Is wearable tech still a thing? Here is a wristwatch version of the Nike Mag, otherwise known as those self-lacing shoes from Back to the Future Part II. The design cues borrow from the strap and ankle brace.
The replica shoes Nike released in 2011 and 2016 still fetch obscene prices on eBay today, so I felt an alternative/affordable product would be ideal for BTTF fans. 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the sequel, so hopefully something like this will be offered to celebrate the occasion.
NHL ’94 turns 25 in a few months! If it were up to me, I would re-release it in this nifty cartridge with a built-in goal light. The LED light would illuminate when a goal is scored (unless the scoring team is the Canucks or Oilers).
The idea isn’t so far-fetched. Recently there have been commemorative cartridge re-releases for Street Fighter II, Mega Man 2, Mega Man X, and Holy Diver to name a few. Are retro game cartridges following the same footsteps as vinyl albums? Time will tell.
I doubt NHL ’94 would get the re-release treatment, despite the game’s cult following. However this cartridge would make for a cool Budweiser Red Light or a Hallmark ornament.
The light gimmick would be great for other cartridge games. The buzzer in NBA Jam, fatalities in Mortal Kombat, low health in Zelda, getting damage in Goldeneye 64 — I can go on forever. The trick is programming the light to react to an in-game event.
This alarm clock has an LCD display, so it could show a lot of helpful information like weather and music settings, perhaps even personal assistant searches from Alexa. But the main draw is the Red Alert alarm, which may provide some much-needed urgency when it comes to getting out of bed in the morning.
There’s an array of buttons on top, but I made the only button that matters - the Snooze button - front and center. This alarm also sits on a Lazy Susan, so it can swivel in place just like Picard’s personal computer in his ready room.
Here are a bunch of products that came and went but deserve a second chance, in my opinion. In no particular order:
1. Clickwheel iPod. Right now the only iPod available is the Touch, but there are dozens of us still clinging to the old clickwheel models. I have a hunch that a clickwheel iPod will return in 2021 to mark the device’s 20th anniversary.
I remember Apple showing off a new line of iPods (5th Gen Nano I think), and I honestly thought the clickwheels were illuminated! I was wrong, of course. For the mockup above I included that feature. Bluetooth and wireless charging would also be welcome additions.
Continue reading ➞ 6 Dead Gadgets That Deserve A Revival
Vancouver has one of the best mass transit systems in the world, but I do not miss the crowded trains that happen during peak times. I propose special ‘Overflow’ train cars that sit at the front and back of a train, increasing passenger capacity. This creates a longer train that extends beyond the length of existing platforms.
Continue reading ➞ Overflow Train Cars
The Echo Show is an Alexa assistant with a display, and I think the killer app for this device is game shows like Jeopardy where Alexa serves as the host. Alexa can display the game, narrate questions, listen for answers, and keep track of score.
Continue reading ➞ Alexa The Game Show Host
I’d love to get a MAME arcade cabinet but they would just take up too much space, so I thought of building one into your average door. It would need wheels to support the weight of the flat TV/electronics, and a power source would be tricky to execute. All said, I think this is do-able.
