484. Bright Idea: Track & Field Challenge August 31, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Game, Product.add a comment
I loved the old school Track & Field game that required your rapid button tapping abilities. This new version for the Wii comes with a two-player foot controller mat. So, get some exercise as you challenge your friend to ten different events. Buy it HERE
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483. Bright Idea: the Surface Tension Coffee Table August 31, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Audio, Furniture, Product, Video.add a comment
This coffee table contains a PC and 19″ LCD under the surface, and has arcade controls, a trackball, and WiFi connectivity. Play movies, music, slideshows, or the preloaded 29 Taito arcade games with your guests without leaving your living room couch. It would be even better if the screen could tilt forward and the controls were removable and remote. Check more out HERE ($6600); via BornRich.
Below is a well-made 3.5 minute video with high production value and my type of music.
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482. Bright Idea: the Skyrest pillow August 31, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in IdeaSpark*, Product.2 comments
Inflate this $30 travel pillow via a one-way valve, and you can catch a nice nap on your next plane flight. Deflated, it is about the size of a hardback book. Their website HERE; via Productdose.
IdeaSpark*: For more comfort and no neck pain, the next version should have a big hole for your face, like a massage table face rest, with the opening going out the back and sides for ventilation.
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481. Bright Idea?: the S3 Pooper Scooper August 31, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Product, Video.1 comment so far
Pick up your dog’s crap with two-halves of a hollow bat. I am trying to decide if this idea is really a Bright one. Though cumbersome, it is creative. I never would buy one, but I appreciate the inspiration. Check it out HERE ($20); Via CoolestGadgets.
PS. I took Barkley for a long walk this morning and realized that the S3 is going to have problems picking up softer stool, especially in long grass. You can’t just flip that sh*t.
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480. Bright Idea?: Automated Waitstaff August 31, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Experience, Food and Drink, Service, Video.add a comment
At the restaurant Baggers, in Nuremberg, Germany, you order your food via computer (which will also tell you how long it will take for your food to arrive), and then the food is delivered to you via gravity and a rail system. Watch the homemade video below to see the system in action (jump to 1 minute in to see food arrive at their table). Read more about it HERE; via SciFiTech.
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479. Sparked Art: Tilt-Shift Photography August 31, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Art, Optical Illusion.2 comments
This above photograph may look like it is of a scale model, but it’s not. By using a technique called “tilt-shifting,” you can make a regular scene (below) look a like a fake miniature (via JavaJive). Click HERE to listen to a photographer, Vincent Laforet, talk about this technique while watching a slide show of his work (via NickBaum).
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478. Bright Idea: the StreetSurfer August 30, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Product, Transportation, Video.1 comment so far
At first, I thought: Why? But allegedly, it is a very different, surfing-like ride, with more leaning, carving, and maneuverability. I would add this one to my novelty-vehicle rental store. Buy it HERE (£400); via BeyondTomorrow. Check out the 30-second clip below to see it in action.
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477. Bright Idea: Coin Counting Jar August 30, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Product.add a comment
Take the surprise out of turning all your coins over to the closest Coinstar. This product keeps track of how much coinage you sent through the lid. Cute. But it’ll cost you $30 HERE
Upon further research, turns out there is a $10, almost identical, version HERE
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476. Quickie Web: Music Video: Paul Dateh + inka one August 30, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Audio, Person, Video.1 comment so far
Here is a Bright Idea: mash mad violin skills with phat, thumpin’ beats. I watched the video twice, mostly because of the stupefying musical abilities demonstrated by Dateh. Via FreshCreation.
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475. Bright Idea: the Quad Shelf August 30, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Furniture, Product.add a comment
This bookshelf is not exactly groundbreaking, but I like the looks, and would enjoy matching the varying sized compartments with similarly sized contents. Or I would rather save the $1800 it costs to buy one. Yes, $1800. And no, it is not made out of gold-laminated compressed dodo feathers. Via SwissMiss.
474. Bright Idea: the Mix Tape USB Drive August 29, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Audio, Product.3 comments
Relive the days when you gave your loved-ones a mix tape of your favorite tunes, but with a digital-age spin. This USB drive is nicely packaged in what appears to be an old-school cassette tape. With a USB, more songs are possible, and it is reusable. Thanks for the link, Mark! Check it out HERE (not yet in production).
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473. Bright Idea: Wrap n Clip August 29, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Product.2 comments
Another Bright way to tame those unruly earphone wires. Stylishly, as well. Check out the Wrap N Clip website HERE (and buy the product for ¥890); via RGS. Note: The Wrap N Clip is not to be confused with the another Bright Idea: the Hip-hop themed Salon.
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472. Bright Idea: RV with Car Compartment August 29, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Transportation.2 comments
If I could afford this $2.5 million RV, I would rather utilize a jet, stay in swanky hotels, and rent pimpin’ rides during my travels. But if I had to travel via RV, I would want my car stowed away in the RV’s belly, and not towed behind it, because, um, it’s cool, and possibly easier to maneuver everything. Check out more photos (including interior) HERE; via DarkRoastedBlend.
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471. Bright Idea: BrainBall August 28, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Game, Product.add a comment
Forget meditation classes. Try relaxation as a competitive sport. In BrainBall, the headbands monitor each players’ brain waves (which are also graphically displayed for the audience). Relaxing produces alpha and theta waves, pushing the ball towards your opponent. Get the ball to enter your opponent’s goal to win.
The trick is to not get excited as you get close to winning (which would result in the tide turning). Place hefty wagers on each game for a true test of your self-discipline. Read more about it HERE.
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470. Quickie Web: Music Maker: JamStudio August 28, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Audio, Plaything, Service, Website.add a comment
This amazing website is for the musician and novice alike. Simply and instantly make your own songs, which you can sing or jam along with. Get inspired.
For example, here is the quick ditty I composed in 30 seconds: choose chords D, G, A, then G; pick Guitar1, Drums1, and Bass 11; change tempo to 112; then hit play. Rock on, my fellow composers. Make up your own lyrics, and play along with your guitar, if you have one. Shnickity-shnaps! Please try it out HERE; Via RGS.
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469. Bright Idea: KMX Karts August 28, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Product, Transportation, Video.2 comments
This 3-wheeled pedal-powered kart can go off-road, and will cost you around £600 (buy them HERE). The clip below is weak, but you can see the KMX in action. Via Trendpimp (where you can also see a longer video, with awkward music).
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468. Bright Idea: Insect Vacuum August 27, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Product, Video.add a comment
I have seen insect vacuums before, but this one is worth checking out because of its pneumatic pump and instant implosion sucking mechanism. Watch it in action below (46 seconds); via OhGizmo!
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467. Bright Idea: Half Portion Mirror August 27, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Art, Optical Illusion, Product.add a comment
Half a dinner plate is attached to this regular mirror to create the illusion of an entire plate (with a line down the middle of it). Pretty cool. But at $200, I would rather make my own. With my handy pocket plate cutter. Buy it (or not) HERE; Via Uncrate.
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466. Bright Idea: Eames House of Cards August 27, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Art, Product.add a comment
Created by iconic designers Charles and Ray Eames, this set has 32 interlocking cards. These cards are big (7″ x 4.5″) and expensive ($35), but imagine a really cheap version of a regular 52-playing card deck. Buy this deck HERE.
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465. Bright Idea: Vertical Farming August 27, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Food and Drink, Service.2 comments
Pictured on the right are two levels of an imagined circular greenhouse. Build 15 vertical farms with 30 levels each, and you can feed 1 million people, according to the man with the idea, Dickson Despommier.
Rooftop solar panels will power 24-hr grow lights; evaporating water is captured for irrigation; since the building requires only a small footprint, build one near a city-center to drastically decrease delivery costs. A 21-level farm is predicted to cost $84 million, with operating costs at $5 mil a year, with a revenue of $18 mil a year. Via Business2.0.
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464. Bright Idea: Etch-It Cups August 24, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Food and Drink, Product.1 comment so far
A little cooler than plastic cups and a Sharpie, these Etch-It Party Cups allow your guests to personally decorate their own plastic cup. Novel, interactive, and maybe even better for the environment since you won’t use more cups if you don’t lose your cups.
About $7.50 for a pack of 32 cups. Find them at their website HERE; via TheBigIdea.
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463. Bright Idea: TXTual Healing August 24, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Art, Experience.add a comment
Pedestrians can send a text message to a designated phone number to have their message displayed for all to see. Street art + mobile technology + audience and art interaction = one Bright Idea. TXTual Website HERE; via Wired.
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462. Bright Idea: the Bubble Project August 24, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Art, Website.add a comment
The Bubble Project is a similar, but more low-tech, version of TXTual Healing. These blank bubble stickers were placed on billboards around NYC, for anyone to fill in. There are many more examples at their website HERE.
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461. Not So Bright Idea: 35-foot belly-flop into one foot of water August 24, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Person, Video.add a comment
Doesn’t sound possible, right? This is not a joke, nor a snuff clip. Professor Splash actually pulls it off on a Japanese TV show. Skip to 3:30 in to see him take the leap. Via Neatorama.
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…metapost… August 23, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Uncategorized.add a comment
Dear Readers: Sorry that it took a couple of days to post: my home wireless modem is down (again), and I no longer work at my University job (i.e. no office internet access). I finally got access here at Panera, after the signal was too weak at Bear Rock Cafe, I didn’t have a reservation at the library, and realized you need T-mobile for the nearby Starbucks. Thanks for your patience. – SparkBugg
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460. Bright Idea: Smart Lids August 23, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Food and Drink, Product, Video.2 comments
These disposable coffee lids are heat-sensitive, going from red to brown when the contents are no longer too hot to drink. The lid will also indicate if it is properly sealed on the cup (the entire edge will be brown). Costing only 1-2¢ more per lid, the company plans to go global this year. Their website HERE; Via BeyondTomorrow.
Check out this 37-second video of the lid in action:
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459. Bright Idea?: a Manuscript sans E August 23, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Book.add a comment
I didn’t think it was possible, but it is: someone wrote an entire manuscript, titled “Gadsby,” without once using the letter “E.” That means no “the, he, she.” Below is the first sentence. Check out the entire story HERE; via RGS.
“If youth, throughout all history, had had a champion to stand up for it; to show a doubting world that a child can think; and, possibly, do it practically; you wouldn’t constantly run across folks today who claim that “a child don’t know anything.”
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458. Quickie Web: Video: Kill the Gun August 23, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Quickie Web, Video.1 comment so far
Here is a visually engaging 1-minute video clip that also has a worthy message. Watch the damage a bullet can do, in slow-motion. Via FreshCreation.
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457. Bright Idea: the SnacDaddy Wing Tray August 23, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Food and Drink, Product.add a comment
Finally, a blog posting on an Everyday Edisons Season 1 invention: the SnacDaddy. Eat the meat off of your buffalo wings, then deposit your nasty bones in the center hole, out of sight. Buy one HERE ($15); check out the SnacDaddy website here; read a Slate article on the SnacDaddy here; via FreshTrend.
Below is a 1:30 infomercial on the product, showing how it can hold more than wings.
MetaNote: I just found out today that I will be flying to Charlotte on Sept 20th to work on my invention for Season 2 of Everyday Edisons (their website HERE). I will soon continue to update folks on my other blog, MetaBugg.
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456. Quickie Web: Game: Paintball August 23, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Game, Quickie Web.1 comment so far
No paintball shooting here, this fun and different game requires you to paint/draw white lines to get your red bouncing ball to the red square goal. Play it HERE; via RGS.
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SparkBugg.com 