Gizmodo: Beauty

Eagle With Prosthetic Beak Will Be Better, Stronger, Faster

Sean Fallon — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:00:00 EDT

In much the same way that science came to the rescue for a tail-less dolphin, a very dedicated group of volunteers is working hard to develop a robo-beak for one unfortunate eagle. "Beauty" was the victim of a hunter's bullet a number of years ago, leaving her unable to clutch or tear at food. Over the course of the last two years, a crack team composed of mechanical engineers, dentists, and veterinarians has been assembled to design and attach a lightweight nylon-composite beak formed using molds made from computer models.

If the procedure is successful, the beak could help Beauty clutch food and drink water properly (and no doubt deliver a big boost in self-esteem). However, because of her limitations, she will never be able to survive if returned to the wild. Still, the researchers behind the project believe that Beauty could potentially live another 43 years in captivity thanks to their efforts. [CrunchGear via Wired]

Datamancer's Steampunk LCD Monitor is Another Stunner

Adam Frucci — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:32:58 EDT

Our friend Datamancer, steampunk modder extraordinaire, is at it again. His newest creation is this Steampunk LCD monitor, and it's a doozy.

This is a 22" widescreen LCD that I built to compliment my brass keyboards. The frame is solid 1/4-inch brass that has been sanded and polished to a high shine. The base features a mixture of brass and black marble with a small brass "cord catch" to keep the power and data cords tidy.

The monitor was made for an upcoming movie, and after filming is complete he's gonna toss it up on eBay. Even better? He plans to design and create a mouse to complete the set. I can see people lining up to get a matching monitor/keyboard/mouse combo of this quality. We'll, of course, keep you updated. [Datamancer]

Ladies' Facial Shaver Makes me Say "Whoaaa"

AddyDugdale — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 04:52:46 EDT

This, my friends, is National's Ferie facial shaver for ladies, available on Amazon Japan for around $30 bucks. It's got two interchangeable blades, one for trimming your eyebrows, the other for "downy hair" (as opposed to "uppy hair," I guess.) I don't see anything wrong with a quick pluck, so this is not one for me &mdash although I can think of some alternative uses for it:

1. Tagging TFSU on Jesus's chest while he sleeps.
2. Getting mediaeval on jumper fluff.
3. Trimming my bonsai lawn.
4. Intern Benny!
5. Creating a hair-don't for the dog.
6 @%*& &mdash no, that's just rude. [Impress through Google Translate]

Technology Review Nominates its Objects of Desire: Gizmodo says 'Phwoar!'

Addy Dugdale — Thu, 10 May 2007 09:16:11 EDT

Technology Review has rounded up a bunch of objects that it feels are design classics from the past 30 or so years and got a bunch of industrial designers to talk about them. And you've gotta admit they're right—on some of the candidates, at least. First up is the Polaroid SX-70, which dates back to 1972.

Polaroid's first fully automatic, motorized camera was an instant design classic. Detailed with tan leather, it folded into a rectangle the size of a paperback book. Andrew Logan, principal designer at Frog Design, admires it for the "immediacy of a favorable output." He explains: "Instead of waiting days to see if you took a good photo, you could take it again right away."

There's a gallery below, and after the jump you can vote for your favorite piece of shiny loveliness.

Mine has got to be the Sony Walkman, because I was always in my room making mixtapes as a kid. – Ad Dugdale

Objects of desire [Technology Review]

Magic Volcanic Face Spray Blocks Cell Phone Radiation

blongo3 — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 19:38:13 EST

~~Crazy~~ French skin care company, Clarins Paris, will release a Spray in January that will protect us all from the electromagnetic radiation that is emitted by cell phones and laptops.

The spray is made up of microorganisms found on plants near undersea volcanoes. The logic seems to be that the microorganisms that are found on the plants have developed ways to protect the plants from the harmful radiation put out by the undersea volcanoes. Therefore if we coat ourselves with the same junk we will benefit in the same way. No word on price, but please don't buy this.– Ben Longo

Facial spray to protect skin from cell phone radiation [Textually.org]

Vanity Mirror Has Zoom Button, Still Doesn't Make You Attractive

Travis Hudson — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 10:25:04 EST

The Power Zoom Vanity Mirror does just that—zooms. I'm not a nuclear engineer, so I have no idea how it works, but this mirror is capable of zooming up to five times with the push of a button. The mirror itself is five inches in diameter and operates off of AA batteries. If you weren't self conscious about your looks before, this could surely do the trick (for $50). – Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via ubergizmo]

Chinese Beauty Robot Needs More Beauty

Jason Chen — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 19:45:52 EDT

Rong Cheng, the Chinese "beauty robot" created by the Institute of Automation of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, can do a lot of things. She can greet people in many Chinese dialects, she can respond to nearly 1,000 words, and she can even dance or bow. What she can't do, much like the Korean Ever-1 Android, is win any beauty contests.

She's not repulsive by any means, but at a construction price of $37,500, you'd think some of that yuan would have gone into sexing her up a little bit. – Jason Chen

Beauty Robot [China Daily via Chinese Beauty Robot]

Japan Makes Beauty Scary

johnb — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 15:47:26 EDT

Ah, Japan... your high-tech lifestyles are getting the best of you, eh? Well, you have a solution which will help keep all those anime obsessed girls slim and sexy: cover them in ridiculous "beauty gear" that went out with snake oil and radium water.

I assure you that almost every one of these things at some point appeared as "Dr. Zizmak's Electronic Girdle for Rotund Ladies" in the Sears catalog. However, the Japanese put their own spin on this quackery and here we have the fruits of their labor—odd devices including some whistle that teaches you to sing and this neck lengthener.

"The Crazy Beauty Products That Come From Japan" [UniqueDaily]