Maybe we’ve been spoiled by technology, but sometimes reaching for the iPhone and mashing the “snooze” button on the touchscreen is just too much early-morning thinking for us. Victor Johansson must have felt the same way when he created the Tangible Alarm.

The alarm looks like a piece of wood with three iPhone-sized slots separated by raised pieces of wood. Inside, there’s some near-field communication (NFC) technology going on that means all you have to do in the morning is pick up your phone and move it a few inches.

The middle slot turns the alarm on. In the morning when the alarm wakes you, you can move the phone to the right to snooze it or to the left to shut it off completely.

The simplified interaction is much less complex than having to interact with the touchscreen while half asleep. Those of us who are severely myopic and don’t want to put glasses on just to find the “snooze” button can relate to just how awesome this alarm is.

Besides being useful and easy to use, the Tangible Alarm looks quite lovely sitting on your bedside table. Much better than the traditional alarm clock with its too-bright numbers and ugly plastic case.

---

Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Gajitz Article:

Watery Wakeup: Sub Alarm Has to be Submerged to Stop

Shake + Wake: Silent Alarm Keeps Your Relationship Alive

---

With the exception of Aquaman and possibly Jacque Cousteau, humans cannot swim well underwater. And how can we with such primitive equipment? Flippers are impossible to use; I can’t stand idiots who constantly talk about scuba diving. Is there any hope for us who have yet to explore the sub-aquatic kingdom?

What’s that, designer Guillaume Binard? You’ve invented a wetsuit which would allow me to fly underwater? Well, I can’t even do that on land yet, but sure, why not?

Partnering with Aqua Lung, Binard has created Oceanwings. This wetsuit has neoprene membranes that spread from the wrists down to the ankles and are meant to give the diver feelings of soaring through their submarine wonderland.

If it never becomes a financial success, at least Binard has created a new piece of apparel that LARP enthusiasts and Comic-Con nerds can transform into some sort of flying squirrel-themed superhero costume.

---

Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Gajitz Article:

Pool Party: Aquatic Puttering on an Underwater Scooter

Cool Underwater Camera Casts Off to Catch Sea Life Pics

---

It never fails – when you’re on a long flight and have to get up to make your way to the lavatory, there is always a beverage or meal cart blocking your way. It’s been an annoyance to air travelers since the beginning of commercial air travel, but now Seongjoo Joh and Lee Min want to do something about it: raise the roof on the beverage cart madness.

Their concept, the Flying Trolley, would relocate the massive carts from the aisles to the ceilings of planes. They would roll along tracks in the ceiling and lower down to the attendants’ height when they need to reach something. This would keep the aisle free so flight attendants and passengers alike could move around freely.

Of course, as with anything aviation-related, there would be much more than mere convenience to consider. The added weight, the extra hardware, and the relatively unsecured nature of the hanging cart would ensure that this idea never makes it past the concept stage as an airplane innovation.

However, trains could implement a similar system without the problems inherent in adding anything new to an airplane. If the system could somehow be automated so that passengers pushed a button and the trolley came “flying” over with their order, long-haul train rides might suddenly become a lot more appealing.

---

Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Gajitz Article:

Dark Putt: Batman Tumbler-Themed Custom Golf Cart

Cruise the Aisles in Style: Funky Shopping Cart Bicycle

---

Put away that microphone – a marker is two turntables’ best friend. Robert Howsare‘s Drawing Apparatus puts them to work, unplugged this time (sort of).

Howsare fitted together a few thin pieces of pine to create hinges which bend with the natural rotation of a turntable. These wood pieces are placed at two different positions on two separate LPs. One end of the mechanism stays situated on the center of one record, where the label would be, while the other end is placed on another record’s grooves, sending this end on an elliptical route. A marker is placed where the two ends meet.

The resulting print is reminiscent of the art created by Sprirograph toys, although Howsare has a more philosophical goal for his Drawing Apparatus. “The drawings become documentation of the performance, reminding the viewer of the mechanisms and sounds of the apparatus at work,” he says on his website.

---

Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Gajitz Article:

Musical Chairs: Turning Trash into Turntables

Digital Drawing Board Creates Objects in Stunning 3D Detail

---

It’s ironic that some of the most banal materials can also be some of the most resilient. Forest by-products like sawdust and woodchips have the potential to be more fortifyingly superior to Kevlar. The discovery of cellulose nanocrystals that originate from wood pulp extract led the US Forest Service to give $1.7 billion to its Forest Products Laboratory branch.

One of the most abundant materials on the planet, the intricate matrix that is weaved by cellulose has been reinforcing huge natural structures such as sequoias for thousands of years. Pulped and then rinsed of a highly-degradable polymer called lignin, the cellulose fibers are further broken down into fibrils – tiny units one thousand times stronger than the original fibers. Hydrogen bonds eventually connect the nanofibrils, and strong acid is added to bundle the three-dimensional stacks as close as possible.

Produced at the cost of about $10 per kilo, the cellulose nanocrystals are a worthy opponent to carbon nanotubules, a material of similar strength that costs nearly 100 times more to produce. With uses in military defense, engineering, medicine and consumer products, these tiny wonders could create jobs and help the economy.

---

Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Gajitz Article:

Cellulose Cells: Termite Battery Eats Paper, Spits out Power

Eco-Friendly Bricks Made With Recycled Paper Industry Waste

---