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Crank powered rechargeable battery.
2008-01-16 03:54:00
This small spare generator and battery could be perfect for anybody who has to be busy with their hands. Two minutes of turning gives six minutes of yada-yada time. Fully charged it provides 2-5 hours of play time on a MP3 player, five hours of talk time or up to two days of stand-by time on the phone. It is about USD 40:- and is promised to suit most MP3 players (like the iPod), portable games, cell phones, PDAs, and USB powered accessories.
More About: Battery , Crank , Cran

Corner power extension box.
2008-01-10 19:49:00
Why have we not seen this before? It should not be that hard to come up with. Not that we have thought of it ourselves, but just the same. It sports five outlets, generously spaced to give room for a few bulky adapters It is USD 12:- a piece if you buy a couple of them at once.
More About: Power , Corner , Extension

Gorilla Gripper helps you carry drywall sheets.
2008-01-10 19:47:00
A sheet of drywall is not exactly easy to handle. Not extremely heavy perhaps, but hard to get a grip on. The Gorilla Gripper is meant to make it easier. You put the grip in the center of the board, and when you lift, the grip squeezes the board and holds it tight. The heavier the board, the tighter the grip. The Gorilla Gripper is USD 50:- on Amazon.
More About: Carry

Two chairs in one.
2008-01-10 19:46:00
Want a rocking chair on an ordinary one? Want both, but do not have the room for them? Now you can have both chairs all in one. Portuguese designer Luís Porém has designed the doubly functional Inverso chair. All you have to do is tun it over as you preferences change. It would look great on the balcony.
More About: Chairs

Hands free level device.
2008-01-08 11:18:00
With its u-shape, this spring loaded level tool can straddle standard stock up to 2". It also works perfectly on standing girders with the v-shaped notch. In those cases you fasten the level with the elastic strap. USD 10:50 at Lee Valley.
More About: Free , Hands , Device

Bluetooth headset with telescoping microphone.
2008-01-08 11:16:00
The Joby company is reported to present this Bluetooth headset at CES in Las Vegas. It is called Zivo, and it has one feature that we would appreciate a lot. The telescoping mike. We do not like all the headsets where the mike sits somewhere in the vicinity of your neck. With this solution you can have a choice, and it promises to be perfect in noisy places. No price yet, though.
More About: Microphone , Headset , Bluetooth Headset

Ten ways to live longer - and enjoy every day.
2008-01-08 11:14:00
It does not all have to be about no-fat lattes and treadmills. There are apparently ways of achieving longevity that are quite definitely enjoyable. Like the following list compiled by behavior expert Mark Stibich. Among other activities, he recommends drinking red wine, eating dark chocolate, smiling more (even if you don't feel like it), getting enough sleep, and having more sex. The whole list after the jump.
More About: Enjoy , Live

Small handy electric snow blower.
2008-01-06 16:20:00
Here is a simpler way of clearing your driveway, garden path or patio. Just plug it in and go. No engine, and no fumes. The machine can clear a 12 inch swath through 6 inches of snow and throw it up to 20 feet. Yours for USD 200:-.
More About: Small , Snow , Handy , Electric

Smart and fun ideas for the city environment.
2008-01-06 16:19:00
Swiss INOUT design shows a line of both fun and smart ideas that could enhance the cityscape. The Swiss designers featured show great inventiveness. Axel Jaccard, for instance, designed the water trough (above) that can be fitted to the end of a downspout. Another is the hanging garden by Yves Fidalgo; a kind of window shutter with a planter that allows plants to become a sunscreen when the plants grow. Adrien Roveros bicycle parking takes the same space as a car, but allows parking for six bikes. Sibylle Stoeckli uses wood from old packing crates to create an urban wood floor, and Damien Regamey has made enclosements like colorful necklaces.
More About: Ideas , Environment , Smart , City

Help cutting beets and swedes.
2008-01-06 16:18:00
This handle, that can be put across the back of a large knife, gives a helping hand when you need to cut hard veggies like swedes, large cheeses etc. USD 5:75.
More About: Beets , Cutting

Turning stapler saddle staples booklets.
2008-01-03 07:48:00
Of course there are staplers that can saddle staple booklets and 'zines. But who has one, except maybe graphic designers and ad agencies? Now there is a chance for the rest of us to make neatly stapled booklets or 'zines, too. This stapler from Japanese Max can be turned 90 degrees to allow it to reach long enough to saddle staple a booklet. Available from Amazon for USD 9:22:-.
More About: Saddle , Staples , Stapler

Vote for the smartest stuff of 2007.
2008-01-03 07:47:00
Among all the gadgets, inventions and ideas we have posted during 2007, we have put together a shortlist of 35, that we think were the smartest of the smart last year. Now we need your help to pick the smartest of them all, the idea, gadget ocr invention that is to be awarded the badge above; to be tha Smart Stuff Readers Choice of 2007. Go to our voting page to see all the nominees and to vote fcor your favourite. And in case you should disagree with all our 35 nominees, of course you have the opportunity to send us a completely different suggestion.
More About: Vote , Martes

Smart Stuff enters its fourth year!
2008-01-03 07:46:00
It's really exciting to start our fourth year with a growing number of readers and supporters. We are very grateful for all the e-mails we get, both with critique (yes, we are) and cheers. A very special thanks goes out to our tipsters, and in particular those that frequently come back (you know who you are) with new interesting stuff. During this our fourth year, we will also have a couple of new features on the site that we hope will prove useful. That's about it. We wish you a great new year 2008, and we hope you'll want to stick with us during year four. Thanks for your support! And don't forget to vote for the smartest of 2007. Voting ends January 31 2008. Click here for the voting page. Love/Ed.
More About: Smart , Stuff , Year

Taking a few days off ? wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
2007-12-22 16:32:00
Today we arrived at our Christmas hide-away. We'll be back with more smart stuff on the 2 or 3 of January 2008. Until then we wish all our old and new readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year .
More About: Happy New Year , Days

D.I.Y. blood type test.
2007-12-22 16:31:00
Don't know if we really would have believed in this, if it were not for the fact that our favorite anesthesiologist blogger, Joe on Book of Joe, had mentioned it. We have been thinking of having our blood typed, but the only way we figured out was to become a blood donor. Now that is not a bad idea in itself, they usually need all the blood they can get, but the thought of leaving a pint or so short has kept us away. If this test kit works as advertised, you can get the whole shabang done with just a couple of tiny drops... USD 8:99 on Think Geek.
More About: Blood , Type , Test , Blood Type

Simple and cheap laptop stand.
2007-12-22 16:31:00
We have been reading about this and that laptop stand for years. All have the purpose of rising and angling the laptop to make typing more comfortable, and to lift it from the table to enhance cooling. Earlier today we had this idea. We put the suction cups from our travel clothes line under our laptop to raise it from the table. So far it has worked just fine, and it has not cost us a cent since we already had the clothes line. The travel clothes line cost SEK 40:- (approx. USD 6:-), but after all we have just borrowed the suction cups...
More About: Laptop , Simple , Cheap , Stand

Crank powered, collapsible camping light.
2007-12-22 16:30:00
This camping light fills all the basic requirements we would put on such a device. Except possibly that we would probably pick another color. It is crank powered and rechargeable. And it is collapsible. You get about 10 minutes of reading light for every minute of turning. And should you get tired, it will also accept power from a solar panel or, if the sun should have set already, from the car's lighter output.
More About: Camping , Light , Crank , Cran

New luminous paint will glow for years without re-charging.
2007-12-20 18:06:00
Litrospheres are tiny luminous particles that can be injection molded or mixed into paint. The company that makes the product believes it will primarily be used for rescue and safety, but we think people in time will find many useful and fun applications for this invention. Especially since the luminous material is pretty cheap (approx. USD 0:35 to cover a 8 x 11 surface), and that it can be made in different colors. A more detailed description of the Litrospheres can be found on PESWiki.
More About: Years , Glow , Paint , Charging

Breakfast set with minimal footprint.
2007-12-20 18:06:00
This smart little breakfast set with two chairs has, as far as we understand, only been available from Amazon UK. And it has been sold out there. But we wanted to include it anyway, because it is cleverly thought out; designed to occupy a minimum of space in a small apartment. Hopefully it will be an inspiration for others to work on space saving furniture?
More About: Breakfast , Minimal

Heated ice-scraper charges in the car's lighter outlet.
2007-12-20 18:05:00
Christmas will be all over us any day now, but there is still no sign of snow in Stockholm. In spite of this, ice will still form on windshields at night. So why not write a post dedicated to traffic safety. The electrically heated ice scraper is charged in the car's lighter (or power) outlet, and it is promised retain a working charge for three hours. We have never had that much ice on any car window, so it should be enough for most situations. Available on Amazon for USD 17:-.
More About: Lighter , Outlet , Heated

Non permanent glue stick.
2007-12-17 13:07:00
Most glues are of course made to stick permanently. The harder they stick, the better the glue. Bu for those occasions when you do not want stuff to stick forever, a glue that is just a little sticky would be just the thing. The Scotch Restickable Adhesive Glue is such a glue. It will be like making your own notes stickers.
More About: Stick , Permanent , Tick

Diffusion screen for digital cameras.
2007-12-17 13:05:00
Our old Lumix DMC-FZ20 digicam has a fantastic zoom and a wonderful image stabilizer, but we always think the flash is too hard. We have pushed it down it to the -2 position, but there is still a definite Tunbjörk feel in our flash pictures. That can be fun sometimes, but most of the time we would prefer a softer light. For those pictures, maybe a diffusion screen like this would help softening the flash. Worth trying, but before we shell out GBP 10:- (approx. USD 20:-) for a Lumiquest Soft Screen for DSLRs with a pop-up flash, we will try using a bit of sandwich wrapping paper.
More About: Digital Cameras , Cameras , Digital , Diff

How to rescue culinary mishaps.
2007-12-17 13:04:00
What to do when guests are already in the elevator and your carefully prepared dinner has crashed? Often, but not always, there are ways to get out of such pinches with dignity. Here is one example: Problem: You were going to cook the perfect spuds, but when you drained them they collapsed into mushy pieces. Rescue : Make mash. Preferably with a lot of butter and grated cheese. Or fry the pieces golden brown in oil and butter in a skillet or oven pan. More tips is available on Real Simple; you can learn how to rescue stale bread, tasteless tomatoes, dry overcooked chicken, limp veggies, etc, etc.
More About: Culinary

Christmas paper roll holder.
2007-12-05 18:05:00
We realize it is meant for Christmas wrapping paper, but that would not stop us from using it for other purposes. Like organizing drawings, plans, posters, large photocopies, tablecloths and other stuff that are best stored rolled up. They are available in three sizes and they will set you back between USD 2:50 and 5:50 for a three-pack depending on size.
More About: Roll , Paper

Solid state drive reaches 256 GB.
2007-12-05 18:04:00
And not a day too soon. After a number of hard drive crashes and other drive trouble, we would look forward to a "drive" without moving parts that can break. SSD drives are also faster than hard drives, and not as vulnerable to shocks. This is the largest capacity SSD drive announced so far, and it has the exact dimensions of an ordinary 3,5 inch SATA hard drive, so swapping should be easy.
More About: Drive , State , Solid , Soli

CO2 powered compressed air tools for the D.I.Y. crowd.
2007-12-05 18:03:00
This refillable CO2 power pack, the JetPac Regulator Kit, is supposedly the first time us ordinary D.I.Y. people can get our hands on real compressed air power tools. The CO2 pack will last about 500 nails, and you will be entirely free of compressors, batteries, fumes and noise. The universal connector is promised to fit most compressed air power tools in the market. A starter kit is USD 99:- on Amazon.
More About: Tools , Crowd , Compress

Help hitting the nail instead of your thumb.
2007-12-04 06:57:00
This is a concept for a carpentry aid developed by Arthur Se. The idea is a soft plate with cross-shaped cutouts where the nail is placed. The plate then holds the nail in place as you whack away with the hammer. Since the plate is soft it can be pulled over the head of the nail once it is sufficiently fastened. Smart. Particularly for those tiny nails, that almost always seems to cause blue thumbs and/or forefingers.
More About: Thumb , Nail

Not your ordinary three-pack of socks.
2007-12-04 06:56:00
By that we mean that this three-pack does not contain three pairs of socks, but rather three socks. Period. Perfect for Rolf Harris, if anyone still remembers him. Anyway. Both the Throx (left) and the socks from Little Miss Matched (right) are sold by threes, for the event one is lost or disappears in laundry. The Throx socks are USD 9:- for three and the Miss Matched ones are between USD 8:- and USD 10:-, but then you get socks that are beautifully mismatched, as an additional feature.
More About: Pack , Socks , Ordinary

Find a loo with SatLav.
2007-12-04 06:55:00
The authorities of London's Westminster City have apparently had enough of people (well, men, actually) who urinate in alleyways causing a foul smell. To try and solve the problem, they have now started a service to help visitors find the closest public lavatory. The service, called SatLav, directs the needy to a loo nearby when one texts the word "toilet" to number 80097. Now, the serious flaw with this much needed service seems to us to be the fee. They want GBP 0:25 (about USD 0:50) for every SMS sent, and seriously we doubt that the average alleyway urinator would like to spend that kind of cash. If they really want to keep the streets cleaner, the service should be free.
More About: Find

The ultimate emergency doohickey?
2007-12-02 16:50:00
This little wonder sports no less than 12 different functions, that can prove handy in a case of emergency. How about a hi/low beam LED flashlight, a red flashing distress signal ti get the attention of passers-by, an oil filled compass, a signal mirror, a low voltage outlet to charge your cellphone, MP3 player and other indispensable gadgets plus a motion triggered alarm. The whole thing is self powered via a crank rechargeable Li-Ion battery. From Swiss+Tech and available on for instance Amazon- for USD 30:-.
More About: Ultimate , Emergency