Friday, September 24, 2010

Pop Pop Boat

It finally arrived from Japan today. It's Pop Pop boat from the 60's found in a huge toy cache in a defunct Japanese factory. It's actually not that special...I just like cool toys that use interesting physics. It's a Pop Pop Boat! If you've seen Ponyo, then you've seen one in action.
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The instructions are in German, so I had to translate them on line to figure out how to make it work.
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It comes with everything you need. Candles, straw, boilers, and of course the boat.
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You put the lit candle in the back.
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And the boat takes off.
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Here is a video of it in action.

*For those that are interested in how a pop boat works. I'll briefly explain.
There are two pipes coming off the back that go into the boat into a boiler. Before you start you use a small straw to blow water up into the boiler. the water usually doesn't stay inside, but it leaves water droplets. So when the candle is lit and put under the boiler it quickly heats those droplets and turns them to steam, and since steam expands, it's quickly pushed out the back of the pipes.
Once all the steam is gone, the heat creates a vacuum inside the boiler, this causes water to be sucked back in. Starting the whole process over again. This happens several times a second. The pop comes from the stream expanding and contracting rapidly inside the boiler.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

tuttuki bako: A poking box!

This nifty little box is called a tuttuki bako. I don't know what that translates to but I like saying it.
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The side has this little hole in it that you put your finger in.
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Then you move your finger around to interact on the screen. Like here I'm fighting a little stick figure.
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All of the controls are done with the finger like this from changing the volume to setting the alarm. It works as a clock!
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Some of the games are weird. Like poking a woman in the eye.
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Tuesday, September 21, 2010

My Ultimate Toothbrush: The Radius Original

This is it. The Radius Original. This is the greatest toothbrush ever invented.
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For starters it's eco friendly being made of a sustainable cellulose.
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It has a gigantic brush head on it. This really make a noticeable difference in teeth cleaning. It completely overtakes your teeth and gums, with out being too harsh.
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They are made right handed and left handed specific.
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My favorite part is that they all have this little imperfect bubble in them. It probably means nothing and is a limitation of the machining process, but it's a nice human touch.
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Friday, September 17, 2010

iPhone Case/Wallet

I try to travel light when it comes to things in my pockets. I only have as many keys on my key chain as necessary(two, one for the car and one for the house). And I used to carry a front pocket wallet with my phone. That all changed when I found the casemate Wallet case for the iphone 4.
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The nice part is that it's very thin and doesn't add much bulk to the already thin iphone. It has enough room to carry one credit card and an ID. Which is all I carry anyway.
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It's very convenient. Of course, if I lose my phone then I lose my wallet, so it's all or nothing.
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Unfortunately, as with all cases, It completely hides the gorgeous design of the iphone.
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Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Panasonic GF-1

This is camera I use for all of my photos on this site. It's a Panasonic GF-1. I have several lenses for it, but I mostly use this f/1.7 20mm lens.

The GF-1 is a DSLR, but is way more compact because it doesn't have the mirror eye pice contraption on top. It's brilliant I say!

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Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Family Water Fountains

I found this water fountain outside the Doctor House Museum in Glendale the other day.
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It may seem like a regular water fountain, but it's actually the coolest water fountain I've ever seen.
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There are two spouts at the top for an adult and a kid.
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And then one at the bottom for a dog...or a cat I suppose.
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Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Walt Disney Concert Hall

I've been in Jury Duty for the last week and a half, and every day I park at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
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I had never seen it before last week, and I have to admit that I am blown away by it.
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It's pretty amazing to see, it's like air has become aluminum.
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Everything about this building feels like it's flowing.
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I even like the escalators to the parking.
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