I love toys
I received the new issue of Popular Mechanics in the mail on Friday. There's several toys profiled on the pages within that caught my eye. Some I can easily afford--some are way beyond my reach.
The least expensive is this neat USB drive from Kingston called the Mobilelite 9-in-1 card reader. It can read 3 cards at the same time and even swap files amidst the cards and it's got built in lids so you can store the cards in the card reader when moving about between computers. Since it works with all 3 card types that my cameras use, I think I'll pick up this sweet little thing. And the price? Just 9 bucks!! Amazing.
An interesting item that I'll never use--since I don't like beer--is Heineken's Draughtkeg. It's a real working keg that dispenses draft beer using a self contained CO2 compressor. It holds 5 liters, costs $20 and the beer stays fresh for at least a month. I see dorm rooms everywhere having these as soon as college starts up in September.
Something more to my taste is the short article they have on the new LED based Portege laptops that Toshiba is putting out. Apparently they use a lot less electricity so the 12.1 inch version weighs only 2.4 pounds, has a hard drive, and the juice lasts for 10 hours. By the end of the month Toshiba expects to release a version using 64 Gig of flash memory (instead of a HD) that'll only weigh 1.72 pounds. The downside is that they cost just over $2,000.
The neatest toys are flying ones. Not remote controlled, mind you. These are one and two seater personal flying contraptions. They vary in price from $19,000 to $30,000 and even include one very small helicopter. Some of these are kits you have to build yourself and others are ready made. Just the thought of having your own plane for under $30k is amazing. Downside? Well, they're small and not very powerful. The slowest cruises at 33mph while the fastest does just over 50mph. The helicopter, however, can do 85mph... but that one looks a little scary. No way I'd go up in that thing!
The freaky thing is that at least in the USA, none of these require pilot licences or anything like that. Apparently ultralight planes that are under 254 pounds, don't go faster than 63mph, and have a maximum fuel capacity of 5 gallons don't require any qualifications. I really wish I could afford one of these!
Now it's time for me to wander out to the kitchen and make some more muffins. I've been going crazy with muffins this weekend. I think I'll make some more banana nut. Mmmm.
The least expensive is this neat USB drive from Kingston called the Mobilelite 9-in-1 card reader. It can read 3 cards at the same time and even swap files amidst the cards and it's got built in lids so you can store the cards in the card reader when moving about between computers. Since it works with all 3 card types that my cameras use, I think I'll pick up this sweet little thing. And the price? Just 9 bucks!! Amazing.
An interesting item that I'll never use--since I don't like beer--is Heineken's Draughtkeg. It's a real working keg that dispenses draft beer using a self contained CO2 compressor. It holds 5 liters, costs $20 and the beer stays fresh for at least a month. I see dorm rooms everywhere having these as soon as college starts up in September.
Something more to my taste is the short article they have on the new LED based Portege laptops that Toshiba is putting out. Apparently they use a lot less electricity so the 12.1 inch version weighs only 2.4 pounds, has a hard drive, and the juice lasts for 10 hours. By the end of the month Toshiba expects to release a version using 64 Gig of flash memory (instead of a HD) that'll only weigh 1.72 pounds. The downside is that they cost just over $2,000.
The neatest toys are flying ones. Not remote controlled, mind you. These are one and two seater personal flying contraptions. They vary in price from $19,000 to $30,000 and even include one very small helicopter. Some of these are kits you have to build yourself and others are ready made. Just the thought of having your own plane for under $30k is amazing. Downside? Well, they're small and not very powerful. The slowest cruises at 33mph while the fastest does just over 50mph. The helicopter, however, can do 85mph... but that one looks a little scary. No way I'd go up in that thing!
The freaky thing is that at least in the USA, none of these require pilot licences or anything like that. Apparently ultralight planes that are under 254 pounds, don't go faster than 63mph, and have a maximum fuel capacity of 5 gallons don't require any qualifications. I really wish I could afford one of these!
Now it's time for me to wander out to the kitchen and make some more muffins. I've been going crazy with muffins this weekend. I think I'll make some more banana nut. Mmmm.
Comments
Not interested in Kegs Of Beer, either, and that personal plane....Well, though it sounds like it might be fun...It is Waaaaay out of my price range.....The Laptop sounds very interesting, though the screen is too small for me...! It is great that it weighs so little though, isn't it?
Popular Mechanics...My brother used to get this magazine when we wewre growing up and I think he still does....And he is two years older than me....! Don't you just love consistancy and continuity?
So your $9 gadget is about £4.50 here in the UK. But then, goods like this are considerably cheaper in the US - but the tax bumps up the cost, I'm told.
As a matter of interest, I discovered in the UK one needs a licence to fly a microlight or ultralight aircraft.....
Everyone at Michele's is asleep, so am roaming links this morning :-)
cq
And it's good for muffin batter too -- it allows you not to over mix it!
N.
N.
Or settling for the slightly less expensive(!) laptop.......??
:-)
cq
My husband and you would have a great time talking planes - he's getting his pilot's license next year... not sure how I feel about that yet!
But as for the gadgets - we're hopeless. I like things plain and simple - like my wireless... (never mind took me all day to get it running and then I STILL haven't figured out how to password protect it yet!)
Oh, and he cooks too... I'm hoping for banana bread tomorrow morning. ;0)
Michele sent me,
Mike
Michele sent me
Hi, Michele sent me :-)