Qlocktwo

Simply gorgeous, and quite clever: a clock that literally tells you the time.

Via Uncrate.

Luggage Lifesaver

I snapped up this Balanzza Digital Luggage Scale before heading back East to bring my son home from college for summer break. Since bags over 50 pounds can incur hefty ($50 and up) surcharges, I wanted to make sure our luggage stayed within the weight limits. The $20 I spent on it more than paid itself back. It’s accurate; we filled a few of the bags to 49 pounds, and sure enough, that’s exactly how they tipped the scale at the airport check-in counter. Zero overweight baggage surcharge = one happy camper.

It would also come in handy on international flights when carry-on cabin baggage can be subject to weight limits.

This particular model displays either pounds or kilograms, and uses a strap as opposed to a hook to attach the bag for weighing. That makes it somewhat easier to secure the bag, although it can still be a strain on your back and leg muscles when you’re using it to hoist a 49-pound bag off the floor (trust me on that one) to get a reading.

My Top 10 iPhone Wants

I unapologetically love my iPhone. Having said that, it’s not perfect. Here’s what would make it better for me. (I believe a number of these fixes may be on the way in the next OS/hardware update… but that won’t help me as I’ve got a 3G and don’t expect to upgrade it for another year or so.)

1. Calendar: Clickable addresses. What’s the point of having locations in a calendar entry if you can’t click through to a map/directions?
2. Email: A “select all” option for deleting/moving email.
3. Email: The ability to move an email from a POP3 inbox to a different folder (e.g. “save for later”). Currently you either have to keep it in the inbox, or delete it.
4. App Store: A “bookmark” or “save for later” option when checking out Apps in the App Store. Sometimes, when I’m interested in an App, I’d like to check it out further before making a decision The only thing you can do now is buy it or email it to yourself.
5. Contacts: Ability to access ICE (In Case of Emergency) contact details if one chooses (as I do) to keep your phone locked. I’ve done a workaround by putting my emergency contact details on my wallpaper, but it doesn’t seem right that you have to choose between one and the other.
6. Printing: Wireless printing (without having to use an add-on App).
7. Photos: An easier way to get photos off the phone and onto your computer. Come on, already.
8. Camera: A front camera for video chat.
9. Storage: An SD slot (although someone’s coming out with an SD reader for iPhone this spring, supposedly).
10. Battery: A removable/replaceable battery. We all know how much power 3G, Bluetooth, etc. drain. Why not give us the option to pop a new battery in, especially when (on planes, at events, or in long meetings) a charger might not be readily available?

I try to stay pretty current on this stuff, but it’s possible that some of my wants already exist for the 3G, and I don’t know it. If so, please enlighten me in the comments!

swissmiss | Tea Sub

How freaking cute is this???

swissmiss | Tea Sub.

3-D glasses dress by Nicole Lindner

A clever idea (even if, as one commenter points out, the red and blue panes should be reversed for accuracy).

3-D glasses dress by Nicole Lindner – Swell 3D (with thanks to Ben for finding it).

My Bunk Bed Is My Screening Room (Guest Blog)

By Ben Wszalek

I love watching movies, and once I moved into my college dorm room, I wanted better sound and picture than my laptop provides.  This is what I’ve devised so far: my dorm room bed – aka “The Screening Room.”

This sheet acts as a curtain that helps to keep light out. It’s not a perfect seal of course but it doesn’t need to be. Even with the lights on the video looks good.

This is the crux of the whole project- my projector, and its shelf. Both had their difficulties; finding the right projector, and then having a stable place to put it. I was using a clip-on shelf with a C-clamp, but it was very unstable and the projector was constantly sliding around. A few sketches and a trip to the hardware store later, and I have a proper shelf which is very stable. The shelf is also fairly easy to move if I want to make it higher or lower.

It’s effectively bolted to the bed using plumbers tape. Even with just one of these brackets, the wood was firmly fixed. With four it isn’t going anywhere even if someone hits it.

Here’s a closer look at the projector. My copy of “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” is keeping it propped up at the right angle. I was going to do something fancier but so far I haven’t felt the need.

Another crucial component- the screen. This is a stretched canvas used for painting which I bought at Michael’s for $17 (it was 50% off). While technically any flat, white surface would have worked, it’s better to use something matt and unreflected. The canvas is also very tough and the wooden frame makes it an easy task to simply hang it from some cord.

Behind the screen, some speakers. That shelf was actually originally from my mini fridge, but I had removed it so that I could fit in my water filter. The shelf is attached to the screen frame and rests on one of the bars of the bed frame.

Having the speakers behind the screen was very important. In movie theaters the center speaker is always behind the screen, and generally it just makes logical sense subconsciously that the sound should be coming from the same source as the visual. The speakers are hooked up to my computer via a cable running under the bed.

Here you can see the relation between the computer and the projector. That cable running along the wall is the VGA video cable. The audio cable running to the speakers runs along the floor, as does the USB cable for the mouse (next photo).

Since I can’t reach my computer from my bed, I need to be able to control it from there. A trackball mouse was the easiest way to go; a traditional mouse would not work, because moving it around the uneven surface of the bed would have been difficult and inaccurate. Of course, I still can’t use the keyboard, so I plan on replacing this mouse with a wireless keyboard that has a trackball mouse in it.

And so here is the projected image. It’s about the equivalent of a 40″ television screen (that’s measured diagonally). All told so far I’ve spent about $400 on the project, with most of it going to the projector and the supplies to build the shelf, and the rest being made up of smaller purchases (cables, adapters, etc). That’s not counting some things I already had, such as the speakers.

I don’t consider the project done- it will be a continual work in progress throughout the year, and probably beyond that when I move to a different room next year and redesign it. The main priority now is making it more user friendly and with added features, such as a wireless keyboard and a switch that will allow you to switch from using the speakers to headphones without having to get up or unplug anything. I’m really happy with how it’s turned out and it’s been a blast working on it.