…although it works from the same principle in general.

So, back in May, I posted about the Bedfan…a fan that sucks cool air from under the bed and has a protruding vent that holds up the sheets at your feet and blows the air up towards your head. This so aptly named “Air Conditioned Bed” does the same thing, except that it pulls air from behind your head and through a cushion under your body to be expelled at your feet. It has three fan speeds and says it is very quiet. This would eliminate some of the worries I had about the Bedfan, with sucking up dust from under the bed and blowing it in your face. This one you never feel the direct air blowing on you, only a constant cooling effect from recirculated air under you. Very cheap to run (less than $0.24/month if used 8 hours a day) once you get past the initial cost of $399.

Product Info -Air Conditioned Bed-
Retrieved from -Gizmodo-

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…it appears so from an auction from Christie’s Auction House.

In 2003, a 20 sided die, normally used nowadays for Dungeons & Dragons games, went up for sale for $17,925. The die is made from green glass and has Roman markings on all sides. Researches have yet to determine what game this was used for, but I guarantee you that some rich Dungeons & Dragons afficianado is enjoying playing with this one in hopes that Caesar’s ghost can bring him luck!

Product Info -Christie’s Roman Dice-
Retrieved from -Gizmodo-

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…or can your rooms just be too small?

Last month, Samsung showed off their 82″ LCD TV at CES. We still use the largest tube TV for our HD, that being the Sony XBR 40″ behemoth that weighs in at 380 lbs. It is a standard ratio TV that has the lovely “black bars” at the top and bottom when watching DVDs. Since our den is about 25′ x 25′, we figure we have enough room to upgrade to a bigger TV when the day comes that our tube TV dies. Maybe then I won’t have to squint to see the picture. So, it seems like companies are slowly placing larger and larger TVs out on the market.

I mean, the 82″ TV is great and all, but I think I still prefer the 108″ Sharp Aquos version. I mean, who wouldn’t want a TV that is almost 8′ wide by 4.5′ tall? That would definitely feel like my own theater then!

Update: The latest news is that the 108″ Sharp Aquos LCD is selling for a measly $100,000. Sheesh, for that cost, just build a new theater room and get a projector.

Retrieved from -Engadget-
Retrieved from -Gizmodo-

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…but I could’t hold out any longer.

I skulk around on the Smart Car of America website to keep up to date on issues with the car and everyone’s general experiences. One user, Bob Diaz (I assume that is his name based on his forum ID), has generated a cost comparison spreadsheet showing the cost effectiveness of the majority of high MPG cars on the market now and how they will compare in the long run based on different mileage values. I am pleased to see that the smart car leads the pack even though it doesn’t get the highest MPG of all the cars listed. This proves all of those people saying that you can’t justify the cost of the Toyota Prius Hybrid or any other hybrid based on never being able to make up the cost over the life of the car. Plus, the one thing this spreadsheet doesn’t account for is the balloon price after 5 years for the battery hybrids to account for battery replacement. Even more thumbs up for the smart car!

I will apologize ahead of time. There will be a lot of data following this…but it’s all good info, I promise! The tables are as follows: cost comparison color chart, cost based on $2/gallon, $4/gallon, $6/gallon, $8/gallon and $10/gallon. Also, you’ll notice that the smart car is listed with higher gas prices. That is strictly due to the manufacturer stating that premium fuel has to be used. Just make sure to click to make them easier to read.

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…but I don’t think I can give these so-called artists credit.

An event in the town of Bocchignano, Italy called “20 Eventi” has found artist Jan Vormann going around and filling voids in historic brick walls with legos. The beautiful part of seeing Italy is the history and age of the structures. They call this art, but I call this defacing beautiful structures.

But hey, that’s just me I guess.

“Artist’s” site -Jan Vormann-
Retrieved from -Gizmodo-

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…at least if people pay to have it treated.

While attending a professional development seminar at work, the presenter briefly mentioned something that caught my attention…self-cleaning cement. Now, when I first heard of this, I thought it was some sort of weird fantasy material that when the concrete became dirty with paint or dirt, it would clean itself, similar to how the technology worked in the movie Demolition Man. Well, after looking it up a bit, I found that I was completely wrong.

To quote from Concrete Monthly,

A new type of concrete can clear the air by dissolving pollutants. Using light and air, photocatalytic concrete breaks down organic and inorganic substances responsible for air pollution. The technology is already in use for self-cleaning windows and ceramic tile. The cement is treated with titanium dioxide, which reacts with ultraviolet light to decompose pollutants such as smog-forming nitrogen oxides.

Italian cement-maker Italcementi Group, parent of PCA member ESSROC, is marketing photocatalytic cement under its TX Millennium brand. In addition to pollution abatement, photocatalytic white cement keeps architectural concrete clean and white.

So, the last part proves I wasn’t completely wrong, the coating on the outside does help it to stay clean and white, but the most amazing thing is that it can remove particles that cause smog. What would a city wide application of this do to Los Angeles?

Another article I read on Smart Economy, had some more information to impart.

In a 2003 field test in 2003, 75,000 square feet of road surface on the outskirts of Milan, Italy, were covered with this smart cement. Researchers found nitrogen oxide levels were reduced by up to 60 percent, depending on weather conditions. The European Union last year earmarked $2.27 billion for a project to develop “smart” construction materials that would break down nitrogen oxides and other toxic substances, such as benzene.

The picture above shows the Misericordia Church in Rome that was treated with the self-cleaning cement. I would agree that is a nice beautiful white color, but as far as the mainstream goes, I would say it is definitely “green”.

Product info -Italcementi Group-

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…despite all the problems that they tend to have.

So, for those who don’t know, a mag-lev train, or magnetically levitating train is a form of transportation that suspends, guides and propels trains using electromagnetic force. This method has the potential to be fast and quiet when compared to wheeled trains, potentially reaching speeds up to 361 mph. Due to the fact there are no parts in contact with a rail, the friction force is reduced leaving only wind resistance and electromagnetic drag to slow the vehicle down.

The first project planned for mag-lev trains is a system running from Anaheim, CA to Las Vegas, NV. President Bush signed a bill last Friday that puts $45 million dollars aside for the project. The estimated total budget for the project is $3 to $5 billion, but this will at least get it started.

Who knew that gamblers and Mickey Mouse went together like that?

Retrieved from -Engadget-

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…if only it could undergo testing and be put onto the market.

Designers Kwang-seok Jeong, Min-hee Kim and Hyun-joong Kim have developed a concept for a watch/ring combo for the hearing impaired (or as the politically incorrect people at Yanko Design calls them, deaf people) called the Vibering. The theory is, the wearer puts a ring on a finger on each hand which detects sound, determines distance and position and vibrates according to the source. They then transfer the information to the watch for a graphical display of what the sound source is.

I personally also like the feature that can recognize certain voice patterns to tell you when someone is calling your name or if trying to get your attention. Definitely a “must consider” if you are hearing impaired. Great work!

Product Info -6 Fingers- (Asian website)
Retrieved from -Geeky Gadgets-

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…but with new developments in electric cars, it may not be a problem by 2010.

Yesterday, I had two articles pop up on my radar, both about electric cars. One is the Chevy Volt which will cost around $35,000 and still partially run on gas. It will run on electricity for up to 40 miles per charge, then afterwards switch to gas and then get about 50 mpg which isn’t too shabby. It is pretty hard to justify the price of the car though.

Now, if you really want to go funky, there is a concept car that is planned to be ready by 2010 and is made from space age plastics. XP Vehicles, Inc. is working on a 300 mile range (up to 2,500 mile range if you use their hot-swap technology) car made from NASA style inflatable material for safety and weight reasons. Best part…it will be under $10,000. Now let’s just wait and see if they can follow through on their design!

Retrieved from -OhGizmo!-
Retrieved from -Gizmodo-

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…the rest of us will end up paying for people who return items to electronics stores.

What made me think of this was an article in PC World that listed out by percentages what returns of electronics actually are. Here is the breakdown:

68 percent of returns are products that work properly but do not meet customers’ expectations for some reason.

27 percent of returns are buyer’s remorse…situations where customers simply changed their minds.

That leaves only 5% due only to malfunction.

So, now huge electronics stores such as Best Buy and Circuit City for example, have a policy which can charge up to 15% of the value of the product as a restocking fee. So, the people who would purchase a GPS for a trip and then return in when they get back since they won’t use it anymore are causing the rest of us to pay for their selfishness. As much as those company are money grubbers, I can’t fault them for that policy due to the amount of money they lose since they can’t sell the item as “new” anymore and have to reduce the price.

So, moral of the story, do your research prior to purchase and try and find a floor model somewhere so that you can try it out. Simple as that.

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