Gizmodo: Cold

Good Times at the Gizmodo Reader Meetup

Brian Lam — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:17:00 EDT

The Gizmodo reader meetup happened on Saturday at Alpine Meadows and we had a great time. The snow was soft, the gadgets were plentiful, the beer flowed and no one fell on their head except Joe, who got a black eye when he face planted on the first run. The photos above were uploaded on Nokia N95s to a central share. I didn't upload many, but I did spend most of my day fiddling with a Zune preloaded with songs to ride to.

Most people were from around the bay area, Reno and Tahoe area, but Christian came all the way from Dallas. And Mike Zhao, only 16, spent I think his milk money to afford the trip. And then Randy, ski patrol at Alpine, gave us a pretty good tour of the place. About 50 people came in total everyone was the type of person I'd hang out with outside of work. I'd always said that gadgets aren't just for nerds, and here was the proof.

Of course, special thanks go to Kevin from JBL, Brian from Zune, Joe from Nokia, Mike from Olympus, Derek from SPOT, Greg from Smith Optics, Racheal from Alpine and Hagen from Vudu for giving away prizes.

We'll do it again next year! If you came and took photos, send em over so I can upload em.

P.S. Brian from Zune has some skills on the snowboard!

Ice Sauna Goes to 10 Below Zero, Causes Shrinkage

Sean Fallon — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 19:10:43 EST

Had enough of the heat? How about sitting in a snowy room where it is 10 degrees below zero? Now that is what I call relaxing. As stupid as this concept sounds, the "Snow Room" exists, and it was recently showcased in a Hotel Equipment Fair in Turkey. Plus, it will go on sale to all luxury hotels and spas starting this year.

The Snow Room was developed by MNK—a company that has made a name for themselves developing saunas. While the idea does seem strange, it appears that hot/cold therapy is common in northern European countries. So the idea of sitting in what is essentially a meat locker for relaxation (and to watch your penis die) may not be so far fetched after all. [Trendhunter via DVICE]

Cell Phone Steers You With Heat and Cold

msparkes — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 05:25:21 EDT

When you're in a strange city it's easy to get lost, but you don't want to miss the sights because you're glued to a map or GPS device. German and Swedish researchers may have created a solution - a cell phone that can give you GPS directions simply by heating up or cooling down the handset.

It uses a Peltier device to change temperature - the warmer the unit, the more on-track you are, but take a wrong turn and it will cool down. This odd feature could also be used in other ways, like telling you how important a call is - if it's your hot girlfriend it could get toasty warm to tell you to pick up, but if it's your boss then it could ice up to tell you that it's best avoided. [New Scientist]

Powerbrick Foot Warming Slippers

Travis Hudson — Wed, 23 May 2007 18:20:19 EDT

It may be the warmer time of the year (for most of us), but that doesn't mean we can't look ahead to the winter. This is a conceptual design of a footwarmer that is "powered" by a laptop power brick. They are regular slippers equipped with a pocket that can hold powerbricks of all shapes and sizes. Just boot up your laptop and let the brick do the rest.

This sounds like a solid way to heat your feet, but don't come running to us when you get third-degree burns on your feet because the slippers caught on fire from improper ventilation. Just for your own reference, this is from the same folks that brought you the hotdoll. –Travis Hudson

Feeladdicted [Via OhGizmo!]

USB Heating Blanket Keep You Warm, Actually Looks Like a Cape

Travis Hudson — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 11:49:14 EST

Global warming, schmobal warming. I don't know about the rest of the country, but it is cold as hell in the Midwest. And for those cold WoW session, this USB heating blanket should do the trick. It is available for $25 from Brando. Add in some USB heating gloves and slippers for the ultimate toasty computing experience. –Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via Red Ferret]

Matsushita to Produce Heat-Proof Batteries

Travis Hudson — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 12:08:25 EST

Matsushita, the out-of-wedlock mother of Panasonic, has announced that it will be producing spark-resistant laptops batteries. This is in response to the recent big-bada-booms caused by overheating Sony batteries. Matsushita already controls 13 percent of the lithium-ion battery market. I'm no kind of rocket scientist, so I'm still not very certain how spark-resistant and heat-proof batteries work. Maybe it is like one of those gel ice packs Ma used to put in my lunch pale, but with lithium-ions inside. – Travis Hudson

Matsushita to mass-produce heatproof batteries [Reuters]

Thanko Heated Mousepad Looks Odd, Gets the Job Done

Travis Hudson — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 10:27:12 EST

Just in time for the cold and blistery winter season comes this device from Thanko. It is quite possibly the weirdest looking mousepad out, but it gets the job done, so I'm not complaining. This fish-looking sleeping bag will ensure your hand stays nice and warm while mousing at the computer. Oh, you crazy Thanko. What will you think of next? – Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via Akihabara]