Gizmodo: radioactive

Japanese Couple Sold Glowing Lanyards That Were 26 Times Allowable Radiation Level, Gets Arrested

Jason Chen — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:00:00 EDT

If you were going to sell radioactive cellphones loaded with tritium—from Hiroshima, Japan, no less—you should probably check to make sure that they're not twenty-six times the amount legally allowed. You know, just so you're not arrested by the cops for not having special permission from the Ministry of Science and Technology to even handle the substance. On the other hand, if you're making a living selling lanyards for between $47 and $61 each, we wouldn't blame you for being Johnny No-Law. [Yomiuri via CrunchGear]

Radioactive Tritium Makes Keychain Light Glow For 10 Years

Jason Chen — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:15:00 EDT

Besides being somewhat dim, most keychain lights have batteries that only last a couple months before needing to be replaced—which often never happens since nobody has watch batteries lying around. But what if you could have this Mini Tritium Keychain, which lasts about 10 years without needing to be replaced? If you're worried that keeping something radioactive in your pocket next to your gonads is a bad idea, keep in mind that the particles emitted are supposedly so weak they don't even penetrate your skin. Also keep in mind that science has been wrong about stuff before. [DealExtreme via Gear Diary via Oh Gizmo]

Polonium Pen a Pocket-Sized Must-Have for Anti-Putin Russians

AddyDugdale — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 06:19:08 EST

Those of you who fear they've got on the wrong side of Vladimir Putin just might find the Polonium Pen a must-have. Basically a hand-made ion chamber with LED read-out, the Polonium Pen will sniff out excessive doses of the radioactive element in your cocktail, dim sum, or caviar when held over the suspect glass or dish.

There are a few downsides, though. Firstly, the Polonium Pen is extremely fiddly to make. If the wire probe that feeds into the ion chamber touches anything remotely conducive, it won't work. Secondly, the electronics must be shielded by a metallic cover to keep them safe from stray electric fields. And thirdly, the ion chamber is so small that only significant amounts of radiation can be detected. That swings it, then. [TechLib via Hack a Day]

Aurora Rocket Clock: Radioactive Glow...so beautiful...arm melting

Mark Wilson — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 13:17:26 EDT

Most alarm clocks function under the mantra that you can sleep better when you don't need to worry about waking up. The Aurora Rocket Clock works under the mantra: you don't have to worry about waking up if you never go to sleep.

The 25cm clock can glow in 12 different, eye-opening colors that can be programmed to change on the hour or shift sequentially. If you really enjoy the Seinfeld episode when they open the Kenny Roger's Roaster outside of Kramer's room, this may be the clock for you. If you sleep butt-naked and would like to tan in your sleep, this might be the clock for you. And yes, the glow can be turned off completely, but then we don't have much to make fun of. – Mark Wilson

Product Page [via popgadget]

Neon Glowring: Radioactive Solution to Lost Keys

Charlie White — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 09:31:05 EDT

Always losing your keys? Turn off the lights and you'll instantly see them with the Neon Glowring key ring, and it doesn't even need batteries. That's because it works with a Gaseous Tritium Light Source (GTLS). Uh-oh. Isn't that radioactive? Yep, that's why it doesn't need batteries, and its glow will be visible for up to 20 feet for the next 10 years.

Funny, but you can't buy one of these in the UK because it's radioactive. But it's not that radioactive. Is it? Not sure we'd want to have one of these around. It'll cost you $17.34 to see if the thing burns a hole in your leg.

Glowring Neon Green [Boy's Stuff, via Shiny Shiny]