ioSafe Solo 500 GB Fireproof and Waterproof External Hard Drive

Waterproof, fireproof, disaster proof.

The rugged desktop ioSafe Solo external hard drive brings disaster protection to a price range that everyone can afford. With capacities from 500GB to 1.5TB, the ioSafe Solo can safely protect precious family photo albums, music libraries and days of video memories.

For business, the ioSafe Solo is a great way to protect customer databases or to secure regulated information including patient records or credit card information. Businesses use the Solo hard drive as a backup and storage device, no longer worrying about data loss from moving computer tapes and files offsite.

Along with backup, you must consider recovery. If your internet connection is severed, you've lost your ability to both backup and recover.

The ioSafe Solo external drive with disaster protection service can overcome many of the problems with online backup. Since the external drive is connected directly to a computer using a variety of network interfaces, transfer speeds are extremely fast.

Lastly, once the ioSafe Solo external drive is purchased, there is no on-going monthly fee, which can run $25-$35 per month with prevailing services. Online backup solutions usually have an entry level package with a limited amount of space for a fixed monthly fee and then charge an additional monthly fee when you exceed the limits.

Click here for more specs and pricing : ioSafe Solo 500 GB Fireproof and Waterproof External Hard Drive with 1 Year Data Recovery Service SL0500GBUSB20 (at Amazon.com)


And if the reasons up until now are not compelling, watch this independent video where the ioSafe Solo is burned, fire hosed, dropped twenty feet, run over by a bulldozer ... and the data recovered. There are also documented tests where the ioSafe Solo has been submersed in sea water for extended periods of time.

Waterproof, fireproof, disaster proof.

Nikon D5000 DSLR Camera

If you are new to Digital SLRs or you are upgrading, the D5000 Nikon DSLR is definitely worth considering. The D5000 Nikon is simple to use and great for those new to digital single lens reflex cameras, but it also packs enough punch for those looking to upgrade and will give newcomers much room to learn and grow with it.

Click below to watch a YouTube video preview of the new Nikon D5000 DSLR with HD video and multi-angle LCD screen, shot at the Nikon UK press launch in London earlier this year.



And also at YouTube, a hands on review of Nikon D5000 features and a comparison of the D5000 to the higher priced Nikon D90.

Kindle Video Demo and Reviews


Kindle: Amazon's Wireless Reading Device

Revolutionary electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper.

Simple to use: no computer, no cables, no synching.

Wireless connectivity enables you to shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle—whether you’re in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or in bed.

Buy a book and it is auto-delivered wirelessly in less than one minute.

More than 100,000 books available, including current New York Times® Best Sellers.

New York Times® Best Sellers and all New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise.

Free book samples. Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy.

Top U.S. newspapers including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post; top magazines including TIME, Atlantic Monthly, and Forbes—all auto-delivered wirelessly.

Top international newspapers from France, Germany, and Ireland; Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine, and The Irish Times—all auto-delivered wirelessly.

More than 250 top blogs from the worlds of business, technology, sports, entertainment, and politics, including BoingBoing, Slashdot, TechCrunch, ESPN's Bill Simmons, The Onion, Michelle Malkin, and The Huffington Post—all updated wirelessly throughout the day.





Lighter and thinner than a typical paperback; weighs only 10.3 ounces.
Holds over 200 titles.

Long battery life. Leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day.

Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Fully recharges in 2 hours.

Unlike WiFi, Kindle utilizes the same high-speed data network (EVDO) as advanced cell phones—so you never have to locate a hotspot.

No monthly wireless bills, service plans, or commitments—we take care of the wireless delivery so you can simply click, buy, and read.

Includes free wireless access to the planet's most exhaustive and up-to-date encyclopedia—Wikipedia.org.

Email your Word documents and pictures (.JPG, .GIF, .BMP, .PNG) to Kindle for easy on-the-go viewing.









Reviews On Kindle: Amazon's Wireless Reading Device

Panasonic BL-C131A Network Camera Wireless 802.11

Ever wonder what happens when you're not around? View the things you value when away from home or when you're at another room in your home. View your property, your pets, even your children.

You can even listen in!

You can add extra eyes (through your computer) by adding the Panasonic BL-C131A Wireless Network Camera. It works with 802.11g wireless technology and it lets you monitor its "view" (what its lens sees) from virtually anywhere. Just log on a specially designated Internet site using a PC and instantly access camera images. You can even control the BL-C131a using your web browser to move the camera's pointing direction and modify its digital zoom to bring objects of interest into close view.

Place this plug-and-play camera in your home, office, vacation home, or almost anywhere else you'd like to keep an eye on things, with no PC required at the location. Check your property, check your children, check your babysitter - from any location using your PC or an Internet equipped cell-phone or PDA. And the camera can be easily hidden from view.

Control the Camera Remotely
Using a standard Web browser, video display, or even a compatible cell phone or PDA, you can control the movement of the camera. There is Pan (left & right) movement and Tilt (up & down) movement available. You can also assign a "Home Position" that allows you to return the camera to a pre-designated shooting position. Up to eight shooting positions can be registered in advance, so you can aim the camera exactly where you want it. You can also click on the part of the image you want to see, and automatically bring that part to the center of the screen.

When You Need a Little Privacy
With the built-in Privacy mode, your privacy is protected by simply pressing a button. An indicator on the front of the camera turns red, and you know at a glance that the camera is now only accessible by you. The camera can also be set up to show a green light when the camera is being accessed.

Sensor Recording
With the built-in heat sensor, the camera can be set to record and/or notify you by email when someone enters the room. It can even automatically move to a preset location when triggered, just in case someone was viewing a different part of the room.

Record Only What You Want to Record
The camera can be set to automatically record video at certain times and certain speeds.

Create Your Own Free Web Address
The free Viewnetcam service allows you to create a personal Web address (e.g. http://bob.viewnetcam.com) so you can view your camera's live images on the Internet. Access your Panasonic Network Camera live from virtually any Internet connection point around the world! Your Web browser is the only software you'll need. Here's how the camera and service works: Special software embedded within your Panasonic Network Camera gives your camera the ability to locate your unique Internet address. No matter what kind of Internet connection you have or which Internet provider you use, the Viewnetcam.com service will keep your camera's Internet address permanent.

RolerBall --- $2000 And A Near Guarantee You'll Lose Lunch

The centerpiece of a mad "sport", this gigantic RolerBall is beautiful to look thru and delivers an awesome experience.

Weighing in at about 150 pounds, when inflated the double-hulled sphere stands about ten feet high, and looks like a huge use of bubble wrap. The idea, which sounds insane, is to put it at the top of a slope, strap yourself in, and then roll down the hill trying not to lose your lunch.

The ball is made from flexible plastic, and comes with a puncture repair kit. It may seem to be a mad toy, but it's a serious sport that requires some common sense and plenty of due care.

The ball is also potentially dangerous. People have injured themselves, most likely misusing the ball despite all the warnings that come with it, or pushing it to some limit it wasn't meant for. It's not for children or pets.

There are multi person balls, with appropriate harnesses, in case you'd like to share the thrill and also lunch ! One model allows for a bucket or two of water to be put into the ball, so the effect is like being in a water chute or one of those newer low water usage washing machines. There is also a model that is approved for use afloat, so you can literally walk on water !

Originating in New Zealand, the ball there is called a Zorb ball, and the sport Zorbing or Sphereing.

The Zorb website only shows one Zorb U.S. facility in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

Click below to watch a video of the ball in action.

Apple's New iPhone 3G Debuts July 11th

The highly-anticipated iPhone 3G will hit store shelves on July 11. The phone will now cost half as much as the original iPhone (the eight gigabyte version now costs $199, down from $399), and its new 3G technology will allow users to surf the web at much higher speeds.

Taking a closer look at costs, as always there are a few hidden agenda items : (1) the iPhone’s mandatory two-year contract with AT&T, the unlimited data plan goes for $30 a month (up from the $20 charged for the original iPhone); (2) the iPhone also comes with a required voice plan, at $40 a month.

So, at a bare minimum, in addition to the initial investment of $199, the iPhone will run you nearly $70 a month or $840 per year for one phone line.

Of course, the iPhone's "value" is different things to different people. It's definitely more than a phone, and its features and functionality such as the texting interface may allow someone to rationalize these costs on top of the iPhone's apparent cost.

Predictions are out there are more incredibly amazing things are coming on iPhone, including that it will be the hottest mobile gaming platform out there in four months.

Outdoor Art Goes 3D

Toy Wishes Magazine : 3D Sidewalk Chalk “Hot Summer Toy”

Crayola has added three more reasons to channel kids’ creative energy into the great outdoors with Crayola 3D Sidewalk Chalk, Sidewalk Paint Foamer and a Giant Inflatable Easel. Exciting new twists on traditional sidewalk chalk and sidewalk paint will draw kids to their driveways to make their mark on the world. But there’s no worries -- their larger-than-life art will stay until a garden hose -- or Mother Nature -- washes them away!

New Crayola 3D Sidewalk Chalk will have kids saying “Sweeeet,” as they watch their artistic creations float in mid-air! Recently named to Toy Wishes magazine’s Spring 2008 Hot Dozen list -- the editor-selected hottest toys of the summer season -- the dual-ended, multi-colored sticks of chalk combine the right colors for creating eye-popping 3D driveway art that literally “rises above” anything they’ve ever created outdoors. Cool, Crayola-inspired 3D glasses make the magic happen. Put on a pair and watch the “warm” colors rise, while “cool” colors recede, creating the illusion of 3D. Seeing is believing!

The Crayola Sidewalk Paint Foamer lets kids create unique outdoor art with a motorized paint foamer. Unlike regular sidewalk paint that goes on flat, the Paint Foamer dispenses colorful, fluffy foam that puffs up on driveways and sidewalks as it oozes through a plastic wand. Just point the wand on a driveway or sidewalk, select from one of two colors, press the trigger and you’re ready to make big, colorful patterns or write messages that are sure to be memorable!



Crayola Giant Inflatable Easel turns the backyard into an oversized art studio! This humongous outdoor canvas will be the tableau of choice for kids who get their artistic inspiration from the great outdoors. The Giant Inflatable Easel’s sturdy, durable frame stands 5 feet tall by 5 feet wide, and is easily inflated with its own foot pump; a water-filled base keeps it stable. The reusable canvas cleans up easily with a spray of water or wet cloth, and can be easily deflated for storage. The Giant Inflatable Easel comes stocked with kids favorite outdoor art supplies including 5 pieces of Crayola Sidewalk chalk, 2 bottles of Crayola Sidewalk paint, a giant paint brush and a foot pump, so the fun can begin right out of the box!

Visit Crayola's website for more information and where-to-buy locations.

Autom™ : Personalized and private help for keeping your weight-loss diet on track


A counter-top robot named Autom is in the works, being developed by Intuitive Automata in Boston. Autom asks you to record daily dietary and exercise data on a touch screen, and then it talks to you about your progress.

Statistics show that dieters who consulted daily with a diet coach stuck to their regime nearly twice as long as those who used hand-written logs or computer logs to keep tabs on their progress. Meet your new diet coach : Autom !

People who keep track of how much they are eating and exercising are more likely to lose weight and keep it off over time. But also most people who try to keep track give up within a month. It's not that they don't want to do it, it's just that it's so difficult for people to keep up this habit day after day when daily routines get in the way.

We also know that losing weight permanently is difficult. You're excited to start a new diet, but start to lose your motivation after only a few weeks. Autom™ is an in-home weight loss coach that can help you stick with that diet so that you lose weight and keep it off over time. She'll help you make those changes last so that you're not regaining those pounds a few months later.

Autom is even equipped with motors and cameras in its big brown eyes so that the robot appears to be listening to you as you confess the cheesecake you indulged in at lunch.

But a robot with big brown eyes is still a robot. And anyone who's seen the movies "2001: A Space Odyssey" or "I, Robot" may balk at the idea of keeping an unblinking android in their home. When a soothing voice says something like, "Good evening, Fred or Wilma. What did you eat today?", one might be tempted to tell Autom to mind its own business.

But we're beyond 2001 and the future is here. You can talk to Autom for just a few minutes a day to help you keep track of how you're progressing towards your goals. No two conversations with her are alike and she's always ready to give you encouragement and advice to keep you going. You tell her what you have eaten and how much you have exercised and she remembers it all. Whenever you want to see your progress, just ask her and it is there for you.

In a recent randomized controlled study, comparing people using Autom to people using a computer-based system or a paper-based system for keeping track of how much they were eating and exercising each day, it was found is that Autom helps people to stick with their diet for nearly twice as long as with other methods. Autom could mean the difference between another yo-yo diet and a lasting change.


( Autom™ is not available for purchase yet, but you can get more info and sign up for progress updates at http://intuitiveautomata.com )

Update : 01/22/09

The Discovery Channel aired the video interview below with Dr. Cory Kidd and Autom for it's Daily Planet show in Canada. The show also aired in the U.S. in late Fall and may appear again in the future.

This was the first footage of Autom™ shot in Hong Kong since relocating there from Boston. You can see the Mongkok neighborhood in the background, where Intuitive Automata's temporary office was located before moving into Science Park. These may be the last images using the old Autom prototype from studies while in Boston.

The ISIS : Can you unlock "the most difficult puzzle ever"?

For more than a year, the ISIS has challenged the most accomplished puzzle experts in the United Kingdom. At last, the ISIS phenomenon - "the most difficult puzzle ever" - has come to America.

Each ISIS is unique, with just one solution.

The puzzle is a gleaming orb, handcrafted in England of a premier alloy of aluminum and constructed of precisely engineered, moveable bands.

Each band is etched with hieroglyphics; the challenge is to position those bands in the right combination to unlock the ISIS. You are given 10 encrypted clues to decipher.

Magnetic Chess and Checkers Roll-Up Game Board


Rolls up to form a hollow cylinder for storing and carrying two pouches containing the chess and checker pieces.

Board consists of multiple faceted wooden sections connected by a flexible surface that attracts the magnetized playing pieces.

Two caps cover the ends of the rolled up board and secure it for portability and storage.

Connected by a soft carry strap.

Yoda Plush Backpack

Wanna carry Yoda on your back just like Luke Skywalker did? In return, Yoda will carry your books, laptop, clothes or whatever else you want him to carry.It even looks cool if you’re a macho biker.

The straps are adjustable and sized for adults.

eStarling Wifi Photo Frame

The eStarling 2.0 Wi-Fi Photo Frame takes this concept to the next level by connecting to your local Wi-Fi network and allowing you to send photos to it via e-mail or RSS photo feed.

E-mail photos as .jpg attachments and they appear on your frame. Choose a Flickr photo feed with a specific tag, and the gadgets displays all tagged photos from Flickr.

New Photobucket integration allows you to add photos into rotation on your eStarling frame directly from the Photobucket website.

USB Memory Watch

No time to back up your files? With the USB Memory Watch, you literally do.This watch shows you the time (duh..) but also lets you store up to 2GB of data into it’s built-in flash memory stick.

Standard USB interface and USB extension cord included
USB 2.0 (read 4MB/s and write 3MB/s)
Sleek design, very lightweight (this is not a bulky watch)
Plug and play, easy operation (appears as a USB mass storage device)
LED indicator light shows device connectivity and data transfer
Operating Systems: Win 98, ME, 2000, XP, Linux 2.4 or higher, Mac OS 8.6 or higher
Shock proof and Anti-static
Water resistant to 20 meters (let USB connector dry before using)
Japanese movement with 3-year battery life
Memory size: 2GB
Weight: 1.5 oz (43 grams)
Dimensions: 1.5″ width x .375″ thick (watch face)

Marshmallow Shooter

The best non-lethal way to get even with your work colleagues or family members.It is easy to fire and reload, making it perfect for quick attacks (or rapid defense). Holds up to 20 mini-marshmallows or you can use the foam pellets provided.

Shoots over 30 feet.
Magazine holds 20 rounds of ammo.
Shoots foam pellets or mini-marshmallows.
5 foam pellets included.

Sonic Boom Alarm Clock with Bed Shaker

If you have trouble getting up early (like me) you’ll absolutely need this. This alarm clock will wake your entire neighborhood, and shake your bed so violently you’ll have no choice but to get up.

The Sonic Bomb Clock has an adjustable volume alarm with a maximum loudness of 113 decibels (just for reference, a jackhammer is about 100 decibels!) And the bed shaker does just that. Slip it under your mattress and your ears will bleed and your bed will shake, and there is no way you will oversleep!