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Zero Blaster Reviewed
Daniel Rutter writes "I've just reviewed the Zero Blaster, the smoke ring gun that ThinkGeek (among others) sell. It works. It's fun. It's a vortex ring physics demonstration with two triggers and a see-through mechanism. What more could you want for $20?" Thinkgeek and Slashdot are both owned by VA Software.
Do I really even have to answer that question?
Some possibilities:
Answer #1
Answer #2
Answer #3
...did this make the main page on /.? Must be a slow news day if this makes front page, and Yahoo! News has a story about nine comedians on the front page.
ads.slashdot.org
One of them you fill with the supplied fluid. The other one's for overflow, from overenthusiastic use of the pump-trigger.
I own it and it's awesome. And if you READ THE DIRECTIONS it shoots the rings much farther than a few centimeteres (I have gotten several meters) and you can also get rings to shoot through other rings. And you can get scented fog solution that disperses in a couple of minutes. In summary, it is awesome and will scare the crap out of your dog.
Thinkgeek and Slashdot are both owned by VA Software. Damn it! Here I was preparing a huge conspiracy post about how VA Software is abusing Slashdot's position among nerds to promote merchandise from one of it's other companies and then you just give it all away. What am I supposed to complain about today then? Couldn't you atleast give me a dupe or some bad grammar?
Head of the Dorks
you know for every 10 bucks I spend on thinkgeek I sould get something like 20 page views added to my Slashdot account I would shop more at Thinkgeek then I would at http://www.Jinxhackwear.com
Linux is like living in a teepee. No Windows, no Gates, Apache in house.
There are many pictures of the actual device, but where are the pictures of operation?
-
Who can we say about this? SCO is not present, M$ is not present, there are no Linux Champions to praise... why? What can I say? Still, looks like a fun little toy to have. However, I prefer guns that leave marks in walls at 8 feet.
SAILING MISHAP
I think I would be happier WITH the dollar.
my sig
It's $20 and produces smoke rings? Must be an eighth of...oh...nevermind it's a toy. :-P
Keep in mind that someone submitted this. And that the editors of slashdot are too busy on stage three (that's right PROFIT!!!) to care if Thinkgeek makes a couple of extra bucks here and there. Plus, admit it. You want one. Or maybe I'm part of the overarching conspiracy too. Bwahaha.
====
Crudely Drawn Games
Well after i read these reviews I went over to my buddies place who just purchased one. I was not very impressed and like others have said it does kind of stink. I also agree with the other that this post on slashdot seem kind of pointless. I belive that most users of /. have seen and regularly for to thinkgeek.
--Matt Fisher
Oh well, a smoke-ring gun is pretty good.
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
So can anyone tell me who the among others are? Particularly anyone who might sell this toy from a retail store front? I would rather not mail order one and pay a steep shipping charge, and I do resent the Think Geek website approach of trying to make me "register" before I can even find out what the shipping cost is. (For all I know they might even be like other sites that make me give a credit card number before they will tell me the shipping charges, but I never got that far. I do buy on-line, but I never register or give a credit card number before I find out if I want to do business with the company, and for those that require it, I take my business elsewhere.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
...and it's a "smoke-ring gun". I mean, if /. is gonna shamelessly promote their wares (hey, they got bills to pay like the rest of us), shouldn't the product being plugged at least have some practicality (smart drinks, hardware etc)?
Maybe make a miscelaneous department for fluff stories like this.
SEO Copywriter. Just Say ON
What is 6 AA batteries (batteries not
included)? Five dollars?
I saw 'Mr. Wizard' build one of these. Granted, not really as portable, but it worked.
1 Medium size cardboard box (12" cube or better-long boxes with square bases are best)
1 Smoke source. (Incense, fog solution, etc)
1 sturdy plastic bag or thin sheet (to make a diaphram)
Duct tape (Of course!)
Cut 4" hole in base of box. Preferably in a "clean" edge (no flaps or seams). If you can't do that, make a bigger hole and cut the 4" circle in another peice of carbboard to make the orifice. Neatness counts!
Completely remove the opposite end of the box, and cover it with the plastic sheet. Pull it tight and secure with duct tape. Make a good seal!
Place smoke source in box (potential fire hazard? Be careful...) near the middle and wait for the box to fill up.
Aim and slap the plastic sheet to "shoot" a ring of smoke.
The kid on Mr Wizard was able to blow out a candle from about 15 feet away with this thing.
=Smidge=
The Airzooka here looks a lot more fun, being able to fire invisible balls of air at people at around 20ft (& ruffle hair, etc) and it can do smoke rings too, IIRC. Check out the 'Airzooka action video' near the bottom :)
An Airzooka.
Granted, it's not as big of a deal as they make it, but it's more effective than a smoke ring.
Yeah, baby!
--
the strongest word is still the word "free"
Friend of mine used to be the manager at Spencer Gifts...they started stocking these about a year and a half ago.
:)
I was yelled at quite often to stop blowing smoke rings at customers, at her cashiers, at her...and even at myself. Couldn't put the toy down.
Smoke rings went for about 3 or 4 feet before they dissipated. Since I work in a club, I'm used to the smell of fog...and I'm one of the whackos who enjoy the smell of fog
Get one for your home, your office, your car...everywhere. Your visitors will pick it up, start playing, and not be able to put it down. Some day you'll see smokeringjunkies.com from the addicts to this toy.
"What more could you want for $20?"
Awww, $20?? I wanted a peanut.
With $20, you can buy many peanuts!
Explain how!
Money can be exchanged for goods and services.
Toronto-area transit rider? Rate your ride.
It is cool but it's no Gandalff--only rings, no ships. Actually, one of the guys here has one--along with a air blaster and a rubber band machine gun. Serious toys in this shop (the company founder restores pipe organs and music boxes). I think that's why my wife thinks I can run all the errands or make all the daytime phone calls: This place hardly seems like work!
"Love is a familiar; Love is a devil: there is no evil angel but Love." --William Shakespeare ('Love's Labors Lost')
This reminds me of a DIY vortex gun I saw in a kids science comic thingy when I was like... 13 or something.
Step 1. Get a sturdy cardboard box no more than 6 inches wide in any dimension. 6" by 6" square with 8-12" length is good. Something cylindrical like a Quaker Oats container might be even better.
Step 2. Cut out one end and stretch a balloon over it. Firmly tape or otherwise fasten the balloon over the end.
Step 3. (perhaps the trickiest part) Attach something to the center of the balloon so you can pull it back. IIRC, they suggested that you could use a brass notebook fastener and some tape to do this. The tricky part is not to tear the balloon.
Step 4. Cut a circular hole in the middle of the other side. I want to say it should be about a 3rd the "diameter" of the box. Certainly no larger than that.
To "fire" it, just pull back on the balloon and hold long enough for pressure to equalize (this happens almost instantly because the hole is pretty big). Then, release it in a SNAP! all at once.
It's been a long time, but I think they promised a curious puff of air could be felt by people 10 or 20 feet away if you did it right.
An afternoon of scrounging for parts, construction, and experimentation with your kids is probably a more valuable experience than just shelling out for a vortex gun with nasty smoke in it.
For extra credit and to find out if your kids are mechanicly inclined, encourage them to come up with a handle/trigger mechanism for the thing so it can be pointed like a real gun.
If your DIY version works, you can take the kids out for ice-cream and get some dry ice from the vendor. See if you can make your gun smoke with that. A fun afternoon and evening for the entire family!
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
I'd just like to mention somewhere close to the top that you can get one cheaper here, and it is direct from the manufacturer.
Sig: I stole this sig.
My Dad bought one of these when I was a kid. It used special smoke generating matches. A trigger operated hammer struck an internal rubber diaphram.
see http://www.toytent.com/TrueReplica/4172.html
I recently bought one on eBay but the diaphram is completely gone, but it shouldn't be too hard to fix. I've been looking for a good smoke source for it. I should check this one out.
Make a one meter version of this, dump a fuel-air mixture into it, light it and knock over the other bots from across the ring.
Go here to create your own Slashdot dis
Ouch. If it stinks, then you can bet it's not going to impress women much. Besides, I don't think they have the same attraction to rings or holes that we do.
"Derp de derp."
Get an Airzooka. It shoots a harmless ball of air about 20-25 feet. Pretty cool for scaring cats off of TVs, blowing the co-worker's toupee off, or launching a fart at an unsuspecting party guest. Same price too - $20, including delivery by UPS ground. Color me a satisfied customer.
I find it interesting that Zero Toys would use glycol as the formula for the smoke solution, especially a cherry-scented concotion. Kids tend to equate cherries with stuff that tastes good, with perhaps disastrous results when we look at the defintion from wordnet:
glycol
n 1: a sweet but poisonous syrupy liquid used as an antifreeze
and solvent [syn: {ethylene glycol}, {ethanediol}]
Smells like a lawsuit waiting to happen.
"[T]he single essential element on which all discoveries will be dependent is human freedom." -- Barry Goldwater
As much as I hate how this happens, what recourse exists for us to get the changes made? None. O well, at least there are some other interesting stories.
Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
Somebody get a hold of President Bush! We've found the smoking gun!
Do you think this guy Is really impressing anyone with this thing?
"Hey laydies... look what I bought on ThinkGeek! Hey wait, come back!"
Please use www.slashdot.com for shit like this.
Please make www.slashdot.org worth looking at.
Smoke ring stuff
Cooler toy stuff
Stuff that matters
Stuff that matters
Stuff that matters
Stuff that matters
Stuff that matters
Stuff that matters
Stuff that matters
Stuff that matters
Stuff that matters
"Old" antifreeze was ethylene glycol, which was sweet poison.
Most new antifreeze is propylene glycol, which doubles as a food and makeup additive (although just like every additive it has its share of detractors which swear it will kill us all) and is also used to generate smoke.
Agreed. What's particularly bad is that the editorial staff clearly recognizes the problem:
Thinkgeek and Slashdot are both owned by VA Software.
The issue I have is that they don't realize what the problem is. It's like they think the issue is readership not realizing thinkgeek is associated with slashdot. We don't have that problem when there's a blinking thinkgeek ad right above the story.
Rather, the problem is that it's a plain and simple conflict of interest. OSDN trumpets slashdot as an "award winning news site", but slashdot editors continuously display zero journalistic integrities. Fact checking, not "reporting" about companies you accept advertising from, etc.
If it were news about thinkgeek, the disclaimer would not only be appropriate, it would be necessary. This however, was entirely a product suck-up....complete with the linkage. All that was missing was a [add this to your cart and check out] link. The disclaimer is for when you think you need to disclaim to readers that there's a potential conflict of interest. The disclaimer does NOT justify posting blatant ads as legitimate news stories.
Please help metamoderate.
In reading up on vortex rings, I came across this page which has some interesting ideas for building vortex generators as well as some nifty (wierd?) applications. Most interesting is to power the vortex tube with a big loudspeaker, and control the size and spin of the smoke rings by sending it different shaped waveforms.
At this point, I was glumly contemplating the task of trying to take pictures smoke rings while shooting them.
How about, "At this point, I was contemplating getting out of my house and making some friends so they could take pictures of the smoke rings for me"
My office-mate keeps a rifle that fires ping-pong balls in the office. I keep a Zero Fog Blaster. This means I always win in the intimidation battle.
Why?
I don't mind being pelted with ping-pong balls. But he absolutely can't stand to be subjected to the awful artificial cherry scent of the fog rings...
other things you should know: if you missed a story wait anywhere between 3 days and a year for the repost if you thought grammer would be professional and at least spell-checked...dont hold your breath
By and large, language is a tool for concealing the truth. -- George Carlin
I'm one of those militant non-smokers Philip Morris warned you about. I live in Florida where smoking is outlawed in resturants. I don't allow people to smoke in my car. Your right to smoke stops where my right to clean air begins.
This certainly it not a product I'd be interested in... However, if instead of producing smoke rings, it could be modified to produce a cigarette extinguishing vortex, it'd be quite useful. I'd love to have something I can use to point-and-click peoples' cigarettes out without the wet mess of a supersoaker.
---
DRM is like antifreeze, to the MPAA/RIAA it's sweet, to the consumers it's poison.
I'm not sure model rockets were taken off the shelves for being dangerous ... rather than just lack of sales. Kids just want to play nintendo these days instead of getting out and flying rockets. Toys-r-us & Wal-mart still carry model rocket motors and smaller rockets.
Check out my rocket page for some examples of current model rockets.
I tell you what. You go ahead and design a site, pay for the bandwidth, support a couple of million hits on a daily bases. At that point, then you can bitch and complain about your site maintaining journalistic integrity.
Slashdot's editors are not journalists. Well, Roblimo would be, but Timothy, Taco, Hemos, etc. They repost news articles done by others. Journalistic integrity lies on the author of the article. The editors are there to seperate the wheat from the chaff.
Besides, this really isn't news. It's a review. Many small manufactures link to reviews of their products. It's nothing new. So they are promoting an item. Who cares. If you don't like it, don't click on the link. Go turn off reviews in your preference. No one forces you to come here. You don't have to pay to get the content if you so choose.
And I have three cats to test it on.
I think the heighth of journalistic integrity is plainly and simply stating your biases for all to see. That is all I want and all I need. If Slashdot becomes a site that largely carries stories that seem to be ads, I'll stop reading it because it won't be useful anymore.
All this rot about journalistic integrity gets us our current news media, all of whom claim to be 'objective' while clearly being extremely biased in one way or another. Journalistic integrity is about saying who you are, where you're coming from, and letting the reader decide.
Need a Python, C++, Unix, Linux develop
Awww... c'mon. Smoke a cigar. It's not bad if you don't inhale. And if you start on cigars, you'll probably never move over to any other tobacco products. I rarely smoke cigars (basically only at parties to impress the ladies with my macho smoke rings.... sure.....) but I tried a cigarette today. Too weak, I might as well stick my head near the exhaust on my oven and inhale. Didn't taste a damn thing. Plus, cigars have the upside of being non-addicting (more or less).
"Hu, ho, ho-ah-oh-oh-oh. Hu, ho ho-ah-oh-oh-oh. Mario Paint! Whoaaa!"
I got one of these a few months ago, and it's been a lot of fun. I leave it on my coffee table, and it's a conversation piece (I guess it helps to have stoner friends). My cats hate it a lot, they tend to wrinkle up their noses and run away.
I can't say that battery life has been a problem like he described, i've had the same set in since I got it. It doesn't push them with much force, but you can get better distance with practice. One thing i've found that helps the quality of the ring is to cover the smokehole with your hand while you pull the fog trigger, as if you don't, it will dribble smoke out. This produces thicker rings.
Just don't try and use it in a room with a fan on, it will blow it right away. One thing that was neat about that was discovering the airflow patterns in my house, and which windows are really drafty.
It's been more than $20 worth of fun, I think (just making your friends laugh like mine did is worth that) And no, I don't work for the company that makes or sells it, just an amused customer.
Just follow the day, and reach fo
The local Spencer's Gifts carried it. Don't know if they still do. It is an interesting contraption. But it definately has a novelty factor that can wear thin. I don't think I've used it since February? Really interesting to play with, though.
PS: Some people will like the cherry scented smoke. Others will hate it. Animals seem to find it as a form of smelly attack.
I'll admit that I deliberately submitted it that way in hopes of getting it posted (and it worked!). But in the review, I do mention that I bought my review Zero Blaster on eBay, cheaper than ThinkGeek sell it :-).
"The editors are there to seperate the wheat from the chaff."
Oh, you really didn't just say that... Do you really want to recount the all too numerous number of hoaxes, spam headlines and just plain assnine stories that have made it to the front page with these so-called chaff seperating "editors" at the helm??? No, their work is more akin to strip-mining. They take stories that grab their attention and dump them wholesale onto this site with barely a cursorary background check at times.
They aren't journalists and I can accept that. But even editors is too rich of a word for what they do. At most Slashdot is a hub where people post stories and the people who run it do the absolute minimum in their posting. In effect, everybody else does their job for them. Not that I have a problem with it, but lets overhype their job here.
And to that other guy, it's only a conflict of intrests if you claim that your organization is some how unbiased or impartial in some way. To my knowledge, Slashdot has never claimed that and has every right to hype their own products on their own site. It doesn't exactly look the best when it comes to credibility, but then, neither do the dupes, spam and other crap that make the front page, so who am I to judge?
You need a FREE iPod Nano
And every fucker who wrote saying they loved the piece of shit, over-priced gun, are declaring themselves as virgins.
He was doing the right thing in scaring them off.
Oh read the freaking article, Dan has been posted to
Now if the
As it is I would have checked Dansdata.com out next after
Need help treating your acne? Come here!
Not all glycols are poisonous, and some are even used in medical products. People having abdominal surgery or other procedures are sometimes required to clean out the plumbing first (a "bowel preparation" in the jargon) by drinking a gallon or so of polyethylene glycol the night before. They even have great flavors like cherry. You might even be able to use the stuff to make smoke rings.
And I'm not saying how I know that.
Wheee - lookie everyone, my gun that blows smoke rings ! - wheeee !
What fun ! - hours and hours of fun, er, well, er - blowing smoke rings ! - whoooopeee - I don't have a life !
A slashdotting - you get the stick first and then the carrot !
Someone needs to make a gun that will fire smoke sailboats that will cruise through the center of the vastly less impressive smoke rings. Gandolf Blaster?
This is not the sig you're looking for.
As a frequent party goer, I'm constantly on the hunt for new gimmics to impress the laay-deees. And this device if anything should keep me on dates for the rest of the year. Thank you, Slashdot!
(This sig intentionally left blank)
Its an excellent point, and I think one that most of the complaining assholes on here seem to totally overlook.
The costs of running Slashdot must be astronomical, and whatever methods it takes for them to fund the site i'd accept. If for whatever reason I DIDN'T like it, then i'd just go somewhere else - I wouldn't sit here bitching about it, like I knew how to do it much better.
AC'd because of the trolls & flamers.
I bought one of these things like 6 months ago, and after 2 weeks the primary firing trigger broke. I emaled thinkgeek twice, and no one ever responded. This is why the only thing I buy from thinkgeek is shirts, everything else I can find elsewhere. The gun was really awesome while it worked though.
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
Now, that's a p(r)etty sly action Dan pulled there. Get a post through on slashdot (and crosslink it on your page), put a pointer towards your webhost on your page, PROFIT.
Fight hunger. Filet a politician and send him to a 3rd world country of your choice.
Sorry, couldn't resist, old jokes are best.
Could have also gone for:
smoke and mirrors
By putting google links on slashdot are you inadvertantly affecting the Google Timeline?
At the end of the year, the Google Timeline will show huge a spike in these three picture searches on August 10 - but only for a day - maybe two. Then the searches will dwindle back to normal.
Will the Site Referrer be availalble to analysts? Or will analysts be stuck with trying to figure out what major news event has linked these three honeys?
Actually, the "heighth" of journalistic integrity might begin by getting rid of that literary lisp.
meh.
Yes, you noticed a spelling error. Congratulations. I should've dropped an 'e'.
Need a Python, C++, Unix, Linux develop
I'd love to have something I can use to point-and-click peoples' cigarettes out without the wet mess of a supersoaker.
Easy enough, fill it with ethanol or your favorite flammable vapor. No cherry smell, no pretty smoke rings, but it should be clear when it reaches the cigarette.
Soooo... Who wants to invent the "One Blaster"? :D
damn, what the hell are you getting? last time i spent 20 on that much, it had a pebble in it...
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. - Aldous Huxley
And you can, in time, make the place look like a Rastafarian rumpus room and smell like Strawberry Shortcake's sock drawer.
Funniest line I've read all year!
That that is is that that that that is not is not.
aah, I see this guy's mistake. this site is selling both the one tg is selling AND a lower end model. the $16.95 one is the lower end one.