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Already sold as a product. http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/wec.shtml

Quick! Somebody buy the Sony engineers a pair of these!

Didn't you RTFA? Lasers are too heavy due to power requirements. Marshmallow launchers, on the other hand...

This little device from Thinkgeek gets around that problem- a spare battery that charges just about anything with the right dongle:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/travelpower/917b/

I tried that, but then I realized it's a lie.

Just use this

It means "unknown" and "strange" to anyone who hasn't heard of it or isn't very computer savvy.

Exactly as "unknown" and "strange" as any other technical spec, or any other marketing slogan. It's not as though TiVo is any less unknown or strange.

It means "complex" and "difficult" to anyone who has heard of it that is moderately computer savvy.

You'd have to be just the right combination of "moderately computer savvy" to not also understand that Linux powers Google, TiVos, and many HDTVs. Embedded Linux is not now difficult, nor has it ever been.

It means "shut the hell up and stop asking me stupid f'ing Linux questions every time I sit down at my desk!" to those of us who have used it and work with any one in the previous two categories.

Erm... I can't ever remember being constantly interrupted with Linux questions. I did get occasional stupid questions, but users tended to either be mostly self-sufficient with actually using Linux, or they didn't want anything to do with it. Notice I said "mostly".

All Linux really does is advertise that I know what I'm doing, or that I'm using something weird.

Oh, and in bringing my laptop to work, to school, to coffee shops, really anywhere, I haven't had a single person walk up to me and ask me what I was using. KDE just doesn't look different enough. So I kind of have to call BS here.

Seriously...I started using a Mac so I could get my nice unixy and open source goodness without having to play 20 questions every time I booted my damned laptop.

You're either lying, stupid, or you found a really cheap Mac.

Otherwise, seriously, you're willing to pay that much of a premium on hardware, and use a mostly-proprietary OS, in order to have people leave you alone? I mean, if that was ever an issue, how hard is it to put a Windows-like theme on any Linux WM/toolkit?

Or maybe there was some other reason?

Now they just look and say "oh, its a Mac, those are expensive" and walk away.

When I had a Mac, I got way more questions about that, especially because people already knew me to be reasonably knowledgeable. This was everything from people wanting to know if it was better than Windows, or worth the price, to people wanting to know why I'd sold out Linux and Open Source.

But I've certainly never let people asking for advice dictate what I use. If it ever becomes a problem, there's a shirt for that.

This was somewhat insightful, but I'm confused that it got to +5. No one thought it was a troll?

I agree... Pointless at best.
If I'm going to create a Twitter reader I'm going to buy Mimo 740 Touchscreen, hook it up to my existing computer and use a simple pre-existing app.


I already have a wireless version of this guys product which does more. It's called my iPhone. I get all my twitter updates in real time anywhere I am.

Think Geek still sells brand new Dreamcasts. Maybe I should pick one up now there are some "new" games ;).

Stainless steel RFID-blocking passport holder: http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/gear/a7a2/

The behavior of this stuff sounds a bit like the Smart Mass Thinking Putty I have from ThinkGeek.com.

Are you sure it's the same thing? I mean, the stuff on ThinkGeek isn't orange...

The behavior of this stuff sounds a bit like the Smart Mass Thinking Putty I have from ThinkGeek.com.

Old news actually. They have been selling the stuff in blue at thinkgeek for years: http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/cubegoodies/5ac8/

What I wonder is how long it will be before these phones *are* your computer and you just plug in a fullblown screen and keyboard wherever you want to sit and work.

Or this plus a built-in projector Maybe throw in a virtual keyboard for good measure.

You need one of these: http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/cell-phone/8928/

Plantronics? Bah. What Daniel needs is a proper bluetooth headset like this one: http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/cellphone/8928/

Get yourself one of these and you will be set.

Or this: http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/cell-phone/8928/
From the wonderful people at ThinkGeek

You can buy those pre-made. And it's on sale today.

Or hide the drive in a seemingly whole wire and run it to the printer with the drive part connected to the printer.

That might have been effective in the old days when the FBI would seize computers by shearing the cables off the units rather than mess with any port connectors. Including monitor, drive, and power cables. I don't have any personal experience so I don't know if they left the middle parts of the cables behind.

Also T9/ordinary looking Nokia E series smart phones accept standard bluetooth keyboards or whatever you choose like the laser virtual keyboard at thinkgeek

http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/keyboards-mice/8193/

If I knew I could stand to people staring, I would buy that laser thing right now.

...and I'm here to help you protect your privacy.

Please show me your RFID passport, give your liquids to the nice man from the TSA, and tell me your social-security number so I can enter it into my laptop.

1) That's what this is for.
2) My liquids don't really say much about me that's personally identifiable.
3) "The government" is pretty explicit on just how your SSN should NOT be used as an identifier except by very particular agencies, and never as a password. The folks who violate this premise most frequently are private businesses who want to make sure they can tell on you to the credit agencies if they decide you owe them money. While there have been cases of laptops containing personally identifiable info, including SSNs, stolen from federal agencies, there have been far, far more such cases with private companies (and a handful from state agencies or public universities).

Yeah, when it comes to protecting my privacy, I trust the Feds a whole heck of a lot more than I trust private corporations. But, as I once was told by a fortune cookie, "Trust him, but keep your eyes open." Ultimately, I'm the person who is most likely to protect my privacy. The less of my info I put in someone else's hands, the better.

If that's not enough then you can always grab one of these RFID blocking wallets [thinkgeek.com]. I'm not sure if you can fit a passport in it though.

Ah, should have continued scrolling down that ThinkGeek page (it's too early for me to post). They have one wallet specifically designed for passports that's $2 cheaper!

If I remember correctly, you don't need to do much.

New US electronic passports will use encryption and a metal shield to protect the data they contain. The move is in response to criticism that the passports would not be secure, and perhaps downright dangerous to carry. But critics remain unconvinced.

If that's not enough then you can always grab one of these RFID blocking wallets. I'm not sure if you can fit a passport in it though.

Be careful, the warranty is void after any "jailbreaking" - http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/miscellaneous/a09b/

I have also been thinking about getting one of those RFID blocking wallets. Has anyone actually tested how well the various ones work? Here are several examples of the RFID blocking wallets that I have run across:

• Stainless Steel Wallet
• ïSuperleggera Aluminum Wallet
• ïRFID Blocking Wallet
• ïRFID Blocking Wallet

They also have RFID blocking passport sleeves such as this one:

• ïStainless Steel RFID Blocking Passport Sleeve

I have also been thinking about getting one of those RFID blocking wallets. Has anyone actually tested how well the various ones work? Here are several examples of the RFID blocking wallets that I have run across:

• Stainless Steel Wallet
• ïSuperleggera Aluminum Wallet
• ïRFID Blocking Wallet
• ïRFID Blocking Wallet

They also have RFID blocking passport sleeves such as this one:

• ïStainless Steel RFID Blocking Passport Sleeve

http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/security/910f/

... my passport certainly does. I got mine at ThinkGeek.

That ability probably wouldn't help if you were looking for one of these.

Here you go. Just add some eyes and you're set.

He needs one of these. So he can always tell when he's in danger.

Thinkgeek has sold wireless extension cords for a long time. I wonder if Witricity has solved the issue about domestic cats getting in between the source and destination...

http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/usb-gadgets/a7ea/ ++++ a bunch of cheap drives from your favorite vendor, in rotation and stored offsite? Plug one in, backup, store it somewhere safe, wash rinse repeat.

It depends on how many important files you have. If you have just a few documents, you can still burn them to CD periodically, or use an online for-pay backup service such as Carbonite or Rsync.Net. The reason to use HDDs is because you have lots of data, or your computer data, including OS installs is very important to you, and you need a way to recover rapidly. (E.g. you _really_ can't wait, and it's worth the cost of external HDDs and accessorie to avoid waiting)

If money is no object, ioSafe makes some fireproof, waterproof, shock-proof drive enclosures, which could help against disaster situations. The alternative is indeed use of an offsite location. You need a lock box or safe regardless of method, to help protect against human risks to your drives. Or utilize encryption to help prevent data from fallign into the wrong hands.

Otherwise, if you use HDs for backup, consider a hard drive docking station. Like one of these or a voyager Q (who makes a model supporting Firewire800 also); docking stations are more convenient to buying a bunch of external HDs. Eventually, when you upgrade your hard drive, use the old one to store important files.

If you have a stack of old hard drives, you can actually use them also. So a dock, and some plastic cases to put your internal HDs in could be favorable to buying a bunch of external HDs. (There are companies that specialize in selling rugged anti-static plastic cases for HDs, but I just pile them in a box, and use the original anti-static bags that came with new HDs)

If you are using old HDDs for archival purposes, make sure to spin them up every few motnhs, or you suffer bit rot, and the mechanical components of the drive may fail.

Or get one dock + multiple cheap HDDs for important documents.

And possibly one large HD for a full system backup. Apple users are blessed with Time machine. Linux users can dd or rsync their files, and even have a script do it nightly (so long as you have multiple HDs, and cycle them after backups).

Windows users have got to use third-party software or do some scripting.

Your reason is right here
http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/9836/

Er, why is this news? This exact item has been on sale at ThinkGeek for a couple years, now. Self-destruct capabilities and everything.

"The only USB key to be banned by the TSA" -- product advertisement

Come now, the Swiss Army Flash Knife is most certainly considered a WMD by the goon squad.

Funny, instead of paying extra, I'd just use a hammer, or a desk drawer, or if in a real pinch my two hands to break the thing apart. Unless you're James Bond, I don't see how most folks would need any more than this, and if they do need more, they already have it.

I think using brute force to get into the IronKey drive would be a very bad idea. ThinkGeek sells an older version of the product the article covers, and even it had some pretty effective measures against breaking it apart.

Passwords can be hacked, but not the IronKey. It's built to withstand attacks both virtual and physical. 10 incorrect password attempts, and the encryption chip self-destructs, making the contents of the flash drive totally unreadable. The contents of the drive are filled with epoxy, so if a hacker tries to physically access the chips, he'd more likely damage them instead. Even if he did get access to the memory chips, they'd be worthless without the encryption chip. Electron-shielded, even a scanning electron microscope can't get inside.

So, use a hammer, desk drawer, or your hands, and it's still encrypted at best, and most likely just ruined and unreadable.

But you can get pretty much the same thing without all the hassle that guy must have gone through to build his. http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/lights/8f1a/

re: "I use earplugs to sleep (best sleep ever!) and so I bought myself an alarm clock for deaf people with a vibration device that is put under the mattrass cover. It also has several really loud sounds and flashes that you can switch on as well if you like."

Could it be this one? It's the one I use too, for the same reason as the poster above: my eeevil subconscious would wake up first with a standard alarm clock and either turn it off or hit the snooze button repeatedly, so I would groggily wonder what happened when I woke up late. I put the shaker unit under my pillow, and having my head vibrate in unison with the loud beeping is unnerving enough that I completely wake up. If I'm stressed for time, I can get up with only a few hours sleep. It is the best alarm clock ever.

It also rather invalidates needing to shake the entire bed. Just the sleeper's head is sufficient. And putting the shaker down one's PJ's provides a wake-up desired by yet another poster above. :^p

With regard to over-the-shoulder power, I bought by first CHIMP in 98. Can't work without it.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/accessories/2940/

I'm not sure about the project-able display (though wireless HDMI is available, you'd have issues with lugging the TV screen around with you), but a projectable keyboard is readily available. And it connects via bluetooth, so you can keep your cellphone-sized PC in your pocket.

I'd like to see this become a reality (displays projected onto spectacles for instance), but unfortunately software requires more processing power than you can shake a big stick at, so I don't expect it to happen anytime soon. It'd be a killer app if you could make it though, and would possibly destroy managed code and bloated OSs in no time if you did.

oh... hang on... you can have spectacles-projected displays!

I'm not sure about the project-able display (though wireless HDMI is available, you'd have issues with lugging the TV screen around with you), but a projectable keyboard is readily available. And it connects via bluetooth, so you can keep your cellphone-sized PC in your pocket.

I'd like to see this become a reality (displays projected onto spectacles for instance), but unfortunately software requires more processing power than you can shake a big stick at, so I don't expect it to happen anytime soon. It'd be a killer app if you could make it though, and would possibly destroy managed code and bloated OSs in no time if you did.

oh... hang on... you can have spectacles-projected displays!

http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/unisex/generic/5d6a/

Worn by millions. Get one before they're obsolete :)

I bought my zebra here.

why cant we come up with the legal equivalent of a shotgun. shotguns ALWAYS work against zombies, or im i wrong?

Think Geek agrees.

I have one of those phones. It's beige. It has a rotary dial. It works just fine, thank you. I got it from a friend who bought three on EBay.

If you're into that kind of thing, you might like SparkFun Electronics Bluetooth rotary phone and GSM rotary phone or ThinkGeek's retro Bluetooth handset.

Use this

Next thing we know, someone will be inventing a "capacitive stylus" touting "higher precision" while using your iPhone. Well yes, but that's SO not the point of a capacitive, finger-friendly touchscreen.

You're late to the party: http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/cellphone/a31f/

Also, you can get gloves with capacitive tips on the fingers, for iPhone use when it's too damn cold outside (less relevant in summer...) http://www.tavoproducts.com/

Gen-1 was limited to near-the-pocket use [Think Geek]

Problem solved...

http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/cellphone/8928/