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This is the Black Hole Phone Bag.  How it works is there are two layers within it.  One a normal layer designed to protect your phone from the elements, and a second layer designed to protect your phone from... uh... telephone signals.  That's right, it's a phone case that blocks cellular phone transmissions. 

Why wouldn't you just turn the power off, or do like my friends do when I call and just not answer the phone, feigning connection problems or not hearing?  Or, if you wanted to cut out the middle-man, just buy a phone like mine which doesn't want to recieve connections on a cloudy day, won't pick up a bloody thing indoors, and loses battery life randomly?

Hey, someone made it, so there must be a market for it somewhere.  Just don't ask me where, because I'm clueless.  Maybe construction sites, where cell phones prematurely set off explosives?

HT:  Coolest Gadgets

I often feel like I'm violating the Church of Geek by using a PC. I have a friend who has a MacBook, and while it seems really cool, I'm not really sure why so many Mac enthusiasts hold the level of vitriol they do for PC users.

Any time anyone I know posts that they are having trouble with their PC, the Mac users come in and say, "Next time, buy a Mac!" Oy. Because nobody ever has trouble with any Mac products, right? Nobody had any problems with Leopard? Heh.

So, seriously, in trying to understand this, tell me why are Macs so much better than PCs?

I was stumbling today looking for something interesting to blog about. I think I found it at Gadget Blog but I'm not sure if you want to hear about it. I'm going to share it with you anyway....Introducing The Disposable Compact Spermoscope.....

"What a remarkable conversation tool. Picture this, your at your office water cooler having a conversation with a few co-workers when all of a sudden one of them pulls out his trusty compact sperm microscope and says “Check out my sperm count”. He fills this tiny little bad boy up with his newly created sperm and hands it around for all to see. I think not, but quite the story that will be told for years to come.

The disposable compact microscope magnfy sperm, blood or other body fluids from 500 to 1000 times depending on how much light you use. The 5-pack costs costs $89"

I can just see my husband's face on Christmas morning when I tell him that I got him the latest gadget (he loves gadgets) and he opens up one of these.

Who are the people buying these and why on earth would anyone want one? Maybe I'm missing something here, I don't know.

If you can think of a good reason I would love to here it, so leave me a comment.

I really wish this was within my budget to give my dad. He loves neat stuff like this. What is it, anyway?

It's the Aquapict LED Jellyfish Aquarium, but I just call it cool. From the description:

Made with highly-realistic silicone, the Aquapict jellyfish swim and change color subtly with the five-color LED lighting system (red, yellow, green, blue, and purple). They move by a slow current created in the tank that does not have an obvious flow or bubbles that make it look fake. It looks unbelievably real and beautiful!

Seriously, seriously neat. It's $169 at  Japan Trend Shop.

Meet Aiko.  Engadget calls her the world's first sexually harassed disabled fembot.  I call her creepy beyond all belief.   

My feelings on robots are well documented, but... honestly?  I thought the whole point of building a fembot in your basement was that, you know, if you built her she had to let you fondle her.  Still, kudos to Dr. Trung for both building a robot and for being the first person to be smacked in the face for groping a robot.  Truly a credit to men everywhere.

Linsey's post at Wise Bread is some good stuff to think about:

Tech toys are a trap. So you get a great deal on the toy. Your little one will be ecstatic, right? Wrong. Assuming the toy comes with everything needed to get started (games or cartridges or cords or whatever), how long will that last? The toy will need power (batteries, chargers, or plugs), and old games will need to be replaced with newer ones.

It depends, I think. My kids got leap pads a few years ago and managed to lose the cartridges and books in no time. However, my daughter keeps her Nintendo DS in pristine condition- it was me that lost her stylus, not her. I think age has some to do with it and the toy itself has the rest to do with it. Linsey makes a good point her post about the VideoNow and JuiceBox system. They just may not be fully supported in time, so it's best to go with things that will be, even if they are more expensive. It's better to spend a little more now in order to have something your kids will be playing with years from now.

A fellow blogger had an interesting post about how America's technology recycling was doing more harm to the earth than it was preventing, which sounds about right considering that old saying about where the road paved with good intentions leads.  Still, there is one kind of recycling that is useful, and that’s recycling old technology into art projects.

It’s no secret that I love me some steampunk technology modifications.  If you take something new and make it look old-timey, I’m a huge fan of it.  Keyboards, case mods, and, in this case, one of the coolest MP3 players I’ve ever seen:  Porkshanks’ Ambiance Enhancer.

Let’s let the creator tell the story:

Step right up folks! Witness the latest and greatest that the glory of modern technology can possibly offer to you at this particular moment of time and space!

The Ambiance Enhancer

This handy little device can take the most boring and dull locale and turn it into whatever sort of emotive resonance you prefer! You simply load it with "Wave Files" or their less complicated cousins the "Musical Programme Type Threes (or "MP3" for those who enjoy abbreviations) and then activate the device to change the ambiance around you! Astounding!

Okay, here's the real story behind this one:

I bought a pair of vintage Cannonball Empire headphones off Ebay and I disassembled and gutted them. I then transplanted the working parts of a Sony MDR-006 (that I randomly found on the ground at a bus stop 2 days ago!) into them, and viola! Cool looking 'old' headphones that work just fine with my MP3 player ^ _ ^

H/T:  Engadget

Create You Squidoo Lens On A Shak Subject And You Could Be Featured On Shakadoo! Once you have built your lens, submit it to the group HERE.

Kindle Wireless Reading Device from Amazon   by Susan52

To learn everything you ever wanted to know about the Kindle Wireless Reading Device, visit the entire lens by clicking: Kindle Wireless Reading Device from Amazon

I've gotta get one of these!

Lighter than a paperback, more powerful than WiFi, able to leap the library in a single, uh, click? - it's Kindle, the brand new wireless reading device by amazon.

Launched just in time for the busy Christmas shopping season, Kindle is simple to use, no computer required.  Read your favorite books, newspapers, blogs, or even your own personal documents with Kindle - anywhere!  What's more, there's no monthly fee!

What IS this world coming to?  Looks like it's coming to Kindle.  Read on. . .

What's So Special About the Amazon Kindle?

Here's my non-techical take on this nifty new device.

You can read all about it and buy a Kindle here. In the meantime, here are some highlights and observations that struck me from the video presentations and reading about the Amazon Kindle at amazon.com.

The screen is not backlit, so the display is easy to read, even outdoors in the sun. The display, in fact, gives the illusion of reading from paper. No glare like you get from a computer screen.

It's small, compact, and lightweight, about the size of a paperback book. The controls are set up for both right and left-handed users and appear to be very simple and convenient.

You can do everything, searches, purchases, and downloads, without a computer or even a hotspot - and without a service plan or monthly fee. Now, that's quite a selling point!

The battery charge lasts for days. "Read War and Peace on a single charge," or so they say.

I like the cute little dog-ear bookmark feature. I like the adjustable text size, perfect for those of us who need reading glasses.

It's interesting that everything you buy or download to your Kindle is backed up at amazon.com, so you can access it in the event that something happens to your reader.

You can subscribe to newspapers or magazines with the new editions updated and delivered automatically. There's a built-in dictionary, as well as a word search feature, and a subscription to Wikipedia is included.

It holds 200 books or more with a memory card available to hold even more.

The Amazon Kindle really does look handy and non-cumbersome, light and easy to use, perfect for anyone on the go - or even just for convenience at home. For me, trying to handle a book comfortably while reading in bed can be difficult. The Kindle looks like it would be a perfect solution. read the rest......

It won't be long before the hearts and minds of the nation turn to the upcoming presidential primaries.  The main players are already out there, stumping for votes, shaking hands, and kissing babies in an attempt to distance themselves from the crowd.  The partisans are drawing battle lines, girding their loins, and preparing for the messy slog ahead.

But wouldn't it be nice if, for once, there were a pair of candidates that, with a simple change of hats, could soar above the fray on fluffy white wings?  Candidates who were hard on criminals like princess kidnappers, but fiscally responsible in their nonstop collection of coins?  Candidates who appealed to the common working man, with their comforting mustaches and blue-collar roots, but who were also comfortable in the presence of royalty like Princesses and Kings?

From the Mushroom Kingdom to Little Italy, two men have come forth to raise the flag high and set off fireworks if you complete the level well enough.  These two men are plumbers by trade, but heros by choice.  It's-a no brainer, it's-a Merica, it's-a Mario/Luigi in 2008.

H/T:  Jade

Animal Crossing, the wildly popular game that is available on GameCube and DS (Animal Crossing: Wild World), is to be on the Wii as well. When that will happen, nobody knows. IGN has rumors that it will be a MMO, but there's no release date in sight.

Animal Crossing has so much awesome Wii potential, I just hope they are taking their time to really get the game right, but I'm so afraid it's somewhere on some back burner. Animal Crossing lovers: What do you think? Taking their time to get it right or stashed on a back burner?

When last we parted, I was planning to stand out all night waiting to buy a Wii on Thanksgiving morning. Alas, how my plans changed. I decided to try to get to Kmart by 4 AM, since my area was being racked by thunderstorms and then a cold front. I awoke at 3 AM, not to my alarm, but to a pain racking my stomach. On Thanksgiving- how cruel is that?

I weighed out my options and decided to do the Black Friday thing instead of waiting for a Wii on Thanksgiving. But alas again, that didn't work out either, since my stomach was still hurting and the nausea that plagued me all day on Thanksgiving- Thanks-freaking-giving, people!- was not only not better, but worse. A trip to the ER, $300 and 8 billion hours later, it was determined that I have an ulcer. All my friends' reactions to this?

"Gee, Ivy, how surprising." (note the dripping sarcasm)

As if my schedule wasn't busy enough, I need to find time for things that relax me. And quit drinking caffeine and alcohol. But they said to relax! Oy.

But no worries, I still feel like I will find a Wii. I talked to some people at WalMart today that said to come by between 9 and 10 AM to see if they will have Wiis to sell that day. Every day between Monday and Friday. Again, not like I had anything else better to do. Same with GameStop, who told me they get deliveries randomly in the morning, to check by about 10 AM. We'll see how my amazing time traveling skills work, since I have to be in all these places at once.

I'm waving a very, ahem, friendly finger at the awesome people at Best Buy who said, "We have no idea when Wiis are coming in, I don't know what time you should check, don't bother, okay?" Thanks, Best Buy. I'll be sure not to bother at all when I go to buy all my kids' Christmas gifts, which are very heavily centered on electronic items. I'm sure there are plenty of other places that would love my business.

Ya know, I know they get tired of the same questions over and over, but is there any need to be rude when asked a polite question?

Let's face it; you go to the beach and what do all the cool guys have?  Tattoos.  But you're a spindly little geek who is more used to hacking computers than hacking up people with hatchets, so there's no way you can have that aura of biker-like intimidation without lots of painful ink work, right?

Wrong!

With this package of geek temporary tattoos from Archie McPhee, you can both be impressive and threatening while still representing your status as a l33t h4x0r.  For the low price of $7.95 you get 16 tattoos and, should you choose to display them rather than wear them, they're included in a nice-looking hardcover book, perfect for displaying in your cubicle at the office.  I mean, sure, you're a bad dude, but even bad dudes have bills to pay.   

Geeks are a unique bunch.  We're not really, you know, able to relate to people very well in the real world.  Well, okay, I don't relate to people that well in the real world.  I'm shy, awkward, and I make a living out of second-guessing everything I say or do when I'm involved in meatspace.  It makes dating incredibly hard.

Hence, Datecraft.  That's right, someone finally launched a dating service for WoW-loving geeks like myself.  Just think.  Have a first date overlooking the beautiful hills of Stranglethorn Vale.  Second date?  Raid The Black Temple.  Propose with The Rock.

Would I try it?  Never say never.  I'm skittish about online dating services in general, but if anyone has a hook for me, this one might be it.

H/T:  Wonderland

If you need a little help buying products for the geek on your shopping list, the Atlanta Journal Constitution has a list of handy stuff that might just tickle that hard-to-please technobuff in all the right places.  Some of them, like the Wi-Fi detecting shirt, we've talked about here.  Others are, in my estimation, too expensive for normal gifting.  But there are some goodies on the list, like Amazon's new e-book reader, the Kindle.

Do you have any geeky gift ideas you're going to pick up while out tomorrow?  If you're going to be out near a Best Buy, would you like to buy me a Nintendo DS Zelda bundle?  I'll pay you back, I promise!

Image Credit:  MSNBC

Kathylynn and I are in the same boat, on the hunt for a Wii for our kids for Christmas. Kathylynn might not be willing to stand out on a curb all night for one, but that's exactly what I am going to do tonight.

Now, I'm signed up for the Amazon.com Customers Vote thing, and my mom is going to be online at 12:01 tonight to try to buy one from Best Buy. My mom bought a Wii this summer, so we already know the absolute joy that is playing Wii. So it's extra serious now that I have to get one.

So when you're in your warm, cozy bed tonight, think of me standing outside in the cold rain. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

I can vaguely understand R2D2 as a soy sauce dispenser, because everything mechanical I own leaks some sort of fluid pretty much all the time.  But honestly, I think this Chewbacca back pack is going a little far, don't you?  I mean, Chewie is 7 feet tall, he's not tiny, and he's not exactly the first citizen of the Star Wars universe I'd think to make a backpack out of.

I think my first thought would be to just get a Yoda backpack, considering Luke spends most of his time in The Empire Strikes Back running around with Yoda on his back.  If you don't want to be a Jedi (and if you don't, what's wrong with you!?  Are you sick?!), then I'd definitely feel more comfortable carrying around an Ewok.  Sure, they're small, but they're also furry and cute, which means they're a good combination of Chewbacca and Yoda.

Hmm... I think I'd name my Ewok backpack Yobacca.  Or Chewda.  They're both pretty cool names. 

Hat Tip:  Wonderland 

Either R2D2 has an oil leak, or the Japanese have some crazy ideas about combining soy sauce dispensers and Star Wars droids.  As the Tokyo Mango says, "The picture makes it look like he's barfing brown goo onto the earth."  I guess R2 got ahold of some bad sashimi, or maybe he just watched Episode 1 again and was reminded of the horrible things George Lucas has done with what used to be a great trilogy. 

Get one here, if for some reason you eat a ton of soy sauce on all your meals and have a dining room that looks like the conference room on the Death Star.  Soy sauce is much more appetizing when it leaks out of a mechanical device.  All sauces are, really; that's why my car is lubricated with delicious Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing. 

The Sims 2 for Nintendo DS is a fairly old game, but I happened to pick up a copy about a week ago and I wanted to review it for Shaktronics. Unfortunately, this isn't going to be a great review- the game was not nearly as fun as previous Sims games for GBA like The Urbz and Sims: Bustin' Out.

Sims games like this on a portable system aren't going to be as fully featured as they would be on the PC or even on the PS2 or GameCube. However, even though one expects the game to be watered down, Sims 2 for DS is so watered down the game becomes terribly un-fun.

There are some aspects to the game that are marginally entertaining. There's a mini-game in the casino called "Keelhaulin'" that is a good way to waste a little time. Searching in the desert for gold and copper bars is fairly entertaining. Otherwise, the game is repetitive and dry.

Interactions with other Sims, which is normally the most fun part of the game is frustrating. I had to look up on GameFAQs how to properly interact with other Sims because otherwise I wouldn't have figured it out on my own.

Also, the game is short. It took me about 4 days to beat the game, and that wouldn't have taken as long as it did except the game plays in real time so you have to wait 8 hours for certain aspects of the game to change. If I hadn't had the waiting time, I could have probably finished the game in about 4 hours.

Still, it was entertaining enough for me to keep playing long enough to beat the game, so it's not all bad. I give this game a score of 2 out of 5.

Every year I get done with all of my Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving. This year I hadn't bought one gift until last weekend. I now know why I normally start early and from this year on will be finished by Thanksgiving.

There is only one gift that my daughter really wants and that is the Nintedo Wii. I spent the entire day going from store to store looking for it. Every single store that I went in had sold out of them. I don't understand. This is not even a new system, it was brought out last year.

When I finally got home Sunday evening, I immediately got on my computer knowing that I could order one. Oh I found some in stock but they have jacked the prices so high that I couldn't believe it.

Apparently, I am not the only angry customer. Joystiq writes about what Amazon has done....

"Amazon.com pulled some shenanigans with the Wii on Sunday, angering a lot of gamers who had camped out on Amazon's Wii order page from Saturday night until Sunday afternoon, hitting refresh every couple of seconds. Amazon had previously touted (via the order page) that the Wii would be available for purchase on the site, sometime on Sunday, and that news spread like wildfire, especially amongst those who wanted to wait in the comfort of their own home, not on a curb somewhere."

I am definitely not waiting on a curb, in a long line for any Christmas gift. I have read other stories like this one. I may be be more upset than most because I normally shop early to avoid this kind of thing. I hate it when I don't have that one special gift that one of my children wants on Christmas morning.

I will be on a mission now for the next month in search of that one gift that everyone wants.

Everyone's talking about interactive games these days.  You've got Guitar Hero III, Rock Band, the Ninendo Wii in general, and all sorts of other games which require you to move and shake and jiggle yourself in order to control action on the screen while keeping the beat.  Now I've played Guitar Hero and Donkey Konga before, so I'm not stranger to these games, but I would rather spend my time learning to play real guitar.

That is, until I saw the greatest musical game ever:  Cowbell Hero.  It's the perfect addition to any geek's video game collection, because it appeals to both video game geeks, musical game geeks, music geeks, and of course, SNL geeks like myself.  I don't think video games, real or fake, get much better than this one.   

My husband is a big Star Trek fan and I am so not one. If he wanted to build a home theater in our home in the theme of Star Trek, I would have a fit. That is until I saw the one that he emailed me from /Film today.....

"Someone thought it would be a good idea to model their home theater after the Enterprise NCC-1701D from Star Trek: The Next Generation. The result is super geeky, but actually rather cool. Named the best theme theater installation at CEDIA 2007, this Palm Beach County, FL home features motion-activated air-lock doors with series sound effects, and a “Red Alert” button on the Crestron TPMC-10 controller to turn all of the LEDs bright red and flashing. The system also features “one of the largest Kaleidescape hard-drive based storage systems” ever created, amassing eight servers with 3,816 DVDs. Check out more photos after the jump."

Make sure to go on over to /Film at check out all of the pictures.

There are so many good ideas for home theaters that you would never think of. I know that one modeled after Star Trek would not have been my first choice, but I think that this one is really cool.

Do you have a home theater in your home? If so, we would like to see it. Tell us a little bit about it and send pictures to my email at kathylynn@shakadoo.com and we will feature it on Shaktronics.

Click on over to Animal Shak, the newest addition to the Shak family.

Create You Squidoo Lens On A Shak Subject And You Could Be Featured On Shakadoo! Once you have built your lens, submit it to the group HERE.

Mousepad Mania! by EditorDave

Is Your Mouse...... ????

Sluggish?

Jumpy?

Uncooperative?

It might be because you have a dirty mouse ball!

No... I'm not talking about rodents here (although I might go with a different Squidoo lens on that subject later<grin>).

What I'm talking about is that computer accessory that usually resides next to your computer.

What I'm saying is that perhaps it's time to clean your mouseball.  Yup, dirty mouseballs can cause all sorts of problems when trying to move the cursor accurately on the screen!

So, this Squidoo lens is an attempt to help you to improve your onscreen experience. This Squidoo lens will not only provide instruction for do-it-yourself mouseball cleaning, but it will also provide ways to give your mouse traction so that the mouseball can do its job! 

How do you provide traction to mouseballs?  With a proper mousepad, that's how!

You not only want a mousepad that will be functional from a traction perspective, but also something that can provide atmosphere for more comfortable mousing.

Oh, and for "proper use of a mouse", I've recently added a new video that provides instruction at the end of this Squidoo lens.  Just scroll down and watch the video there.  Be sure to leave a comment on how you use your mousies.

Also, if you like this Squidoo lens, be sure to share it or email it to your friends!

If Your Mouse Is Uncooperative, Jumpy, or Sluggish.... Here's How to Check It

Nothing worse than dirty mouseballs!

To learn everything you ever wanted to know about keeping your mouse responsive, visit the entire lens by clicking: Mousepad Mania!

Robots have a long and checkered history when it comes to their interactions with the public.  For every Robby the Robot, there's a Terminator.  For every Pimpbot 5000, there's a horde of rampaging killbots.  For every Turkatron, there's a Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past From the Future.  For every England national team striker Peter Crouch doing the Robot, there's a Robo QB Todd Marinovich strung out on crystal meth and skateboarding illegally.  For every lovable Bender, there are robots stealing old people's medicine for fuel.  Let's not get started on Probot.

We love robots; they love us back.  We hate robots; they hate us back.  Regardless of your feelings on robots, you can appreciate the genius that is ThinkGeek's USB Snowbot.  With the flip of a switch, his scanning eye goes from benevolent blue to malevolent red, meaning that if you want to show your support and loyalty to good robots, or if you want to cower in fear from bad robots, you can do that.

Of course, while it's not as threatening as Jack Frost as far as evil snow-creatures go, it's still pretty cool.  It both shows your holiday spirit and your love of stuff that plugs into your USB ports, so geek on, fellow geeks.