Into Tech

Mixing fire and ice might be good in a song or the recipe for a fiery relationship but I would have thought the two couldn’t possibly be combined to make a good candle.

Mathmos, makers of the iconic Lava lamps that most of us have tripped out to or passed out under at least once in our lives, begs to differ. It thinks the two go very well in its latest gizmo, Thaw. It’s a tea light candle holder that diffuses the light from the candle through the ice as it melts. Again, you’ll be looking at some interesting patterns, albeit we suspect on a smaller scale than the Lava lamp. Here’s how it works:

“Fill the silicone mould with water, and place in the freezer overnight. Then pull back the mould to reveal the perfectly frozen, rounded ice shade for the tea light. Place the silicone mould back into the polished steel base, and sit the candle and ice shade on top.”

The ice takes around 3 hours to fully melt once the candle is fired up.

Christmas romantics can have it for £24 here but stoners should stick with the Lava lamp.-Martin Lynch

news technology gadgets home shopping lifestyle

It looks like a coffee maker and you’d be correct, it is a coffee maker. However, I wouldn’t bother my ass writing about just any coffee maker. This one is even more useful - or ridiculous - than normal because it uses technology from Microsoft to predict the weather. Oh dear.

The Melitta Smart Mill & Brew, costing a mere £110, boasts Microsoft’s Smart Personal Objects Technology (SPOT) which can be used to hook up to MSN Direct and provide you with weather forecasts since you never know when that hurricane in Essex will strike.

Since most coffee makers and kettles are in a kitchen surrounded by windows, what’s the point of coffee maker weather forecasts? Dumb.-Martin Lynch

[More]

news gadgets technology home microsoft shopping

From consumerist.com — If you’re not going for a door-buster or a super-limited item, this trick could save you a lot of time when shopping on Black Friday. Reader F.C. Farwell advises bringing a stickynote and a pen. Arrive at the store a few minutes after the doors open. Find your item(s) of choice. continue reading »

Just a few days after the Japanese finished pushing each other in the queues to get hold of the first PS3 consoles, reports are emerging that it will not play some older Playstation and PS2 games. Not a good sign, but not unexpected.

Still, it’s only a few games right? Ah, no. According to one Sony official, some of the 8,000 or so older games are having problems, ranging from sound and imaging grief to not playing at all. Not even a little bit. He failed, however, to name which ones.

Sony is not giving figures either but claimed that it was upfront about it on its Web page, issuing a statement on Nov 11th. Isn’t that the day it launched? The same day when most [very optimistic] people were out freezing their nuts off in shopping queues?

There’s meant to be a Sony link somewhere that allows you to check the compatibility of your older games with the PS3 but I can’t find it. Please send it in if you know it.-Martin Lynch

news technology games PS3 sony

It’s hardly a surprise but pretty much as soon as the doors opened in Japan for the PS3 – all measly 100,000 of them – they were sold out. Queues for the console were longer than food queues in war-torn nations and proved to be somewhat more unruly as the seconds ticked by to the stores opening.

After all, with thousands of fanatics slobbering on the glass and drooling outside for days, it was only to be expected that a little shoving might occur.

The video says there is fighting breaking out but only if you compare it to some minor turf squabble at your kid’s crèche. Although the moaning action is quite hot.-Martin Lynch

news technology games PS3 console shopping

We’ve seen all sorts of bras before, but this is the first we’ve come across that helps save the environment. Dubbed the No! Shopping Bag Bra, this lacy red undergarment has padded cups that when removed, transform into shopping bags that can be used to carry around your groceries, laundry, or other purchases and reduce the consumption of plastic bags in the process. We’re not sure those lacy strings would be able to hold much, so ladies, you may want to carry around an extra bra just in case. But if you’re interested, the bra is made by lingerie company Triumph Japan. Click through for a look at the bra in action.

– Louis Ramirez

No! Shopping Bag Bra! (Japanese link) [via Shiny-Shiny]

We’ve seen all sorts of bras before, but this is the first we’ve come across that helps save the environment. Dubbed the No! Shopping Bag Bra, this lacy red undergarment has padded cups that when removed, transform into shopping bags that can be used to carry around your groceries, laundry, or other purchases and reduce the consumption of plastic bags in the process. We’re not sure those lacy strings would be able to hold much, so ladies, you may want to carry around an extra bra just in case. But if you’re interested, the bra is made by lingerie company Triumph Japan. Click through for a look at the bra in action.

– Louis Ramirez

No! Shopping Bag Bra! (Japanese link) [via Shiny-Shiny]

We’ve seen all sorts of bras before, but this is the first we’ve come across that helps save the environment. Dubbed the No! Shopping Bag Bra, this lacy red undergarment has padded cups that when removed, transform into shopping bags that can be used to carry around your groceries, laundry, or other purchases and reduce the consumption of plastic bags in the process. We’re not sure those lacy strings would be able to hold much, so ladies, you may want to carry around an extra bra just in case. But if you’re interested, the bra is made by lingerie company Triumph Japan. Click through for a look at the bra in action.

– Louis Ramirez

No! Shopping Bag Bra! (Japanese link) [via Shiny-Shiny]

We’ve seen all sorts of bras before, but this is the first we’ve come across that helps save the environment. Dubbed the No! Shopping Bag Bra, this lacy red undergarment has padded cups that when removed, transform into shopping bags that can be used to carry around your groceries, laundry, or other purchases and reduce the consumption of plastic bags in the process. We’re not sure those lacy strings would be able to hold much, so ladies, you may want to carry around an extra bra just in case. But if you’re interested, the bra is made by lingerie company Triumph Japan. Click through for a look at the bra in action.

– Louis Ramirez

No! Shopping Bag Bra! (Japanese link) [via Shiny-Shiny]

In the past 24 hours a number of gamers have reported to certain games sites that Play.com – a major online retailer – has told pre-order customers that there may not be enough Wii to go around.

The company has allegedly claimed that there will be a shortage for the console underdog and that Christmas for many may not be all that cheery after all. Neither Play.com or Nintendo have confirmed or denied the reports but here’s the note that one Wii shopper (allegedly) got:

“Due to a European shortage of the Nintendo Wii Consoles, we regret to inform you that Play.com will be unable to supply your pre-ordered Nintendo Wii at launch. As an Official distributor of Nintendo products we are guaranteed more stock before Christmas, but Nintendo have informed us, along with all other official Nintendo retailers, that the console will not be freely available until next year.”

If true, then it scuppers all those reports from Nintendo that there would be none of the shortages expected with the PS3. If any of you know more, let me know.-Martin Lynch

news technology games nintendo wii shopping