By Andrew Liszewski

I have to be honest again here. When I first came across the SoundRacer I thought it was another ridiculous accessory for wannabe gearheads who can only ever dream of owning a V10 powered supercar. But after watching the video I’ve included below, I don’t see how anyone who’s ever revved the family sedan at a red light wouldn’t want one!

The SoundRacer plugs into your car’s cigarette lighter and uses an FM transmitter to play real V8 or V10 engine sound effects through your vehicle’s stereo. And it’s not random effects either, according to the SoundRacer website the sounds actually correspond to the RPMs of your car’s engine.

SoundRacer has a developed a special technology to sense and calculate the car engine rpm and produce the sounds of a powerful Super Sports Car engine. The sound changes as you drive and SoundRacer even increases the speed of the engine sound so that you can drive at a normal speed and still get a very exciting engine sound.

If you’re skeptical as to how well it could work (as I was) please take a few minutes to watch the following clip, which totally sold me on the device.

And it’s just $39.99, for either a V8 or V10 model, from SafeWireless. Guess who just finished half of his Christmas shopping?

[ SoundRacer ]

By Evan Ackerman

This fish tank is a real object, designed for a real (albeit conceptual) purpose. I’ll tell you all about it after the jump. But first, take a good look at that picture, and see if you can guess what you think is going on… From the perspective of the girl, or the fish. My first thought? Those fish are in trouble, ’cause that girl is thirsty.

This fish tank is part of a project called “gifted,” which explores the genetic modification of children from a child’s perspective:

The project raises questions about how children might use their own fantasies and dreams to imagine an alternative genetic future, and questions whether it is adults or children who are really in control of the technology. The prototypes I have created help to materialise an imaginary future in which a child’s ability is considered before birth and influenced via training and parental supervision throughout development. More specifically, I have explored the possibility of a genetic modification which enables children to absorb higher levels of oxygen, thus enhancing concentration, focus and calmness as well as improving athletic ability and improving general health.

The children were asked to imagine the implications of a modification to the H1FA gene, one of the seven oxygen sensing genes, which would enable them to survive for longer with less oxygen. The main benefit from the perspective of the children was the prospect of being able to swim and survive under water for longer, and being able to change their interactions with one another as a result of this new imagined world. During a brainstorm, the children imagined sea creatures they wished they could become.

What sort of sea creatures, you ask? Here’s a piece of conceptual artwork based on these children’s fantasies:

Bizarre. Almost as bizarre as this fish tank… Almost.

[ Will Carey ] VIA [ Design Boom ]

By Chris Scott Barr

For years people have been predicting that The Beatles would finally make their way onto the iTunes store. Fans collectively held their breath when Apple announced a press conference on 9/9/09, the same day that the remastered collection of tunes was to be released on CD. Unfortunately it seems that the two still haven’t gotten over that fruit-based trademark issue. Well if you’re wanting your digital Beatles fix, there is a different way to go about it.

The entire remastered collection is being released digitally on a limited edition apple. No, it’s not a real apple (though it does look rather tasty), but a 16GB flash drive. It includes the exact same songs as the CD collection, but encoded in FLAC to achieve the best sound quality possible. They’ve also included 320Kbps versions of each song. Why? Because lossless music can take up a good bit of room on your portable media player. The flash drive will be limited to a run of 30,000 and will set you back $280. Strangely enough, it will be released on December 8th, which Beatles fans will recognize as the day John Lennon passed away.

[ The Beatles ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

By Evan Ackerman

Remember the Tauntaun sleeping bag from April 1st? If so, you probably remember this from April 3rd:

ATTN Tauntaun Fanatics! Due to an overwhelming tsunami of requests from YOU THE PEOPLE, we have decided to TRY and bring this to life. We have no clue if the suits at Lucasfilms will grant little ThinkGeek a license, nor do we know how much it would ultimately retail for. But if you are interested in ever owning one of these, click the link below and we’ll try!

Well, they did it. For reals. It’s an official, fully licensed Lucasfilm™ Collectable Tauntaun sleeping bag with a built-in embroidered Tauntaun head pillow, a plush Lightsaber zipper pull, and a printed intestines pattern on the inside of the bag that smells just as good as the outside, thank you very much. For $99, this is definitely the sleeping bag that you’re looking for. Congrats, ThinkGeek, on making it happen.

[ ThinkGeek ]

By Andrew Liszewski

The fact that a landline phone will continue to work even in the event of a power failure wasn’t enough to stop me from going cellphone only, but it’s nice to know those unused phone jacks dotting my walls aren’t just an eyesore now. The trickle of power they carry is apparently enough to power this 8 LED desk lamp that features an RJ11 connector at the end of the power cord, instead of a plug or USB connector. The pink color scheme is a bit on the hideous side, but for just $4.69 the lamp at least seems like a handy emergency light for your next power outage.

[ 8 LED Telephone RJ11 Powered Table Reading Light Lamp ] VIA [ TechChee ]

By Andrew Liszewski

You don’t have to be a smoker who grew up gobbling white dots and ghosts to appreciate these retro gaming themed Zippo lighters. You could also be a pyromaniac who really enjoyed Dig Dug as a kid, or someone who can never get enough Galaxian who also happens to prepare a lot of birthday cakes. The Zippos are available in four different versions including Pac-Man, Xevious and the aforementioned Dig Dug and Galaxian, and can be pre-ordered from NCSX for a mere $108.90.

[ Namco Classic Game Zippo Lighters ] VIA [ Kotaku ]

By Andrew Liszewski

The next time you leave a room you don’t have to wonder what everyone is saying about you. You can simply whip out this compact eavesdropping device and find out for yourself. It looks a bit like the business end of a stethoscope, but uses an electronic internal sound amplifier to boost the noises coming through a wall, door, window and even steel plates. (So you can listen in on conversations inside a tank?) It’s rechargeable via USB and includes a set of headphones you’ll probably want to instantly dispose of, and is available from ChinaGrabber.com for $62.99.

[ Next Room Ear Amplifier Spy Wall / Door Eavesdropping Device ] VIA [ 7Gadgets ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I’m going to assume this ethanol fueled rolling fireplace from Conmoto isn’t actually designed to be rolled while there’s a roaring fire inside. But even if someone does get the bright idea to send it sailing across a room while there’s a fire burning, a set of glass panels on either side will prevent the worst from happening should it topple over.

[ Conmoto ] VIA [ Trendir ]

By Evan Ackerman

On Monday we posted about the Q2 radio, which you control by rocking it back and forth. And today, we’ve got the R1 radio, which you control by rolling it back and forth. So, they’re radios. And they rock and roll. How could we possibly justify not posting about them? I mean, the potential for terrible puns or something is just enormous! Or it would be, if these were somehow combined into one incredibly awesome radio. But sadly, the R1 isn’t even a real product yet, although you’ll be interested to know that it’s actually been designed for blind people, who’d have a much easier time using a radio with simple and intuitive tactile controls. Designed by South Korean Il-Gu Cha, the R1 is currently at the working prototype stage.

[ Il-Gu Cha ] VIA [ DVICE ]