The UberReview

Bone-conductive Tongue-controlled MP3 Playing Grill Is the Most Ridiculous Thing You Will See Today

C. S. Magor — Wed, 30 May 2012 23:37:20 +0000

Personally, I think “grills” are the most ridiculous fashion statement ever to be conceived – but artist Aisen Chacin has taken things one step further by turning a grill into a tongue-controlled MP3 player that the wearer hears in his or her skull via bone conduction.

Chacin made a mould of her mouth, into which she embedded the MP3 player (with controls facing downwards to allow tongue access and a small vibrating motor connected to the MP3 player through its headphone jack – the vibrations hit bone and become sounds.

Awesome, right? Not quite. The palate of the wearer acts as a resonator, which allows everyone around the wearer to hear the very same sounds coming from their mouth. If you thought people who played music for everyone else to hear on their cell phones were annoying, wait until you have to sit next to some jackass on the subway with a self-imposed speech impediment and singing teeth.

[Source via New Scientist]

Bicycle-mounted Bottle Opener Might Not Be Such a Good Idea

C. S. Magor — Wed, 30 May 2012 07:13:08 +0000

The designers of the Road Popper explain in no uncertain terms that riding under the influence of alcohol is a bad idea and that they do not intend for their product to be used in the opening of alcoholic beverages. It is a bad idea, it is dangerous, you could really hurt yourself and if you are really unlucky and are in the wrong place at the wrong time – you could find yourself on the wrong side of the law.

That being said, pulling over to have a beer at the tail end of a long ride (as long as it is cold) is one of life’s better simple pleasures.

From Shapeways:

The Road Popper is a bike-mounted bottle opener that we developed for our own use and decided afterward to share. We designed it to fasten discreetly to the rails on the underside of the saddle to help keep your bike looking crisp. So far, it’s worked on all the bottle caps we’ve tried it on. Material options are bronze infused stainless steel. Finish options are plain (on the right in the photograph), matte gold, glossy gold, matte antique bronze, and glossy antique bronze. The Road Popper is not intended for alcoholic beverages. Chromoly does not condone cycling while under the influence of alcohol.

Things You’ll Need for Installation (not included with purchase)

2 – 3/8” long #6 flat head (countersunk) screws
2 – Nylon locknuts
1 – Screwdriver
1 – Needle nose pliers

Bike Requirements

Conventional bike saddle. If you’re not sure if your seat is standard or not, give it a measure. The rails should be 7 mm’s (0.275 inch) in diameter and roughly 44mm’s (1.73 inch) apart.

At least 228mm’s (9”) of space between the underside of your seat and your tire.

9mm’s (3/8”) of open rail behind where the seat attaches to the seat post.

*Because this product is fabricated to order it is more expensive that it would be under normal manufacturing conditions. For this same reason it takes about 14 working days to arrive. The cost of shipping (via UPS) is included in the list price. Please note that duties and taxes may be applied to your order when it enters your country.

Price: $38.58 – 107.10 (depending on material)

Audio Jars Have All the Makings of a Fun Little Project [DIY]

C. S. Magor — Wed, 30 May 2012 06:57:43 +0000

Designer Sarah Pease came up with this great idea for housing David Mellis’ open-source Fab Speakers. Building the speakers is a relatively simple job, but it does require the use of a laser cutter. If you can’t get your hands on one of those, then you could follow Mellis’ suggestion of ordering the cuts from Ponoko.

Aside from that you will need to do a little bit of soldering and gluing, but it is all pretty entry-level stuff. Making it all fit together nicely in the canning jars might present more of a challenge, but that’s what makes it fun.

The Most Stylish Marshmallow Blaster You Will See All Day

C. S. Magor — Wed, 30 May 2012 06:36:05 +0000

Meet the Executive Elite Marshmallow Blaster. This stylish single-shot pump action marshmallow blaster can fire marshmallows up to 40 feet and comes in its very own briefcase.

Want one? Too bad! It looks like Neiman Marcus has sold every last one – so you can either wait for them to get some more or save your time and money and appreciate its awesomeness from afar.

Price: $55 [Source]

Cordless Reading Lamp is Powered by Weights, Gears and Gravity

C. S. Magor — Wed, 30 May 2012 06:08:21 +0000

The “First Light” from Post Fossil is the first weight-driven light that I have ever seen. It uses a similar mechanism for generating electricity as one would normally find turning the hands of grandfather or cuckoo clock. The difference is that the gradually falling weight is used to turn a set of cogs and gears and generate electricity.

Having never seen the clock in action we have no idea how much light it is able to generate or how often it needs to be wound, but the concept is nothing short of awesome.

From Post Fossil:

“first light” is a sophisticated reading lamp which is powered through a weight and cog wheels just like a clockwork. The power does not come from the socket but is produced directly in the body. This traditional mechanism seems to be floating between the edged rack. Through the glassy lampshade the movement of the cog wheels is set in scene nicely. “first light” is a lamp for bon vivants who like the conscious act of winding up.

Price on Asking (That is designer speak for “really expensive”) [Source]