YouTube Video of the Week: Moving treadmill

Okay – I’ve seen some stupid inventions in my time, but this really takes the biscuit. It’s a treadmill that – get this – moves along the road as you run on it. Like the treadmills-in-World of Warcraft video, but in real life. Your fake running gets translated to real movement. How’s that for a waste of time, energy and the planet’s precious natural resources?

(via Burbia)

Related YouTube videos: French bloke chain-surfing | Running through World of Warcraft on a treadmill

Solid gold USB stick challenges your wallet

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If I learnt anything from the second series of Heroes, it’s that people who turn stuff into gold tend to end up in an early grave. A cautionary tale for Super Talent, who make USB drives out of 18 carat solid gold. The Pico-C USB drive. Oh, they cost US$599, by the way. What do you get for that cash? 8GB of storage, 30MB/s transfer speeds (gold’s a very good conductor) and water resistance, in case you drop it in your $300 glass of champagne.

The company will also etch anything you like onto it for no extra cost, like a pretty zebra, your primary school nickname (big ears), or maybe even your company’s logo. The whole thing arrives in a black velvet jewelery box with a certificate of authenticity and a gold keychain. I’ll say again – US$599. That’s £380. Yowch. Grab one on eBay and spraypaint it gold instead.

Super Talent (via ShinyShiny)

Related posts: The Kirameki Pure Gold Keyboard – kill me now | Jewel encrusted, gold MacBook Air: Expensive but that’s Macs for you

Bunny Webcam might just get you in the night

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In a straw poll I just conducted with a few former colleagues over Skype, I asked five people whether this product is cute or creepy. Turns out that four out of five rated it as “cute” – surprising, because I think it’s one of the the scariest things I’ve ever seen. Place your vote in the comments.

It’s a plush bunny toy, with a webcam in its nose. The webcam’s not that great – 1.3 megapixel, and it captures in 640×480. Not awful, but not brilliant. Still, if you’re buying a plush bunny webcam, then let’s face it – you’re not doing it for the specs.

There’s a wide range of these webcams, from the cute (cow, penguin) through the obscure (supposed-to-be-a-mole) to the utterly trouser-browningly-terrifying (“Angel Baby”).

Bunny-in-a-wittle-hat webcam

Related posts: Microsoft launches two new LifeCam webcams | Canadian “Robot Doctor” is little more than a glorified webcam on wheels

Utterly pointless, totally useless 'Cybertek Wings'… yours for $1,000!

Very rarely am I stumped for an opinion on a product, but this little baby has got me stumped like a pirate with two wooden legs.

Maybe i should just start by describing the thing: They’re wings that are made of metal that you can wear. They are called: Cybertek Wings. And what you do with them… well, that’s where i’m stumped.

As far as i can work out, you simply strap them to your back and press a little switch and – ‘phwoom’ – out pop the robo-wings. Ta-da! Brilliant. There you are, standing in your living room, pleased as punch, with your Cybertek Wings all stretched out in the breeze. Glorious… but now what? They won’t make you fly. They won’t let you glide. They don’t.. do.. anything. Well, except go ‘phwoom’ at the touch of a button, and even then it only goes ‘phwoom’ seven times. After that, you have to take them off and build the air pressure back up before resuming your ‘phwoom’ing.

Friday's stupid gadget: The GoateeSaver

If you want to go from this…

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…to this…

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…then, you need this…

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…and a whole load of therapy, not because of having to adjust to a new hairless life and not because you probably should have used Imac but because you just spent $20 on what is basically a bowl cut for your face.

If you’re still reading this, then you’re probably a redneck and think the GoateeSaver is a wonderful, no, darn tootin’ idea…