The Modern Materialist

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• Hardbook Mixes Style With Power

  For those of you who are a little tech savvy, and don’t mind playing around with a hard drive, the Hardbook might be the thing for you. The hard drive enclosure fits most 3.5 inch SATA I or II drives, and connects to your PC or Mac using a USB cord. Oh, and it looks like a book. A couple more features, after the jump...  Read More... Posted May 12 2008, 04:30 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, computers

• Full-Contact Commuting: Asserting Your Dominance/Need For Silence

  5 Things I Do On the Bus To Discourage Others From Sitting Next To Me: sit in the aisle seat spread all my belongings (how does one "spread" a single purse?) across the seat next to me pretend to be asleep, whilst sitting in the aisle seat with my stuff taking up the seat next to me look angry/dangerous look angry/dangerous while wearing my massive headphones This probably isn't nice of me. Rather than doing all of the above, I should sit in the window seat with my purse placed primly on my lap, my countenance smiley. And when someone sits down next to me, I should pass this over to them: Read More... Posted May 12 2008, 02:00 PM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech, Music

• iPhone Shortage Brilliant Plan To Sell Blackberrys

  Okay, gang, I’ve cracked this mystery: Apple is trying to get people to buy Blackberrys, and it’s stunningly obvious. Find out the secret plan, after the jump... Read More... Posted May 12 2008, 01:00 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, iPhone, phones, blackberry

• Rocking Out with the Lord

  I was raised a Roman Catholic, but I did that typical thing in college where I became agnostic, and I've since been on a constant search for the meaning of faith. Despite my lapsed Catholicism, however, there are many times during which I find it appropriate to invoke God's name: when someone cuts me off on the highway when someone cuts me off in the suburbs when I stub my toe when I realize that the cat has vomited all over the condo when I'm running late etc. Obviously, I'm not the most pious of people. But for those who are looking for new ways to rock out with the Lord: Read More... Posted May 12 2008, 12:00 PM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech, Music

• Is That a Shower In Your Pocket?

  I once met a guy who had to take a shower every morning for one full hour. Not “wanted to,” but for some unexplained reason (and I didn’t want to pry) had to. And not only that, but it had to be at six in the morning. Also, he took his showers lying down. I’m 100% serious about this, and if you’re wondering what this has to do with the canvas bag pictured above: Read More... Posted May 12 2008, 09:00 AM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, shower, camping

• Inflatable Iceberg Keeps Things Cool

  So most of us don’t have a swimming pool. I mean, maybe some of you do, but I live in an apartment in NYC, so if I got a pool installed, I think my downstairs neighbors would kill me. However, if we did all have pools, I bet we’d also like to have this 14’ tall inflatable iceberg/climbing wall. You can climb up, slide down, and the whole thing is made from durable PVC. Which is really fun and cool (pun intended), until you find out how much it costs: Read More... Posted May 09 2008, 11:00 AM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, toys, Sports, pool

• Happy Hour: Ravi Wine Chiller

  Here’s a pretty cool little item, pun entirely intended. The Ravi Wine Chiller is a wine (or other liquor) bottle attachment you store in your freezer. When it comes to time to have a nice glass of wine, all you do is snap the frozen part into the included bottle plug, and then pour. Is there more? Why yes, there's more after the jump...  Read More... Posted May 08 2008, 05:00 PM by Alex Zalben with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: gadgets, Happy Hour, drinkware

• This Umbrella Sale Will Save You From Drowning (In Debt)

  Okay, it's really only one umbrella, but I think it might be worth it. After all, if you're caught unprepared, you'll be soakced for the duration of the day, and your nips will be showing, as in the photo above. Read More... Posted May 08 2008, 01:00 PM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech

• Sometimes a Cigar is a Big Fat Dong

  I’d like to formally thank our Big Sis Scanner Blog for, essentially, doing our job for us, by posting purchasable penises. Now, granted, we delivered dick diatribes just yesterday, but who wouldn’t want wangs out the wazoo? So without further alliteration, here’s a bunch of trouser snake stuff: Read More... Posted May 08 2008, 12:30 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, sexy, NSFW

• Pet Tanning Bed

  This is how the world ends; not with a bang, but with a tanning bed for pets. Yes, you heard me… A company called Sunspa has decided that your cats and dogs aren’t orange and leathery enough, so they’ve decided to create a tanning bed specifically designed for pets. A caveat, after the jump...  Read More... Posted May 08 2008, 11:00 AM by Alex Zalben with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: gadgets, home, Pet Products, tanning

• Multitasking: Another Toaster

  I keep on hoping that someone will make a bed that dresses me and brushes my teeth in the morning, or a keyboard that does up all my blog posts, but gadget designers lately seem especially fixated on the toaster as a basic building block, as you can see here and here.  I don't really do toast, though I did e-mail myself a reminder last year to make some cinnamon toast for nostalgia's sake. That e-mail still sits in my Inbox, and the cinnamon toast remains unmade. If I was going to get excited about toasters, though, this one comes close: Read More... Posted May 08 2008, 10:30 AM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, kitchen

• Platronics Lets You Make the Call

  I think the other day I was mentioning that I don’t really know anyone outside of mountain men with a land-line anymore*. But for those of you who do, there’s a really awesome solution available: Read More... Posted May 07 2008, 03:30 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, phones

• More! More Screens!

  9x Media provides customizable desktop displays for your computer (or, I guess web TV), and that’s pretty cool and all, until you start to consider that thy can be customized up to 64 screens, from 19” to 32” each. Any way you want ‘em. So you can have the above configuration, or you can make something like the ones below, which ar perfect for showing off your tree collection: Read More... Posted May 07 2008, 02:00 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, computers, Television

• People Should Start Collecting These: Another Alarm Clock

  I still really want the iHome. My wanting has been renewed because, over the weekend, while visiting the fam, I noticed that my brother had the iHome! !!! Lucky bastard. Anyways, until I can convince someone to buy one for me, I'm going to at least have fun cataloguing all of the other cool-concept alarm clocks out there, such as this one: Read More... Posted May 07 2008, 01:00 PM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets

• Your USB Device is On Crank

  Before there were cordless power devices, before there was even electricity coursing through every building, man had to crank his own electricity. Actually, I have no idea if this is true. Sorry, I slept through both history and science. Anyway, I’m sure at some point, someone had to crank something, because the Hand Crank USB Power Charger exists, and it’s a pretty cool solution for anyone who’s on the road, or camps, or, you know, doesn’t live in a house. More deets, after the jump...  Read More... Posted May 06 2008, 03:30 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, green, USB

• I'm So Vain: Stealth Headphones

  I feel lame for being so vain about my headphone style, especially since y'all voted that my oversize headphones were a good look. Still, I can't help feeling ridiculous those times I pair my massive headphones with a hat. Which is why I'm sorta intrigued by this get-up: Read More... Posted May 06 2008, 12:00 PM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech, Music

• Test Drive: Loc8tor Lite

  [$79.99, Loc8tor] God, I'm unphotogenic. Anyways. Way back when, I posted about the Loc8tor Lite, a new personal tracking device. In the interests of science, I thought it would be good to borrow one for testing purposes. After the jump, I play hide & seek with my lens cap, an item that is always getting misplaced.   Read More... Posted May 05 2008, 04:30 PM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech, test drive

• Personal Bad Breath Detector

  I once dated a girl who had horrible bad breath. Okay, to be fair, it was one day, but it was god-awful, and all she wanted to do was make out with me. The problem with this, especially when we had only been dating for a few weeks was that I couldn’t just come out and say, “Your breath is horrible,” without sounding like an awful person. I offered her gum several times, but she kept saying no thanks. I took us to a candy store, and kept saying, “Mmm… This candy is nice, let’s buy some of this,” but she wasn’t interested. At a certain point, I kept coming up with activities that didn’t involve us talking to each other face to face, or making out: playing video games, watching a movie, breaking up, etc. Find out how you can avoid this problem, after the jump...  Read More... Posted May 05 2008, 04:00 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, dating, toys

• Got The Clams? Get a Camera Watch/Phone

  I’m generally suspect of these cheap convergence devices out of China. I realize that countries outside America are far beyond us, at least in terms of mobile hone usage and technology, but you’d think that if cell phone watches were possibly, that every nerd and his mother would be grabbing one. Find out why you should grab one of these, after the jump...  Read More... Posted May 02 2008, 12:30 PM by Alex Zalben with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: gadgets, watches, phones

• Hands On: The New iMac

  Very, very rarely do I buy myself a nice big present, but coincidence at fate brought me to this point, and so I embraced it. Some background: I’ve had the same laptop since 2004 or so, which replaced the same version of laptop, which I had previously lost in the back of a cab (long, awful story). It was/is a PowerBook G4, and I’ve loved it for as long as I’ve known it. So much so, that it’s in my bio blurb, over to your right. More on this sad tale, and hands on pictures with the new iMac, after the jump...  Read More... Posted May 02 2008, 11:00 AM by Alex Zalben with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: gadgets, Apple, tech, hands on

• Love It or Leave It? BoomBox-Style iPod Dock

  [$219, Lasonic]  Part of my wants to hitch this up on my shoulder and bop on down the street, whilst blasting the Beatards. Another part of me realizes that I didn't even do that shit in the '80s. Plus I sort of already love my DLO travel speakers. After the jump, a bonus music video, and then vote for whether you'd love this or leave it. Read More... Posted May 02 2008, 10:30 AM by Steph Auteri with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: gadgets, tech, Music

• Geek Out: R2-D2 Projector

  My little geek brain just melted. How did this happen? Well, it’s easy: - Take one dash of Star Wars - Add in as much hardware as you can. - Make it totally frakkin’ awesome. Details, after the jump...  Read More... Posted May 02 2008, 09:30 AM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, Geek Out, star wars, projectors

• The Sweet and the Low: Espresso Makers

  Over at Yale, scandal broke out when a bit of subterfuge on the part of the University Dining Services-operated Thain Family Cafe was uncovered. It seems that — when stock of regular espresso beans ran out — they started substituting decaf for regular. Oh, the deception! To ensure that such a thing never happens to you, perhaps it's time you started preparing your espresso at home. Read More... Posted May 02 2008, 09:00 AM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, kitchen, appliances

• Talking Bug Zapper Gross, Annoying

  I hate bugs. I mean, really hate bugs. If they’re big, I’m scared of them, but for the most part I wish bugs would go away, forever. I realize that would destroy the ecosystem or whatever, but come on: bugs are gross, and if you like bugs, you are gross. It’s a fact. That being said, there’s two things I hate more than bugs: Read More... Posted May 01 2008, 03:30 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, outdoors, toys

• USB Rechargeable Battery

  Now, here’s a totally rad, totally green idea: a rechargeable AA battery that plugs into your USB port. That means no fumbling with battery chargers, no worrying about where to find an outlet, and most importantly, no used batteries to throw out. More green, after the jump...  Read More... Posted Apr 30 2008, 06:00 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, green

• Happy Hour: The Chamberer

  I’ve mentioned/complained about this before, but I don’t have a ton of space in my apartment. It started out being pretty roomy, but let’s just saying writing for a Product Blog doesn’t necessarily lend itself to having tons of extra room in your pad. One thing in particular I like to make room for is wine. It’s nice to have a few bottles on hand in case you have friends over, or want to go on a massive bender. These bottles, of course, need somewhere to be stored. Find out where to stick your wine bottles, after the jump...  Read More... Posted Apr 30 2008, 05:00 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, Food and Drink, Happy Hour

• Be Dick Tracy Walkie Talkie Watches

  Since man first climbed out of the primordial muck, he’s wanted two things: Read More... Posted Apr 30 2008, 02:00 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, watches, walkie talkies

• Full-Contact Commuting, Part Deux

  This is a partial photograph of a Bicycle of Doom. I was taken down by one of these things once. In an intersection in NYC. Because the damn things do not follow the laws of traffic. No way in hell I want them to get wind of this: Read More... Posted Apr 30 2008, 09:00 AM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets

• Sound Hive Lets The Bees Out

  When I think about relaxing to some music after a long, hard, days work, the first thing I want to be reminded of is bees. You know, there’s nothing that really helps you take a load off like an alarming swarm of bees in your house. That’s why I appreciate the Hive Speakers, a concept by Yanko Design. Okay, to be fair, it reminds me a little more of honey, as it has a honeycomb design, but nonetheless… BEES! The concept works off the sound bar home theater design, centering all sound in one area of the room. There's something even cooler about these speakers, though: Read More... Posted Apr 29 2008, 03:30 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, speaker system, concepts, Music

• Hat-Shaped Spaceship Spotted In the Night Sky

  Oh come on. It totally looks like a hat-shaped UFO! Don't tell me it doesn't.Okay, you're right. This is actually a picture of: Read More... Posted Apr 28 2008, 03:30 PM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech