The Mosquito, A Youth Deterrent System

Well, Holy Jeevus and such. I saw this a while back, and at the time, thought it was some guy’s personal contraption. Little did I know that they were actually being sold!

I’m talking about The Mosquito, also known as the Ultrasonic Annoying-Emo-Teen Deterrent. It’s a special speaker that emits sounds at high frequencies. It’s ultimate goal: to annoy the crap out of those pesky kids hanging out in front of your store and scaring customers away. It works by broadcasting unpleasing sounds at a frequency that can be heard by younger people only. It has an effective range of about 20 meters.

Read it in full on OhGizmo!

Flatulence Filter

Back when we worked in an office, trying to pass gas discretely when there were people around was the highlight of our day. Alas, more often than not, the keen nose of our coworkers would alert them to our rear-corridor escapades.

But, with the Flat-D odor absorbing pad under your buttocks, you’ll be free to fart and fart ’til you get a chunker.

Read it in full on Gizmodo

T-Shirt That Hugs via SMS

Remember when PDA stood for something other than personal digital assistant? It can again with the Hug Shirt, a high-tech garment that simulates the experience of being embraced by a loved one. When a friend sends you a virtual hug, your cell phone notifies the shirt wirelessly, via Bluetooth.

Read it in full on Time

Elephant Bezoar Stone

Because wine and other drinks were often laced with arsenic, the most popular poison of the period [seventeenth-century European society], many magical devices were employed to negate its deleterious effects before it was consumed. Amethyst, crushed emerald and “unicorn horn” (often narwhal tusk) were all immersed in suspect beverages in the belief that they would render them safe. The most common and effective of these amulets was the bezoar stone. Bezoars are the gall stones of calcium and hair found in the alimentary tracts of ruminants such as deer, sheep, llamas and antelope. The original bezoars came from goats found in the mountains of Western Persia. They were introduced to Europe from the Middle East sometime in the 11th century, and they remained popular there until the 18th century…

Read it in full on Kircher Society