This very, very compact bike tool is probably the smallest we have ever heard of. It sports five different Allen wrenches and one Philips screwdriver bit and the whole thing can be folded to the size of a walnut. Since the tool is so small, it cannot do the toughest jobs, but it will handle most of the tinkering you will need to do on your bike.brbr
Telephone manufacturer Doro has won a French design prize – The Janus Award – for their senior telephone called MemoryPlus 319ph. The phone is specially designed to be easy to use by elderly people. Design by Ergonomidesign design firm.brbr
Sometimes measuring the exact right amount of a liquid can be a pretty messy affair. And this is especially annoying when handling oil or chemicals. Enter this pretty smart double compartment measuring bottle. First measure by letting some liquid into the smaller measuring compartment (1). Then check to see if you got it right (2) and adjust if need be (3). Finally pour the desired amount (4). USD 8:-.brbr
Japanese brewers have begun stamping Braille dots on top of their beer cans. In Braille, the dots read alcohol though some of Kirin Brewery’s cans spell out Kirin Beer. Alcohol Braille identifiers on beer cans are just one more way the visually impaired are given extra consideration in Japan. Braille raised dots can also be found on handrails leading to and from underground subway stations, where they state the name of the station.brbr
Toronto-based WhalePower Corp. is using the fins of humpback whales to help design a better fan (and, hopefully, wind turbine). US scientists discovered some time ago that the little bumps on the Humpback whale’s fins result in less drag and better lift when compared to a smooth fin. A fan blade with similar bumps makes the fan quieter, more efficient, and better at pushing down air, according to Envira-North, the company that has licensed the WhalePower design. Fans using WhalePower’s design could use 20 percent less energy, and now that fans are incorporating the design, WhalePower will continue to work to apply the idea to wind turbines.brbr
We have previously posted on a couple of of fork/spoon/knife combinations, but for some reason we have missed the Knork. The idea came to Knork inventor Mike Miller while eating pizza with a group of friends. Trying to cut and eat pizza with just a fork, he realized he had a better idea. After several years he pursued a patent by researching and developing a prototype. He took a regular fork and covered it in auto putty with the hopes of creating a multi-functional utensil. After taking pictures of people of all ages using a regular fork, Miller combined all this into one utensil that was suitable for all ages and right or left handed users.brbr
The extra hand has an 18-inch long, flexible, stay-in-place goose neck. The rubber-tipped steel clamps at both ends can grasp most anything, letting you use both hands to get the job done. Good for holding instructions, work lights, flashlights, tools, etc. USD 24:95. brbr
With the BottomsUp water purifier, all you have to do is fill any PET type bottle with water, screw on the BottomsUp top, turn it upside down, and the water what comes out will be a whole lot better. Design by Samgmin Bae. brbr
The amount of fat that your body stores is regulated by a complex chemical network. We won’t go into much detail here, but researchers have thought that interfering with these chemical pathways could perhaps reduce fat build-up. One promising substance, according to a group of researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA, is a signaling molecule called neuropeptide Y (NPY) known to regulate feeding habits. The team at Johns Hopkins says a chemical belonging to a family of chemicals called butyrolactones reduces the amount of NPY produced by the brain, thereby reducing the appetite. The team has tested the idea in mice and says it can precisely control the amount of food mice eat by varying their dosage of C75. Extensive clinical trials will of course be needed before the efficacy and safety of C75 in humans can be established.brbr
Industrial designer Jorre van Ast (remember his Clampology we posted on a couple of years ago?) has come up with a way of re-using old glass jars. He has made new lids for them. The lids are made to fit a number of different purposes, like sugar dispenser, oil and vinegar, spice containers, etc. Check them out on Jorre’s own site…brbr
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