Recently Filed in Weird Stuff

Lights fixtures as we know them may be ancient history, if and when organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) hit the home scene. GE, one of the leaders in the development of OLED technology, recently collaborated with industrial design students from the Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) to develop conceptual lighting products for the home. Many of their designs took advantage of OLED’s two key attributes that commercialized GE OLEDs are expected to feature: flexibility and thinness. Unlike light sources today, OLEDs are bendable and no thicker… View this story
OLED • Weird Stuff • Product News

After launching Hartford, Conn.-based Integrated Environments in 2003, Chad Tierney finally opened up a showroom this week. Then he promptly drove it out of Hartford.  It’s a showroom on wheels, a Gulf Stream motor home equipped with audio, video and control technology. Instead of opening a brick-and-mortar showroom, the idea is for Integrated Environments to be able to drive to its prospective clients all over Connecticut — and New England and New York for that matter — rather than them having to come to them.… View this story
Weird Stuff • Installers

A few weeks ago, I spoke with a custom electronics pro (CE Pro) about a project that involved automating a platform containing several disco lights and speakers to drop down from the ceiling. It was a first for his company, an outfit that has been around for more than 20 years, and he expects it to probably be their last. Not that devising the rigging was exceptionally difficult; it’s just unlikely that any future clients will ask for a drop-from-the-ceiling disco system ever again.  I… View this story
Home Control • Weird Stuff • Home Control • Info and Answers

Tired of turning on your bathroom faucet and arduously adjusting the temperature every single morning? iHouse provides a solution in the form of SmartFaucet, which includes a facial screening application to recognize the user and automatically turn on the water to his or her desired temperature and flow. Finally! The SmartFaucet also features a touchscreen, allowing users to access e-mail, peruse a calendar and check the outside temperature among other things, according to Bornrich.org. When a user steps to the faucet the facial recognition technology… View this story
Touchpanels and Keypads • Bathroom • Weird Stuff • Product News

It has been a trying few months for brand-loyal electronics shoppers. Tweeter is gone. Circuit City is gone. Several local custom electronics integration companies have merged or gone out of business. In short, the market is ripe for a Crazy Eddie comeback. Yes, Crazy Eddie, the 1970s and 1980s consumer electronics retailer with notoriously hyperbolic TV commercials is already reborn with an online presence at PricesAreInsane.com . The URL is a reference to Crazy Eddie’s legendary commercials. The ads featured actor/DJ Jerry Carroll continuously screaming… View this story
Weird Stuff • Retailers • Product News

Roses. Card. Romantic dinner. Jewelry. Stuffed animal. Gift certificate for a massage. All are viable Valentine’s Day gifts. But maybe you are looking for something to set you apart from the crowd, something that screams originality. Forget it. I’m hear to warn you not to try. Why? Because the risk outweighs the reward. Play it safe and there will be no trouble. Buy something crappy - and you might never hear the end of it. So, we did a little digging and uncovered a handful… View this story
Gadgets • Weird Stuff • Info and Answers • Slideshows

In case the Spandex and giant foam top hat weren’t enough to get attention, Yubz has a little something to add onto your cell phone. Talk is a bizarre little accessory that promises a “fun” and “fashionable” way to talk on your cell—if you think an old-school handset is fun and/or fashionable. Even weirder than the product or the variety of colors it comes in, is the addition of a new model, which is adorned with leopard prints and Swarovski crystals. Aside from the typical… View this story
Cell Phones • Gadgets • Weird Stuff • Networking • Product News

We love products that know how to multitask. Sure, your cell phone can play music and surf the web, but some of our favorites are not as obvious. For instance, we’ve seen plenty of rock and planter speakers. In 2007, Soundolier took it to the next level with the speaker/lamp combo. Then just a few weeks ago, we were talking up Hunter’s speaker/fan product. Now the magic of sound has been added to a semi-ordinary light bulb. The SoundBulb taps into any audio source with… View this story
Wireless Speakers • Gadgets • Weird Stuff • Audio • Product News

Ever wonder how you’d fare in front of the camera? Maybe even as a substitute for Matthew Broderick in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” or “Scarface” Al Pacino? Now you can polish up your acting skills, get in front of a green screen and play kind of a karaoke for movies with a new home entertainment system from Yoostar. Yes, the website actually has the awful misspelled tagline “Starring Yoo” to promote its system (would be funnier here in Massachusetts if it read “Starring Yooooouuuuk” instead).… View this story
Miscellaneous • Web Services • Movies and Music • Weird Stuff • Product News

CBS is already the number one network on TV. However, can they rank when it comes to high-tech? The network just teamed up with Vaughnco for a line of electronics based on some of its popular TV shows. The first in the line will be a set of “Ghost Whisperer” headphones and a “90210” portable MP4 karaoke machine. No… really. The obvious question (aside from “say what?”) has to be: Why no love for “CSI?” All three incarnations of the show are consistently in the… View this story
Headphones • Gadgets • Weird Stuff • CES • Audio • Enhancements • Product News

Hitachi’s Gesture Remote Control TV might take the cake for being the coolest gadget at CES 2009. The HDTV is controlled by hand gestures. There’s no “handheld” remote involved. The hand gestures are picked up by a motion sensor that, for demo purposes at CES 2009, is located on the wall just below the flat panel. Check out the image below to learn how the Gesture TV is controlled. And it can also control lighting and temperature. Hitachi says “a lot of different developments are… View this story
Flat Panel • HDTV • Weird Stuff • CES • Home Theater • Product News

Many of us are not so nice to our remote controls. Aside from getting thrown, they somehow get a lot of sticky parts. Now you can keep your remote squeaky clean, if it’s a Seal Shield. Seal Shield is actually a healthcare company, so don’t expect a lot of bells and whistles. Well, there is one—both of these remotes are dishwasher-safe. They are also antimicrobial. So if you’ve got a little kid wiping his nose and wanting to reach for the remote every two minutes,… View this story
Remote Controls • Weird Stuff • CES • Home Theater • Product News