It’s a little friend asthmatics know all too well: the faithful, tiny, inhaler. Sometimes quite literally a life saver, most asthma sufferers have one and go through three or four a year. Now, in addition to allowing them to breathe, a scientist wants to use them to figure out why we get asthma in the first place.
How? With GPS units on inhalers!
This is why I love my job: I can write headlines like this, because they are absolutely 100% true. DARPA wants to give one guy, on the ground, some fancy sunglasses that he will use to call in airstrikes. Suck on that, Call of Duty.
Also, are they for sale?
Vacuum Tubes may have been a cornerstone in developing electronics, but for our purposes here, they make a sweet chess board. The “Chess Set For Tesla,” by Paul Fryer, uses 32 vacuum tubes and 64 plugs to ensure that those pieces don’t tip over during play. And of course, they light up, sohwing the type of piece on top. As some Dvice commenters noted, this is probably an impractical board, as the tubes would likely get too hot to handle unless you’re playing in the northern reaches of Russia. That doesn’t make it any less awesome from afar. [Make Blog via Dvice]
Finally, confirmation that other people set clocks ahead to avoid running late. The trick is to fool yourself into perpetual confusion, never quite knowing what time it really is. Fabrica’s Tak Cheung has designed a clock whose minute hand is always bent forward by a few minutes. One problem though: surf to On-Time’s product page and you’ll learn right away that the clock runs exactly three minutes fast, ruining the mystery. But what happens if you set this clock ahead by an additional amount? Total chaos, followed by a tear in the fabric of the space-time continuum. Maybe that’s why there’s no word on pricing or availability. [Fabrica via The Awesomer]
With the help of a Belkin Rockstar multi headphone splitter, one intrepid DJ has created a tapestry of digital sounds using a Nintendo DS Lite running Electroplankon, a DSi running Korg DS-10, an iPhone, an iPod Touch and a Kaossilator. The result is, well, meh. But think of the possibilities. I’d love to see what a talented chiptune artist like Nullsleep could do with an elaborate setup of Game Boys, and even an average listener might have fun mixing in and out of different iPods at a party. At $20 for the splitter, it certainly beats splurging on an expensive mixer. [via YouTube]
“You can’t pee into a Mr. Coffee and get Taster’s Choice,” Dana Carvey once said in a Ross Perot accent, referring to that famous drink-your-own scene in Waterworld. Actually, though, he’s wrong. The H20 concept filter uses Activated Carbon to remove the color and taste of the urine, and a tiny membrane filters out viruses and bacteria. Clean water is squeezed from a spilling spout at the bottom of the device. Simple as that, although cooling mechanism would be welcome considering the warmth of your own bodily fluids. Keep in mind, though, that urine is already sterile, so if you’re really in a jam, there’s always the Bear Grylls method. [Yanko Design via Dvice]
Though the biggest downside to a long-distance relationship will probably differ depending on which partner you ask, sleeping alone is a definite downer. Mutsugoto provides a solution, albeit one that requires a bit of imagination. Each partner wears a special ring and installs a camera above the bed. A computer system records the ring’s movement and displays the pattern as streaks of light, allowing each partner to see what the other one is doing with their ring. When the two light streaks cross, they change color, adding some interactivity to the virtual snugglefest. I could see this getting old pretty quickly, but it’ll at least break the monotony of the goodnight phone call. If you’re interested, one of the creator’s technology outfits, Distance Lab, is looking for volunteer couples based in Scotland. [Mutsugoto via Dvice]
Do you trust eBay sellers who abuse the caps lock and butcher the English language? Have an affinity for Nazi battle tools and $27,999 to spare? You sicko. Anyway, someone is selling a Leica rangefinder, apparently used on the Russian front in 1942. The seller says it came from the estate of a military collector. “100% WORKS, NO CRUCKS ON THE LENZES,” the description reads. That’s great, because you never know when you’ll need to spot the Luftwaffe. The original case is included, and there’s free shipping if you buy it now. No returns, so I tried to figure out if this is a fake. A Photo.net forum post from 2007 has one photo with a similar emblem in the corner, and commenters suggest it’s is not the real deal. As if you were seriously considering anyway. [eBay via CrunchGear]
As a fashion statement, Tokyo Flash’s Kisai Denshoku watch isn’t bad, with its aluminum construction and choice of two colors. Telling time’s sort of a chore, though. A button on the side activates a series flashing LED lights, illuminating the orange bars on the face. The first flash indicates the hour, so if you see 6 bars, it’s 6 o’clock. The next flash indicates minutes in intervals of ten. Finally, a third flash tells you the exact minute. Put it all together, and you’ve a method that’s slightly easier creating your own sundial. It’s yours for $236. [Toyko Flash via Dvice]
