“I am learning to forgive my inner geek, and even value him as a free man.“  – Kenny Loggins (Top Gun Theme Song Singer)

Have you ever felt like your inner geek needed a bit more freedom?

Does the idea of not looking at pieces of your lunch through a usb microscope seem like your talents are being wasted?

Do you wish you could pass time by reinventing davinci’s catapult in miniature form so that you can fire random objects at people in other cubicles?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may very well need a geek fix.

Although there are more and more Geek Toys and Gadgets coming in each day, we feel that a few of these geeky toys need a moment in the spotlight.

Geeky Toys #1 – Bicycle Turning Signals

Have you ever thought about making a turn signal with your hand while riding a bike, but didn’t because you then thought “if I do this, I’ll look like a geek?” If this was you, and you haven’t yet been run over by a bus, now is the best time to embrace your inner geek.

A pair of geeky bike turning signals doesn’t just help you stay safe from crazy drivers and road rage maniacs looking for an excuse to run you over, they also say, “Yes I’m a Geek, and I have the Technology to Prove it”

Wireless and simple, you just strap the LED to your back and press the remote to indicate left or right turns.  Of course, If you feeling real geeky, you can also wear them while walking around the town.

Geeky Toys #2 – The Magnetic Cube Puzzle

Everyone knows Geeks like puzzles. Maybe its because geeks get bored with stuff and need to keep their brains occupied, or maybe it helps them feel mentally superior to others. Either way, the magnetic cube puzzle is a Geek toy that will keep anyone’s brain amused.

As long as you have enough brain capacity to not eat the magnets in some ridiculous scheme to create magnetic poop, you will be able to have fun with the billions of possible solutions the magnetic cube puzzle can make.

Geeky Toys #3 – The Air Guitar

If you are old enough to remember Bill and Ted, you will also remember they had musical super powers. One of these powers was air guitar that would magically produce sound after then spoke the words “Excellent”

With the air guitar, you can play up to 10 different songs or go freestyle, its up to you. The guitar has an invisible laser string that produces crazy tunes when you strum it. Forget that “non” invisible technology known as guitar hero, and pick up one of the coolest geek toys yet.

Note: You don’t have to be a geek to play the air guitar….. it just helps.

Geeky Toys #4 – The Padintosh

Yes, its retro, its Mac, can we say more?

The Old School Mac 128k design shows your friends that new things can come in old packages. It looks like an old clunker with a 3.5 floppy drive in the front, but really its a protective case for your precious iPad!

This may be one of the very coolest and geekiest iPad cases out there. It shows just how far Apple has come, and what passed for ground breaking technology back in the 80s.

Geeky Toys # 5 – Gold Finding Metal Detector

Have you ever gone out to the beach and watched 80 year old grand parents looking for gold with DIY metal detectors and thought to yourself “That could be me!”

If so, you are most likely a Geek. That being said, being a rich geek is better than being a poor geek, and this metal detector may help you strike gold!

What makes the metal detector special is that it is able to tell the difference between things like “Gold” and “Rusty metal cans” that could have you on the way to the doctor for a tetanus shot.

Gone are the days of disappointment after disappointment of bending over to pick up non valuable metal that someone didn’t have the decency to recycle. With this geeky gadget, your back will be saved, and no one will point laugh when you bend down to pick something up, (although they may try and rob you, so pick up your treasure discreetly.)

Geeky Toys #6 – Emoticon Balls

“There is no Emoticon for what I’m feeling….” – Comic Book Guy, The Simpsons

Somewhere back in the 90s, comic book guy uttered these immortal words. As practical as email emoticons are,  we think the best way to let another geek know how you feel is by sending an emoticon streaming directly at their head.

When Blue colored Olly makes impact he says “Uh Oh” which is perfect for when someone drops something, breaks something, or when your boss is yelling out meaningless threats to their employees.

Yellow Happy Harry giggles with glee, which is perfect for those times when you do something evil and get away with it.

And Finally, Red Clumsy Claude goes “boing”. Which we find suitable for anything to do with office flirtatious innuendo, or just if you happen to be the office clown.

Geeky Toys #7 – 8 bit Pixel Cube

The 8 Bit cube brings back the days of the original Nintendo and its utterly useless robot named “ROB”
Sure, some people may have had a good time playing Gyromite with ROB, but others had visions of him serving us drinks with umbrella straws when we spent our saved up allowance on him, and as such, were thoroughly disappointed.

Anyway, The 8 Bit Cube lets you recreate games like space invaders on your fridge each day as a way of saying to others: “Experiencing games like PacMan and Galaxian is like our parents experiencing the Beetles. There may be better, or at least more complex music now, but when they came out, it was the industry itself that was truly exciting”

You can find all these Geeky Toys and more in the Daft Gadgets Online Store. Or, if you know of a Geeky Toy we don’t carry, leave a comment and tell us about it. Even if its a geeky toy you made up in your head, we’d love to hear about it.

Yes, with spring comes the spring line up of new gadgets, and this includes some of the new RC helicopters that will be available at Daft Gadgets throughout 2012. You can expect to see glow in the dark helis, ipad controlled helicopters, missile firing rc helicopters and more.

So let’s kick it off with a look at some of our most popular rc helicopters that are already moving fast.

The Thunderbird 68700 RC Helicopter with Gyro and Camera

Yep, that’s right. We got a new line of RC Helicopters that come equipped with their own spy cameras for recognizance missions. Complete with a stabilizing gyro system for smooth footage, the thunderbird 68700 series is also set up to record audio.

Other spy camera rc helicopters include:

SanHuan

and Hawkspy

There are just so many ways to have fun with these that they are already selling fast.

As mentioned above, there are also RC helicopters that you can control with your iPhone or iPad.

Syma S107G for Apple and Android

The Syma S107G series is one of the most popular micro helis to date, and now its even better.

Compatible with Apple and Android Products, the iphone controlled S107G 3.5 channel helicopter is a blast to fly. The software is also capable of taking control of other syma helicopters too. Including the s107, s102, s111, s109, and s108.

U809 Cobra RC Heli

Want to have a helicopter fight where you shoot missiles at each other?

Look no further than the U809 Cobra Helicopter. With these models you can blast each other out of the sky with the fully functional missile launchers.

Of course its also fun to annoy the heck out of people by shooting them in the face with these when they don’t expect it, just please watch the eyes as we don’t want this game turning into a sport.

This Video from Engadget will give you an idea of what we imagine when using this RC Heli

The Double Horse Volitation

At over 2 fee in length and 37 pounds The double horse Volitation is a beast to be reckoned with!

No, it doesn’t have any fancy missile launching capabilities, but who cares? If someone shoots a missile at you, you can simply ram them out of the sky and crush them like the annoying gnats that they are.

This 3.5 Channel RC heli is for more serious pilots, but it does come with a stabilizing gyro system for enthusiastic beginners.

Of course these are just a taste of more things to come. We plan to get many more RC Helicopters throughout 2012, so stay tuned.

Yes, you heard it right. The Spring line of 2012 RC planes have arrived. We now offer more choices in the 1/5th scale, a new RC Jet, radio control Bi-Plane, a twin engine bomber, and a 100 class micro jet with neodymium magnets for those of you who like to crash from time to time.

The first on our new list of Parkflyers RC Planes is:

Parkflyers Super Class 1/5 Scale Mustang P51D

Complete with radio control retractable landing gear, a scale down flap system, and spring loaded damping, the P51D ensures the smoothest of take offs and landings.

The LED lighting system allows you better handling during your night time recognizance. So you have less worries about being shot down by German troops…or just smashing into a tree.

photo thanks wikipedia

For those of you whoa re unfamiliar with the Mustang, it was an infamous American long-range, single-seat fighter plane that sent 4,950 enemy aircrafts to the scrap yard during WWII. Second only to the Grumman F6F Hellcat

photo thanks wikipedia

Which Brings us to……..

The Parkflyers RC F6F Hellcat WW2 Fighter Plane

This 4 Channel 2.4 GHZ 100% Scale F6F Fighter is powered by a 400 class brushless motor that allows it insane levels of performance. While the scale appearance leaves almost no detail overlooked.

Aside from the amazing detail and action this RC plane offers, the coolest part about this plane is the ultimate realism of it folding main wings!

Completely pre assembled and no assembly required, the Parkflyers F6F RC Hellcat is a no brainer.

The P-38 Tangerine RC Bomber

This 300 class twin engine beast boasts two 180 motors that climb to the sky with tremendous force. This baby locks in to your receiver at a 4000 foot range, so you don’t have to worry about some other RC pilot taking control of your plane.

The P-38 is a great add on to your WWII Collection.

The At 6 Texan 1/5 Scale RC Plane

The AT-6 Texan was a WWII , single engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, and the US Navy, but for new and aspiring RC pilots, you might want to learn on something a little less advanced.

The AT-6 Texan features 6 channels controlled by a 2.4 GHZ radio control. Built 100% to scale, its massive 51 inch wingspan allows you to navigate through strong winds, while its retractable landing gear allows for a smooth take off and landing.

Here’s a picture of a full size version of the Texan:

photo thanks: wikipedia

Spring is here, so why not take the video games outdoors? The best thing about getting into and RC hobby is that everything you learn has real world applications. The RC planes work under the same rules of aerodynamics as the real ones, so get out there a learn what its like to fly in the sky.

As we move into the spring of 2012 we can only hope that it is a year of really cool gadgets. At Daft Gadgets we get most of our new gadgets for the year between the months of April and October. Now that we’ve hit April, its only a matter of time before the new gadgets start rolling in. That being said, we feel its important to pay homage to the gadgets of yesterday that are still going strong and as such have made it to our list of “Top Gadgets”

Top Gadgets #1 Camera Lens Cup with Coffee Cap. The official coffee cup of Spider Man

Yes, the camera lens cup sold out fast last Christmas as it seemed like everyone and their photographer wanted one. Some people were making fun of photographers who didn’t realize that their once exclusive and precious technology would soon be an included feature on even your cheapest throw away pay as you go cell phone.

It was a way of saying things like:

“At least those old camera lenses are still good for something”
“Now that 90% of the population is competing with you on a freelance basis, you should probably get used to serving coffee since your profession is obsolete”

We’ll have to see if they can maintain their “Top Gadget” status through the summer of 2012.

Top Gadgets #2 DaVinci Catapult

We’re not sure if the buzz around this one was the fun in putting it together, or using it to fire random objects at friends and coworkers until the explode into a rage. Either way, you’re sure to have a good time with this gadget.

Top Gadgets #3 80s Retro iPhone Case

Be it Gordon Gekko or Patrick Bateman nothing said Wall Street power back in the 80s like a giant radioactive brain frying cellphone.Oh sure, the smaller technology gets, the cooler it gets. Except when its ironic. Then its the opposite, as is the case with the 80s cell phone.

Retro iPhone accessories notoriously find themselves in our top gadgets section, and this year should be no different.

Top Gadgets #4 Water Lanterns

Any celebration with a pond, stream, swimming pool or even a jacuzzi can benefit from the soothing lights of these water lanterns.

A big hit with weddings and graduations, water lanterns are a great way to get everyone involved in the celebration. Some people make a wish and release them into the water, others just light them up to prevent drunken guests from falling into the pool.

Whichever your celebration, water lanterns are a great theme.

Top Gadgets #5 iPlunger

Who would have thought that toilet accessories and iPod accessories would go hand in hand. Were not sure if the popularity of this item comes from people dropping their iPhone in the toilet, or if they are just cool things to keep in a pencil drawer. These may also have made the top gadgets list thanks to the mention of Daft Gadgets in the CNBC article: “Strange but Functional Gadgets” So their popularity could just be good publicity.

Be it unusual, unique, wacky or crazy, you can be assured that Daft Gadgets has the top gadgets you’re looking for as well as some gadgets you may not have known existed.

Clock watching isn’t just a past time for frustrated cubical workers and people on the edge of their sanity waiting to go Cukoo (not a reference to our article on the thieving bastard cukoo bird) Even people enjoying themselves are bound to do some clock watching from time to time, be it testing their stamina, waiting for a time bomb to destroy their enemies, or just because the clock in the room is just that freakin cool to look at.

Wall clocks, DIY clocks or crazy alarm clocks, these clocks are simply cool.

The Melting Clock

Is it hot in here or is it just surreal?

The Persistence of Memory is one of Salvador Dali’s most famous works

photo thanks wikipedia

When he painted it was claimed that: “The soft watches are an unconscious symbol of the relativity of space and time, a Surrealist meditation on the collapse of our notions of a fixed cosmic order”.

But according to Dali, the soft watches were inspired not by relativity, but by melting Camembert cheese.

The Backwards Clock

Do you ever feel like you’re in Bizarro world? Does time feel like its moving backwards when you are at work? If so you are not alone.

The Backwards clock is a device constructed by sick minded employers who like to make their employees feel trapped in their jobs. Luckily though, its also really cool way to confuse people when they enter your home.

Warning: On occasion the backwards clock can be misused by teenage boys to keep young girls out past their curfew.

Cool Neon Blue Clock

Okay, these come in other neon colors too, but blue is a naturally cool color. And What could be cooler than neon?

The DIY Clock

This Cool Clock is a one size fits all. Kind of like an adult onesie for Paraphilic infantilists, but a little less disturbing.

The Pole Dancer Alarm Clock

Who wouldn’t want to wake up to a pole dancing woman? Okay, fine. This ones only 50% cool, depending on which 50% you are part of.

The Gun and Target Alarm Clock

Unlike that evil “teasing” pole dancer alarm clock, the Gun and Target alarm Clock lets you start off your day with a Bang!

The best thing about it is that you can record your own wake up message, or if you lack imagination, you can also record one of your favorite tunes. We recommend the song “i’ve got you babe” in homage to the never ending Ground Hog Day.

The Smoke Alarm Clock

According to “Modern Zombie” Magazine, there is nothing worse than waking up dead. That being said, people who are too lazy to go out and get smoke detectors, usually have a clock or two on the wall. So why not merger them together? Sure, it may go off and annoy you while you are making your grilled peanut butter and banana bacon sandwiches, but it may also save your life.

Space Junk Ball Clock

Watch the Magnetic Moon circumvent all the garbage that surrounds our planet! The Space Junk Ball Clock is just a constant reminder that the aliens probably view us as the slum lords of the universe.

The Rocket Alarm Clock

Have Trouble waking up in the Morning? The Rocket alarm clock will sound a count down and if you don’t get out of bed it launches a missile to a very awkward place in the room. Why does this matter? Because if you don’t return the missile to the launch pad the alarm will never stop!

You can find all these cool clocks and more at Daft Gadgets.com!

Yes, you heard it right. Redcat Racing has lowered their pricing on the Hurricane XTE, Avalanche XTE, and Monsoon XTE Models as well as the shredder Short Course and XB Buggy from their 1/6th Scale line.

For you “Large Scale” lovers, the notorious line of Redcat Rampage vehicles also has a price reduction in the Rampage X-SC short course gas truck.

Here is a list of the lowest prices you can find on the internet (the lowest price Redcat Racing will allow their stuff to be sold at)

You can expect the lower pricing to last at least until April 15th. Get em while they Last!

3D has been around a lot longer than most of us realize. Anyone who was able to to produce 1.21 gigawatts of energy and force it into a flux capacitor knows that wearing 3D glasses was a style donned by more than just your average obnoxious bully sycophant from the year 1955. In fact the 1950s are known as the “Golden Era” of 3-D cinematography.

photo thanks wikipedia

The concept of 3D is simple, show 2 different images to each eye in way that makes the put together image look like it has more depth. Unfortunately, quality 3D is a bit more complicated.

For those of you who remember the 3D ground breaking video game “Time Traveler” (see article: Top 10 Video Games of All Time) you are probably too old to be playing video games. That being said, the game had a sort of “Help Me Obi-Wan Kenobi, Your My Only Hope” look to it. Which means if society had really wanted 3D TV, we could probably have it by now if we had only been prepared to pay the $2.00 per game the inventors of time traveler were asking. In fact, 3D has a way of coming in and out of style.

So just how close are we to 3D TV?

There have been a few attempts at different ways of creating the effect, and we can only assume that when we do get the technology there will be an HDDVD vs Blue Ray, Betamax VS VHS type war.

Some possible attempts at 3D Technology include:

Stereoscope 3D.

Stereoscopic 3-D imaging is created by presenting two offset images separately to each eye ball.

How can we use it?

The idea here is to use two tiny screens that fit snug over your eye sockets. It would be the same idea as stereo head phones, except these would be eyephones (pardon the pun).

Back in the 1840s, Sir Chearles Wheatstone invented the stereoscope by taking nearly identical photographs side by side that the viewer would see through a pair of binoculars

This idea was later for cool iconic geek toys like the view master

There was even a view master that played sound!

So why does StrereoScope 3D suck?

Up until now, it has been too expensive to put two lcd screens behind a pair of glasses. As well, it takes away from the group experience, and people don’t like to wear bulky mechanisms on their heads.

So is stereoscope 3-D Dead?

There was a submarine game the Sega brought out call “Sub-Roc” where you would look through a periscope, but like most things by Sega, it didn’t take off.

photo thanks: wikipedia

The Pulfrich Effect 3-D

According to German physicist Carl Pulfrich things move slower in the dark, at least as your eyes are concerned. Since this discovery in 1922 we have had a Rolling Stones concert, Shark documentaries, Power ranger movies, and special episodes of Doctor Who (dimensions in time) all shown in Pulfrich 3-D. The best thing about the technology is that all you have to do is get a tinted monocle and you are are watching 3D!
It works because when you watch things moving side to side while wearing a darkened lens, the object appears to move in depth, towards you or away.

Why does it suck?

For the Pulfrich Effect to work properly, the objects on the screen must be always moving sideways at the right speed. This unfortunately causes some viewers to vomit.

The good news is, you can get the effect any time if you watch things like football games, nature shows, or certain musical scenes from “singing in the rain”

Red-Geen Anaglyph

Edwin Porter had a vision. A vision of half naked belly dancers dancing for him in 3D when he was away from the Gentleman’s club. In fact his idea was demonstrated before the television was even invented. It wouldn’t be until 40 years later that the same technology he demonstrated in 1915 would be used for home 3D TV viewing.

So why does it suck?

Originally it sucked because most people in the 1950s didn’t have color TVs, as well, the red green glasses required gave them headaches. (Similar to those who watched the red green show)

“The Red Green Show – known to cause headaches.”

On top of that, the 3D image was red and green and not true color so nobody really cared when the technology went away.

Why it doesn’t suck

Colorcode (Amber Blue Anaglyph) is a take off on Red Green anaglyph. The difference being that it uses amber and dark blue. Colorcode has been used successfully in the 2009 Superbowl ad Monsters vs Aliens as well as during a special episode of the show Chuck.

In fact, Colorcode is probably the best thing going so far as far a 3D TV is concerned, so it shows how revisiting an epic fail can turn it into a win.

Anyone for the creation of “New Pepsi”

Polarized 3-D Lens.

These lenses let in light vibrating in only one direction. By projecting two different images on the same screen using polarized lenses at different angles, you could route a separate image to each eye allowing for full color images.

Why does it suck?

Because there is no known way to send polarized images through a tv screen, so its pretty much useless.

So what are we to do?  How are we going to get a decent 3D image at home on our television?   Yes were asking you Obi Wan,  Help us, you’re our only hope.

If you’re looking for that retro feel check out our 80s retro iPhone case available in our Gadget Shop

WTF Toy #1. You Can Shave The Baby.

Yes, now you can shave the baby! The Baby’s pubic hair that is…
The Red Headed baby with armpit and genital hair can only be found in Japan (we wonder why?) We’ve heard of toy babies that fill up diapers, burp, and even breast feed, but even we are scratching our heads at this one. There is also some added hair at the sock line for some reason which only leads us to do one thing. Find the Japanese Bable bot translation for “What the hell were you guys thinking?”

WTF Toy #2. The Placenta Teddy Bear

Photo Thanks inhabitots.com

If you think Placentas are gross, you would probably be shock to know that some people (mostly women we think?) eat their placenta after birth. Possibly to be more like the animals in nature or possibly because of the tangy taste is has, were not sure. Either way, you don’t have to worry if cannibalism is not your thing, now there is a way you and your baby can cherish it for a life time.

The Placenta Teddy Bear by Alex Green.

To make one of these cuddly contraptions, you need to dry out the placenta and cure it with sea salt. Then, after it is dried out, you must add an emulsifying mixture of tannin and egg yolk to make is soft and pliable. Then, its just a matter of imagination and a sewing kit!

WTF Toy #3 Grade up to Elite Cow

photo thanks boardgamegeek.com

This game was put out by the British Beef Association as a way to desensitize kids to the screaming moos cows make in the slaughter house. A wonderful game to play while waiting for dinner, Grade up to Elite Cow will make everyone a little less hungry.

The board game teaches children how beef is processed and graded. Oh, and did we mention? The game starts out at a bull semen auction. Enjoy!

WTF Toy #4. The Nimbus 2000

Yes, Harry Potter was all the rage back in the day. However, “Rage” was the feeling some parents had when they realized their kids were playing with a lookalike broomstick from the Harry Potter movies.

Why you ask?

Because the broomstick came with a wonderful feature that allowed it to vibrate.

Yes, the Nimbus 2000 was a children’s toy that began to vibrate when it was wedged into the child’s crotch area. It was pulled from the shelves pretty fast. We’re not sure who at Mattel was responsible for letting this one out in the first place.

WTF Toy #5. The Peekaboo Stripper Pole…….for Kids!

Yes, it arrived in the U.K. Back in 2006. The peekaboo stripper pole was banned almost immediately. It came complete with a cd of music to strip to, a lacy garter, and a wad of play money, all to be used in conjunction with a collapsible stripper pole.

This one just speaks evil.

For Toys of a Less Evil Nature, See the Geek Toys and Gadgets Section of our Gadget Shop.

Every once in a while, a politician, leader, or dictator will surprise us. We expect them to lie to us, raise taxes, and waste lots of money, but on rare occasions they do something that no one expects. Sometimes we hear touching chicken soup type stories of how the teddy bear got its name after Teddy Roosevelt showed compassion by refusing to shoot a half dead beaten black bear in the face with his shot gun (we added the face part, but we assume the other hunters were asking him for a head shot).

Other times we hear stories of people like Turkmenbashi who ordered the construction of an Ice Zoo in the middle of the Dessert, or stories of Boris Yeltsin outside the white house drunk in his underwear trying to get a cab to take him out for pizza. Its the stories like these that leave us scratching our heads asking

“Is this leader kinda cool, or is he just Nuckin’ Futs?”

1. Francois Duvalier AKA Papa Doc.

photo wikipedia

Claiming to be Baron Samedi, the Voodoo spirit of death, Papa Doc makes the Daft Gadgets list of Crazy or Cool with ease. By no means are we saying that the Voodoo religion holds a monopoly on “Crazy,” in fact we are currently looking to hire an artist to make custom voodoo dolls of our customer’s ex lovers based upon the photographs then send in. We think that voodoo could be the next big thing for our Gadget Shop.
That aside, were pretty sure that Papa Doc was “Nuckin Futs”

His departure from the land of sanity probably occurred during a 9 hour coma he experienced that left him with massive brain damage. Upon awakening, he demanded his successor (Clement Barbot) be arrested.

So, What is so odd about that?

He told his people that they would have trouble finding him because he had transformed himself into a large black dog.

So what was the most logical thing to do?

Well round up all the black dogs and put them to death of course.

After ordering the death of all the black dogs in Haiti, Clement Barbot was found (obviously because there were no black dogs left for his spirit to hide in) It was at this point that Papa Doc had Clement’s head cut off and preserved for Voodoo uses at a later time.

On his death bed, Papa Doc let out one last final secret. He confessed that he was responsible for JFK’s Assassination…..by way of a Voodoo Curse. He also sent one of his people to the U.S.A to visit Kennedy’s grave and “steal the air” around it so that Papa Doc could control JFK’s soul in the afterlife with a spell.

Now as “Cool” as all this sounds, our vote for Papa Doc is on the “Crazy” side.

Jaime Nebot

photo wikipedia

Jaime Nebot serves as the Mayor of Ecuador’s Largest city, Guayaquil. He has made headlines in Ecuador with various antics. On August 31, 1990. Nebot was heard screaming hysterically during a public broadcast of a parliamentary session. Although screaming in parliament is a very common thing these days, it was Nebots choice of words that earned him fame.

His words were: “Come here so I can pee on you,” and then “I can’t just hit you. I have to pee on you.” The police came in and restrained Nebot who told them he was angry at the back room dealings of the socialist party.

Now as funny as this televised was for us to watch without understanding a word (okay, we could make out a few of the swears) this incident is not the reason he is on our list.

The real reason Nebot is on our Cool or Crazy list is this:

In October of 2003 during a press conference, Nebot decided that the criticism from the press was not only unwarranted, but that it got in the way of his duties as the Mayor, essentially costing the tax payers too much money. Nebot then hired an assistant specifically for the task of addressing the critics from the press.

What’s so crazy cool about that you ask? ………..

The person he hired was a parrot.

photo wikipedia

“I get paid in Crackers”

“Here is the parrot,” he explained, “that will be in charge to answer all the undesirable comments that I have no time to answer! Some people only approach me with nonsense talk, so the parrot will answer back in the same way because I need to use my time to work.”

We don’t know about you, but were putting Nebot in the “Cool” Category.

Francisco Macias Nguema

Some people believe that insanity is hereditary. Luckily for Macias Nguema, he didn’t believe in such ridiculous superstitions. Born the son of a witch doctor who killed his younger brother, Francisco became the first President of Equatorial Guinea.

The center of an extreme cult of personality. He was known for doing wonderful things like having entire families and villages executed, punishing critics to 30 year jail terms, making intellectuals illegal and lots of other fun stuff……. like his special Christmas in 1975. We guess he was in the festive mood when he march 150 of his opponents in to a football stadium in Malabo where he lined them all up and shot them dead to Mary Hopkin’s song “Those were the days”

Now, on the surface, it may appear that he was just “Evil” but we feel that two things allow him on to our list of Crazy or Cool.

The first, he banned lubrication in powerplants claiming that his magic powers would keep the place running (which they did until the power plant broke down shrouding the entire capital in darkness). The second, he would indulge in Bhang (buds from a female cannabis plant) and the Hallucinogenic plant known as Iboga, and then have an imaginary tea party with imaginary enemies who he would execute.

As funny as playing the Red Queen in wonderland sounds, we’re putting him in the crazy category

Other politicians and leaders who almost made the Cool or Crazy list include:

Hajnal Ban

photo wikipedia

Who was tired of being short at around 5 foot 1 and had her legs lengthened to make her 5 foot 4 (or perhaps 5 foot 6 in high heels) which we decided is probably more cool than crazy since she wasn’t that tall.

and of course, it was hard to leave out Gaddafi

who wasn’t just known for his Gaddawful clothing styles, but also for doing things like firing his body guards and replacing them all with female virgins. Which we think is kind of cool, even for a crazy person.

“The point of technology is to extend what we can do with our bodies, our senses, and most of all our minds”

-Scientific American

photo wikipedia

Its only a matter of time before the human search for the holy grail of immortality moves to the religion of science, and when it does, the new wars will be man vs machine, cloning vs robotics, stem cells vs artificial intelligence, and discrimination laws of mechanical and electromechanical robots.

If you think about it, the human body is an inferior biological animal housing unit that contains a superior functioning brain. Dogs and Cats hear and smell better than we do, hawks have better eyesight, and pretty much every animal or insect is faster or stronger than us pound for pound. To put it bluntly….We suck!

However, as we mentioned, the one advantage we do have is our brains. Our brains are both a dangerous servant and a fearful master, and most of us either accept them (because they are stuck in same body) or fight them by killing them with weapons like beer.

One of the biggest questions in this chicken egg universe is “will artificial intelligence be created before we transplant a brain into a computer or will that act create the first being of artificial intelligence?

Who knows really, but its safe to say that if we aren’t replacing body parts with cloning we will be replacing them with robotics since everyone knows the cost of using parts from drifters and hobos is on the rise.

We already have robotic automation in areas like water management, military aviation, and vacuuming, and the area cyborg technology is much more advanced than most people realize. In fact, we have already have the technology to create a Borg like being, It just hasn’t happened yet because nobody wants to scare the crap out of the general populace.

Peg legs, wooden arms, hooks, glass eyes, false teeth, hearing horns, eyeglasses, wheel chairs, canes, and other synthetic replacements are being replaced with new robotic technologies every day. Exoskeletons can be used to help disabled people move around or increase the strength of human soldiers so that they can carry bigger guns and kill people easier, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. You can also expect robotics to create intelligent implants in the brain, which will “improve” our rational thought, and release nanorobots into our blood to clean our arteries.

Imagine how great life will be when we are programed to like it! (insert sarcasm emoticon here)

Here are just a few of the advancements in cyborg technology over the last few years.

Robotic USB Finger

photo thanks gizmodo

For the Do it Yourselfer, you may want to take a page out of Jerry Jalava’s book. He lost his finger when some stupid biological Deer Like organism tried to commit suicide by running into his motorcycle. Years ago a loss of an index finger meant more than just a nose full of boogers and “issig letters wile tpig”, it also came with a feeling of permanent loss.

However in getting with the 21st century, Jerry probably remembered the words of his father who used to say “I have more knowledge in the tip of my finger than you do in your entire body” and with that, he decided to replace his missing finger with the usb flash drive seen below.

Unlike a primitive biological finger, Jerry’s usb finger isn’t integrated like some un-upgradeable computer from Dell. His usb finger can be removed and replaced with a new model or alternative tool should the need arise. However, the USB finger is more of an adaptation than a replacement since the function of the finger has changed from pointing blame to storing a collection of porn.

Bones

photo thanks national geographic

For a Borg like adaptation of a finger tip you need look no further than the U.S. Military who in 2008 claimed to have unlocked the secret to regrowing limbs with the use of Nano Scaffolding. (Sorry Jeremy, you were obsolete before you began)

How does it work?

Basically, a tiny scaffold of polymer fibers (100 times finer than a human hair) is attached to a patient in place of a missing organ or appendage. The scaffold then acts as a guide for human cells to rebuild themselves by weaving themselves through the tiny holes of the scaffold replacing the bone and tissue.

They have apparently already used the technology to replace a missing finger tip lost during a model airplane accident. (which seriously discredits Dr. Conners and his Gamma Radiation theories)

Dr Conners. Photo wikipedia

Look Like we wont be seeing Dr Lizard any time soon.

Eyeballs

photo thanks wikipedia

Rob Spence decided to fit his prosthetic eye with a video camera that includes a miniature lens and wireless transmitter. He is currently using it to create a documentary about the intersect of humanity and surveillance technology. Like the USB finger, the eyeborg is not a replacement, but more of an adaptation, since it has an entirely new function.

There is however, a prosthetic device that does allow a certain type of blindness to experience sight.

No it is not a visor.

photo thanks wikipedia

“Sorry Mr LaForge”

Achromatopsia is a form a color blindness where you can only see black and white, However thanks to a prosthetic device known as “Eye Borg” (yes this is called eyeborg as well) Color Blind people can now have the frequency of colors converted to sound.

Neil Harbisson, (an officially recognized cyborg) is a color blind painter who can now perceive three hundred and sixty color hues through varying frequencies and adjust them with volume to help measure color saturation. As a painter, this device has not only made his life richer and deeper, but it has also allowed him to express his artistic view to world in way that has never been previously possible.

Who would have thought that robots would bring advancements in the world of art?

Bionic Knee and Foot

photo wikipedia

For those of you who are familiar with the Movie “Black Hawk Down” you may also know that the film was loosely based upon real events.

Brad Halling, a now retired ex special forces operative, lost his leg in Somolia when a rocket propelled grenade collided with his Black Hawk Helicopter. Since then he has had a few different prosthetic limbs, but none of them have been a unique as his Binonic Knee.

How does it work? The Bionic Knee receives signals to an embedded microprocessor from a transmitter strapped to the functional leg. It then learns how the person walks and transmits this information to a powerful electric motor that mimics the persons walking muscles.

The Bionic Foot works in a similar way with the robotic ankle joint recalibrating its position at 1000 times per second, but it costs 1/5th the price at $20,000 (vs $100,000)

Both area available on the market.

Non Sentient Robot Brain – Or is it?

French Researchers have been working on a concept that allows a robot to control human limbs. Sure, you could replace a defective arm with a robotic one, or, you could just attach a bunch of electrodes to your human body and let a robot brain control you like a puppet master.

The goal of the French scientists is to help people afflicted with paralysis and other disabilities regain some of their motor skills. So its supposed to be more of a robotic physio therapist rather than a robotic Geppetto

Here is an example of how a robot and human can have peaceful coexistence within the same body.

For the latest Robot and Geek toys, check out the 3 in 1 all terrain robot from Daft Gadgets.

3 in 1 all terrain robot