Odd Gadgets and Objects

With an element of play, and allows the concept of time to be demonstrated. The point in time is presented by the fixed position of the ball. The length of time is interpreted by the free movement of the ball across the face of the watch. The ABACUS was created in the studio of the designer Roy Schafer, and is produced - in genuine Made in Germany quality- by the Erich Lacher Watch Factory, Pforzheim. The ball moves to and fro across the face of the watch with the flow of the wearer’s arm movements, but as soon as the ABACUS reaches a horizontal position, the ball moves as if by magic - or at least by magnetism - to the right point in time. A high grade quartz movement steers the ball exactly across the face, protected by mineral or sapphire glass. The stainless steel case and high quality leather strap ensure that it will be pleasant to wear.

Read it in full on Questo Design

new york artist jim schatz, a wizard of all organically-shaped home items, now has these intelligent, oversized, childhood game-piece-looking salt and peppers to compliment the rest of his collection. what makes them so smart? well, the salt shaker is larger than the pepper - 26 oz and 8.75 oz, respectively. and they have a 2″ fill hole on the bottom, so you don’t have to use the funnel. doesn’t it all make sense now?

Read it in full on Roadside Scholar

I guess it doesn’t take much to amuse me these days. Pretty much put an image of Mario, Pac-man or the Space Invaders on anything handmade and I’ll bite. Today’s crafty goody is this felt mobile that pays tribute to Taito’s classic video game aliens.

A Chicago artist going by the screen name pixelparty created this whimsical art piece which puts the iconic retro gaming aliens into motion over your head. The mobile is made from wool felt, dowels and cord and features nine individual “invaders” as well as one “laser base” (appropriately positioned at the lowest height.)

Read it in full on Technabob

Shown at SIGGRAPH 2007, the Interactive 360 Degree Light Field Display won the Best Emerging Technology Award. Designed by USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies, the system is capable of producing interactive 3D graphics to multiple viewers in 360 degrees.

Read it in full on Geekologie

Looking more like an uber-modern electric guitar than a turntable, the Vestax S-1 Premium lets DJs move around the stage just like other members of the band. By incorporating a 12-inch platter controller which operates a skip-proof CD/MP3 player, musicians can spin tunes complete with all the effects that they’re used to having on traditional turntable. There’s also a built-in sampler, but it’s limited to just 8 seconds of recording for some odd reason.

Read it in full on technabob