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Expensive Geek Toys Roundup
An anonymous reader writes "I was recently asked by a coworker to come up with a list of <implied> expensive </implied> and cool gadgets for a VIP. He was interested in anything that was up-and-coming, rare and the usual odd combination of devices (ie. anything with a camera/WiFi that shouldn't have it). I figured that since it was Friday, it may be a good day to see what the /. crew has up their sleeves."
PLEASE do not respond to this article! I can't afford it!
I've had this sig for three days.
Not hideously expensive as things go but the Geekiness factor is astronomical.
Not all of it requires a plug, and not all of it meets your "expensive" criteria, but it's full of great, high-quality stuff you didn't know you needed.
--H
One useful:
The Handspring Treo 600
One not as much
Airzooka Air Gun
this
check out gizmodo for the newest gadgets
http://www.gizmodo.com
_
b
I figured that since it was Friday, it may be a good day to see what the /. crew has up their sleeves.
Are you implying I don't have anything better to do on a Friday night?!
Well Sir, you are correct.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/newstech/enterprise/story/ 0,2000048640,20268993,00.htm
"Korea's LG Electronics is selling a 26-cubic-foot Multi-Media Refrigerator, with a built-in 15-inch LCD (liquid crystal display) screen for watching TV, surfing the Internet or looking at digital pictures."
I don't know about the rest of you, but when I go to the fridge to grab a coke, I like to stand there and watch a quick sitcom on a 15" LCD display. Right...
I always save my last mod point to mod up a good troll. You people are too serious.
http://www.thinkgeek.com
Particularly this, i love it, but unfortunatly i bought the 256Mb before the price drop and also shortly before the released a USB2 version which isn't carried by thinkgeek yet.
"Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
I've been drooling over this at ThinkGeek for months since I first saw this. Just can't justify $120.
Green Laser Pointer at ThinkGeek.com
---- Move SIG...For great justice!
Cool is teaching the Aibo to drive the segway while you control it via the 3G cameraphone taped to its head.
This space for rent.
The RIM 7200 Series is by far the best PDA/GSM Phone/StarTrek TriCorder ever created. Show him *that*.
A couple of G5s and iSight cameras. They really are quite fun to play with.
Well you can't get geekier and VIPer than a Seqway.
OF course a 30+inch flat plasma wide screen HDTV also qualifies.
Food not Bombs is a nice platitude but it breaks down when you notice that the Bombees are usually well fed
The Neiman Marcus Christmas Catalog has a his/her set of programmable butler robots. The damn things will open the doors and, via their built-in camera, give you a view of your visitors before you get to the door. They also can help you bring in your groceries. They don't give a mention of whether they're able to do a fresh install of Gentoo, though. All this for only ... $400,000.
something like this or if I remember there was some cool ones on here a year or two ago that rotated and you climbed into like going into a space capsule, but those were around $5,000-USD so... Anyway, I think having a good desk is very important.
anime+manga together at last.. in real time.
I don't have a product in mind, but I recommend you take 2 weeks and leave no stone unturned in your seach. Make sure you spend time at home in deep contemplation on the issue. Take field trips to see what cool stuff other VIPs are using. Maybe fly to Europe and attend a trade show or two.
After that, spend 4 weeks writing your report.
8)
Isn't a G5 cluster one of the newest/oldest cool things mentioned on /. lately? Better yet, it's pretty easy to make hideously expensive. And you might even consider creating a in-memory Oracle database using 10,000 G5 machines. The VIP would have his/her own Google :)
btw, can we use that as a noun yet? Like a gaggle of geese, a herd a cattle or a school of fish, can we have a Google of computers?
Give him a new iPod. They're pretty expensive and are fucking awesome.
I want one so bad...
Bugs are just features that have been fixed.
I could easily spend a year's salary here.
http://www.modexotics.com/www/p102950_v1.html
'Nuf said.
Amazon's Early Adopters page can be fairly useful when browsing for expensive toys....
Shure makes some incredible earphones, and they are $500. Work as earplugs too.
They are even better if you get custom made inserts.
I've been happy with my similar (but $50) Fontopia MDR-EX71SL headphones from Sony, but have been eyeing these others for a while.
I hear that there's a record-breaking Dorito selling on eBay...
I'm going to the casino. Don't gamble.
the new 40Gig iPod is nice and pricey, and totally cool.
Perhaps the new 1GHz 12" Apple PowerBook?
Certainly a Sony Aibo is expensive and unnecessary, but can be useful in harassing the interns.
Or a UX50 CLIE(TM) Handheld PEG-UX50 PDA. Very cool, and uber-sexy.
If you want impractical, get a Rubberband Machine gun (http://www.backyardartillery.com/machinegun/) Oh yeah. Great for hostile takeovers!
Also check out their remote control tanks that shoot BBs: http://www.backyardartillery.com/tanks/. Sweet. (don't forget the plastic Army men to go along with the tanks!)
Dan's Data (http://www.dansdata.com/) reviews a lot of fun toys like the above. LED flashlights, tanks, and what-not. Maybe a super-modded computer case? Maybe a Powerball (http://www.dansdata.com/gyrotwister.htm#pball would do.
You can always check out the Sharper Image catalog, too. Lots of expensive junk in there.
First of all, the geekiest stuff is often home-build... have about contracting out to build something? I've always wanted to make one of these.... VP's are good at messing up computers so why not make it easy and geeky too!
Alternately, you can always shop at thinkgeek or compgeeks
Of course, much of my geeky pipedreams have involved cool places to put a flat panel display. How about something rigged up with a USB-flat-panel that looks like a desktop picture (but can change, or is animated). I know I've seen support for usb-flat-panel in my recent kernel version, so I'd assume the hardware is out there. Better yet, if you could fit it into a real picture frame so that it looks realistic, and enable it as default output for video-conferencing software: functional+geeky.
And of course, if you wanted to go outside the office (I doubt this would fly in most companies), replacing the ol' car stereo with a custom-wired miniPC (don't forget voltage-backing capacitors or a failsafe for when spikes/ignition), and perhaps an LCD that pops out of the glove?
Wireless is always cool. Go with the picture frame, but set it up wireless somehow so that it's as hard-to-figure as possible. You might even be able to do something with an old ebay laptop and a little wiring of the video connector through the desk. Anyhoo, just suggestions, and personal preference, but I'm sure there are lots of cool things one could do with miniturized PC components and a little time, and the custom-job is often much more unique/cool/geeky than stuff you find in even semi-geeky retail stores.
http://www.zorb.com/
they don't sell them, only to franchises, but everyone can be pursauded with cash, how much you got?
Runnin' On Empty
10. Colossus: The Forbin Project.
9. The Dobbertin Surface Orbiter. It is still not yet a submarine.
8. "Green Laser Pointer at Think Geek.com"
7. Hey McFly! How much would you sell that Delorean for?
6. Knight Industries 2000
5. Friggin' sharks with friggin' lasers on their heads.
4. That Saturn 5 lying on its side at that space museum. Time for destination moon!
3. "The Jupiter 2". Forget a trek ship: this thing once passed through a galaxy in one night.
2. The Atari 1450XLD. I'm still waiting for one after all these years. If Alan Alda still has his, I bet he won't let it go for cheap.
1. SCO. What geek would not love to buy this company and play with it fo a while? Muhahahaha.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
From their product catalog:
"The Bioweapons division of the Weyland-Yutani corporation is proud to release its new Predalien-model drone! This beautiful marvel of roving mayhem is capable of a forty foot vertical or horizontal pounce, can head-bite your enemies from up to several feet away, can sneak up on competing executives along ceilings, walls, and through air ducts, and is armed with a six-foot barbed tail, nine inch claws, four inch fangs, and a sixteen inch extensible subjaw with three inch fangs! Optional Architect remote control not included. Satisfaction guaranteed!"
BUT, of course, you should read the disclaimer (it's in very tiny print at the back of the catalog):
"Weyland-Yutani corporation makes all AlienTech(tm) available on an As-Is basis, with no warranty whatsoever. Additionally, customer agrees to fully indemnify Weyland-Yutani corporation from any and all legal repurcussions that may result from customer's use of AlienTech(tm) products, including (but not limited to) impregnation by larval AlienTech, deaths of coworkers, family, pets, entire community, or detonation of spacecraft or Atmospheric Processor Units. Use AlienTech wisely."
Farewell! It's been a fine buncha years!
If ya like em, send em a stripper with strategically placed /.'s and a redhat. If ya don't then get one of the unix administrators to dress up as a penguin. If you really don't like em, get em windows that break when you try to install them.
There's a growing sense that even if The Future comes,
most of us won't be able to afford it.
-- Lemmy
Something neat but completely useless, huh?... how about this?
Oh wait... you wanted hi-tech...
Hmph. Asimo. Aibo is too light.
Personally, I think Tivo is a necessity and not a toy, but the addition of a DVD-R to the mix and the ability to burn a show to DVD effortlessly makes it cool.
Yes, you've been able to do this for some time in a garden variety of ways (extract to PC, analog copy to standalone burner), but all-in-one makes it pretty damn cool.
Pioneer's site isn't carrying this yet, but there was a full page ad in the USA Today ("tomorrow the world") for this. Rumor has it its not as good as the Panasonic DMR-E80H since it doesn't allow for any editing, but there's been a dearth of solid info about it thusfar.
Even without the editing ability of the Panasonic, combining DVD writing with the great Tivo UI would be super cool.
It'd be on my Christmas wishlist, but the wife just recently quit mumbling about the cost of the S2 and lifetime sub, so I think I'll just ask for the Panasonic instead.
...and see what he comes up with.
Me, I'd say use the money to buy as many old Macs as he can, run Linux on them and create his own VIP Beowulf cluster. Er...wait - VIP? Nevermind.
www.brownsauce.org
Okay, I Googled for Bluetooth Vibrator and surprisingly came up with quite the list.
-=- Many seek good nights and lose good days.
Everyone needs a ruggedized 6 million candlepower flashlight with an adjustable 40 degree wide to 2 degree spot beam ... right? I would certainly accept one as a gift. The only catch is it's just a bit pricey.
The TailGator is a gaspowered blender.
No one really needs one of these, but they are pretty cool.
http://www.totallygross.com/
http://www.redcross.com
A donation in his name.
Apple ipods are awesome. It may not be cutting edge any more but it is an expensive gadget. And actually useful unlike most.
"I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend, to the death, your right to say it." -Voltaire
Powerskips - supercharged pogo-stilts
how about a phatbox car mp3 player. it plugs into your stock stereo and emulates a cd changer with voice feedback. linux software is here. up to 60 gigs.
or a kenwood music keg.
or a vw/audi phatbox.
can you tell i love this product? works with the audio controls on my steering wheel. no need to look down at an ipod screen while speeding.
Sounds like your co-worker might an a hidden motive to have you spend "company" time looking at expensive geek toys. Were I dealing with someone that didn't trust very well, I'd watch my back.
Who's to say your co-worker doesn't run to the very same VP and rat you out. When the boss comes back to check it out and asks you about the "toys" you sink yourself when you answer him thinking he just wants more information.
Having worked at a company fill of back-stabbing goons, tends to put me on a very careful stance.
-Goran
Carpe Scrotum - The only way to deal with your competition.
how about a cigarette lighter for your PC?
Left 4 Dead Gaming Group - http://www.l4dgg.com
Just buy a SCO linux license for him! ;-)
Yeah, I'm city livin' chillin' but I'm country at heart...
I'd have to go with the Garmin ique3600.
A palm PDA, plus NAV with GPS all built into a normal PDA sized box. It even talks to you and tells you to turn around when you've gone the wrong way. About 475$.
ique 3600
For the man who has everything, something to haul all his shit around in.
If tits were wings it'd be flying around.
Wired Review on toilet from Toto
Toto USA
Towards the Singularity.
My ultimate geek gadget would be: a geek.
Then I can ask the geek to do things like "round up all of the coolest geek gadgets and let me know what they are". I will force my pet geek to address me as a "VIP" and interface with slashdot when they can't ask my questions (which makes me feel like I own many more geeks by proxy).
I will keep my geek in a cubicle next to my aquarium full of scuba-divers.
Try making them. A little wood or metalworking, and some help from a Surplus store and you should be well on your way. For comptuer interfaces, game controllers or keyboards are dirt cheap, buy one to take apart.
How about this personal, ultralight, helicopter-type thingy?
A googolplex is not "sometimes just called a google." Well, I guess it is, but only by mistake. A googolplex is 10^googol or a 1 followed by 10^100 0s. Note that the search engine is spelled google, and the number googol.
I found this very cool "toy" the other day ( http://shop.store.yahoo.com/airgundepot/eaa-drozd. html )
Not every day you run across a selective fire BB gun.
Imagine how "The Christmas Story" would have gone with this instead of the Red Rider BB gun.
The screen is small (2"), but ok for viewing Office Space for the 10th time while I'm commuting via train. Having all of your recent photos on board is nice too (who needs that plastic thing in your wallet?). And it does hold 500 CDs worth of music and supports mu3 playlists.
It's easily mountable to my Linux box and I believe it is less expensive that the iPod of the same hard drive size. No it doesn't look as cool as the iPod or weigh as little, but the rechargeable batteries do go about 7 hours. It's an alternative at least ...
A DVD of Office Space
Chip H.
You might want to consider one of these retro Nixie tube clocks. They come with a technological twist: They use GPS to acquire the correct time. http://www.amug.org/~jthomas/clockpage.html
"I was recently asked by a coworker to come up with a list of expensive and cool gadgets for a VIP.
If the VIP's in management, how about, I dunno, a brain?
Or for that matter, a heart or some courage .
Opinions on the Twiddler2 hand-held keyboard?
But this is my current target for a geek toy.
one of these monitors and a nice laptop for travel.
Pimp Monitor
my site has a pretty good collection of gadgets. http://www.flashenabled.com/ arcos video player, roomba robot, panasonic ewear, tablet pc, nokia 3650, er1 robot kit, aibo, media center (2004 version), segway ht (with new software), pocket pc 2003 devices, sony ericsson p800...and the list goes on....
Of course it costs nearly as much as a cheap laptop, but you can't beat the functionality for its size!
Also, a great site to check regularly is I4U. This site is updated on a daily basis with the greatest drool-inducing toys you've ever seen!
Future applications: being a remote control for my laptop (playing MP3s, or controlling presentations).
Software used: Bluez, Multisync, Bluetooth Transfer Manager, K68 and (on the phone) KaBlog.
Monitor resolution of 6400x1200 sound good?
mahlen
Succumb to natural tendencies. Be hateful and boring.
Hands down, IMHBO, the coolest geek setup ever:
:) )
1) Buy him/her a Series1 TiVo (much easier to hack, or if you know their up-to-speed, then you can get him/her Series2 40 or 60 hour model if you can find one, rather than the 80).
2) Hacking TiVo: The Expansion, Enhancement and Development Starter Kit with CD-ROM, by Jeff Keegan.
3) A #10 Torx screwdriver.
You can let him/her go buy their own additional hard drive, though if you decide you've gotta buy that too get 120 gig or 160 gig IDE drive (doesn't have to be faster than 5400 rpm).
(By the way, the B in IMHBO stands for biased.
..Jeff Keegan
seven syllables explain TiVo: kee gan dot org slash ti vo