Looking back at Ford's EV past, forward to the 2012 Focus Electric and a 2013 plug-in hybrid

Hmm, I thought my Mini was small... lol.

Looking back at Ford's EV past, forward to the 2012 Focus Electric and a 2013 plug-in hybrid: "

Did you know that Ford's first electric car, the Comuta, was released way back in 1967? It was a perfectly goofy looking thing, with a top speed of 37mph and a range of 40 miles -- if you didn't go near that top speed. More of a concept than anything, only a handful were made available for sale, and at this point it certainly looks like the company's immediate plans for EVs are similarly conservative. DailyTech pulled together an analysis of Ford's future offerings in the electric and plug-in hybrid space and it's obvious the Blue Oval is taking its time making sure the EV water is warm before jumping in. First up is the Transit Connect, a 100 mile range electric van intended for fleet use and, with a price well north of $30,000, not expected to sell in droves. Next will be the Focus Electric, due next year and, while this one will be substantially cheaper and more consumer-friendly, Ford execs expect it too will have low demand.

The primary reason for this is that Ford still believes that pure EVs are not ready for mainstream adoption, with battery technology unable to provide reliable power at the range of temperatures people actually want to go somewhere. The Focus Electric mitigates this with both liquid heating and cooling, but for now the company thinks the best mix is a traditional, power-split hybrid, where the gas engine can drive the wheels if the batteries can't cope. That's unlike the Chevy Volt, which is only driven by batteries. To this end Ford has a new, mystery plug-in hybrid vehicle coming in 2012. What kind of car? All we know is it's 'not a Focus.' That can mean only one thing: F-350 Super Duty PHEV edition.

[Photo credit: Ford Motor Company]

Dolphin Earphones

Not as cute as my duckie earphones....

But they're still cute.

Dolphin Earphones: "

Some people prefer to have top of the line sound accessories that only deliver the most crisp of sounds. However, for the most part I don’t really feel the need to spend a small fortune on earphones, earbuds, headphones and every other sound device destined to be jammed in your ears. Usually I go for comfort, but I do also like ones that fit my tastes. If you like cute little dolphins, then you’re in luck.

Dolphins are one of those animals that seems to be loved by mostly females, I don’t know of a lot of guys that have dolphin figurines lying around. However, it does come in blue if you are a male that enjoys dolphins or a female that doesn’t really want the pink version of these. They come from Brightonnet and the shipping alone may require that you sacrifice a decent chunk of your paycheck.

Carnegie Mellon making robotic snake

Carnegie Mellon making robotic snake: "

Nothing that I like more than robots, and we have reported on a lot of interesting ones.

This one is under development at Carnegie Mellon’s Biorobotics Lab, and it bears a resemblance to the Omnitread. That was a snake-like robot with treads on it like a train, designed to slip into small places.

This robot lacks the treads, but looks like it could creep into small places. In other words, it really is like a snake, and it can even climb trees. It is able to climb a tree with a specific trunk width of 1 meter off the ground. I have a video of it climbing a tree, and it looks kind of creepy.

Apparently, they want to make robots that can climb thicker and taller trees. This is, of course, there is a market for robots like this.

In addition to the Omnitread, this also reminds me of the Tentacle Robot that is under development by the U.S. Military.

I guess one day we will see a day when a building collapses, and these robot snakes will be all over the wreckage, searching for survivors. Man, that is just a weird image from a weird science-fiction movie. Still, I can’t help but think that robot snakes are just pretty cool.

Philips want you to have your cake and eat it, too

For those of us who just can't live without fried foods....

Philips want you to have your cake and eat it, too: "

In this case, it won’t be cake, but french fries. Everyone knows that a basket of freshly cooked fries are superb to the palate, but they certainly aren’t the healthiest food to have if you’re trying to do something about your health. Philip’s Airfryer is different, however, as it requires “little or no oil” in order to perfectly cook a bunch of delicious golden french fries. Sounds impossible? Well, Philips must have taken Adidas’ slogan to heart, ensuring that impossible is nothing in this case. Having been unveiled at IFA, the Airfryer will be able to cook certain foods with just a touch of oil, although which food can be ‘fried’ oil-free have not been revealed yet as well as its methodology. We’re looking at the use of “Rapid Air technology to circulate hot air around a grill component, creating delicious meals with up to 80% less fat” according to Philips.

Foreign Flick Fridays

This movie hits a little close to home.  It's not exactly the same situation at home but since I'm currently living at home, I see how my folks are with each other and after 40 years of marriage.  I'm not currently married and I probably will never find someone to be with or someone crazy enough to want to stick around for more than a year so I guess I will never know how this really feels like.

Labor Day Weekend y'all.  Have a good one and enjoy the "not so hot" weather we're having.  I'm planning on enjoying some 'cue with the folks.  Ahh, the life of a spinster.

Two People Under the Same Roof

Zhu Wei, a psychologist who is always bound up with his work, and takes responsibility for his patients.  His wife Lin Xiao is an advanced nutrition consultant, she works in a foreign company and pursues and high quality life.  On the 20th anniversary of their marriage, Lin Xiao expected heartily a surprise from her husband, but Zhu Wei was so busy with his work that he forgot their anniversary totally, which aggravated Lin Xiao beyond endurance, she decided to divorce.

Hello Kitty Monopoly

I think I might have to put this on my Christmas list.

Hello Kitty Monopoly: "

Just when you thought that there are no more iterations of the classic Monopoly game, along comes the Hello Kitty Monopoly that will star the irritatingly cute Hello Kitty and friends, featuring 22 properties from Hello Kitty’s hometown of London. Strange, we always thought that she originated from Japan, but guess that she can be whoever she wants to be, being a global superstar diva and all that. As usual, you can opt to enjoy the game in the traditional Monopoly way, or use the 60-minute speed play option instead. At $39.99 a pop, we’re guessimg that only hardcore Monopoly players/collectors won’t mind having a go – of course, don’t rule out Hello Kitty fans either, but most of the other ordinary folk out there will probably give this a miss considering how Monopoly is still Monopoly regardless of the “skin” you see on the outside. Since this is a custom edition Monopoly, nearly every element of the game has been redesigned, ranging from Properties to Money, Houses, Hotels, Community Chest, Chance, Utilities, Railroads and Tokens.

Hello Kitty iPod Dock

For those of you who can't seem to get enough Kitty in your life. Hehe.

Hello Kitty iPod Dock: "

I can’t say that I’ve ever quite understood the Hello Kitty trend. However, I am a big believer in companies offering several docks and speakers to fit a wide range of tastes. You shouldn’t be stuck with a plain black set of speakers if you’re a pink and white fanatic. Those of you that are into Hello Kitty or have a relative that is can pick up this dock for a not too bad price.

It comes in white as well as an all over pink version. This Japanese dock has surface mounting technology and lossless energy amplication technology. It offers 360-degree sound output that’ll keep it from sounding like a novelty speaker that you just picked up because it featured your favorite cat. It quite obviously features an iPod dock, but you can also plug other audio devices in through the stereo output. You can pick one of these up for 14,800 yen or about $175.

Source: Gizmodiva

Babel Fisk: Read what you are hearing

Only if these things weren't so ugly... lol. I know the geek chic look is in but, uh, these are not so chic if you ask me.

Babel Fisk: Read what you are hearing: "

There have been many advancements in speech-to-text in the last few years. I’m sure that I’ll probably speaking these posts instead of typing them in the next few years, provided I’m not disturbing others in the room.

I’m sure that the hearing impaired would most benefit from speech to text technology, and this is what the Babel Fisk is supposed to do.

Designed by Mads Hindhede, the Babel Fisk has microphones built into the frame in order to pick up the voice of a person in the line of sight, and then an embedded speech-to-text program will create the text that is projected inside of the lenses.

You can even program it to record the text to a flash memory card for later use. So you can literally record everything that you hear as a text file.

The name of Babel Fisk is clearly a tip of the hat to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. In that classic science-fiction satire, the characters had this tiny fish that they stuck in their ear known as a babel fish that could somehow miraculously translate any language spoken. Fisk apparently means “fish” in Danish.

Of course, this just has to be concept technology, and I’m not certain how well this would work, honestly. I mean, if you are with someone who is talking to much, would you literally be blinded by words?

Mo-nay

So this is what I do at work when I'm bored... notice the roach clip holding the elephant.  Ahem, wha? Who said that?

Sink And Urinal In One

Err, yeah. I wasn't so sure about this too but it sure does save space.

Sink And Urinal In One: "

At first I wasn’t the most thrilled over the idea of someone peeing and washing your hands in the same place. Honestly, once you really think it through although it is odd, it would save on space and spending money on multiple fixtures in bathrooms. Plus, it couldn’t be much more unsanitary than washing your hands right next to the toilet, which is the case in most bathrooms.

On the bottom of it all is a urinal then up top is the sink. The water that you use to wash your hands is used to wash out the urinal. With that extra design quality it’ll help to save on water, which could really cut down on the bill for any large establishment like a restaurant. This was a iF Concept Design winning entry and for good reason. It was designed by Yeongwoo Kim.

Foreign Flick Fridays

Ahh, it's the rich and poor class issue again.  I have not watched this yet but will over the weekend.  I'm going to try to do a Monday Review from now on but depending on what the weekends look like I might skip over it.  Please feel free to leave any comments on the movies I've posted.  Have a nice weekend y'all!

Viva Cuba

In a tale akin to "Romeo and Juliet," the friendship between two friends is threatened by their parents' differences.  Malu is from an upper-class family and her single mother does not want her to play with Jorgito, as she thinks her background coarse and commonplace.  Jorgito's mother, a poor socialist proud of her family's social standing, places similar restrictions on her son .  What neither mother realizes is the the immense strength of the bond...

Babyoom adapts as your baby grows

Nice... only if we could all afford that. I would definitely invest if I had it like that.

Babyoom adapts as your baby grows: "

Buying items for babies is not only expensive, but in some ways feels absolutely pointless. It’s great for the baby while it’s an infant, but they only stay that small for a very brief amount of time. Then you’re stuck shopping for toddler accessories and after that it’s the preschool stage. It would be far nicer if that small fortune you spent in the beginning actually lasted a little while. Thankfully, some companies have started to create items that will adapt with the changes your child goes through. One adaptable design is the Babyoom.

The babybuggy will work up until the child turns three and doubles as a car seat. Then once they’re a bit too big for the buggy it transforms into a tricycle, which the child will be able to enjoy for several years. After they’ve grown tired of that it turns into a shopping cart. I know, it’s a slightly strange thing for it to turn into in the end. In my part of the world stores have plenty of carts available on site, but I haven’t been everywhere, so maybe there’s an area where people bring their own shopping carts. That or it could just be you want a shopping cart that is actually sanitary.

Five Ways A Girl Can Make Her Guy Comfortable With Girls Night Out

I've been following this blog for a while and for some reason I thought this post was particularly funny. It's written by a writer named Jozen Cummings.  Some of his opinions on the relationship between men are women are interesting.  You can follow his blog here:  Until I Get Married.

I think because it shows how men really do feel when we go out with the girls...

Five Ways A Girl Can Make Her Guy Comfortable With Girls Night Out: "

Girls night out is every guy’s nightmare. Trust me when I tell you. No man likes it when his woman is getting all dressed up to go and hang out with her girlfriends surrounded by a bunch of other guys who are not us.

I know we may act like we want our girl to hang out with her girlfriends, but really, it makes us nervous. Especially for men like me who know if they haven’t already gotten what’s coming to them for our trifling past, it soon come. Yes, we will encourage a woman to go out and have a good time and try to act like we can use the space too, but honestly, we’d much rather her go take a walk to anywhere but a bar or a lounge.

So now that I have divulged this little secret, allow me to suggest a solution as to how to make girls night out a comfortable night for the man in her life. Actually, make that five suggestions.

DO IT DURING BIG GAMES

Especially during football season, depending on the team a man roots for, there are some great opportunities for a woman to make plans with her girls. Don’t get me wrong, I love a woman who can sit down and watch a game with me, but I’m never mad at the woman who says she’s going to do her own thing during the time the game is on. That shows she’s thinking. What shows she is not thinking? Going out with her girls on a night where nothing is on television for me to watch. I mean, come on, ladies! Everyone knows Friday night television hasn’t been good since they canceled Full House and Family Matters! Why don’t women think about these things? Now I’m over here pacing the floor, looking out the window every time I see some headlights flash all while watching ESPN News loop the same highlight reel over and over again.

AT DINNER, SHE NEEDS TO CALL AND ASK HIM IF HE WANTS HER TO BRING ANYTHING HOME

The other night I was at a restaurant, sitting not too far from a group of women who were clearly doing their own version of girl’s night out. One of them got on her cell phone, dialed her man’s number and said, “Hey sweetie, I’m here at this restaurant, do you want me to bring you anything home?” I wanted to kill the man on the other end of the phone and marry that woman myself.

Aside from the obvious common courtesy a woman demonstrates when she calls up her man and asks him if he wants her to bring anything home, this gesture is also somewhat of an insurance policy for men. It’s a way of saying, “No matter what happens tonight, I’m coming home to my man.” Besides, I also know no man wants to talk to the girl carrying the to-go container of food, especially if it’s one of those pungent dishes. So yes, I absolutely will take the chicken yellow curry. Thanks, babe.

DON’T TEXT, CALL

When I said I wanted her to check in, that did not mean a text that says, “I’m here.” WOMAN, WHERE?! That’s how I would respond. I want to hear where a woman is, not get a sense from the text. See, women don’t do this and that’s how they end up with tracking devices on their phone unknowingly (kidding). Besides, why wouldn’t a woman want to call her man to tell her where she’s at. How else is she going to know where I’m…wait…on second thought, don’t call, text.

SHE SHOULD ACT LIKE SHE DOESN’T WANT TO GO OUT, LIKE SHE DIDN’T HAVE FUN

Before she leaves the house, the only thing I want to hear my woman talking about is how much she is dreading the upcoming festivities. Say things like, “I can’t believe my girl has me hitting these streets with her. I told her all I wanted to do was spend the night inside with my man. And then I lost a bet. Can you believe that baby?” I will believe it, because I’m gullible like that and a woman needs to take advantage of that by lying to me and acting like she doesn’t want to be with her girls at some spot where some other guys are giving her all this attention.

When she comes back from going out, again, she need not act like she had a good time. It’s all good to come in and make all this noise as she changes out of her club clothes into her night clothes. I don’t mind waking up to that sound. But if she comes back in humming, “Let me hear you say ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah…” I’m going off, and it’s not for waking me up.

SHE NEEDS TO GIVE HER MAN SOME…RIGHT BEFORE SHE LEAVES

And when I say right before, I mean, grabbing the keys, three steps from walking out the door, right before. I want to do it when her hair is done, the makeup is applied, and the heels are on. And we don’t even have to lay down. We can stay standing. But yes, we need to do this right now, and she needs to text her friends that she will be outside in three minutes. Three minutes later, I give her a kiss and simply say, “Have fun with your girls. Don’t forget to call. I mean, text.”

Hello Kitty Nerd Kitty MIMOBOT

Oh! My wants are hurting me!

Hello Kitty Nerd Kitty MIMOBOT: "

Who would have thought that something as cute and sweet like Hello Kitty could actually be turned into another geeky product? Enter the Hello Kitty Nerd Kitty MIMOBOT, one of the latest MIMOBOT flash drives to join the family. Retailing for $34.95 a pop, she will throw away her make up kit as well as pretty accessories, and will instead come decked out in thick-rimmed black spectacles, a pocket protector, and a checkered bow on her head. Nerd Kitty could very well be the more studious alter ego of the pasty complexioned Hello Kitty, and in line with her personality, she will be debuting at San Diego Comic Con 2010. She will come in 2GB, 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities which will cost you $24.95, $34.95, $54.95 and $79.95, respectively. Here’s to seeing a Nerd version of Dear Daniel in due time…

Steelcase Node desk chairs: Just in time for back-to-school

Now only if the Board of Ed would spend money on cool stuff kids wouldn't mind going to school so much. Least it would be a more pleasant environment.

Steelcase Node desk chairs: Just in time for back-to-school: "

Where I live, school is beginning. The day that most kids have been dreading is here, where they will find their assigned seat for the next 8 months.

I remember when I was going to school, there was always the issue with desks. There were always teachers that would probably die if they came to class and found the desks screwed to the floor, as they would move their desks randomly in weird rows, clumps, and, my personal favorite, the giant circular formation.

Steelcase Node must have made these specialized desks for those type of teachers. As you can see, every desk has wheels for easy movement, and can swivel so the student is always facing the teacher.

You will also note that there is ample space underneath for baggage. After all, a modern-day student often carries a laptop and laptop bag, and they can take up a lot of space, especially with a stack of textbooks.

You will also note that the desks come in all sorts of colors. Considering that most of the schools I went to in my youth always had manila colored tabletops, this is a diverse and welcome change.

My Source doesn’t have a price on these desks. I’m sure if there are too expensive, then you won’t see them in most classrooms.

Outlet shows a little love for USB gadgets

But when are they going to start selling these stupid things??? Sheesh!

Outlet shows a little love for USB gadgets: "

The more you use gadgets that require a USB port to receive a charge, the more it’s probably going to die before you can get to a computer. I’ve become more and more reliant on my iPod and now that I switched to a radio without a dock in my kitchen, my iPod is constantly dead. I’m really starting to consider making it possible for my outlets to be able to work with a USB connector. Thankfully I’m not the only one, this designer has designed an attractive and handy solution.

It’s nothing fancy, but it doesn’t stand out as an eyesore and it’ll solve a lot of your problems. It’s just always better to have multiple areas that you can charge up your gadgets. After this concept created by a team from Zhejiang University of Technology in China, all you’ll need are some ports in your car to really finish things off. Sadly right now this is a concept. Plus, unless you have a European plug, you’re out of luck even if this outlet does get created.

RYNO is one wheeled Segway, again

I don't care if they say it's self balanced, clumsy people like me will STILL fall on my ass.... hehe.

RYNO is one wheeled Segway, again: "

For some reason reason, there has been an excess of one wheeled vehicles like the Honda U3-X, the PUMA by GM and Segway, as well as the eniCycle.

So, why should I report on the RYNO? Well, you can see from the video here that, from the back, this looks just like someone who is riding a motorcycle.

Seriously, if I was behind a person riding the RYNO on the freeway, I would probably just think: “oh, it is a guy (or girl) on a motorcycle”. Then if he or she were to turn a corner, I probably would say: “hey, that thing has just one wheel!”

This is actually the reason why I like the RYNO. I think that the Segway has this reputation of being sort of white and nerdy. If you don’t believe me, just listen to the song “White and Nerdy” by Weird Al Yankovic.

However, the fact that I was able to mistake a RYNO for a cool motorcycle, even if it is only from behind, is a testimony to balanced vehicles everywhere.

I’m not certain if this RYNO is going to be mass-marketed, or if it simply a concept vehicle of some kind. Either why, I would love to know what RYNO is supposed to stand for. Perhaps it is not an acronym, but just put in all caps to make it sound cool like vitamin water is in all lower case letters.

Source

Dell Aero available today for $100 with AT&T contract

You know, being a techie, I never thought to read upon this device. I might have to take a stroll over to the AT&T store to play with this and see how it is.

Dell Aero available today for $100 with AT&T contract: "

We'd actually kind of assumed this thing had been deep-sixed as faster, better phones have passed it by all summer long, but nay: Dell's Aero is finally in the land of the living. You can score the 3.5-inch 640 x 360 Android phone today with two-year AT&T contract for $99.99, though only through Dell's interwebs -- it's still "coming soon" to AT&T's site. Features include 2GB of onboard storage with microSD expansion, triband 3.6Mbps HSDPA and quadband EDGE, a 5 megapixel cam, and a 3.67-ounce claimed weight that makes it "one of the lightest" Android devices money can buy. Follow the break for the full press release.

Update: After checking with Dell, we've learned that the Aero is indeed still running Android 1.5, though the company is quick to note that it's actually a 'superset' with a 'tremendous amount of customization' with features like handwriting recognition and Facebook baked into the platform. We'd argue Dell still has a bit to learn from HTC on how to iterate its customizations as quickly as Google can pump out Android versions -- but maybe they'll figure it out by the time the Thunder comes out.

Continue reading Dell Aero available today for $100 with AT&T contract

Bathtub with hidden storage

For those who just have no space at all...

Bathtub with hidden storage: "

Anyone that has every looked at an uninstalled bath tub has seen the insane amount of unused space. Underneath of those tubs is just air and the same along those walls of the tub in most cases. Well one company decided to actually use that space for something constructive. Instead of leaving them as open air, there are hidden compartments on this Stowaway Bathtub.

I really hope that the compartments are heavily sealed off to prevent water from spilling in when you have a little kid that gets a little overexcited with their game of battleship. The compartments can hold all sorts of toiletries or extra supplies for your bathroom. It’d be great for a bathroom that is a little short on size. These GW International creations are supposed to start hitting stores right on the first of September. I imagine they won’t be cheap, but they would be pretty handy.

Snazzy Napper is here!

Haha, I guess it's better than using the disgusting stinky blanket they give you on the plane. Come to think of it, don't they make you pay for that now??? Maybe paying more for business class IS worth it. Sheesh.

Snazzy Napper is here!: "

Some of you might remember when we covered the Blue Travel Set a while ago. It is essentially a Snuggie with pockets in it for gadgets.

I found this particular Snuggie derivative that has been making a subtle splash on the Internet since last week.

This is the Snazzy Napper, and I have included an ad after the jump so you can see how to “Snazzy Nap”. Like the aforementioned Blue Travel Set, it has pockets for your gadgets.

As you can see, it fits over your head and partially covers your face, in order to block out sunlight that would otherwise disturb your rest. It also has a specially designed hole for your nose “for easy breathing”.

The basic version of the Snazzy Napper just covers your head and part of your chest, and it looks like it has this cute sheep design. In all honesty, I would have left it blank, but it costs about $14.99. I believe it is the $24.99 version that comes with a blanket and has the “Z-Z-Z” pattern on it.

Okay, now I would like a word from our readers. Would you actually wear a Snazzy Napper in public? I might be willing to wear one on an airplane, but only if I was sitting by a window seat. There, you could get a little bit of privacy. As for sitting on a bus or train with this thing on, then you might as well put a design on it that looks like a target.