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Building a Computer in an Aquarium, Using Clear Mineral Oil

Posted Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008 by Alex Ion

To be honest, building a computer inside of an aquarium filled with clear mineral oil, seems to be a great challenge and the guys at PugetSystems did it. They managed to submerge, first an old computer and then an Intel Core 2 Duo E6600, 2GB of RAM (OCZ), with an NVIDIA 650i Ultra motherboard, a 8600 GT video card and a 74GB Western Digital Raptor hard drive.

They used an Eclypse System 6 Aquarium, Lian-Li motherboard tray, clear acrylic panel, silicon sealant, weather stripping, an air pump and bubble bar for the bubbles of course, and obviously 5-6 gallons of mineral oil.

This is just a fun model and Puget Systems won’t sell it. Here are more info if you want to build your own.

Top 12 Gadgets any Grandma Should Have

Posted Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 by Alex Ion

We’re young and we use all sorts of electronics but have you ever wondered what gadget could you get your Grandma for her birthday? Unless you have some inside tips on what she needs we’re going to take our chances and see what are the top gadgets every Grandma should have.

Nintendo Wii

Grandma and Grandpa playing Nintendo Wii Tennis

Do you want your Grandma to stay in shape? No we’re not crazy but studies showed that the Wii could be used for medical purposes. The game increases coordination and also help patients to gain strength. Can you imagine Grandma and Grandpa playing tennis on their Nintendo Wii Sports game in the living room, for 20 minutes? That’s a lot of exercise for them and trust me it’s not only healthy but is also fun. (picture by BoingBoing)


Magno Wooden Radio

Magno Wooden Radio

And when it comes to entertainment, granies love to listen to old radios, right?. Thus, the MAGNO Wooden Radio can’t be more pleasuring.It is made almost entirely out of sustainable grown wood. Even if the radio has a classic appearance, it is compatible with most of the current mp3 players on the market. The MAGNO Wooden Radio retails for $275 and though it’s a little bit expensive your Grandma should love it.


A Webcam

Creative Live! Cam Optia

Modern Grandmas should definitely know how to use the computer. Furthermore, besides social networking (yeah right!) they should be able to use a webcam. In this way Grandmas stay in touch with their kids and grands or just chat with their friends. For this purpose I recommend the 2 megapixel Creative Optia AF webcam. Shop it online for 100 bucks, it’s a good choice.


Self-shaking salt and pepper shakers

Self-shaking salt and pepper shakers

Cooking and eating will be easy with the self-shaking salt and pepper shakers. Grannies shouldn’t make any effort, so I think these shakers might help. They come in Red & Nectarine, Blue & Yellow or Charcoal & White. They are on sale right now for only $9.95 a pair. That’s another must.


The OHSO pocket toothbrush

OHSO toothbrush for traveling

This gadget would be perfect for traveling Grandmas. The OHSO Pocket Toothbrush is similar to one of James Bond’s gadget, but it just brushes the teeth instead of doing weird things. It has a replaceable bristle head and a toothpaste chamber. Fresh breath and clean teeth with just $17.99 on ThinkGeek.com


Lavender Stress Ball

Lavender Stress BallDo you agree with me that a stressed out Grandma is not a good thing? Therefore if she doesn’t want to use a Nintendo Wii to relax how about the Lavender stress ball? It’s filled with real lavender flower and flax seeds and works like a charm because of its aromatherapy powers of those natural essential oils. It can be carried everywhere because it fits in a small bag, easily. You can buy it for $5.05.


Army-approved password manager

Army tested password manager

I am not going to assume that your Grandma is old, but the fact that she has kids to take care of, meals to cook and lots of other errands to do she may have a moment where she forgot her email address password. This is where this “Army-approved” password manager comes in helpful. It’s built as a small keyring device which can manage up to 50 logins, security codes, PINs, etc (that’s enough for Grandma right ? Cost is $49.99 but security is high.


A digital photo frame

Ceiva digital photo frameDon’t get overexcited with WiFi, Flickr sync or RSS feeds for the digital photo frame for your Grandma unless she’s a geek (which I think she may not be) instead buy it because she’ll enjoy the base thing these gadgets do : showing pictures. Upload some photos with you from your vacation, with your loved one or with your friends and she’ll be happy. The prices range from $50 to $150. (pictured is a Ceiva frame)


The Mood Lamp

Jellephish mood lamp

The Jellephish Mood Lamp is perfect for setting a calm atmosphere with its mood changing colors. It uses computer controlled digital LED light technology to deliver an amazing spectrum of colored lights. The Mood Lamp retails for $159.99 and I’m sure your Grandma would show it to the whole neighborhood.


Solar LED Number

Solar LED numbers

I’ll have to agree not all Grandmas live in a house but for those that do, solar LED numbers would look great on the front porch. Made of solid aluminum fixture, they absorb energy from the sun to power two high output white LEDs during the night. They’ll shine for 8 to 10 hours on a bright sunny charge. Here’s more info.


Give Grandma a universal remote control

Logitech Harmony 1000

The granny should live in comfort so an universal remote control would be perfect for her. Logitech Harmony 1000 can do such a job. The remote can control multiple devices, to be exactly around 175,000 electronics from 5,000 worldwide brands. It control video, audio, gaming and even lights and appliances. It retails for $499 or less.


Help her to survey the neighborhood

Binoculars with case

Get Grandma binoculars. If she’s a little bit kinky she’ll need it to watch the guys across the street having … uhh … “lunch”. If she needs to know who did what and have the finest details get her binoculars. They are not very expensive but someone will be happy.


These are just a few things a granny could use. We’re always open minded so if you have more ideas, why not make this a big list?

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