…and for those who at least have some sort of aim while being half asleep. I love to cruise around at ThinkGeek and see what fun toys they have for sale. A couple of months back, I purchased my Doctor Who Tardis 4 Port USB Hub from them and love it!

Well, as I was cruising around at lunch today, I saw that they had an alarm clock that has a laser mechanism used to shut it off. And the icing on the cake…it is shaped like a Star Trek phaser! Basically, when the alarm goes off, you are required to sit up, focus your attention, and shoot the center of the bullseye to be able to turn it off. The thought is that with the focus you apply to doing that, you will be able to fall back asleep and therefore will have successfully awakened. I wonder if that would actually work? I know not for me since I can’t even see that far away…

Product Info -ThinkGeek-

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…so why shouldn’t we tap into it? A company called LUMETA has created the Power-Ply 380 Roof Integrated Photovoltaic module for flat roof businesses. The best thing about these panels are that they don’t require any kind of independent support on the roof which would require drilling through the roof. These apply simply by roofing adhesive which makes it a very quick installation. One installation has enough solar panels to produce 2.25 kW/h which is nothing to scoff at.

The same company also has asphalt shingle like solar panels for slanted residential applications which are about as easy as installing regular shingles. Now, what I wonder now is how the cost compares to that of regular shingles and how long it would take to make a return on the investment? If they can get it down low enough, and could have some “incentive” from the power company to pull away from the grid a bit and help them out, this could definintely be a viable energy solution in a lot of areas.

Product Info -DRI Energy-
Retrieved from -Engadget-

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…and what would it make more fun…a BBQ Sword! Yes, for your grilling pleasure, purchase this epee-like sword to protect your hands from fire and flame and also to stab those who attempt to steal your food! Best part? It even comes with a free cut-out mask so you can grill Zorro style.

Product Info –Firebox–
Retrieved from –OhGizmo!–

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….but only for 24 hours! All around the web today, I found articles about Xerox’s new technology which prints on paper and then self-erases after 24 hours. From an article on Computer World:

The paper contains specially coded molecules that create a print after being exposed to ultraviolet light emitted from a thin bar in a printer. The molecule readjusts itself within 24 hours to its original form to delete the print, or heat can readjust the molecule instantly. Xerox developed the molecule. For now, the technology prints effectively only in black and white.

Well, this will definitely help reduce some waste in the world, but I wonder how many uses there could be for paper that automatically erases after 24 hours, besides the natural choice of spies everywhere for when they need to have their orders self-destruct after 24 hours.

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Now, I haven’t been able to get hold of certain family members to mention to them about this product, but I think it was made for these two. A digital camera that has 10MP, a nice touch screen, but most importantly for them, would be the onboard geotagging system. For those who don’t know, geotagging is the process of adding geographical identification (whether it be latitude/longitude, altitude, bearing, etc.) to a various media…in this case, a digital picture. Granted, for the normal person who takes pictures at family gatherings or around town, its usefulness is not fully utilized. Now take a jet setting couple who travel all over Central and South America. How great would it be to have data encoded in every picture so that you may plot and track where you took pictures within about 10 yards? Another friend of mine would have tons of fun with this since all he does is take photos on vacations. That way he could always tell exactly where he was when he took that famous photo that sold enough copies to allow him to retire from his engineering ways.

Anyway, I digress. This year, GE announced the introduction of the E1050, which has the following attributes (as detailed in their news letter):

Setting a new standard for the term “feature-rich” is the new E1050, which boasts a number of innovative attributes, including:

* High-definition movie recording
* HDTV playback capability for both movies and stills
* User-friendly touch-screen controls to access more features with fewer buttons
* GPS receiver that allows busy photographers to keep track of exactly where they were when they shot their favorite scenes

Such features are usually found only in higher-priced SLR cameras or camcorders rather than a point-andshoot digicam like the E1050. And unlike most cameras with HDTV capability, the E1050 does not require an additional “cradle” to support it.

Considering that it also has a 28mm equivalent wide-angle lens, the 10-megapixel, 5x zoom E1050 has everything today’s digital camera enthusiast could want – for only $249.99 MSRP.

Maybe it’s just me, but I have to say for all of that, $250 isn’t all that bad for what you are getting. Of course, some of the other features are quite nifty as well. I’ve seen a few of them in use (by video) for a different brand, but I assume they work similarly. There is the smile detection which when you hit the button, it recognizes if the subject is smiling or not. If they aren’t smiling, it won’t take the pictures. But as soon as the subject smiles, the camera snaps a pic. It also has a 5x optical zoom, not bad for a point and shoot. A blink detection system and tons more.

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