The Gadgets Page

I absolutely LOVE this video from Weird Al:

He is using Accordéon HD on his iPad. The app is here:

• Accordéon – Alex Komarov Inc. [iTunes link]

It’s also available for the iPhone, although it’s quite small:

• Baby Accordéon – Alex Komarov Inc. [iTunes link]

I would think that playing an iPad accordion would be much harder than a real one because you couldn’t feel the buttons, but Al makes it look easy.

Via: “Weird Al” Yankovic Goes Digital – Celebrity Pictures, Lol Celebs and Funny Actor and Actress Photos – ROFLrazzi

I’ve gushed and reminisced about refillable makeup palettes in the past. You can see what I loved in the past here:

• Gadgets Page » Refillable Makeup Palettes

Most of the refillable palettes available today are FAR more expensive than I am willing to spend with the compact costing twenty dollars and the eyeshadows in the price range of five to fifteen dollars apiece.

Imagine my delight and surprise when I found and EXTREMELY affordable compact and refillable eyeshadows at Target.

They are the elf Refillable Custom Eyes eyeshadows. The compact cost ONE dollar and each eyeshadow is only ONE dollar apiece! I could hardly believe my good luck! There were a wide variety of eyeshadow colors, although they did not have any bright colors like blue, green or purple. I tend to be dramatic with my eyeshadow, so I was disappointed by the nearly neutral selections.

If you don’t have a Target store nearby, you can purchase them from elf’s website here for the same great price:

• elf – Custom Compact Elements

If you notice, they also have blush and lip glosses that will fit into the same compact (which weren’t available at my Target), so you have the option of creating a palette for nearly all of your makeup needs.

I’ve never tried elf Cosmetics, but I am sincerely tempted by this Custom Compact set.

An ancient force has been harnessing the power of the sun for longer than we have existed. It’s called photo-synthesis and trees have been doing it efficiently for eons. Why did we never consider branching our solar panels out the way a tree does? It took a thirteen-year old child, Aidan Dwyer, to notice this and he has been given a patent on the design, although, nature kind of has first dibs.

• 13-Year-Old Makes Solar Power Breakthrough by Harnessing the Fibonacci Sequence | Inhabitat – Green Design Will Save the World

After studying how trees branch in a very specific way, Aidan Dwyer created a solar cell tree that produces 20-50% more power than a uniform array of photovoltaic panels. His impressive results show that using a specific formula for distributing solar cells can drastically improve energy generation. The study earned Aidan a provisional U.S patent – it’s a rare find in the field of technology and a fantastic example of how biomimicry can drastically improve design.

It makes sense that a tree design would be able to capture more sun than a flat surface would be. With solar panel “leaves” facing all different directions, they are more likely to be facing the sun at different times of the day. Now, if only we could allow the solar “leaves” to rustle in the wind, they would be even MORE efficient.

I’m very excited to see where this technology leads in the future!

Imagine if every road and parking lot in the United States was paved with solar panels instead of asphalt. Even if they had only 15% efficiency (as the current solar panels do), they would be able to generate enough electricity to power our entire country three times over. That is the premise for the solar roadways. The roads are already there, soaking up the heat of the sun. All we have to do is design a solar panel that can do that and withstand the beating that comes from being a road.

Solar Roadways, based in Idaho is doing just that. They are building their prototype in their own parking lot. This video from YouTube explains it:

I love how they talk about how they are using the garbage from the landfills to be used as the structure of the road (3:15 mark). Since asphalt is oil based, it won’t last forever. These roads are better all around.

Via: Solar Roadways to build solar-powered parking lot | The Car Tech blog – CNET Reviews

I always thought little stairs like the Deluxe Doggie Stairs were for spoiled and pampered dogs who had been bred too small for life in a normal household, but after using these stairs for the last few months, my entire outlook has changed. Back in March, Mike and I learned that our beloved cat, Maggie, is dying of kidney failure. We have tried to make her life more comfortable and have done our best to keep her healthy despite this death sentence. We have a set of these stairs next to our bed, so she can climb up, even in her weakened state.

It has been a godsend to us because she is slowly dying, but she still loves to cuddle at night, kneading on my shoulders and back with loud purrs. As long as she is able to do that, Mike and I are going to keep dosing her with medicine and fluids to keep her alive.

Maggie has given us such joy that now that it finally has come to the end of her life, we feel that we should do everything that we can do to make her comfortable. She is nearing the end and soon we will have to make a decision, but until then, these stairs have made the difference between a nightly snuggle and a kitty hiding under the bed.

Maggie may not be able to cuddle me like this for very much longer, but as long as she can get up the doggie stairs, I will do my best to keep her alive.

I was interested in these Electric Lift Tables from Anthro. The video for them makes them look like the perfect table for a person who wants to work while standing or sitting. For those of us who get stir crazy sitting all day, a desk that can change like this would be a godsend.

Unfortunately, when I looked at the prices in their catalog, the least expensive of the desks is $2395. That’s WAY more than I’d like to spend on a desk, even if it adjusts at the touch of a button. For that price, I can buy the best laptop money can buy and move it to two different desks with different heights.

I love the idea of an adjustable desk, but I’m not willing to shell out that kind of money for one.

This TED video is a great magic show from Marco Tempest. He used three iPhones and a fair bit of close-up magic to discuss honesty, deception, lies and truth.

I love it when people use technology in ways that are entirely new and innovative, especially when they entertain us. I remember as a kid that people said that computers might help in calculations, but they would never be a tool for artists. It’s so refreshing to know that humans can use ANYTHING for a tool for creativity, even a simple iPhone.

Via Marco Tempest: The magic of truth and lies (and iPods) | Video on TED.com

I just had to laugh when I read this comic:

• Basic Instructions – How to Care for Your Smartphone

After years of hiding my beautiful iPhone in bulky cases, I finally decided that I was just going to let it be naked.

Of course, then I dropped it..

Now, my iPhone looks like hell and I’m desperate for the iPhone 5 to become a reality. Part of me hates that I damaged my iPhone, but another part of me feels happy that I’ve gotten the absolute full use out of my beloved gadget.

When I get the iPhone 5, will I swath it in bouncy cases and screen protectors? Heck ya! Apple does an amazing job designing their phones for beauty and I feel guilty for covering it up, but I can’t risk another cracked screen. I’ll just have to let the beauty hide beneath.