Tom McMahon

Crayola 3D Sidewalk Chalk

Crayola 3D Sidewalk Chalk   

 

I saw this on TV, looked pretty neat.

Push-Up Preston Wind-Up Toy

Push-Up Preston Wind-Up Toy

The blurb:

Fresh from Muscle Beach, here's comes that super-hunk, Push Up Preston. Wind him up and watch him do push-ups without breaking a sweat. With his strong, muscular physique and tight red shorts, he's every girl's dream. Preston pumps his arms up and down and moves his smiling head from side to side when you wind him up. Guys, you better hit the gym hard if you want to compete with this Muscle Beach Boy!

Playmobil Security Check Point

Playmobil Security Check Point

Bad News: They're out of stock.  Good News: Highly entertaining customer write-ups. (via Asian Badger)

Neat-Looking Mechanical Seven-Segment Watch

Neat-Looking Mechanical Seven-Segment Watch

(via Cool Hunting)

Walmart Has The Creative 2GB MuVo V100 MP3 Player For Just $40

Walmart Has The Creative 2GB MuVo V100 MP3 Player For Just $40

Why this is a great deal:

• 2GB for just 40 bucks -- you can't beat that
• Name brand, not an off-brand you never heard of
• No little USB cable that always gets lost
• Uses 1 AAA battery -- no funky rechargeable
• Built-in Voice Recorder
• Audible-ready for your audio books
• Also available in pink, same price

Two Cheap Ways To Transmit Your Music Library Around the House: The Logitech Wireless Bluetooth Music System and the C. Crane FM Transmitter

The Logitech Wireless Bluetooth Music System

Just so you know, the Logitech Wireless Bluetooth Music System is an orphan -- Logitech doesn't list it on their website any more. But that's probably why Tigerdirect has it for just $60. I just added a pair of cheap powered speakers and I was good to go. Sound quality was much better than I expected. The nice feature about this unit is that you can skip over a song you don't like, or pause it to take a phone call.

The C. Crane FM Transmitter

The C. Crane FM Transmitter will set you back about $70. Yeah, I know there are much cheaper FM transmitters out there, but most of those only let you chose a couple of FM frequencies -- the C. Crane unit lets you choose any frequency you want. The advantage of this approach is that you broadcast to every FM radio in the house (the Logitech only broadcasts to its one receiver). The downside is you can't pause or fast forward.

Any other cheap solutions out there?

Thanko USB Retro MP3 Alarm Clock: Wake Up To Your Own Customized Alarm Sound

Thanko USB Retro MP3 Alarm Clock: Wake Up To Your Own Customized Alarm Sound

The blurb:

Alarm clocks can be so loud and that repetitive techie sound can be so obnoxious. How about waking up to your mom's sweetest voice, just like the old days when you were in grade school? Thanko Japan has the alarm clock made just for this purpose. The all new 2007 MP3 alarm clocks is just like any alarm clock except you can customize the alarm sound by connecting the clock to your PC and use the complementary sound effects such as cow mooing or dogs barking, or, of course, you can record your own (or your mom's, for that matter) for your loved ones.

$40. The alarm can be up to 50 seconds long.

Why Does Everybody Hate This Cute And Adorable Talking Chihuahua?

Why Does Everybody Hate This Cute And Adorable Talking Chihuahua?

It's a real mystery to me, even though it's from a couple of ad campaigns ago. Stupid.com (Please Note: I myself do not think talking chihuahuas are stupid.) steps up and explains:

In the small town of Pinslow, Wisconsin -- at the end of a remote, private road -- you'll find the Shady-Q Mascot Ranch. In this quaint little colony resides the world's only retirement community for advertising mascots. On any given day, you might discover the Frito Bandito playing badminton with Count Chocula. Or Mr. Whipple trying to squeeze Mrs. Paul's  fishsticks.

And you'll also find the Taco Bell Chihuahua. Yes, the little pooch may be getting on in dog years, but he's still as feisty as ever. He spends his days answering fan mail and playing Mahjong with Josephine the Plumber. Stupid.com has always been one of his fans. Even now, after all these years, we smile when we think about those odd commercials. That's why we were so happy to discover a few cartons of this discontinued stuffed toy.

This stuffed Taco Bell Chihuahua stands over 10 inches high. Besides being cute and cuddly, he also TALKS! When you press his ear, he says one of four sentences in his distinctive Mexican accent...

• Yo quiero taco bell?
• I think I'm in love.
• Cant this boat go any faster?
• What is a logarithm?

We're not at all sure why he says those last two sentences. But the ad campaign was so weird to begin with, we guess it makes sense. Sorta.

Where Are All The 3-D Stereo Digital Cameras?

Where Are All The 3-D Stereo Digital Cameras?

Why aren't these things all over the place by now? About the only one i could find was this custom-made job for over $1,000. What's the deal?

Why I Love Software And Programmers: The Philips AJL308 Digital Photo Alarm Clock

Why I Love Software And Programmers: The Philips AJL308 Digital Photo Alarm Clock

Lots of great features, which you can go read about. But here's what caught my eye:

Important note: Some shipped AJL308 models are not matching the correct day of the week to the correct date. This ONLY occurs if the date is set DURING the month of September and ONLY lasts during the month of September. Philips has issued a software update that allows the unit to correctly display the day and date when set during September. This upgrade is available via the Philips website or you can call the contact center to receive it directly (1-888-PHILIPS).

I mean, you just gotta love 'em, you just gotta.

10 MegaPixel Camera At Aldi For $200

10 MegaPixel Camera At Aldi For $200

While supplies last, etc

The StarWars LightSaber, Darth Vader Model

The StarWars LightSaber, Darth Vader Model

From those fun folks at Hammacher Schlemmer:

This is the replica of the famous Jedi and Sith weapon from the epic Star Wars® series, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the original film's release. Its sturdy glowing blade is composed of a string of bright LEDs encased in a shatterproof polycarbonate sheath, and when turned on, it reproduces the actual initialization sound used in the films. As it powers-up, the LEDs illuminate in sequence, providing the illusion of a focused beam of energy emanating from the hilt. Built-in motion sensors detect blade movement and generate authentic sounds; it emits its classic hum when idle, makes a swooshing sound when swung, and produces the same clashing sound heard during the films' battles when it taps another object or lightsaber. The hilt is crafted from durable aluminum and polyethylene, and faithfully reproduces every detail from the original movies. $119

Hillary Nutcracker

Hillary Nutcracker

This is going to be a long campaign. (via The Presurfer via the Everlasting Blort)

Chumby: The Huggable, Hackable, Widget-Extendable Web-Enabled WiFi Clock Radio

Chumby: The Huggable, Hackable, Widget-Extendable Web-Enabled WiFi Clock Radio

Excerpts from TechCrunch:

Chumby is a small, wifi enabled, touch screen information device. When you take it out of the box and plug it in it is essentially a glorified alarm clock. But when you take a moment and register your particular Chumby at their website, it can become just about anything you like. A number of widgets are available now and can be enabled on Chumby with a click. And Since Chumby is completely open source and has made a HDK and SDK available for developers, expect modifications to come quickly.

I enabled a few of the available widgets, and my Chumby now shows pictures from my flickr account as well as Google News headlines. Other Foo attendees have new Digg front page stories, Google Calendar and Slashdot stories on their Chumby.

The device has a 266MHz ARM controller, 32MB SDRAM, a 320×240 3.5 inch touch LCD screen, two speakers, audio output, microphone input functionality and a USB port. Chumby also has a squeeze sensor. All of this is housed within a soft, sqeezable shell about the size of a coconut.

Don’t like somthing about your Chumby? Hack it. ... The examples are limitless. Use the USB port to take a thumb drive with MP3s and build a music player widget, for example. Or a divx player. Or use Chumby to control the air conditioning in your house. Or as a remote control for your television. Etc.

Should be on the market real soon, with a target price of around $150.

Timex Dual Alarm MP3 Clock Radio With Built-In SD Memory Card Slot And USB Port For A Flash Drive

Timex Dual Alarm MP3 Clock Radio With Built-In SD Memory Card Slot And USB Port For A Flash Drive

Load 'em up with your favorite songs or old-time radio shows and you'll have everything you need, right at your fingertips. $75. <joke location="inside">See guys, Dan's really not crazy after all.</joke>

The NeverScrub Toilet Cleaning System

The NeverScrub Toilet Cleaning System

That little thingee in the picture holds a bleach/cleaner pod which lasts about 4 months. I've installed a couple in my house and they work great. Eco-friendly, too. Click on the link to get the full explanation why it's better.

Cowboy Six-Shooter TV Remote Control

Cowboy Six-Shooter TV Remote Control

Do the future news stories write themselves or what?: Waco, TX - A man who shot his (wife dog kid TV) told police that he thought the gun was really his TV remote control . . .

The Long-Ago Boyhood Pasttime of Metal Casting Toy Soldiers: Kids and Hot Molten Lead, What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

The Long-Ago Boyhood Pasttime of Metal Casting Toy Soldiers: Kids and Hot Molten Lead, What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

We used to do this all the time when we were kids. If you can say the same, then you're probably over 50 too. And really, it was all perfectly safe, just as long as you didn't accidentally pour the hot molten lead on your hand or foot, in which case all bets were off. If all went well, you ended up with something like this:

The Alamo: Mexican Soldier

But that wasn't the final output, it was just a prerequisite for putting the finished toy soldier into the molten lead and making all manner of screaming noises and sound effects. Great fun!! Sooooo much better than the classic boyhood pasttime of setting objects on fire with a magnifying glass.

If you've grown up a little, you can even cast your own Nativity Set. While you could put the Wise Men into the molten lead, I wouldn't advise it. Do that to the Little Baby Jesus and brother, you're on your own.

What made me take this stroll down Memory Lane was Brian Kane's link to One Man's Blog's summary of Radar magazine's article The 10 Most Dangerous Toys of All Time. Those toys, dangerous? Maybe for girls.

The iPhone Hype

From John C. Dvorak:

This is the last week of Apple iPhone hype, hyperbole, and hand-wringing. Oh wait, I mean the last week of pre-iPhone hype, hyperbole, and hand-wringing—we have a few more post-iPhone months left on the calendar. I am sick of it. It's all anyone talks about. It dominates the news. It dominates the podcasts and videocasts and magazines. Hitler got less coverage when he invaded Poland.

Life of the Party: A Visual History of S.S. Adams, Makers of Pranks and Magic for 100 Years

Life of the Party: A Visual History of S.S. Adams, Makers of Pranks and Magic for 100 Years

(via the author's blog, Secret Fun Blog)

iPod Digital Drumsticks

iPod Digital Drumsticks

(via FunniestGadgets.com )

Create A Commie

Create A Commie

Lenin or Marx? Castro or Trotsky? Use the magic hair wand to create your favorite communist! No matter who your favorite communist is, you're sure to love Create A Commie. Just move the metal shavings around with the magnetic plastic wand to transform the generic red face into the communist of your choice.

Avenging Unicorn Play Set

Avenging Unicorn Play Set

While there's something oddly satisfying about a unicorn impaling a mime, it's nice to have a boss man and a New Age Lady ready to take over.

Sima Hitch: Transfers Files Between Two USB Devices Without A Computer

Sima Hitch: Transfers Files Between Two USB Devices Without A Computer

From Gadget Lab:

It took me a few minutes to understand what the Hitch does, after which I realized this could be a pretty handy item. The device, produced by Sima (the folks behind the amazing Inflatable Home Theater), essentially serves as a bridge between any two USB-equipped devices. Possible uses include plugging a digital camera in one end and a thumb drive in another, to free up your camera's memory card. Plug in two media players to swap songs from one to another (without all those pesky Zune restrictions, like having to own a Zune).  Or transfer photos from your digicam to your iPod.The Hitch also juices up USB-powered devices. And it runs Linux, earning the user geek cred. List price is $200, but a number of retailers have 'em marked down to $70 or less.

The Worst Toys You've Ever Seen

The Worst Toys You've Ever Seen

This is not going to quell those persistent rumors regarding Robin. (via Boots and Sabers )

CC Radio Plus: The Best AM Radio You Can Buy

CC Radio Plus: The Best AM Radio You Can Buy

We got one for our Dad, and he really enjoys it. You can read a full review here. $165.

Internet Radio

Wikipedia has nice articles on internet radio and on standalone internet radio devices. I think I'd rather get one of these than an HD radio (they're about the same price). See my previous post on the Acoustic Energy Wi-Fi Internet Radio.

Freeplay Weza Portable Energy Source

Freeplay Weza Portable Energy Source

From the C. Crane Company:

Freeplay's new Weza has a feel to it like a warm, dependable wood stove. This solid, foot-powered energy source really pumps out the juice at up to a 40-watt rate to charge its own internal battery for direct 12-volt power. To charge it, you simply step down on the pedal and the generator spins. Charging to full power takes modest dedication.

Make Your Own Pizza Sticker Activity Book

Make Your Own Pizza Sticker Activity Book

How do you like your pizza? With pepperoni? Mushrooms and olives? Broccoli? Peppers? Make it exactly the way you want it with this generously proportioned pie crust, printed on the inside covers, and 80 colorful sticker toppings. All stickers are reusable, so you can customize your pie for every order.

Racing Grannies

Racing Grannies

Wind 'em up and race 'em!

Free Downloadable Wrigley Field Do-It-Yourself Paper Model

Free Downloadable Wrigley Field Do-It-Yourself Paper Model

A good way to keep busy in the off-season, which for Cubs fans pretty much every year starts the day after the regular season.

Bear The Programmer: An Authentic Russian Toy

Bear The Programmer: An Authentic Russian Toy

A bit of history:

The history of Bogorodskaya toys starts from a legend. The story tells of a poor peasant family that lived in a small village Bogorodskoe (some 40 miles outside of Moscow; founded in the late 16th century) and had many kids. Their mother made a doll for them from cloth rags. But it lasted only a couple of days. The kids ripped it into pieces. So she wove one from straw. That one didn’t last very long either. So the woman took a piece of wood and cut a wooden toy for them, which the children called Auka. They played with it for quite a long time, but eventually got bored with it and their father took it to a fair. At the fair he met a merchant that liked the toy and ordered several hundred of them from him. Since then, the story says, most villagers became toy makers.

A Really Really Big TV Remote Control On Sale At Walgreens For $10

A Really Really Big TV Remote Control On Sale At Walgreens For $10

Anybody with kids has just stopped reading this blog and is now on their way to their nearest Walgreens. Just in time for football season too!

The Featuritis Curve

The Featuritis Curve

Why adding more features to a product doesn't always make it better.

The Potty Putter

The Potty Putter

Yes, it's exactly what you think. (via neatorama)

Ice Cream Ball

Ice Cream Ball

Add the ice and rock salt in one chamber, the ice cream mix in the separate inner chamber, roll it around for a while and bingo!: You have ice cream.

PLUG-IN: An Electrical Outlet For The Elderly

PLUG-IN: An Electrical Outlet For The Elderly

The blurb:

PLUG-IN addresses the difficulty the elderly can have with electrical outlets. While the market is full of countless flush outlets and child-protection units, none address the unique limitations of the elderly. The PLUG-IN’s upward-angled faceplate allows users to better orient themselves and a cord’s prongs before bending over or reaching behind furniture. This creates a direct sightline from the human eye to the faceplate and minimizes the distance necessary for a person to extend. It also provides additional leverage when removing of a difficult plug. The PLUG-IN fits onto current outlet standards and is easily installed by the user.

(via collision detection)

Deal or No Deal Electronic Handheld Game

Deal or No Deal Electronic Handheld Game

With Howie on vacation for the summer, this might be just the thing to ease your DOND withdrawl. This won't ship until August 20, but you can order it now. $20. Other DOND Stuff:

• Deal or No Deal 4-Player Electronic Table Top Game
• Deal or No Deal Board Game
• Deal or No Deal Card Game
• Deal or No Deal T-Shirt
• Deal or No Deal Baseball Cap

So much stuff, so little time . . .

Homestar Planetarium

Homestar Planetarium

Interesting Use: See what the skies of the Southern Hemisphere look like without ever leaving home and putting up with the weirdness that their sinks and toilets all drain the wrong way. $239.

Musical Toys From The Blue Man Group

Musical Toys From The Blue Man Group

The styling can best be described as PVC tubing meets Apple G5 meets Fisher Price. Available in July.

Computer-Controlled Stargazers Chair

Computer-Controlled Stargazers Chair

$1,995

Acoustic Energy Wi-Fi Radio

Acoustic Energy Wi-Fi Radio

From the C. Crane Company:

The AE Wi-Fi Internet Radio is the only stand-alone system we've ever found that works right out of the box. This means no software to load, no complex set-up operations, and no need to be a computer expert. In fact you can tune in Internet radio without even turning on your computer. Simply plug the radio into an AC power outlet located within range of your wireless internet signal and then press the power button to turn it on. The AE Wi-Fi Internet Radio automatically uploads available stations and lists them alphabetically by country and category. All you have to do is select a station and press play — it's really that simple!

Breakfast Maker

Breakfast Maker

The Sales Blurb:

Our 3-In-1 Breakfast Maker combines a toaster oven, a coffee maker, and a frying pan. You can make a complete breakfast on one space-saving appliance. The coffee maker features a 6-cup pot, a warmer, and a permanent filter. The dual-element toaster oven includes a chrome rack and a baking tray. Convenient switch selects upper or lower element or both. Lower element heats bottom of toaster oven. Upper element turns oven into a broiler and heats the frying pan. 15 min. timer with auto shut-off heats food to the ideal temperature. Perfect for a dorm room, studio apartment, office, RV and more.

The Cubes Sensitivity Trainer

The Cubes Sensitivity Trainer

And as if this weren't enough, The Cubes must also endure visits from The Cubes Motivational Speaker as well.

Levitating Hover Scooter

Levitating Hover Scooter

$17,000. Oh well . . .

A Midsummer Night's Dream Fairies Paper Dolls

A Midsummer Night's Dream Fairies Paper Dolls

Highbrow entertainment on a budget.

The Celestron SkyScout Personal Planetarium: It Identifies Any Star or Planet You Point It At

The Celestron SkyScout Personal Planetarium: It Identifies Any Star or Planet You Point It At

From the product description over at Telescopes.com:

The SkyScout is a revolutionary, one of a kind, patented handheld device that instantly identifies and/or locates any celestial object visible to the naked eye, providing educational and entertaining information, both in text and audio. A fun learning tool for all ages, the SkyScout Personal Planetarium puts the knowledge of an expert astronomer in the palm of your hand.

Using the SkyScout

Point the Celestron SkyScout at any bright star and it will instantly identify the object or choose an object from the celestial database of over 6,000 objects and the SkyScout will guide you to it. The SkyScout includes great information and stories about the most popular celestial objects in scrolling text and narrated audio

SkyScout's unique features include

Tonight’s Must-See List - When the Celestron SkyScout is turned on, it will tell the user the 10 coolest things to look at in the sky that night, using internal GPS to automatically customize it to where that particular user is located

Constellation Lessons – If the user is looking at a star that’s part of a constellation, the Sky Scout will inform the user, show a picture of the constellation, and help the user locate the other stars in the constellation.

Updatable Software and Data – USB port included for periodic updates of the operating software, as well as the ability to download new data from celestial objects like the Space Shuttle or passing comets.

SkyTour Content Cards – SD card slot exists for additional content offerings, such as “Astronomy for Kids”.

How does it work

Sky Scout combines GPS technology, which gives the time, date and location of the user, software that calculates the position of the objects for that moment and 3 axis sensors measuring gravitational and magnetic fields to determine the true orientation of the SkyScout to the earth.

Looks like it will be around $400 when it comes out.

Coelacanth Keychain

Coelacanth Keychain

(via Plep)

Robots, Spaceships and other Tin Toys

Robots, Spaceships and other Tin Toys

A new book from Taschen.

Swiss Army Knife MP3 Player

Swiss Army Knife MP3 Player

I suppose it was inevitable . . .

Crime Scene Towel

Crime Scene Towel

Brain Massager

Brain Massager

Faucet Light

Faucet Light

From Things You Never Knew Existed:

Running water activates this LED Faucet Light turning the water a bright blue. Turn off the water and out goes the light. It's great for getting the little ones to wash their hands, perfect for running the water in the middle of the night, and just a hoot anytime. Faucet Light installs in less than a minute and easily connects to almost all standard household faucets.

Homer Simpson Fishing Lure

Homer Simpson Fishing Lure

A real fishing lure with real pointy hooks.

Doggy Steps

Doggy Steps

Great idea for older or smaller dogs.

Privacy Corps Caller ID Manager

Privacy Corps Caller ID Manager

Does all sorts of stuff:

Screening options:

Block anonymous and unidentified numbers, while allowing all others;

Block up to 175 numbers, area codes or prefixes, or;

Allow only callers you 'Invite' by name, number, or 'Wildcard' to ring your phone, and handle others as you choose.

With each entry you decide between:

Allowing the caller to ring your phone;

Sending the caller directly to your VoiceMail or answering device without ringing your phone;

Sending the caller directly to any extension without ringing other phones (using the optional Remotes), or;

Ignore the caller completely and go unanswered, without ringing the phone.

Add and delete numbers easily by using the call history or your telephone keypad. And, you can change your preferences for each number easily with the clearly labeled buttons on the front of the unit.