A Cool Gadget

Retro gamer girls - here’s a fun accessory that lets you wear your 8-bit fanaticism on your sleeve (or at least on your wrist).

This handmade Tetris resin bracelet is embellished with a scene from the classic block-stacking puzzler. Created by Warsaw artist Sylwia Calus (a.k.a. “Sisicata”), its painstakingly detailed with tiny colorful bricks, infused into a clear resin cuff.

Unfortunately, it looks like somebody didn’t do a very good job fitting all the blocks together, so the game is already over. I know you would have done much better. If only this cuff had an LCD screen and tiny little joystick on it, you’d show ‘em!

You can find the Tetris bracelet and many of Sylwia’s other accessories over on her Etsy shop for $70 USD.

With the holidays just over a month away, I figured it was time to share this clever Hanukkah gift that I came across a little while back.

This modern spin on the Menorah is made from recycled circuit boards, and offers up a bright red LED for each night of celebration. From a strictly religious standpoint, I’m not really sure if LEDs qualify as a appropriate substitute for candles - but on the other hand, this Menorah won’t burn your house down either. To illuminate each light, just flip the appropriate DIP switch.

The LED Menorah measures in at about 9″(w) x 5.5″(h), so it should fit nicely on your windowsill for all the passersby to see. And it runs on a single 9-volt battery which should last for several seasons (no more drippy candle wax).

You can find the LED Menorah over at FredFlare for just $25 bucks. Trust me, it’s a much better gift than another pair of support socks or tighty whities.

While it won’t necessarily protect you the next time you head out to play paintball, this camouflage Super Mario Brothers hoodie will definitely help you stay hidden the next time you visit the Mushroom Kingdom.

Covered from head to waist with graphics inspired by the classic 8-bit platformer, the (slightly misspelled) MarioFlauge hoodie is perfect for the Mario fanatic in your life.

The Cotton/Poly hoodie is perfect for keeping warm in the cool days ahead. It features some really nice attention to detail, like a metal mushroom zipper pull, and little thumb hole cutouts in the arm bands “for quick gaming access” (which I’m pretty sure would be even quicker if you just stuck your hands out of the sleeves). There’s even an inside pocket for storing your iPod (although I think a GameBoy would be more appropriate).

The limited-edition hoodie is available for preorder now from Enclothe for $65 USD.

[via Emptees via The Awesomer]

I’ve seen all sorts of musical instruments running on the iPhone, but this is the first one I’ve come across that might involve getting a little spit on your screen.

Smule’s new iPhone app, Ocarina turns your iPhone into a fully-functional musical wind instrument. This amazing little application works very much like the real deal, combining touch, tilt, gestures and human breath to create ethereal sounds which bring out your inner Zelda.

Just place your fingers over four virtual “holes” on the multi-touch screen, and blow into your iPhone’s microphone. What’s really cool about the software is that none of the sounds are pre-generated, rather they’re built in real-time based on your exact gestures and movements.

Check out the performance videos below to see and hear Ocarina in action. First, a solo:

Now, a full orchestra of iPhone Ocarinas playing a little Led Zeppelin:

As you play, you can share your performances live with other Ocarina users across the globe (and let them rate your musicianship), thanks to Smule’s Sonic Network technology. Smule has even provided a nifty online score generator which makes it easy to play just about any tune you want.

Sound cool? What are you waiting for? You can get Ocarina today over at the iTunes App Store for just 99 cents.

It’s that time again. Technabob is looking for a few good writers to expand its coverage of all things geeky, gadgety and gamey. If you’re fanatical about video games, gadgets, electronics, hack & mods, or generally offbeat tech stuff, you could be just the guy or gal we’re looking for.

You’ll need to be able to source your own stories, and be able to write with wit, sass, attitude or at least be slightly charming. You’ve also got to be consistent. I’m looking for people who can write 7 to 10 posts a week, maybe more if the readers fall in love with what you have to say. A solid grip on the English language is also a must. You should also have at least some experience using blog software such as Wordpress, Blogger or Movable Type - and basic image cropping and sizing in Photoshop or other image editing tools is required.

Now before you get dollar signs in your eyes, I’ll tell you that blogging for Technabob won’t make you a millionaire. But it’s a great opportunity to expose your literary talents to hundreds of thousands of readers each month.

Want to give it a shot? Pick a topic that you think will appeal to Technabob readers, and send along at least two appropriate writing samples to tips@technabob.com. Be sure to include your contact information, and a brief note on why you’d be the perfect addition to the Technabob crew.

I look forward to reading your submissions.

Check out this wacky Space Invaders animated video that Taito recenly put together for their Game Station arcades in Japan.

The Anime-style video tells the story of a little girl and her encounter with those pesky Invaders. My favorite part has got to be the Vocoder-processed lyrics“We are Space Invaders. Here we come to be your friend. Space. There’s no need to be afraid…”

And now, sit back, relax, and enjoy - Space Invaders: The Music Video…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I thought for sure they came to Earth to destroy civilization in a blaze of laser fire. But apparently, Space Invaders really here to tell us to pick up our trash. Really?

For some reason, the end reminds me of the scene where Ralphie decodes the secret B-E-S-U-R-E-T-O-D-R-I-N-K-Y-O-U-R-O-V-A-L-T-I-N-E message in A Christmas Story.

[Taito]

If you read Technabob regularly, you know that one of my favorite places to shop for cool geek art is over on Etsy. While I know I can find lots of nifty handcrafted goodies over there, I didn’t expect to find these.

Created by Swedish designer David Ericsson, VOID Watches are the embodiment of clean modern design. Each watch in the new V.01 collection features a bold face design with an off-center grey-on-black LCD screen. According to Ericsson, the V.01’s half-glass / half-stainless face “could represent the duality of life; like the yin and yang, the past and future, love and hate, right or wrong.” Or it could just represent a very cool way to tell time.

The VOID V.01 retails for $185 USD (including worldwide shipping) and comes in four bold color schemes. The display is protected by a durable mineral glass crystal and the stainless body sits on a genuine leather band. They’re available in a very limited edition of 500 pieces each, you can get your hands on one of these beauties over on David’s Etsy shop.

There are plenty of replacement cases out there for the Nintendo DS Lite, but this one has a nifty trick up its sleeve.

The new XCM Hyper Gear case for the DS Lite not only gives your handheld a new look, it turbocharges your games. See that little switch that says “N”, “1.4X” and “1.7X” in the bottom right corner? Just flip it, and your DS Lite will run at 140% or 170% of its normal speed. Presumably, it’s safe to overclock your DS Lite, but it’ll probably end up draining your battery like mad.

Now keep in mind that overclocking a handheld like the DS Lite actually speeds up your games, graphics and audio. To give you an idea of what that might look and sound like, check out this video of another speed-hacked DS Lite:

XCM expects to release the Hyper Gear case in the next few weeks, and you’ll be able to find it at online modding retailers including Extreme Mods and Total Console.

When I first spotted this dot-matrix numbers on this clock I thought it was a modern-day blue LED display. But lurking beneath the surface of this timepiece is something far more interesting.

What we actually have here is a very rare Russian relic from the early 1980s. The Elektronika-7 (Электроника-7) clock was built using vacuum tubes, not LEDs to drive its unique bluish-green display.

The old industrial clock uses 16 segmented tubular vacuum fluorescent displays (VFDs) to form its digits.

This extreme rarity can be yours if you manage to score the winning bid in the next few hours (currently at $150 plus shipping). Check out the auction over on eBay for more details.

Nope, no matter how hard I try, I’m still not sick of Space Invaders. Now you can show that you’re an Invaders fanatic with these festive Space Invaders dog tags you can hang on all your stuff.

Created by La Tête Au Cube (the same guys who make the excellent Space Invaders door mat), these colorful aliens are perfect hung from a bookbag, keychain, zipper or anywhere you want to show that you’re a member of theInvaders’ cult.

I’m actually thinking about covering my Christmas tree with a crapload of these guys in lieu of my regular ornaments this year.

French design retailer Collette has cornered the exclusive to sell these through November 15h, then after that, you should be able to buy them direct from La Tête Au Cube for €5 (appx. $9 USD) per Invader.