Category Archives: Appliances
And Now For Something Completely Different….Er, Again.
Yesterday, to commemorate my 250th post on this here blog, I listed the top 10-most visited posts by you awesome people you. Because you all have questionable taste (kidding!), I have decided to list my personal top ten favorite posts so far:
10. The C-Bridge. A simple passenger “drawbridge” that can be operated remotely. Ideal for narrow canals that have a lot of boat traffic. I still can’t believe I thought of that hinge/railing that connects when linked.
9. Geeky Gadget Wish List #3: Ghostbusters Ecto Containment Unit. It’s a USB hub, backup drive bay, and card-reader complete with a nifty ghost trap flash drive. I want this on my desk STAT.
8. Cereal Killer! This concept takes all the colorful cereal boxes (and any other boxed food) and replaces them with brown cardboard boxes with barely any labeling. Instead, there would be a gate in front of the products with a full-color image depicting the product.
7. If IKEA Made Geeky Furniture Part 6.5: Superman Desk. I love this Fortress of Solitude desk so much I am looking at getting one made. That is, if it doesn’t cost a mint. Even though I could smash into any bank in the United States…no I could not.
6. The Green Skyscraper. It has windmills! I’m glad to see this has been done (as I noted in the article), but I feel it could be more commonplace.
5. The PC Internal Power Bridge. Not to make a big presumption, but this idea makes way too much sense. If I had the means to lobby all PC manufacturers to incorporate this kind of internal layout, I would. Hey ASUS, call me!
4. The Quadrail Elevated Rail System. Admittedly, way out there. But if one of these ever became a reality, I would scramble to get on that train so I can make rollercoaster sounds. WHHHEEEEEEEEEE!
3. Energy-Saving Refrigerators That Seal When Open. Confused? You’ll have to check it out to get the idea. I promise you’ll get all Keanu when you see it (whoa).
2. My Greatest Idea. Ever. You know, I was half kidding here, as it sits second overall. But darnit, this would would make Kraft a wajillion dollars every day! If you are a Kraft shareholder, stage an uprising/coupe to make this a reality. Pitchforks and torches are extremely effective.
1. The Green Power of Buoyancy. I believe we can have huge farms of these electricity-producing pumps along the waterfront everywhere. They are accessible, not in the way, and would create green and clean energy.
Sorta hypnotic. I can't look away.
Thanks for checking out my blog these past 9 months, it’s been a blast. Stay tuned for more!
If IKEA Made Geeky Furniture Part 8: Portal
If IKEA Made Geeky Furniture is a series of concept designs for geeks by a geek. These aren’t actual items for sale.
Probably be best to keep the LED rope light behind the mirror…you don’t want to see a blue or orange face staring back at you.
Nope. Nothing sinister at all.
I made a few more items: A Portal ‘incinerator’ waste basket, and a companion cube dresser (complete with Portal mirror) - but they both look awful silly. They got the axe.
If IKEA Made Geeky Furniture Part 5: Tetris
If IKEA Made Geeky Furniture is a series of design concepts made for geeks by a geek. These are not actual products for sale.
This one is pretty self-explanatory. Ideally, you could also make a lamp shade with this.
If IKEA Made Geeky Furniture Part 1: Donkey Kong
If IKEA approached me and said “Dave, we need you to design some cool furniture for the many geeks out there!” I’d say heck yeah. About time the joystick generation got some props from the people that talk like borgy borgy borgy. Okay, the Swedes probably don’t sound like this guy, but I have a very weird outlook.
First up would be a shelving system inspired by the original Donkey Kong. Those girders would look great on a wall. Also, they can be configured in many different ways, so if you like to recreate a staggered level from DK, or maybe have a few flat levels, that’s up to you.
They have a cool industrial look to them as well, so they can be setup in the TV room or bedroom or garage.
The electronics depicted above is a shout-out to an old post, about the need for flat component electronics.
his could be complimented by a few items, like this Barrel-inspired vase here. Ladder-shaped bookends can also be employed.
Of course you could go all out and paint the wall black, and print up some Kong and Mario decals to recreate a Donkey Kong screenshot.
I’ll have a few more IKEA posts in the next few weeks, stay tuned.
Power To The People Part 4: Pulling The Plug With A Switch
Dads everwhere have been clamoring for this.
Many appliances and electronics draw power when they are off or in an idle state. This is to allow for immediate power-on by the User. Some try to make this needless consumption appear necessary by tacking on useless features - like the clock on your stove or microwave. For the most part, this energy drain is not at all necessary.
Especially when some appliances garner infrequent use over the course of a week - like the washer/dryer and dishwasher. These should be denied their power consumption for the 95% of the time they are off. And moving the appliances from the wall to get at the plug is not an option!
So why not enable households with this “Super Power Strip”, which can cut off power to outlets and appliances when not in use. Sort of like a local fuse box terminal. A flick of the switch cuts off power at the outlet.
And the best way to deliver that sort of a control would be similar to a light switch. It’s very functional and practical. It may need a protective cover like a thermostat or my PowerBar switch design to prevent unintended switching.
In combination with one of those power consumption monitors, this tandem would be an effective tool for saving energy around the house.
Power To The People Part 2: Remote PowerBar Switch
"I got tone. Weapons locked. Firing scud missile! Pew Pew!"
You probably have a Power Strip under your desk now ( I call it a PowerBar). It comes with a switch to kill power to all the items plugged into it. Some power strips have several switches to control each item individually! This functionality helps you save power.
Two problem with this setup: The PowerBar is under your desk, and usually not very accessible - so everyone probably leaves it on 24/7. It is also under foot, so you may inadvertantly trigger the switch when you don’t want to.
I give you this remote switch concept, which is an extension of your PowerBar (argh, Power Strip) that places the power switch on your desk and at your fingertips.
It comes with a flip cover, like what you see in fighter jet cockpits, or alien spacecraft even.
Also, I thought it would be beneficial if it came with a USB plug that could control the on/off switching for your computer too. This way, you hit the switch, the computer powers down safely, and then the PowerBar switches off in sequence.
If everyone had something like this for their desktop PC’s and TV entertainment centers, there would be huge power savings on a national level.
Power To The People Part 1: Power Penalties
Perhaps it would be easier to turn things off if they were more problematic to turn on in the first place.
People don’t see a penalty or repercussion for leaving the computer on at the end of the work day. But what if they came in the next day and were greeted with “Your computer system shut down after 6 hours of zero activity. An energy-saving penalty of 1 hour will now commence. Please restart your PC then.” Computer shuts down again. The User would freak. They will likely remember to shut down at the end of the day. Every day.
Not just the TV and PC, but the stereo system. The video game console. The DVD player. The cable box. The electronics prone to being left on.
They’d all feature an auto shutdown that is triggered when it is apparent there is no activity for X number of hours. That forced shutdown would trigger a penalty the next time the User powers it on.
If you couldn’t be bothered to power if off, the electronic device should give some attitude (‘tude, the internet would say) and refuse to power on. The agony of not watching or TiVo-ing Glee or The Office.
If this ever became a reality, you’d probably wish me dead for such a nuisance! At least energy wouldn’t seem like an unlimited resource that jumps when you say so.
Of course, there would be a few exceptions - like the PC terminals in a hospital, as their operation would always be crucial.
The Power To The People series will feature some energy-saving ideas and concepts over the next few weeks.
Pivoting Drum Washer & Dryer
This one is pretty self-explanatory. By pivoting the drum, clothes can be dumped in and then dumped out with relative ease. You can use a clothes basket to dump the clothes in, as well as to retrieve said clothes. Meaning you don’t have to touch your clothes until you have to fold them.
Both the Washer and Dryer could have this functionality (I just depicted an appliance in 3 different states above). The drum would pivot up to 60 degrees in either direction.
I assumed large-scale commercial/industrial appliances would have this, but they are just front-loading as well.
This is very beneficial if you are doing large volumes of laundry. Or if you don’t like handling dirty or damp clothes.
I’m not a plumbing or mechanical expert. I imagine there would be some technical issues in allowing a drum to move freely and connect to the motor that revolves it. Perhaps an electric hubless wheel motor built-in to the drum?
Barber Chair 2.0
Dentists don’t get a lot of credit for the environment they provide their patients. They go to extraordinary lengths - for both the patient’s comfort and their own efficient means of work. A typical dentist’s office is fitted with ceiling-mounted televisions (for the patient), and a number of swivel arms bearing all kinds of tools. They can bring an x-ray machine right to your mouth if they needed.
As for Barbers and Hairstylists, their way of doing things has been relatively unchanged for decades. The last great innovation being the hydraulic chair, which helps accomodate the hairstylist when serving customers of varying heights.
So while I was getting my hair chopped today, I had noticed a minor occurence I have dealt with forever: those electrical cords that tether the clippers and hairdryer. They are often draped on me. It gets a little cumbersome when the stylist keeps changing from side-to-side - she often lifts the cord up over my head and plops it down on my other shoulder. Blah.
There is a reason these chairs can swivel 360 degrees. It’s to allow the stylist direct access to the hair and the hair-cutting implements, without having to meander all over - they are supposed to be stationary. But the stylists are all content to keep the customer stationary, and navigating around as best they can. Maybe customers have insisted on staring into the mirror?
But no more! I came up with two solutions:
A) An overhead swivel that corded devices hang from. This is exactly like the setup you’d see in a car wash bay, where the wand is tethered to a revolving overhead mount. This allows the person to walk around the entire car and wash it, without having to re-orient the car’s position. Car mechanics also use something similar for air-compressed tools.
Sure this idea is a bit cost-prohibitive, but it would be accessible and convenient.
B) The cheaper and more likely idea: mounting everything to the back of the chair.
I know some stylists use cordless clippers, but these are usually small and not very robust. If not for the required voltage, there probably would be some cordless battery-powered hairdryers and large-size clippers that can withstand the daily grind. I think a tool company like Black and Decker, which releases a bunch of industrial tools with a swappable battery system, should consider making these hair applicances with a similar battery system.
The DuoShaker 2 in 1 Shaker!
Even I am prone to the silliness of gadgets with names like Slap Chop, Shamwow, and the E-Z Juicer. So I decided, for a laugh, to create a kitchen gadget that will ‘improve’ your everyday life.
Commercial pitch: Introducing the Duoshaker! A 2 in 1 shaker! Now you can have Salt and Pepper in one dispenser! Wow!!!
How does this marvel of engineering work? Using technology pioneered by NASA in the 1960′s, the Duoshaker uses a patented* swing arm that holds the lids for both the Pepper and Salt. With a counter-balancing weight, simply tilt the DuoShaker forward to open the chamber! Not only does this reveal the dispenser, but it keeps the other chamber shut, allowing for a safe, easy dispersal of spice! Amazing!
No more having to juggle TWO separate shakers (show distraught person fumbling with 2 separate shakers), or having to endure cold food because you took too long to apply your Salt and Pepper (show sadface person)! With the DuoShaker, life is a breeze! It’s a snap to refill and is dishwasher safe!
But wait — there’s more! Order now and we’ll send you a SECOND Duoshaker - absolutely free! (Just pay shipping and handling). Now you can have TWO Duoshakers to replace your…hmmm that actually defeats the whole purpose of this product! The world will now implode from the sheer absurdity of this device!
End commercial. I haven’t used that many exclamation marks over the total history of this blog. *It’s not patented, fyi. And if I had a mulligan for this particular design, the counterweight would be in the middle of the shaker, not on the outside like a paint bucket handle.
