In the mythological tale Pandora’s Box contained all the evils that now afflict mankind. Fortunately all that Pandora Internet Radio contains is a whole world of music.Give it the name of an artist or song that you like and Pandora will generate a radio station specifically containing music that matches the same style.
For example: my Alice Cooper station “features hard rock roots, a subtle use of vocal harmony, mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation and mixed minor and major key tonality.” Pandora found many artists with similar qualities, such as Ted Nugent, Living Loud, Gluecifer, Eddie Money, Skid Row and AC/DC.

However my Kylie Minogue station “features pop rock qualities, electronica influences, disco influences and danceable grooves.” Artists Pandora chose to play on this station included Bananarama, the Eurythmics, Johnny Budz and Madonna.

And we all know that Duran Duran “features electronica influences, electric guitar riffs, a subtle use of vocal harmony, a vocal-centric aesthetic and a dynamic male vocalist.”
So naturally Rick Springfield, Phil Collins, Genesis, Grand National, The Fixx and other 80’s greats appear on my Duran Duran station.

Pandora is a great way to listen to music you like while at the same time finding new music that you’re probably going to like just as much.

And best of all….it’s free!

Do you work in one of those new fangled open plan office layouts where you can see and hear everyone on the entire floor? Have you ever wanted to destroy that really annoying manager who insists on listening to his voicemail handsfree and at full volume?

Well this is the toy for you! Plug it into your PC, install the software and you have full control over your own missile launcher.

You can grab this from PC Case Gear for a mere $59!

Ok, so it only comes equipped with soft foam missiles. But as soon as they start selling the explosive variety I’ll let you know! I know there’s a market for them!

Gadgets for girls has become a genuine market for which the major players are now starting to consider more seriously.
This article, first published in CNET News, indicates that women accounted for 46 percent of the $107.2 billion spent on consumer-electronics technology in 2005, a rise of 18 percent on the previous year.

Gina (from Silicon Valley of course) says that “…gadgets make you feel safe and confident. And of course, they make you look cool.”

Girls can be quite au fait with the latest shiny whizzbang doover, so it’s not all about pink plastic things that look really cute. However, functionality really does benefit from form when female buyers are the desired market, so designers are now looking at how to incorporate both fashion and cool into their offerings.

Take these Swapsets for example - stylish headbands that double as headphones, with an optional matching mobile phone headset. These look great whilst providing flexibility in how you can use them. There is even a tool for mixing and matching fabrics so you can come up with just the right look to match your personality.

This is a great read, so check out the full article here:
You go, girl gadgeteer

I dropped in to see a mate of mine in Sunbury the other day. Not something I get to do very often given that Sunbury is in the middle of nowhere. (Gidday Paul & Robyn!)
So I’m checking out all his gadgets on his desk, and I see this little robot man type thing.

I immediately wanted one, but it didn’t click straight away that it was a webcam. Once I saw it in action I was impressed by the quality.
Paul used it to chat to one of his mates whilst he was overseas, and was ready to give it to me now that his mate is back in Australia.
I said “Don’t be silly. Keep it, I’ll buy one too, and we can chat!”
I see him so rarely that I may as well be overseas, anyway.

So I headed into HighPoint Shopping Centre in Maribyrnong (Melbourne) to a little kiosk called “Geek Central” on the 2nd floor, and shelled out $75 for one. You can also pick it up online from USB Tech for $59 plus $12 shipping.

Since then I’ve had a number of webcam conversations and find the quality to be excellent. It also has some very cool camera effects if you want to have a laugh. It works with Skype, MSN and other chatting tools.

I’m not sure why anyone would want to massage a frog. Maybe there are a lot of stressed frogs out there that I am blissfully unaware of?

But I guess if you own a relaxation challenged amphibian then the USB Frog Massager is the gadget for you!

You can have one delivered from our fine friends at Kepastore for a wallet friendly $25.

I’m spending far too much on body management these days.  Myotherapy being the big hit to keep my aging back and neck in one piece whilst I spend many hours a day in front of a computer.
PC users suffer from neck and back issues primarily from incorrect posture, and not enough breaks.  You may notice yourself straining closer to the monitor so that you can read some things or get a better look at an image.  I sure do.

The USB Vision and Posture Reminder is a cool-looking little gadget that clips onto your monitor and warns you when you get too close and stay there for too long.
Simply plug it into a spare USB port and off you go.

It’s available from an Australian retailer and is currently going for $35 (you’ll have to check out the shipping cost yourself).
Go to the Kepastore products page to see more information, and to initiate your order.
Kepastore - Products
You can also call them on 1300 885 328.

…is through the use of a consumer-friendly, fool proof, brightly coloured home defibrillator!

To most people Philips is that friendly Dutch company that sells electric shavers, DVD players, TVs and light bulbs. And they invented the CD.
But those wacky clog wearers are also a world leader in medical systems and are using this expertise to reach into people’s homes and hearts in all new ways.

The Philips Heartstart Home Defibrillator is the perfect gift for those people with dodgy tickers who really don’t want to bother those nice people at 000 with their niggling little cardio infarctions.

No longer do you need to try to remember how many chest compresses it is for every two breaths! Nor will you have to face the unpleasantness of having to put your mouth in close proximity of your weird Uncle Trevor when he has one of his turns!
Just grab your handy defib device, read the easy to follow instructions and let the zapping commence!

Amazon are selling these in the US but unfortunately they aren’t yet available in Australia though I’m sure they will be soon. After all, there are plenty of people just dying to get hold of one!

So, I’m guessing from the title that you have absolutely no idea what to expect from this post.
Neither did I when I read about it earlier today.

This is the Availabot. It’s currently in prototype, and I know I promised to use this site as a vehicle for gadgets that are available to Aussies, but I’m still in novelty mode so I’m posting a lot of fun stuff as well.
This little guy plugs into your USB port on your Mac (Windows will be later) and can be programmed to recognise when your online mate arrives in your chat program. The creators will custom-build your puppet to look like your mate as well.
You can have one for every USB port you have, and of course, for every mate you have.

The stated benefit, apart from being called a serious geek, is that you can have the sound off and be watching something else, but still instantly see if someone is “up” for a chat.

Buddy is online

Buddy is offline

This is Availabot (Schulze & Webb)

I was idly passing through JB HiFi yesterday when my attention was caught by Joan Jett’s dulcet tones being acompanied by some fairly shoddy guitar work. I rounded a corner and was confronted by Guitar Hero in action!

I’ve only been vaguely tempted to buy a Playstation 2 previously, but now I have a burning need. I WANT this! WANT WANT WANT!
Ok, so anyone playing this thing will end up looking like a total dork. Especially as the guitar looks like one of those plastic toys with buttons instead of strings that get confiscated from little kids five minutes after Christmas.
The game itself works a little like the Dance Dance Revolution atrocities you may have seen over the last few years. You need to hit the right buttons on the fretboard and strum at the right time to match the display. Sort of a Simon Says for the modern generation.

But hell, in spite of all the dorky crappy plasticness - this game totally rocks!

And with tracks like Ace Of Spades, Bark At The Moon, Higher Ground, I Love Rock n Roll, Iron Man, Killer Queen, Smoke On The Water, Symphony Of Destruction and many many more how could it fail to?

World of Warcraft is the most successful massively multiplayer online role playing game (or MMORPG) ever with upwards of 6 million active subscribers worldwide.

It is a beautifully designed game with two huge continents to explore, a highly detailed back story, armies of enemies to fight, a seemingly unlimited number of quests to go on and oodles and oodles of loot to buy, win and steal.

It can take you to another world where you can quest or just converse with thousands of like minded people from around the world.
So why am I telling you not to buy it? (more…)