery about short-term memory. Duke University's Institute for Brain Sciences found that subjects playing catch with goggles simulating strobe lights were noticeably better at memorizing information during tests, even a full day after playtime was over. It's not hard to see why: with a limited amount of time to see that incoming ball, participants had to more vividly remember brief scenes to stay on top of the game. We don't yet know if there's any kind of long-term boost, so don't get your hopes up that strobe lights are the shortcuts to permanent photographic memory. Still, the findings suggest that frequent nightclubbers might be on to something... or, at least, have a better idea of where they left their keys the morning after. [Image credit: Les Todd, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences]
Rock Band Stage Kit smoke machine and strobe light in pictures
GameStop leaked the existence of the $100 Rock Band Stage Kit back in January, and it's updated the listing with the first pictures we've seen of the included smoke machine and strobe light. The smoke machine looks fairly ordinary, but the light features controls so Rock Band vocalists can apparently blind themselves while making selections. The kit's listed with a ship date of August 15, but who knows if that's accurate -- and considering you can pick up a real fogger and strobe light sufficient to glam out your living room for all of $50, we're not exactly waiting on pins and needles.[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
HammerHead Tac-Strobe Flashlight: for police, military, and emergency raves
It's not every day you see a company lead off a product feature list with "Intrinsically Safe = No," but that's just what the folks at FoxFury have done with their new HammerHead Tac-Strobe Flashlight, and that just about makes it impossible for us to ignore. If that's not enough to sell you on it, however, you can rest assured that the flashlight also boasts a "highly stylized design," to say nothing of 320 lumens of brightness (or 4,019 candle power) and a "Turbo-Strobe" feature that promises to be "very disturbing" for anyone looking into the light. All that can be yours right now just under $300, with a weapon mount set to follow for an unspecified price in June.
FlashFog foils auto theft attempts with rave supplies
While it'd be tempting to use FlashFog's dance party-style rig of billowing fog and strobe lights to throw an instant rave, you may want to save it for when someone tries to jack your ride. The anti-theft device is triggered just like traditional car alarms, but substitutes repetitive sirens with a combination strobe and dense fog effect, sending burglars running (to the nearest club?) "in less than 20 seconds." If the perp's already inside when he sets off the system, he'll be greeted with a "terrifyingly bright" strobe flashing twelve times each second, "forcing his eyes into constant shock." Just make sure you don't accidentally set off the alarm yourself, especially if you have be somewhere on time. The fog takes 45 minutes to clear out, but on the bright side it won't kill you or ruin your clothes since FlashFog is nontoxic and leaves no residue.[Via, Wired]
