About Humour

This page contains an archive of all entries posted to Gadget Freak in the Humour category. They are listed from oldest to newest.

FPGA is the previous category.

Japan is the next category.

Many more can be found on the main index page or by looking through the archives.

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Humour Archives

June 28, 2007

Smart gadget sure to make drivers smile

This Electropages video featuring a very smart gadget recently landed in Gadget Freak’s inbox.

We’re sure the gadget is a dream come true for anyone who’s received a surprise visit from the parking inspector.

Continue reading "Smart gadget sure to make drivers smile" »

July 13, 2007

What not to do with your iPhone

Once in a while we view a video that literally takes our breath away, that makes us stand up and take notice and that we are truly convinced will change the world we live in forever.

This video is not one of them.

Continue reading "What not to do with your iPhone" »

August 9, 2007

Fancy a human hamster wheel?

A complete waste of time from a guy showing he’s got way too much spare time on his hands or a potential so-cutting-edge-it-hurts art installation? You decide.

Continue reading "Fancy a human hamster wheel?" »

September 14, 2007

New Apple iPod interface fan club

If there’s one person who won’t be the first in line to start the new Apple iPod fan club, it’s fair to say it will be Kirk McElhearn.

Nelly.JPG

Continue reading "New Apple iPod interface fan club" »

November 5, 2007

OK gadget, get me a beer

Made by Monkeys Editor Karen Field recently sent us footage of this gadget that we think takes laziness to a whole new low.

Continue reading "OK gadget, get me a beer" »

November 7, 2007

Arcade machine + beer keg = Gamerator

We’ve stumbled upon an invention that combines two very popular past times: playing video games and drinking alcohol.

Gamerator.JPG

Continue reading "Arcade machine + beer keg = Gamerator" »

November 20, 2007

No, we've no idea what it's got to do with mobiles either

A series of very interesting and unique videos recently landed in our inbox.

Continue reading "No, we've no idea what it's got to do with mobiles either" »

March 12, 2008

Trunk Monkey: A new gadget every driver must have

Made by Monkeys Editor Karen Field brings us this gem for any driver that has ever experienced road rage.

Karen writes:

“Forget drive-by-wire braking systems or hybrid engines, the trunk monkey is hands down the best automotive technology I’ve ever seen. I hope this feature is an option on my next car.”

See the Trunk Monkey in action

Continue reading "Trunk Monkey: A new gadget every driver must have" »

July 16, 2008

LED Jellyfish Mood Lamp

Jellyfish led.jpgWelcome to the "hypnotic, other-worldly appeal of the LED Jellyfish Mood Lamp".

This press release has just caught my attention - a light-hearted one for Gadget Freak, I thought.

How much of a challenge would it be to recreate such a device?... (The real challenge would be in circulating the jellyfish in an interesting manner, I think, rather than the lighting effect)

The ambient lighting device is described as having a "whisper-quiet" operation and features an auto-off safety function that kicks in after four hours of use.

Continue reading "LED Jellyfish Mood Lamp" »

September 19, 2008

Parallel powered robotic paintgun produces a Mona Lisa



Among the almost infinite depths of YouTube's online video archives I stumbled across this intriguing, if not slightly bizarre, video.

As part of Nvidia's August 2008 Nvision show in San Jose, Mythbuster scientists Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman came up with a remarkable presentation, which concluded with the demonstration of a multiple barrelled paintball gun painting the picture of the globally familiar Mona Lisa in 80ms!

Continue reading "Parallel powered robotic paintgun produces a Mona Lisa" »

October 3, 2008

Star Wars merchandising: What will they do next?

All in all the R2D2 machine is quite a complicated piece of kit, with far more practical uses than a four foot long LEGO model...



As far as movie franchises go there aren't many that can live up to the behemoth that is Star Wars. Over the years just about everything has been taken and given George Lucas' famous logo, action figures, games, lunchboxes, bed linen, sweets dispensers you list it and I can only conclude that they made it.

I thought when I saw a gigantic 5,500 piece LEGO Millennium Falcon in a shop window last year, I'd seen the most ridiculous (and over priced) piece of Star Wars merchandise in existence, that was until last week I saw something even more bizarre.

American home electronics company Nikko has introduced a home entertainment system with a difference, fully housed inside a half-size model of R2D2.

The little robot comes equipped with a state of the art projector, fully utilising Texas Instruments' DLP video technology to display a projected image up to 260 inches on any flat surface.

Also included is a CD/DVD player, iPod and SD card compatibility and various video inputs for connecting your home video console to the projector.

Continue reading "Star Wars merchandising: What will they do next?" »

December 5, 2008

Cycling robot survives s-curve balance beam



A good one for a Friday afternoon - 'Murata Boy' in action, one of the highlights from the show floor of Electronica 2008. We've highlighted it as part of our Electronica Roundup, but it's worthy of a post to itself on Gadget Freak, I think.

If you couldn't catch the demonstration of sensor technology in motion, as the robot balances his bike along a narrow rail, check out our seven minute video of the cycling action.

Continue reading "Cycling robot survives s-curve balance beam" »

February 6, 2009

Water-powered jet pack



A bit of Friday fun - jet pack style...

Visions of the technological future often involve personal jet packs, but not like this. Great for getting around... lakes.

Apparently, the design pushes water, using an engine below the surface of the water, through thrust nozzles on the pack.

Continue reading "Water-powered jet pack" »

February 27, 2009

Wallace & Gromit call for Cracking Ideas



A bit of fun for a Friday, courtesy of Wallace & Gromit. The duo, in association with the Intellectual Property Office, are appealing for aspiring young inventors to get involved with a new exhibition at Science Museum.

Called "Cracking Ideas", it will be held at the London museum from 28 March, and you can visit the associated Cracking Ideas website. It features a "Get Innovative" section, which includes details about numerous and various inventions such as the Penny-Farthing bike, plasticine, denim, and aircraft.

According to the site:
Visitors will interact with all kinds of clever and quirky exhibits as they are taken on a tour of 62 West Wallaby Street, Wallace and Gromit's famous terraced home. Exhibits include innovative and patented objects from the Museum's own collection, as well as some of Wallace and Gromit's mind-boggling creations like the Tellyscope II, the Piella Propellor and the Blend-o-Matic. Wallace and Gromit will also be calling on visitors to use their ideas to help power a brand new invention of theirs, the Thinking Cap - top secret at the moment, with patent pending.

Continue reading "Wallace & Gromit call for Cracking Ideas" »

March 27, 2009

Gadget of the week: Speedfit mobile treadmill

Ignoring the dice iPod speakers, the intriguing cube clock or the impossibly small USB mouse, this week's Friday-afternoon-gadget-of-the-week isn't so much small and shiny as videoey and funny...

Thanks to Slipperybrick for this one, the Speedfit is a human-powered mobile treadmill. A great idea, combining fitness work out with mobility, it was created by one Alex Astilean. Now you can get from A to B and get fitter in the process. A bit like walking... err.


Continue reading "Gadget of the week: Speedfit mobile treadmill" »

April 9, 2009

Solar hybrid robot lawnmower

We like robots on Gadget Freak - see When Robots Swarm, The Fork and Knife Robot, Apprentices take on Robotics Challenge and DIY robot sentry ready to take over the world - and so this one caught our eye.

Take a look at the solar hybrid robot lawnmower, which can reportedly work silently at a speed of 45cm/sec:



Continue reading "Solar hybrid robot lawnmower" »

May 6, 2009

Steampunk powered iPod charger



We're fans of self-built technology with a retro-Victorian twist. See, for example, the Steampunk keyboard we highlighted a few months ago.

But this "Steam-powered" iPod charger takes the Garabaldi biscuit. At the heart of the system is a Lego Technic motor, apparently driven in turn by a system based on the Jensen #75 steam engine.

Continue reading "Steampunk powered iPod charger" »

May 19, 2009

Sigh Collector breathes on wireless Arduino system



This is hilarious. You may have seen the Bone Collector, well, here is the Sigh Collector.

One inventor has built a system that measures and 'collects' sighs. It records the degrees of his sighing during the day, and then represents the amount of air expelled in a separate visual display.

It is an Arduino-based system made up of two parts. There is a large, inflatable "red air bladder" system, activated by appropriate wireless signal. There is also a few pieces of kit to be worn by the user, with a chest strap monitoring breathing and communicating with the red bladder.

Continue reading "Sigh Collector breathes on wireless Arduino system" »

July 2, 2009

The beauty of KOZO pipe lights

lamp bulb 1.jpg
Flow electricity down the pipe and out comes light. Simple.

I really like these pipe-light examples of crafted ingenuity - thanks to baekdal.com for this one.

It describes the KOZO desk lamps as follows.
"Galvanized steel pipes can be used for many things. They are usually used to direct the flow of water. But if you pour electricity through them you end up with these amazing desk lamps."

Continue reading "The beauty of KOZO pipe lights" »

July 6, 2009

Video: If only mechanical transformations were so easy

The power of video. If only mechanical transformations were so easy...

Thanks to Botropolis, the robotic specialist website, for this one.



Continue reading "Video: If only mechanical transformations were so easy" »

August 5, 2009

DIY robot action, courtesy of Ollo

Ollo T-Rex.jpgI must admit, the ThinkGeek website is a treasure trove. I've referenced it in Made By Monkeys - see I can't believe someone makes... Wi-Fi detector baseball caps and I can't believe someone makes... LED disco shower lights - but here it is in Gadget Freak, too. The reason? Check out Ollo, the robot building kit.

Meccano on steroids, I suppose you could call it. Check out the video below.


Continue reading "DIY robot action, courtesy of Ollo" »

August 4, 2009

Super Dad builds AT-AT Imperial Walker bed

Imperial Walker bed.jpgI like the way CrazietGadgets queues this one up:
Luckily my kid isn't old enough to see this post because I and all other dads in the world have just been shamed, humiliated, and embarrassed by some superdad who built his kid a freakin' AT-AT Imperial Walker bed. Yes it's as cool as it sounds. Hey superdad, wanna adopt me?
If that wasn't enough he then uploads a YouTube movie, complete with Star Wars style intro, containing a slide show of some photos he took during the build process.

Continue reading "Super Dad builds AT-AT Imperial Walker bed" »

September 1, 2009

Steampunk Xbox 360 trundles into view

Steam punk xbox 1.jpgWe like our Steampunk mods on Gadget Freak - check out the Victorian-style iPod charger, or the alternatively historical keyboard.

Well, how about this home-brewed Steampunk Xbox case? Thanks to Technabob for this one, and credit for the fine handicraft goes to one Dopelgunder.

Continue reading "Steampunk Xbox 360 trundles into view" »

November 9, 2009

Robot plays Rock Band on an iPhone



Here's one to brighten up a Monday morning - it is described as an Arduino-based robot that plays Rock Band on an iPhone, its little arms hitting the drums on the display in time to the music (Blondie's Hanging On Telephone, in this case).

I think 'robot' may be stretching it, but the machine is quite neat, involving synthetic fingers (to work with the iPhone's capacitive touch screen, which is apparently expecting "a finger sized touch, from living flesh"), ambient light sensors and a Pelican case...

Continue reading "Robot plays Rock Band on an iPhone" »

November 10, 2009

Steve Wozniak's Nixie tube wrist watch



Long term readers of this blog know we have featured Nixie tube clocks a couple of times (see here and here), but this is the first one for a wrist watch. And worn by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, no less.

Continue reading "Steve Wozniak's Nixie tube wrist watch" »

December 17, 2009

Build yourself a Proton Pack with Arduino and Lasers

proton pack arduino.jpgIf there's something strange in your neighbourhood...

Another one to add to our Arduino-based project list. It's kind of a seasonal post because I can't believe Ghostbusters won't be on the TV over Christmas. Yes, it's a build yourself Proton Pack project, with the Arduino controlling the flashing flights, or the "cyclotron", to be precise. Check out the video:

Continue reading "Build yourself a Proton Pack with Arduino and Lasers" »

January 27, 2010

Steampunk iPod Nano and Nintendo Gameboy

eye-pod.jpgAh, Steampunk. We love the fuggy, Victorian-inspired retro-futuristic reworkings. Cast an eye, for example,  on this modified iPod Nano (1st Gen). A Mary Shelley's Frankenstein-inspired eye-pod, geddit?

Technabob quotes the designer, one Dr Grymm:
"The "eye-Pod" can be worn on the wrist via the leather cuff, or placed on it's custom Victrola base. All functionality of the iPod remain intact and a hidden USB cord retracts from the base to either a wall charger or your computer. There are hidden pressure plates that when touched send a strobing "static charge" into the quartz crystals on either side of the magnified viewing portal. Music can be heard either through the Victrola horn or though a portable personal hearing apparatus."
Apparently, it features in a Steampunk exhibition at the Museum of the History of Science, at Oxford University.

Continue reading "Steampunk iPod Nano and Nintendo Gameboy" »

March 2, 2010

Which one is Pink?

Petman 2.jpgAhead of the imminent March / April competition, here is another themed collection of posts. A bit recondite, this one, but regular readers have probably noticed a few musical references creeping into Gadget Freak posts over the years.

Well, here is a roundup of posts with a Pink Floyd reference!


They range from bicycles and robots to clocks and power:

Continue reading "Which one is Pink?" »