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Flourescents have a small amount of mercury in them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_fluorescent_l amp#Environmental_issues

LED lights last up to 11 yrs with continuous use.

And use 1/30th the power of a regular light bulb, vs. 1/4 with a CFL.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/clearance/7aa8/

Only thing really holding it back right now is price and the fact they
wouldnt sell many to repeat customers with an 11 year always on lifespan, lol.

The ones featured here on thinkgeek don't put off quite as much light,
but with 2 lights vs. one you can get there.

The price is the only real thing hindering it, but if you consider long term
energy savings, its awesome.

I've had my eye on http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/lights/7aa8/ for a while, and have been trying to figure out if it's worth replacing my incandenscents with LEDs.

Anyone know if there's a push for this? If they're better, worse, etc?

Have you ever measured your electrical consumption with the Kill-a-Watt (link: http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/7657/) or equivalent? I purchased one of those and compared some phantom loads. Turns out my TV uses about a watt to stay on. A desktop computer, powered down but plugged in, uses about 4 watts. It seems items with switching power supplies use somewhat little power anymore in their off state compared to transformer ("wall wart") powered loads.

I still find that items using transformers tend to be more power-hungry in both their power-up and powered-down states.

I've also measured the power factor of the compact fluorescent bulbs and I'm surprised no one else has mentioned anything -- they have a power factor of about 0.5. I can't tell if that's leading or lagging, but it'd be nice if they held a leading power factor so as to cancel out lagging power factors of many other items -- especially air conditioners. There are sites in the USA whose sole job is to consume real load to raise the voltage on lines to counteract the voltage drop (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronous_condenser ) caused in part by devices having a lagging power factor.

But they're more expensive. Not that it's a perfect example, but just look at ThinkGeek... the cheapest LED bulb they have is $22 ... and that's on clearance!

You apparently don't have the iGuy, do you?

We've already got Laser Keyboard

Check it out: linky

Well, we've already got hydrogen-powered rockets http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/science/86c3/, so a water powered car should be easy!

Right here, http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/audio/7a8d/

Well SanDisk didn't do it but per your request... here you go!

http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/6c82/

...Soylent Green is people.

Just a little food for thought.

Think Geek Shirt
Where that all started

There's a place in town here (Cambridge Ontario Canada) That does fairly well (open for a year now) They use memberships for people that want to play regularly to make most of their rent. They also have food/drink there (pop and chips kind of stuff) and gamer and geek T-Shirts as well (similar to Think Geek). The WiFi is cool, secure it though so you can control who's on it better. There's another one in London Ontario that has a "Internet Cafe" in the front, so people can check email and surf the web. Then the back room is the gamer room. Combine the front Internet cafe style with a bit of a real cafe (watch out for the licensing if you're selling food/drink you make there) with a few tables at it so people can grab a coffee and do a quick email check on their own laptop/PDA while there would be a neat idea as well. Best advice is to look at the area and ask what is needed. Maybe hang out near the local EB Games for a day or two and ask people as they're leaving/entering if they'd fill out a 5 question survey about it. You may be able to avoid the mistakes the other places made.

It came out in April: Think Geek

-Eric

Any site named "thinkgeek" must be accurate, right?

How hard would it be for a manufacturer to install something like this Key Katcher! into a keyboard?

"Go away or I will replace you with a very small shell script."

The study found over the next five years women see themselves increasing their activities in six tech areas: digital cameras, cell phones, e-mail, camera phones, text messaging and instant messaging.

ok, am I the only woman insulted by this? if we get right down to it they are saying women will be more interested in Communication and Photography. If they were talking about women between the ages of 50 and 70 I'd be impressed, those are things my mother is just starting to get in to, but she is 57. I've been IMing on and off since I was 12, I'm just simply not impressed.

I'm 23 and in the next 5 years I see MYSELF increasing MY activities in Databases, Networking and Network Security, Linux, and Mac Troubleshooting. Granted, I'm Tech, but my non Tech friends are looking to increase their activities in Web design, and Computer Building.

BTW, Most girls, don't consider Text Messaging, e-mail, Instant Messaging, or any kind of phone a "technology"; I'll give them digital camera, but in 5 years it will be considered old hat just like the rest.

More inline with the subject of the article. I would prefer tech to diamonds, mostly because, well, when am I going to need diamonds? I will need that new hard drive, and I'll use that ipod, pay for my WOW subscription for the month or two and you'll be my hero. I have one piece of jewelry with diamonds in it and that's my engagement ring, I didn't want any on my wedding band, I don't want any earring, necklaces, or bracelets with diamonds on them, I'd much rather have fuses or RAM(http://www.thinkgeek.com/apparel/jewelry/). No, really, I would.

Does that mean then that I should buy a palmtop instead of a diamond ring to my girlfriend when we decide to get married?
I'm pretty sure that I'll enjoy the present as well! Not to mention that it's way more useful than a ring unless, of course we're talking about this ring

As a starting point, I'd like to suggest designers read, "A Whole New Mind" by Daniel Pink, and check out some articles at: http://www.danpink.com/. Furthermore, I suggest visiting IDEO http://www.ideo.com/ideo.asp. Pay special attention to their "method card" deck. Lastly (for purposes of this discussion) I suggest visiting http://www.mcdonough.com/# . The common thread in all this is DESIGN. William McDonough says that the need for regulation indicates a failure in design.

The design of the product goes 'way beyond just cosmetics. There is only so much you can do with an enclosure for a PC board, but there is LOTS you can do with the system as a whole. Case modding is just a place to start. Functional design improvements are being made in everything from the input devices ( http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1112012 ,00.asp http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/ ) to really innovative interfaces ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croquet_project http://www.sun.com/software/looking_glass/).

The IDEO method cards are different from the "Creative Whack Pack" or "Thinkertoys" cards, in that they redefine the product design domain. The jobs of the future are going to be design jobs requiring both high creativity and high technical ability. If someone in India or China can do your job as well and cheaper than you, or if a computer can do your job better and faster, your job is obsolete.

Anyway, I am glad that people are realizing that this business model can work. Many current companies seem to be kept afloat through high prices and huge amounts of advirtising on every surface possible. Think of the money they could make if the back of every install CD package had a color ad for Bawls. Ubuntu deserves a big tip of the hat.

Well... take one of these:
http://www.margi.com/products/prod_ptg_featcomp.ht m
for VGA output, these:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/8193/
for input and a Palm or PocketPc as brain.

All these things have been available for a long time. Origami is not a new idea and its not the first time that concept is implemented. But it was never successful.

Keep this in the suitcase for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Tell him/her to buy a Mac.

Problem solved.

It would be wonderful if you could download stuff for free where you can verify proof-of-ownership (which are the only legal free ROMs, except for a select few which have been released by the copyright-holders), but that won't be the case I'd imagine. I've heard something around the $8 mark, which is a fair price to no longer need to give blowjobs to play my old classics. I'd be really thrilled if it could download ROMs off a USB stick or something, for those ones you've downloaded for free of games you *cough* own, but my gut tells me that won't happen until someone releases a hacked firmware.

Come on now, I've never seen any accessory or gadget that is useful, funny, and can create conversation and jokes like this one...

Drum roll please.... the.. ICOPULATE !!

http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/icopulate.shtml

Oh yeah, its bumpy, it's pink, and it's functional!

Now if someone would just integrate the icopulate and the ibuzz.... oh wait bad gift idea for your girlfriend...you'll wonder why she stops calling...hmmmm :P

Me too. I was a bit intrigued when I first heard about the Revolution and the back catalog, but since it gained the final name of Wii and most notably the insane gameplay that'll come from the Wiimote, I'm almost certainly going to be picking one up. Even if just for being able to play my old classics without the requisite blow job. If it can help my golf game without the greens fees, so much the better.

According to Schneier [schneier.com] the State Department already plans (and has since sometime last year) to include a RF shield so the chip can only be read while the passport is open and they are encrypting the data on the RFID.

Too bad Thinkgeek stopped selling their RFID-blocking T-shirt.

this and this.
Now you sleep well tonight honey :-)

this and this.
Now you sleep well tonight honey :-)

I have my PC covered with magnets http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/cubegoodies/3627 / and it works with 0 problems. Must be that today's shielding is better. I did avoid putting magnets where the HD sits, who knows...
I'm admin on the machine, so if it breaks, that's then my problem.

is a rogue... and we all know why

Which is why you go and get one of the ties at Think Geek. My favorite is the one that spells Ties Suck in binary: http://www.thinkgeek.com/apparel/ties/57ff/

Doesn't look bad or anything.

Wake up scuttle, you can't run a story like this without linking to thinkgeek!

There's no place like 127.0.0.1

In all seriousness, there are many homeless folks in this world not all of them have the opportunity to get back on their feet.

Most homeless people aren't there by choice and there are lots of folks who are just 1 pay check away from joining them, spare a thought when your walking around town and if you have some change give generously.

What more could one expect? That's what happens when one computer share's it peripherals with too many other computers.

ThinkGeek already has a shirt promoting safe practices:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts/coder/61be/

As noted in TFA (page 4), the product is carried by Thinkgeek, which like Slashdot, is owned by OSTG.

As noted in TFA (page 4), the product is carried by Thinkgeek, which like Slashdot, is owned by OSTG.

Power is the integral of instantaneous amps times instananeous volts. You can't use a $2.99 Harbor-Freight voltmeter and ammeter to do this.

I'm not sure what they used for their measurments, but since hooking up a multimeter to AC is inconvenient, and geeks are lazy, I'm willing to bet they used this little Kill-A-Watt gadget from ThinkGeek:

    http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/7657

I got one from eBay (rather than ThinkGeek) and it's a very addicting gadget. It even does the power factor calculations that were mentioned in this thread (hey, thanks for telling me what the PF button on the unit does. It's embarrassing that I earned an EE degree and I did not know what the button did until now -- I regret doing the computer engineering track, since I learned so embarrasingly little about analog electronics along the way!)

-- Marcio

The Penny Arcade guys have a different idea.

How can that be news? The shrinter is already available from thinkgeek.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/accessories/65a c/

Most people just dont give a damn about conmputer security.

This is the same old story over again, it shouldnt suprise you, why? Here's some links to get you started

Think Geek are already selling these and have been since April 1st 2006 http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/screenedsphorb.s html?cpg=28H ;P

Its only a matter of time.
Any day now, the ooozing hot fashion models and guys will crawl into our cubicles ...

Here they come now!

Ever here of a Blackberry? The dimension of the entire device is about 4"x3" and yet somehow people manage to get a lot done with them. And my vx9800 phone seems to be extremely useful with a full qwerty keyboard under 4" x 1.5" and a 2" x 1.5" screen, it's mostly limited currently by a lack of open applications and good mobile websites. I can only imagine what a device this size will have to offer me when it's processing capabilites are on-par with a laptop.

A "glasses" display will only make you sick, possibly giving you eyesight problems, serious headaches, etc.

I'm sorry to hear that you appear to have inner ear problems. I, however, have no problem reading or watching screens in moving vehicles, feel fine at sea, and am not made sick by current lightweight head-mounted displays I've tested for military grade robotics. A properply adjusted and focused glasses display will cause no more eyesight problems than staring at a 15" LCD in a dark room furtively posting on slashdot at 4 in the morning. ;P

And since there's currently no good replacements for keyboards, hasn't saved space anyhow.

Check out laser projected keyboard out, how's that for space saving?

A gadget is only as worthless as the person who doesn't know how to properly apply it.

In that case, one can only hope to be wearing the correct HTTPanty ;-D

Who needs a built in handle?
Try this instead. :)

Who needs a crank? Why not make them "shake" powered like this

Ah yes... the Porn-Powered(tm) laptop. Now *that's* a killer app.

I'm also the fan of saving energy! Thumbs up for technologies like this! :)

Pointless really; they already sell solar rechargers, which may be a hassle to carry, but with the extended talk time of most phones now, you pretty much only have to charge them once a day.