For only US$16.49, you can have this awesome, revolutionary gadget that redefines technology. Take this home with you and you will never have to deal with any DVD rewinding problems.

That is, till your brain starts functioning again and you give yourself a well-deserved slap on the forehead.

Amazing what the human mind is capable of.

The pros: It spins. And that USB Spaghetti will start to look a little better.

The cons: Unless you like the alien-green and black color combination and the excercise-machine-type design on this thing, it may even fail you as a paperweight.

Technorati tags: dvd rewinder, useless, weird gadget

Spaghetti. One of the most basic and essential components of common Italian cooking. And yet, this seemingly accurate replica doesn’t quite awaken my appetite for the dish.

In short, it’s nasty.

Okay this is the part where I tell you what its use is. In simple terms, you plug it in your USB port, and as shown in the picture, it provides you with a USB port at the end of the fork. In it you can plug your USB drive, which may or may not come in the shape of a shrimp.

To make it clear:

(1) Laptop –> (1) Spaghetti –> (1) USB drive

By the way, this won as Engadget’s top weird gadget. And a well-deserved award.

The pros: I’ll think of something. I hope.

The cons: You just spent precious money for a funny looking extension cable. So it really serves no purpose except to make you shriek every time you see it, and that’s pretty much every 3 seconds or so. Because really, it doesn’t look appetizing at all.

Technorati tags: spaghetti, neapolitan, usb extension, weird gadget

No pros and cons for this episode. Today we will go into the Final Frontier, the land of Klingons, hand signals, conventions, and pointy ears. Because face it, at the back of our minds, Star Trek is not just an old school Sci-Fi film, it’s a legend. It’s a milestone. It’s…the future (ture…ture…ture…)

You thought it was impossible. But these gadgets, they are among us, disguising themselves as normal gadgets. So now I bring you, CNET’s Top 5 Real-life ‘Star Trek’ Gadgets.

The not-quite-there-yet list is great too. I’ma get me one of those iTeleports.

Technorati tags: star trek, future, technology, gadgets, sci-fi, klingon, cnet, real

I know what you’re thinking.

Okay I lied, what are you thinking?

As for me, it’s a simple “WTF” really. I think the image is pretty self-explanatory too. But now, giving this more thought, I’m starting to wonder if by chance I happen to be in the neighborhood (Japan) and happen to pass by a random store that happens to have this for sale (or in use by store owner), and I happen to have enough money / guts to pry it off said owner’s hands…would I do it?

We may never know.

The pros: You won’t have to feel like you raced your dog for that bowl of noodles. And you can satisfy your noodle-craving tendencies even if they’d normally be too hot to eat.

The cons: That thing has got to be heavy, and one of your arm’s bound to gain more muscle than the other. You will be a freak, and not because of the arm. And still, I contemplate that trip to Japan thing.

Technorati tags: noodles, soup, chopsticks, fan, japanese, japan, weird invention, weird gadget

See this would’ve been cool if it meant something like that Chii character from Chobits. And I’m pretty sure that’s what you had in mind when you clicked. I GOT YOU! Or not

Anyways, prepare to be thrilled, disappointed, or just plain freaked out.

So it’s more accurately a “1/4 of a maid” computer. In case you haven’t guessed, this is made in the country that has taken maids to a whole new and sometimes weird level — Japan. Particularly from the Maid Station Cafe in Akihabara.

It’s called the M1425, and has a Mini-ITX board (meaning it doesn’t need as much ventilation), HDD and an optical drive. That’s basically all I know regarding specs, but let’s face it, if you’re ever gonna get this it probably isn’t because you want a super computer. No, you’d get this for the frilly lace and the high-pitched maid voice that you’d fittingly have as your startup sound. I got you again! Or not

The pros: Wow. Your very own maid computer. Congratulations.

The cons: It comes with a large neon sticker that says “Yes I’m a Maid-loving Freak” that you’re supposed to stick on your forehead. I’m kidding. But really, I think you won’t need a sticker for that. That…might not even be a “con” for some people. Hmm.

Technorati tags: maid, computer, weird computer, maid computer, lace, akihabara, japan, meido, chobits, chii

See, this is the thing with humans. While every other living thing is content with normal, clear water, that just doesn’t cut it for us. So the humanitarian geeks of the world have come up with this, to calm that inner yearning.

It’s a light, in a faucet head. Attach it, and experience the life-changing way of the colored water.

But wait, there’s more. If you call within the next— I mean, this actually comes in two versions. The first one is just blue, and the other one is a temperature-sensitive faucet that turns red when your water temp hits 89 degrees. Aaah.

The pros: If the knobs on your faucet still confuse you as to how much hot water you have on, then this may actually be of use. Otherwise, you can still make clicky alien noises when you turn it on, and imagine yourself drinking alien fluids.

The cons: This may take you across that fine line between introverted, and just…weird. Yes, pretty color.

Technorati tags: faucet, led, light, color, water, random gadget

I present to you, the Meowlingual. Hold it next to your cat, and it supposedly translates meows and purrs for you. One of the phrases it can come up with is “I can’t stand it” and they seem to be working on more accurate wordings.

For US$75, you have the chance to find out if your cat enjoys your company, or is just sticking around to get some grub. So if your cat’s your only friend, you might not want to get this.

I’m kidding haha, I like cats. Peace on Earth. Though, I do wonder what Jim Davis thinks of this.

The pros: If you’re a cat-lover, this might bring you closer to your cat. But then again it could be like that magic 8-ball, giving you random answers. Hmmm.

The cons: Since it just gives you a rough idea of what your cat’s “saying”, there’s no way for you to find out if what Furball really means is “Get that thing away from me or you’ll regret not having me de-clawed.” That is, until it’s too late.

There’s also a dog version of this, the Bowlingual, but I personally don’t wanna know what my dog’s thinking when it’s humping the couch.

Technorati tags: meowlingual, cat, pet, gadget, takara tomy, meow

Maybe I should stop here, hold off the explanation, and wait for you guys to get lost in your little fantasies of world domination and/or destruction.

I would, but that’s my dream.

I’m kidding. Anyway this is, and isn’t, what it looks like. Your know-it-all officemate screws everything, things just keep getting worse and you realize you have to handle clean-up. To make things worse, your boss thinks it’s your fault. If you’re like me, this here Big Red Button’s starting to make sense. Eh, eh? Yeah you know what I’m talking about.

But since blowing up your state, your office, or your officemate would definitely result in you losing your job, this may help.

Plug it in your USB port, flip the switches, turn the key and press the button! You won’t really get to blow stuff up but at least you’ll get the satisfaction your itchy button-pressing finger needs. The rest, it leaves up to your (dark and sinister) imagination.

Funny thing is that they say it’s suitable for ages 14+. Kids these days.

The pros: Once you press it, it gives this loud honking noise that’ll at least get them all to panic. Also it’s practice for the real thing. Wink wink nudge nudge. Oh and it is a USB hub anyway, but that’s besides the point.

The cons: The loud honking noise will probably tick your boss off even more, and you might end up wondering if you can ever get your US$72 (and your job) back. Will probably work for your boss though.

Technorati tags: armageddon, usb hub, weird gadget, destruction, big red button

Believe it or not, I have a stash of bubble wrap in my drawer at work. Every so often, I’d take it out and start popping, drive my co-workers nuts Apparently it’s only stress relief for the one who’s actually popping, and I know they just can’t wait for me to run out, but now I’ve found the ultimate solution.

Infinite bubble wrap. It’s actually a gadget that simulates the feel and sound of actual bubble wrap, and as long as it’s got juice, you’ll have countless hours of fun.

By the way, it’s called PuchiPuchi, costs about US$7, and was made by Bandai. Yes the same company that gave you those Gundams. Giant humanoid robots, bubble wrap toy. See the connection? They say “puchi puchi” is the sound it makes when you pop it. And their slogan is “Anytime, anywhere, forever…you can puchi puchi.”

Hmmm.

The pros: It’s bubble wrap. Need I say more?

The cons: Every 100 pops, a random sound will come out. Barking dog, sexy voice, door chime or a fart. So unless you want an unfortunate “accident” involving your officemate’s stapler and your hand, you basically have that 100 pop limit. If that doesn’t drive them crazy already.

Hey Lani, what’s up? Oh new stapler.. hey wait. WAIT.

Technorati tags: bubble wrap, bandai, puchipuchi, infinite, annoying, stress relief, addictive

No, this isn’t a joke. But I still put it under the “Gotta Be Kidding” category, because…they gotta be kidding. QUID actually stands for Quasi Universal Intergalactic Denomination. I understand that this is serious news for many people, but still, QUID? Can’t they think of something less…nerdy?

Intergalactic, for crying out loud. Yeah coz we’ve gone out of our own galaxy hundreds of times over. Seriously now.

So okay enough with the sarcasm. The inventors of this thought of everything — it’s made of the same stuff used in Teflon non-stick pans, it can withstand extreme temperatures and corrosive materials. No chips, no magnetic strips, coz they apparently won’t last long out there due to cosmic radiation.

And they made them all pretty too (sorry can’t help it). Something you can imagine 50% of all human (and alien, who knows) children choking on. Different colors for different values, and those ring type things which are supposed to represent the planets in orbit around the sun (err) actually work like serial numbers. So each QUID is unique and trackable.

Each QUID is £6.25.

The pros: We might successfully fool ourselves into thinking we’ve made enough technological advances to get ourselves out of this galaxy and buy ourselves some Canis Major smoothies. Okay I just went nerd on you.

The cons: Maybe now that we have intergalactic currency, aliens will actually think out planet’s worth invading. They’ll raid our villages and steal our QUIDs. Not to mention, we’ll be spending a lot of Earth money just to make these. I shake my fist.

I understand this isn’t technically a gadget. But I couldn’t resist writing about something so…what’s the word…interesting.

Technorati tags: quid, intergalactic, currency, universal, denomination, money, space, travel