Researchers have figured out that they can modify existing electromagnetic pulse technology and use it to cut hard steels about seven times faster than with a laser and at only a fraction of the cost of other methods. That's not even the crazy part though:

The impact pressure [of the pulse] on the steel is approximately 3,500 bar, which equates to the weight of three small cars on a single fingernail.

Three cars on a single fingernail. Three cars. One fingernail. Forget cool buzzing sounds from mechanical tools and the pewpewpew of lasers. That description alone makes this the coolest cutting method I've heard of today. [Phys Org]

Photo by Gerald Edwards

I know that there's at least a bottle opener, a nail puller, a scraper pry ends, a double-ended bit holder, a bunch of wrenches on this thing, but it somehow looks like you're getting some sort of hidden functions for your $50. I just don't know what they are. [PocketToolX via Wired via Engadget]

It has new replaceable motor with electronic feedback control, which in theory will give you consistent speed under pressure. The speed range goes from 5,000 to 35,000 revolutions per minute, and it has the obligatory backward compatibility with all your existing Dremel tips. [Dremel via ]

I'm thinking of 15 things, in fact, all of which are listed over at oobject in a handy little list.

There's the "minty mp3 player," for example, perfect for the subway. Or perhaps the iPod nano dock is more your style? No? You'd prefer an Altoids tin mouse? You're in luck! Someone made one of those too. There are even two—yes two!—Altoids tin cameras to create as you sit back and digest all the wonderful content we've seen stream across the homepage this week.

Lastly, there's also an Altoids UMD case, which is the perfect addition to any GameStop storeroom. Those worthless, unsold UMD movies won't stack themselves, you know! [oobject]

Screwdriver keys have apparently been out of production for the last decade, but now for a mere $4.50, the two-piece blackened steel recreation can be yours one again. I know most of you don't really care about that historial factoid. But there's one dude out there right now sporting a keychain duct taped to a 30-piece Craftsman set. And he is weeping—weeping, I say—with joy. [Screw Key via The Awesomer via BBG]

And scene.

Anyway, these brightly-colored tools float and accomplish several boat-related tasks—just right for Summermodo adventures you might have planned!

Knock them overboard and they're easily seen and retrieved. Pretty straightforward. The handles help the tools float because they're made of comforting foam. Bonus: The rust-resistant metal is tungsten-carbide, perfect for fighting off the corrosive effects of that salty sea air. Yar. [Amazon via Boing Boing]

Why, it's just a handy list of the five best online apartment search tools the web has to offer. Perfect for apartment hunting season (i.e. September-ish, back to school time, etc).

As with all Lifehacker lists, this one was generated by readers like you. [Lifehacker]

In case the antique aesthetic and outdated honorific didn't give it away, this is a very old piece of hardware. Or rather, a very old collection of hardware: Filled edge to edge with handcrafted woodworking tools, this ornate box is a toolchest, lovingly assembled and carried by Mr. Studley when he was working as a piano repair man, of all things, around the turn of the 20th century.

Virtually every tool in this box has a plasticized, anodized, or even electronic modern counterpart, each one superior in some way to its predecessor, whether by cost, durability, convenience or concept, but uniformly less charming. I mean, look at this. This is a man's livelihood, perfectly assembled, cleaned and organized, in a proud, beautiful wooden box. All I've got is this broken down MacBook, and a shoulder bag. [Phoenix Masonry via MAKE]

Way up. The answer? They were all the direct result of NASA products and research initially conducted for space travel.

The drill, for instance, was created in 1971, when NASA tapped Black & Decker to build a cordless, battery-power tool for lunar voyages and space walks. The smoker detector, on the other hand, was installed on Skylab in the 1970s to warn astronauts of mission- and life-ending fire. Finally, the LZR, long an antagonist to anyone racing against Michael Phelps in an Olympic pool, was created using materials developed by NASA to fight chafing on space walks and certain high g-force situations.

Radar magazine has a cool list of eleven more where that came from, including braces, swipe cards and even a rose-scented perfume. When you wear underwear in space for a month straight, things get stinky. [Radar via Neatorama]

Actually, it can tell you the exact position and composition of just about anything under concrete, gypsum, ceramic tile and marble. Of course, a tool like this is designed for professionals—and it has a price tag to match. Expect to pay $310-$350 in most places. [Milwaukee via Toolmonger]

Only a digital wrench like this one can give you the peace of mind that comes with a mathematically precise torque reading. Just be careful not to choke up on the wrench too much, because "the torque meter uses the distance from the leverage point to the bolt head to calculate torque, so moving your hand closer to the bolt head will throw off its reading."

You would be a fool to spend $5 on a regular wrench when an easy to use digital version can be had for only $318 more. Why, it practically pays for itself in all of the projects that won't fall apart from here on out because you used too much torque on a bolt. Too bad Billy Mays isn't around to see this glorious day. He would have understood the power and potential of this groundbreaking product. [Japan Trend Shop via RGS via Crunchgear]

Check out Thiniverse for the templates you need to make the caliper card. You may also want to check out the Cardapult and the Planetary Gear business cards for other inspirational ideas. [Thingiverse via Make]

Reading this retrospective, I'm both surprised and unsurprised at how innovative and well-designed the Dustbuster is. It was rechargeable, wall-mountable, used a high-tech (for the time) design based on a familiar product (the dustpan), had an immediately catchy name and was instantly indispensable for every suburban family in the country. I remember sitting on the carpet and playing with it, which is certainly not something I was likely to do with a damn cleaning product, and the product's name quickly became both a universal noun and verb ("Oh yeah, I Dustbusted the stairs yesterday."). It definitely wasn't the most powerful vacuum cleaner on the market (any modern Dyson would clean its clock) and the filter had a tendency to jam, but for sheer utility, style and "I want that gadget!" appeal, the Dustbuster was and maybe even still is the tops.

The Dustbuster is, I'm comfortable saying, the gadget nerd's cleaning tool. It's portable, battery-powered, cute, and versatile, and has definitely made our lives better. Cleaner, at least. [Popular Mechanics]

Gizmodo '79 is a week-long celebration of gadgets and geekdom 30 years ago, as the analog age gave way to the digital, and most of our favorite toys were just being born.

Does this do anything for you? It's shot with seductive down-shirt and down-skirt angles while talking (supposedly seductively and suggestively) about tools, but she still has her clothes on. There are plenty of sites to look at tools, plenty of sites to look porn and plenty of sites at instructional videos to learn how to fix your home—there's no reason to mix those together in a confusing and painful jumble. [Boing Boing Gadgets]

1. High-torque, low-speed pistol power tool with it's own CPU.
2. EVA mini-workstation, where the astronaut puts the tools he needs, attached to his chest.
High speed, low torque electric screwdriver.
3. Low-torque, high-speed power tool to unscrew or screw quickly.
4. Guide studs in their bag, used to repair the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph
5. Washer extraction tool used to secure washers so they don't float into space once they are removed.

So pretty, yet so menacing. Like the ones a dentist will use with you. If you are Dustin Hoffman and your dentist is a nazi, that is. [NASA via NPR via Daily Icon—Thanks Jonathan Will]

Photos by by Michael Soluri

STS-125 astronaut Andrew Feustel selects his next tool to use while participating in the first of five scheduled spacewalks to perform final hands-on servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope. Feustel and veteran astronaut John Grunsfeld (out of frame) are scheduled to participate in three of those spacewalks.

Tools? What tools? Can you see any tools in there? I have tried to decipher what tools are those and I just can't identify any single one of them.

Sure, I wasn't expecting a bunch of Allen keys and Torx screwdrivers to fix the Hubble, but these things look like fake devices from a B-series sci-fi movie. And now that we are at it, can somebody explain to me how can they make any sense of that big mess? Apparently, astronauts just tie their stuff in big balls of junk. Seriously, these guys are amazing. [NASA]