Gifts for Geeks I
Monday, December 12, 2005 at 06:41AM Drug Dispenser Annoys You Into Medicating
Do you have trouble remembering to pop your pills? Unitech has created a drug dispenser that sends a warning signal saying, “Here is your medicine. Don’t forget to take it.” And it keeps saying that until you take the correct dosage out of the tray. Obviously this is a handy device for elderly folks who are forgetful or suffering from something even worse. Let’s just hope it never falls prey to some kind of bug that sends it into a “here is your medicine” loop until the person overdoses. That’s grim—I must have forgotten to take my happy pills this morning. The price is 19,740 yen ($163).
A UK-based company has launched a portable, temperature-controlled butter dish, ButterWizard, which keeps butter at what it says is the optimal spreadable temperature of 18.5 C. It has a built-in fan and a chip which together control the temperature, adjustable for different textures, be it super-soft bread, crusty toast or delicate biscuits. "We were trying to find out what people's frustration with butter was. It's either too hard or too soft," said David Alfille, managing director of East Sussex-based company Alfille Innovations Limited. "ButterWizard heats or cools the butter and you can adjust the temperature to suit yourself." Nutritionist Fiona Hunter said: "There are over 16 million UK households buying butter on a regular basis, but one complaint I hear time after time is the lack of spreadability of real butter." "Butter has been part of diet for thousands of years. The important thing is to spread butter thinly," she added. ButterWizard is available in the UK for 34.95 pounds.
Copyright Reuters 2005. Source: Extremetech |
Slouch!Buster
Pocket chair
The Nadachair and Slouchbuster are based on the ropes that Tibetan monks use to sit upright for hours on end when meditating. The monks use these ropes between their knees and back to help them stay upright. The Slouchbuster is a small, much more elegant version than ropes. The Nadachair is a larger version.
I'm a yank who lives in Perth Australia (West Coast). I fly often to the US and Europe, in coach. I've found this little thing is what allows me to sleep and survive 19-22 hours of crowded coach seats. I use the Slouchbuster when I travel because:
(1) It is very small. It is the size of a paperback book when folded up.
(2) It folds up and then zips up inside itself. It is totally self contained. No bags or anything needed.
I also own a Nadachair, too, which I keep at work. I use that a couple times a day to keep my back straight. I write software for a living, so I'm sitting for hours on end. It really makes a difference, especially if you have any sort of lower back problems (like me). I owned them for a couple of years now and I found that I no longer need a monthly chiropractor visit. So it has paid for itself within a month.
-- Ron Larson
Slouch!Buster
$25
Available from
Nada- Chair
Also from Amazon