I love it when technology takes something we know and makes it into something beyond its original design.  The Bluetooth Cassette Adapter is a good example, since it has everything you need to hook up a device wirelessly to a standard cassette player right in the original cassette housing. 

The device offers USB charging, has a built in microphone (although I am curious as to how well it picks up from some players due to the mechanical tape playing position), and the specifications are as follows:

• Bluetooth Tape Adapter specification: Version 1.2, Class 2, 10meters
• Car charger input: DC 12V-24V; output: DC5V
• Normal charge time: more than 2hrs
• Talk time: 5 hrs
• Standby timers: 120 hrs
• Dimension: ~10 x 6.4 x 0.8cm (L*W*D)
• Weight: 35.2g (not included other fittings)
• Total weight: 135g

The Bluetooth Cassette Adapter costs $35, and you can find it at Uxcell and others. The cool thing about this device is that you can turn virtually any cassette playing device into a Bluetooth enabled communication unit.  Yes, that means you can take an old Teddy Ruxpin, stick the adapter in, and have the Bear's lips move when the caller speaks.

Aloha from the Beach

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It is after dusk and approaching night as a friend asks me for directions. I pull out my pda, press the touchscreen a bit,  and point it at the sand.  A map appears, projected on the beach, and I use my finger to draw a route in the sand.  My friend thanks me and sets on their way, all the better informed.

Having a projector in our portable devices will no doubt be an eventuality, just because it makes sense,it is technologically feasible, and it overcomes the drawbacks of the small screen in our pocket in a lot of instances. Texas Instruments shares this thought, as they are confident that built in projectors on our beloved devices will enjoy the same success that the cameras they now incorporate enjoy.

John Van Scoter, company senior vice president and general manager of DLP Products, stated recently at a TI forum in Taipei that some clients are already busy developing products based on TI's projection solutions for handheld and mobile platforms.  Van Scoter also said that the migration of projector inclusion from high-end handsets to entry models to happen in about five to 10 years as technology continues to improve and lower the price.  In other words, pretty much as we saw happen for cameras in mobile phones.  Just one word from me - cool.

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Fujitsu is well known for its mobile computers (particularly tablets as far I as I am concerned), and to add to their wares they are offering up a brand new, if not expensive, UMPC.  The outstanding feature of the U2010 UMPC at first glance would have to be its rotating 1,024 x 600 touch screen display.  The little machine is loaded with features, such as an integrated 3.5G WWAN, GPS, six row keyboard and a weight of only 1.34 pounds. The bad news is the price, which comes in at around $1300.  Overall it looks like a very nice UMPC , but the price may hold it out of some of the possible market.

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Every once in a while a great ideal comes along that resets our thinking and gives us all that "duh" feeling.  This, I do believe , is that moment.  Presented here for your amazement and enjoyment is the solution for (drum roll please) the peanut butter at the bottom of the jar.

Yes, my friends, no more digging in the depths of the jar, no more marked knuckles, no more waste of a delicious morsel of peanut butter thanks to the Sherwood Forlee double ended Peanut Butter jar.  But it is not just peanut butter that could profit from such advanced engineering.  Honey can be difficult to remove from the recesses of the container, as can refried beans, tomato paste, marshmallow creme and anything else that is rather gooey by nature.  But for me, I would reap major benefits in the Peanut Butter applications alone.

Aloha from the Beach

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I stand on the edge of the cliff, looking out across the Beach to the water as it disappears into the horizon.  I check the wing on my back one last time, and then I leap into the air as  the four jets kick to life, screaming into the air with thrust.  For a brief second I am spinning and falling to the sand below but then things level out and I am truly flying.  I swoop down to the beach, skimming over the water. Then I angle upward and climb into the air, feeling the pull on my stomach as the wing throws me onward.  As I peak in my climb and hover ever so slightly before angling off level I notice that the view is marvelous. Becoming comfortable that this may actually work, I release my grip on the parachute cord ever so slightly.

A Swiss man named Yves Rossy has built a personal wing that a single person wears, and he has proven to a gathered media in BEX, Switzerland, that it does indeed fly.  Rossy began his flight as he exited the plane at 7500 feet, wearing only his eight foot wing and a whole lot of nerve.  As he fell to earth the engines came to life, and soon the bold jet man was not falling but flying.  As Rossy traveled across the sky at speeds around 186 mph he thrilled the gathered crowd, going so far as to doing loops and climbs for their (and no doubt his own) entertainment.

Despite the heat resistant suit worn for protection from the four jet engines, Rossy claims that the flight is not hard on the body, and that it was rather like "riding a motorbike".  While doubtful that the experience would be that simple to the average bike rider, Rossy does show that personal wing flight is a reality. Rossy has plans for a trip across the English Channel (for which he plans to practice by going 22 miles between two hot air balloons), and would like to go across the Grand Canyon some day. The $285,000 Rosy and his sponsors have put into the effort may lead to a commercial venture, but for now Rossy definitely earns the title bestowed upon him, "Fusion Man".

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(Editor's note: After just presenting the article on Meatwater, I felt this was a logical follow up.)

I am sure a lot of our readers have experienced a wide ranging variety of food. But let me ask,  have you had hot buttered human head bread? A nice sub as long as (literally) an arm? How about a ham sandwich on hand? Not too hungry, how about just a ladyfinger?

Artist Kittiwat Unarrom has a love affair with bread, and he sculpts the daily manna into works of, for the lack of a better word, art.  His gory bread shop in Thailand specializes in creative culinary crafts featuring bread shapes ranging from internal organs to heads and limbs.  But before you freak out, the bread is composed of dough, raisins, cashews and chocolate (and probably a little food color).  So grab a few toes, they really are good.

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While I was delighted at the thoughts of having an English breakfast on the Beach, complete with eggs, bacon, sausage and baked beans, I was not expecting to drink it.  But when the MeatWater washed ashore I knew that this was the closest I would get.  And I do have to admit, it is in a very convenient package for an English breakfast.

The party that is delivering this liquid innovation is actually called Liquid Innovations (now how is that for brand recognition to a product?), and the product is named Krautkrämer’s MeatWater™ High Efficiency Survival Beverage.  Personally I think they have taken the concept of protein water to an extreme, but I am intrigued by the ideal.  The tantalizing list of meals water flavors include:

• Beef Jerky
• Beef Stroganoff
• Cheese Burger
• Chicken Teriyaki
• Dirty Hot Dog
• Fish'n Chips
• Hungarian Goulash
• Italian Sausage
• Peking Duck
• Tandoori Chicken
• Texas BBQ
• Wiener Schnitzel
• Basic Breakfast
• English Breakfast
• Brunch Omelette
• Pizza Prosciutto

If you are feeling brave (or more hungry than thirsty), you can find out more information at www.dinnerinabottle.com (Vegetarians can skip this part). Finally, if you do partake of MeatWater, please do not serve chilled!

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When a PC, complete with monitor, washes up on the Beach I expect it to consist of more than one box.  So you can imagine my surprise when the Averatec All-in-One (AIO) showed up from the Cyber Sea. Strongly favoring the latest iMac, albeit black, the AIO is a windows based PC that comes in a roughly 22 x 2 inch monitor box.

The AIO is no slouch, being powered by a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E4600 CPU. The list of goodies that come in the single box include a 320gb drive, 2gb of DD2 RAM, nVidia GeForce 8400 graphics, and a built in 1.3 megapixel webcam, perfect for communicating with your online cohorts. The standard OS is Vista Home Premium.

The amenities include a wireless keyboard and mouse.  For the multimedia users (and with a design this sleek it would be at home in about any setting), a MCE remote control is included for those times you would rather be kicked back and watching instead of working. 

The Averatec All-in-One (AIO) is set to sell for around $1299, and it should be on the market in a couple of months.  Just be sure that you do not confuse it for a special edition black iMac when you pick it up.

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It happens to all of us, growing older.  At first it is a blessing, with each age held in high anticipation.  After that we tend to ignore another birthday, until later in life when we would like to avoid them.  However, our beloved cartoon characters are spared the aging process - at least they were.  Sprit Magazine, in an article titled, "Nick All Night", presents us with a portrait of a few of our most famous cartoons as they would appear at their current age, more or less.  I can't tell for sure, but I think Bugs had some work done.

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Electronic ink (e-ink) e-book readers are becoming quite popular, thanks in no small part to the attention Amazon's Kindle is getting.  The Astak Mentor is a new entry on this increasingly populated market, with support for standard pictures, plain TXT, Adobe PDF, RTF and HTML/CHM.  The Mentor also features nice additions such as mp3 player, 802.11 b/g (needed if you have a home e-book collection), Bluetooth and a touch screen (when used with the supplied stylus to avoid accidental touches).  Since it uses e-ink battery life should be quite good, assuming one can control the time that the wireless network is running.

The Mentor comes in two styles, a 5" which should sell in the neighborhood of $200, and the 9.7", which will go for around $350.  For the price and convenience the 5" model looks interesting, but either one would be handy. In the past PDF handling was weak with e-book devices, but the latest generation might have solved some of these issues.  Time will tell.

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