Send your best entries to me at contests@gizmodo.com with Retro Gadgets in the subject line. Save your files as JPGs, PNGs or GIFs, and use a FirstnameLastname.jpg naming convention using whatever name you want to be credited with. Send your work to me by next Tuesday morning, and I'll pick three top winners and show off the rest of the best in our Gallery of Champions. Get to it!

This "Shaking Hip USB" device places an underwear-clad ass on a pedastal on your desk. An ass that looks suspiciously masculine, might I add. It then, presumably, shakes. All this for a mere $26 plus shipping! [GeekStuff4U via Akihabara News]

Maybe you can put the capirinha in a regular plastic bottle and attach it to your bike using Matthias Ries' Bottleclip, then go on a little trip from Brooklyn to somewhere in New Mexico for two weeks. Or maybe just around the block and back into the Surf Bar. In any case, nice little gadget for your bicycle. [Matthias Ries via Mocoloco]

After 18 years of operation, NASA has switched off Ulysses, the space probe designed to study the properties of solar wind, the heliosphere magnetic field, and the solar radio bursts that can greatly affect our gadgets, telecommunications, and every electronic system here on planet Earth. It was the first object to see and study our Sun's poles.

But Ulysses it's not dead yet, at least in spirit. If it gets lucky, it may depart to reach other stars: According to NASA, if it gets close enough to a Jovian moon, Ulysses will jump into a new course that will lead the brave probe into deep space. That certainly would be the perfect destination for a spacecraft that has provided with such an amazing amount of data about our home star. So long, Ulysses, and please say hello to Aphrodite if you see her riding her crimson shell. [NASA]

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.

It's got both audio in and out, and could actually be kind of useful in certain situations. I know in my clumsier younger days, I once accidentally kicked an audio cable that was plugged into my computer's audio out port, thoroughly destroying it, and bought a similar doodad because it was cheaper than getting my laptop repaired. At $32, the "Tube Delight" could probably serve that same purpose, albeit with added garishness. [Brando via DVICE]

His latest contribution to Wired paints a picture of people in Japan asking these priests to bless all kinds of electronics to protect them from misbehaving, from copies of Windows XP to Roombas to copies of Windows Vista. Pretty much anything you can bring in, they will bless (as long as you pay them). Head on over to Wired to get the full story. [Wired]

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.As you remember, Lightlane was just a very clever concept in a design competition. Apparently the response was so overwhelming from bicyclists all over the world that the inventors actually decided to make it into a commercial product.

Apart from the "super-bright red LEDs," LightLane uses two high visibility Diode-Pumped Solid State green lasers to draw a path that "protects" the biker on the street. Yes, it won't protect bikers as much as if it used Boeing's missile-destroying laser, but it will be a great alert for drivers in poor lit roads. Not to talk about the psychological deterrent factor of seeing the bicyclist's safety space marked on the asphalt. Lightlane via Coolhunting]

According to Panasonic, iPod merge is not just a connector for the iPod, but gives you full access to your iPod multimedia content—including music and images—using a dedicated user interface integrated in their inflight entertainment system:

Panasonic's technology roadmap calls for introduction of iPod merge, which goes a step further then basic iPod connectivity by allowing content metadata to be integrated or "consumed" into the graphical user interface (GUI) and displayed to the passenger via the IFE screen.

As you can see in the image, it also connects to digital cameras via USB, allowing you to extend your vacation a little more by seeing your fresh pictures on your way back home, and providing the rest of the passengers with hours of laughter and entertainment. [Runway Girl]

Yes, apparently this is a great idea because it can be the key to obtain cheap geothermal power. These drills—created by Jared Potter—will go deep into Mother Earth to reach the magma to make geothermal energy wells. The magma will be used then to superheat water and produce electricity using steam and turbines—forever and ever—something that is impossible now even with today's state-of-the-art drilling technology.

Unlike current drilling methods, the flame-jets make holes without touching the rock itself. Potter has two prototypes so far, both with the same results. The first fires a 3200ºF hydrogen flame to heat the rock, making cracks that expand into a full hole in a matter of minutes. The other one superheats a jet of water at 7200ºF and can work at super-deep levels, with extreme pressures.

They are both in the preliminary testing stages, but as you can see in the video, they show promise. If they work, it will be great idea with—hopefully—great benefits for all of mankind.

My primitive self, however, has a funny feeling about this. You know, why do people insist on doing things that may end up badly? Don't we have enough with pandemics and the bloody Apophis and its 3,000 dark comet friends coming to destroy the planet with Pink Floyd music playing on the background soon?

Maybe Mr Potter should get a job as a birthday party magician.

OK, it's not. This is the Pūrleve, described by the manufacturer as a hygienic door handle.

As someone who has mastered the art of opening and closing toilet doors without touching the doorknob, I've to admit that the idea of the Pūrleve is a good one: Every time someone uses it, a mechanism will cover the handle with an "antimicrobial-treaded sleeve." In other words: A doorknob condom.

As the company puts it:

Pūrleve reduces the amount of disease-causing germs and bacteria, helping in the global fight against germ cross-contamination.

Yes, yet another product that appeals to the global paranoia about infections and our hysteric need to sterilize the world. As far as I'm concerned, I just think that bathroom doorknobs are gross. [Purleve via Core77]

Dvice says the digital camera and the MP3 player were the only prototypes on display, which are limited both in function and technical prowess (1.3 megapixel sensor for the cam, 2 gigabytes of storage for the MP3 player). But it's the quirkiness of the stop motion cam that appeals to me. If you ever had a box full of Lego bricks and a video camera growing up, I suspect you've made some stop motion shorts in your time. Now, you can apply that same aesthetic to real world videos.

Lego plans to release the digital camera and MP3 player in the fall for $40 and $50, respectively. Who knows about the rest of the stuff—Lego didn't reveal many details on those. [Dvice]

What you are seeing in this image is a cellphone that has changed its color from purple to blue at the touch of a button. It can actually change to eight colors using an electric current, but it doesn't need power to stay in that color. Once it is changed, it remains that way.

This prototype uses a technology called cholesteric liquid crystal display (chLCD,) but treated in a special way to adapt its shape to any kind of surface. Using heat, three red, green, and blue layers of chLCD are shaped around whatever object you want. In between those layers there is a resin that seals the substrate, protecting the chLCD and making sure it doesn't break.

The company that makes it—Kent Displays—says that there's no practical limit to the pixel resolution of this kind of displays, and points out that, in the next version, it will be possible to display pixels in up to 4,000 different colors. Rainbow-colored iPod nano, here we come. [Nikkei via Ubergizmo]

Send your best work to me at contests@gizmodo.com with "Album Covers" in the subject line. Name your files FirstnameLastname.jpg with the name you want used as credit, and save your files as JPGs, PNGs or GIFs. Send them in by next Tuesday morning and I'll post the top three winners and best of the rest in our Gallery of Champions.

First Place — Snickers McPickles
The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.Second Place — Miguel Lopez
Third Place — Ana Andrade

Something tells me that good old scratching is still the best medicine—that and avoiding bananas. I seem to recall Mr. Wizard saying something about how mosquitoes love banana-scented blood or something. If that isn't true, Mr. Wizard has screwed me out of a whole lot of tasty summer treats over the years. [Improvements via 7Gadgets via OhGizmo]

The gadget also features various spikes that can be used to stimulate pressure points. That's all well and good, but isn't cracking knuckles really about how good it feels (especially after you have been typing at your computer all day—hands cramping and stiffening up *crack, crack* ahh yeah...that's the stuff)? [Tokyu Hands via Tokyomango]

Send your best work to me at contests@gizmodo.com with "Classic TV" in the subject line. Name your files FirstnameLastname.jpg with the name you want used as credit, and save your files as JPGs, PNGs or GIFs. Send them in by next Tuesday morning and I'll post the top three winners and best of the rest in our Gallery of Champions.

Rather than twisting the sides around, on this version you push buttons and have the lights move. How unnecessary! What this does add is 5 additional games, so if you've ever thought that the Rubik's Cube could use that, here you go. Only $63! What a deal! [Boy's Stuff via Foolish Gadgets]

In fact, the only justification for calling this thing a "kite" and not an R/C aircraft is the fact that the remote control is tethered to the propeller engine with a cord. Still, if you want to simulate kite flying indoors without paying for fancy ultralight, windless versions—$15 for the Kazoo is an attractive option. [Hobbytron via GadgetGrid via OhGizmo]

You can find a lot of good source images here, but please don't use the more gory or NSFW ones. I won't include them in the gallery, so don't waste your time. Also, don't send in images you haven't edited. People have been doing that a lot lately and I'm not going to include non-Photoshopped entries.

Anyhow, send your best work to me at contests@gizmodo.com with "Famous Photos" in the subject. Name your files FirstnameLastname.jpg with the name you want used as credit, and save your files as JPGs, PNGs or GIFs. Send them in by next Tuesday morning and I'll post the top three winners and best of the rest in our Gallery of Champions.

Just look at how the patent, entitled "Generating music playlist based on facial expression," says the system would work:

"FIG. 8 [shown above] is a diagram illustrating the concepts described herein. As illustrated, David is listening to a Bruce Springsteen song on a mobile phone that includes a DMP. David is in a very happy mood because he recently found out that he won the lottery. As David adjusts the volume of the DMP, camera 260 may capture an image of David's face. Based on the captured image, FER component 420 may determine that the facial expression of David matches a category (e.g., a happy mood category) contained in category field 514 of FER database 500. Category field 514 may include a previously linked song associated with the happy mood category (e.g., a song by Metallica)." Sony Ericsson patent

Look, I can appreciate wanting to make our gadgets tune in to how we're feeling and react appropriately. But does this really make sense? If I'm in a good mood, that doesn't mean I'm grinning like an idiot. And just because I'm smiling doesn't mean I want to hear a certain song. Facial expressions don't translate mood exactly, and a phone like this would definitely never be smart enough to figure out just what I want to listen to. I do a fine job of reading my moods and selecting the appropriate music already, thank you very much. [Slashgear via USEB]

The device attaches to your baby's stroller with velcro straps and gently rocks the carriage using a weight that slides back and forth inside the tube. The intensity of the rocking can be adjusted and the battery has enough juice to keep things quiet for up to four hours. The only problem is that the device is sold in Germany for the equivalent of $174. So, it would seem that most parents will be forced to bond with their kids until the Lolaloo is widely available. [Lolaloo via Kidsmodern via OhGizmo via Coolest Gadgets]

There are two components to this. One, manufacturers calculate with extreme thoroughness how long to make their warranties so they don't have to repair a bunch of products for free. Two, it's your brain that makes you remember that one time that something broke outside warranty.

"It's really connected to two things: regret and memory," says Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational. A gadget that dies a day out of warranty will piss you off a lot more than one that soldiers on until after you've lost the certificate. And years later, you'll probably remember it more acutely, too.

[Wired]

OK, so maybe it's not that surprising that the Rolly got shown the door here only a year after its initial release, seeing that it's very expensive and not all that useful. But if you want a Rolly for some crazy reason, you'd better hurry now or you'll need to import one from Japan, where I guess people are still buying them. Either that or Sony is too proud to discontinue it in its home country just yet.

Update: Looks like this isn't true, according to Engadget. Thank heavens! [Sony Insider via BotJunkie]

If one were so inclined anyway.

The setup features various music apps (like the quirky Elektroplankton) playing on a Nintendo DS, DSi, iPhone, iPod Touch and a Kaossilator.

The beat begins with some tribal drum action, before what sounds like the NBC theme kicks in alongside some spacey beeps and bloops. Soothing holiday-esque bells take us out, and the whole thing is played by what appears to be the giant hand final boss from Super Smash Bros. Did I mention I play video games? [YouTube via Gearcrave via Wired]

The goo surpasses other 3d circuit technologies based on wires or solid material because it saves even more space. In that case, we're talking about 1.6mm of height, but that's enough to fit in a bigger screen or battery in something as thin as an mp3 player or slim phone.

The piece is pegged to ex CEO of Seagate Bill Watkins' arrival there. [NYT]

First Place — Dan Fruzzetti
Second Place — Ryan Warner
Third Place — N. Dwyer

Just slip your SIM card into the device, hide it out of sight, and dial your phone number from another phone. It's that easy—you will hear what's going on in the room from the headset. Sure, there are probably legitimate uses for a device like this—but I'll bet that most of you are not considering them. [Brando via Crunchgear]

Keep in mind that we are talking about the first gadget you decided to buy with your own money. I'llstart off by saying that the first gadget I can recall buying myself was a Discman at a Caldor for around $100. That was a lot of birthday money at the time, but I got many years of good use out of it.

Get creative with it, and send your masterpieces to me at contests@gizmodo.com with Historical Gadgets as your subject line. Save your files as JPGs, PNGs or GIFs and use a FirstnameLastname.jpg naming convention. Get your entries in to me by Tuesday morning, and I'll pick my three favorite winners and show off the rest of the best in our Gallery of Champions. Get to it!

Joel has a great writeup on Boing Boing Gadgets about the non-new gadgetry he uses on a regular basis that's a pretty entertaining read. [Last Year's Model via BBG]

Found was my favorite part of Wired because of that. Concepts for gadgets of the future that were in the mind of everyone, right there, in a photo. How would a dream generator look? Space elevators? Contact lenses with built-in HUD? I wanted it all, even the bad stuff.

But then again, I've always wanted for the future to arrive as soon as possible. Like, I mean, why the hell is not Saturday yet? Head to Metafilter for the whole collection of Wired's Found. [Metafilter]

Besides making batteries go further (obviously in terms of idleness, since every wireless connection uses more juice to send more data) Unicast Connectionless Data makes gadgets more responsive over Bluetooth, and Enhanced Power Control will supposedly translate to less disconnects from shoving your phone in your pocket.

Too bad we'll have to wait nearly a year for the first Bluetooth 3.0 gadgets. I'd like a Bluetooth 3.0 mouse with built-in flash storage, electric razor and mini cooling fan. [PC World]

Tesla coils have always been a popular instrument for nerdy conductors. Not surprisingly, the arrangement of choice is usually one of two songs: The Imperial March or the theme song to Super Mario Bros. [March and Mario]

Inside you burns the heart of a great musician—but you never learned how to play conventional instruments. However, as a gadget fanatic you are a natural virtuoso when it comes to office equipment. The next time you are bored at work try getting your scanner to play Fur Elise or, if you are ambitious, use multiple gadgets to perform Radiohead's Nude. [Link]

How about gathering all of the phones in the office and spending months neglecting work so that you can play Mozart's Turkish March? Haha...you are so getting fired.

Here comes Mario again—only this time somebody got a little more creative and performed the music using an R/C car and some wine bottles. [Link]

Now here is where things start getting really weird. Like a Japanese "circuit bender" turning Pikachu into a synthesizer. [Kaseo via DVICE]

How about David Byrne using an antique organ connected to hammers and air pumps to "play" the architecture of a 9,000-square-foot building? [David Byrne]

Japan's "Melody Road" utilizes precisely cut grooves in the pavement between 6 and 12mm apart to play a tune as cars drive over. Obviously, the speed at which you travel affects how the music will sound—and the optimal speed is a depressingly low 28 mph. [Oddee]

Finally, we come to the work of performance artist Tim Kaiser. I'm not even sure what the hell is going on here, but the following arrangement really runs the gamut. In some areas it sounds like soothing wind chimes, babbling brooks and church bells—and at other times it sounds like the background music to your nightmares. [Tim Kaiser]

[Image via Flickr]

The gadgets are separated into categories, and then ripped apart for the valuable or recyclable parts, like glass, steel, aluminum, and more valuable metals like copper and gold. They use a special machine with teeth to separate copper from steel and aluminum, and then magnets to separate the latter two. As expected, the batteries are placed in hazardous waste containers, since they're by far the most environmentally harmful piece of any given gadget, and are shipped to specialized outposts who deal with them.

Factories like this are a big step up from our previous recycling protocol, which was to mail our junk overseas where the restrictions are much more lenient (and harmful). Check out this link for instructions on how to responsibly recycle your dead toys. [Wired]