September 24, 2009 by traveler.

Since the Segway hasn’t injured enough users, Honda has released a motorized, self-balancing unicycle to really amp up the hurt. You know it’s up to the task, because Honda included the balancing skills of their Asimo robot. (Fall 1, Fall 2).

Wow- I can close my eyes and picture all the fractured ankles. If you enjoy laziness and danger, the new U3X is a dream come true.

———
Check back soon for the second part of my Cairo/Giza photologue.

Posted in Tech, Junk, Weird, Video, Toys, Funny, Design, Gear | No Comments »

May 5, 2009 by traveler.

Ouch. Consumerist reports that a Best Buy customer in Texas opened a brand-new MacBook Pro box and instead of a laptop, he found…a paving stone.

Is this becoming a trend? First it was the Chinese newspaper & rocks in a Nintendo DS box, and now this. While Wal-Mart made good on the missing Nintendo DS, apparently Best Buy told the proud new owner of a paving stone that “Apple seals the boxes, not us. Take it up with Apple.” Hmm. I’m gonna go with…the customer gave his credit card to Best Buy for this purchase, not Apple.

Which makes this potentially simple- customer notifies credit card company that he is having this problem with BB and is working to resolve it. If BB still won’t rectify the situation, he gets credit card company to reverse the charge and file a grievance against BB.

Of course there is another important question- could this be a shady customer’s shakedown attempt? Guess Best Buy and the credit card company will work that all out. Maybe it’ll turn out that this guy ends up throwing that paving stone back in his yard where he found it. Who knows.

Posted in Junk, Weird, Gripes, Business, Tech, Nintendo, Toys, Apple, Gear | No Comments »

February 9, 2009 by traveler.

Time to revisit an age-old gripe- Air travel. Airlines seem to be skimping ever further on unnecessary luxuries like in-flight food and friendly service. If you’re lucky enough to be on a long-haul flight with genuine food service, chances are you won’t be satisfied with the skimpy protein in your ‘chicken little’ or ‘baby beef’ tray. Eat at the airport? Good luck finding a healthy option there. Bringing your own food can be a good alternative, but your neighbors may not enjoy when your beef jerky or tuna scent wafts in their direction. Oh well, you have to listen to their hysterical baby anyway- they owe you. Munch away and keep rocking those miles.

Here is a list of basic things that help me endure the travel experience and still retain some shred of sanity.

1. Noise-canceling headphones and fully-stocked iPod (No better way to ignore your overly friendly neighbor)
2. Extra pair of socks & underwear (Ever had your luggage ‘diverted’? Exactly)
3. Shirt with a pocket or two (to store important boarding papers)
4. A few sets of earplugs (If your flight has a chorus of babies, you can probably trade a set of earplugs for a Rolex watch)
5. Comfortable shoes that come on & off easily (security lines- enough said)
6. Small, filling snacks (in case you get stuck in an airport for a long time)

That’s it for the list- nothing super special, but these items will help keep a smile on your face when the dude in front of you walks through the X-ray wearing chains that would make Mr. T blush.

Posted in Gripes, Travel, Business, Gear | No Comments »

February 4, 2009 by traveler.

Step aside, Crackberry. There is a new game in town, and this one is solely for the tot-on-the-go. Leapfrog’s new “Text & Learn” is sure to redefine the term ‘Crack Baby’.

Is this the future of children’s edu-tainment? CNET explains that the device is aimed at preschoolers and it will teach them spelling and basic computer skills. Sounds fair, but it will certainly stretch their dexterity as well. I can’t slam this device, though, because I had a similar device ‘back in the day’. My mini-desktop computer served the same basic functions, and it was surely seen as a sign of the apocalypse by many child advocates at the time. It was great, though, because it built basic computer skills and it taut me to spelle wurds.

So relax and let your kid work with the Text & Learn- it may aid their development. Just don’t be surprised if your child texts you ‘I gotta go potty’.

Posted in Business, Weird, Tech, Toys, Gear, Pics | No Comments »

August 16, 2008 by traveler.

Sorry the site has been so quiet lately. Keep your eyes open for more updates coming in the next couple weeks. Until then, feel free to browse through the archive and/or leave some comments. I’ll be back soon with more!

-Traveler

By the way- One of my other big interests is crazy sneakers. While this site is on pause, you might enjoy visiting our brother-site SneaksOuttaLeftField. Scope out the site and lemme know what you think!

Posted in Gear, Blogroll | No Comments »

July 30, 2008 by traveler.

Johnny Cupcakes is opening his LA shop this Saturday! Fans have already been camping out in anticipation. I wish JC well and can’t wait to see the store when I’m back in town. In the meantime, I’ll have to settle for the teaser webisodes:

Johnny Cupcakes LA shoppe: Webisode #3 from Johnny Cupcakes on Vimeo.

Speaking of designers opening stores, Gama-Go’s store membership drive ends tomorrow!!! Last chance to help raise funds for the store and pick up some sweet merch (I recommend their ‘Casual Encounters’ level- excellent giclee). Help GG reach their goal and sign up today!

(Thx to Flickr’s HeySandra for this awesome pic!)

Posted in Art, Business, Video, Design, Gear, Pics | No Comments »

July 13, 2008 by traveler.

So I’ve been looking around for iPhone news, and I stumbled upon this awesome Youtube video. A KTLA reporter tries to interview people waiting in line for the new iPhone. Armed with a bunch of dumb questions, this reporter gets slammed by his interviewee.

Another example of anti-tech prejudicial thinking. KTLA obviously preselected questions that assume the people waiting for the new iPhone are basement-dwelling, Dungeons & Dragons-playing, acne-covered virgins. Hmm…most people I saw in line at my local AT&T store were totally normal; largely young and professional. Not too many Geek Commandos there.

I can’t tell who’s being more of a Jack@$$ in the video- the ‘reporter’ or interviewee. The reporter seems like a shoo-in with his juvenile questions, but then the interviewee goes off without having any sense of humor at all. Just when you almost feel bad for the KTLA reporter (after all, he is basically the messenger), then he pulls a guy out of the crowd with a goofy hat as if to prove his point that the people in line are losers. Even for KTLA, its a new low in classless ‘reporting’.

Posted in Tech, Video, Gear, TV | No Comments »

May 17, 2008 by traveler.

National Police Week 2008 is coming to a close, and it reminded me of a story I read awhile back.  National Police Week honors the service of law enforcement officers, and it remembers the sacrifice paid in the line of duty. According to the NLEOMF site, 35 officers were killed in 2007 in traffic incidents. 

There is a new technology being fielded that may prevent some deaths and injuries in car chases.StarChase allows cops to launch a GPS tracking unit onto suspects’ cars during a chase. This GPS data can then be analyzed from a safe distance to keep track of the offending vehicle. Pretty sweet.

The LAPD is putting this in their vehicles, which is smart for the car chase capital of the US. Like many other Angelenos, I had the fortune of watching a chase pass right in front of my house. It would have been awesome if I saw the cops blast the StarChase onto the suspect’s vehicle.  At any rate, this technology looks to be a good tool in the cops’ arsenal.

Posted in Tech, Video, Old News, Gear | No Comments »

April 29, 2008 by traveler.

I was browsing cufflinks.com and found some more cool stuff. These turntable cufflinks are fantastic. But…I’m thinking that there is something missing. If you really want to drive the point home, you need to put the cufflinks together with one of my all-time favorite watches. The Flud Tableturns watch (with steel band, of course), shows your love and is great for semi-formal occasions.

The ‘record’ part of the watch has grooves cut into it which reflect light beautifully. This watch is guaranteed to turn heads. If you want to go with a lower-profile look, you might prefer the 33 1/3rd. This watch has a circular shape and features just the record and platter.

Visit Flud Wathes’ Where to Buy page for more info, or check out some of their other watches.

Posted in Design, Style, DJ, Gear, Music | No Comments »

April 27, 2008 by traveler.

Gama-Go’s Photo Royale wrapped a few days ago. You can check out the Flickr page for all the entries. The winning picture shows the Gama-Go Yeti running with the bulls. Congrats, douglasspics! There are tons of amazing images in this Flickr pool, but one in particular grabbed my attention. This image from Yeti Set Go shows a sweet Gama-Go quilt that would look great in my room.

Speaking of things that would look good in my room, check out new spring ‘08 must-haves at Gama-Go’s photostream. You can contribute to their upcoming store by purchasing hoodies and more. For store updates and the latest Gama-Go news, swing by their blog.

Posted in Design, Style, Gear, Pics | No Comments »