The Facebank

 

The recent financial meltdown not only took a toll in the United States where it began; the crisis also spread across the globe and affected every nation one way or another. As nations begin to recuperate, governments and financial institutions are advising people to save more and spend less. We all know that it is easier said than done.

As prices of goods continue to inflate while salary and wages remain stagnant; it is difficult for an average income household to save 20% of its income as suggested by financial planners. On the contrary, a Japanese national named Takada thought that perhaps all we need is a little encouragement. Thus, he developed the Facebank.

The Facebank functions like a regular piggy bank where you insert your extra coins into an opening in hopes to save them for a rainy day. The unique feature of the Facebank is that it actually has a face. It has two beady eyes, two nostrils for a nose, and a chomping mouth. To save your dimes and quarters, you will first need to activate its chomping mouth. Simply wave your hand in front of the face and sensors will automatically start the mouth chomping. You carefully insert your change into the Facebanks’ mouth and it will cleverly chew up your coins as though it was eating it.

Such a fun and interactive bank would surely motivate even young children to start saving. Just for the fascination of watching the Facebank chew, we would unknowingly continue to feed it with coins. Surely everyone would have saved up quite a nest of eggs in a very short period of time.

Available: Amazon

Price: $24.48

Lord Voldemort Room Alarm

 

The Harry Potter saga came to a close with the final movie entitled the Deathly Hallows. In the last chapter, we saw Lord Voldemort disintegrate and was no more. For those who are fans of Harry Potter characters, you will be pleased to know that the Dark Lord may be gone from the silver screen but he lives on in the form of a humble gadget; a room alarm.

Lord Voldemort Interactive Room Alarm is actually a figure of Lord Voldemort in a full spell – casting stance, sporting a wicked and menacing look and wearing his long black cape. When activated, the room alarm picks up any motion and movement in the room which triggers Lord Voldemort to immediately cast a horrible binding spell on the trespassers.

The room alarm is also programmed to recite a few of Lord Voldemort’s famous threats and evil lines in the Harry Potter movies. Couple that with the light and animation effect, the Dark Lord is certainly a terrifying room alarm you would want to have.

The Lord Voldemort Interactive Room Alarm is suitable for those above six years old. Households with young children are not advised to purchase this room alarm as it may be too frightening for them. To ensure that Lord Voldemort guards your room with gusto, he will need to be equipped with long lasting batteries. For the price of USD 49.99, it is a great decorative piece to have especially during Halloween if you are planning to have a party.

Available: ThinkGeek (out of stock at the minute)

Price: $49.99

Sealander Amphibious Camping Trailer

 

Spending a weekend getaway basking in the wonders of nature has been proven to be a good alternative to relieving stress. However, the choice used to be limited to either camping or cruising on a lake. Fortunately, with the Sealander Amphibious Camping Trailer, it is now possible to do both at the same time!

At the first glance, people often mistaken the Sealander for a regular camping trailer. How very wrong they are! The Sealander, as its name suggests, is, in fact, an amphibious trailer that can dock on both land and water. With the ability to accommodate different modules, the Sealander can be fitted with various configurations, allowing both camping activities and water activities at the same time.

Structurally, the Sealander is light and very compact, allowing it to be towed at the back of a car without the need of special permits and equipment. Its wide, cabin shaped design, on the other hand, provides stability and balance, enabling it to float on water without toppling over. In addition to that, a built-in low emission motor also allows the Sealander to traverse the water in without affecting nature and its beauty.

Operating the Sealander looks easy enough. All you have to do is back it up to a cleared shoreline, pop it into the water and watch as you float away to sunset. This magical machine, however, will only be available in the 2012 and priced starting from $20,500 ( €15,000 ) and so on for different configurations.

[Source: Sealander]

The Vertical Turntable

 

I’ve never heard of turntables taking up much space in a house, but here’s a unique turntable that’s designed to be fixed to your wall, playing your vinyl records vertically! The Vertical Turntable defies the laws of gravity, mounting to a wall and securing records with a special locking mechanism with the platter to ensure your records don’t crash onto the floor halfway through a song.

This Vertical Turntable can play your record with a 33 RPM platter speed, or 45 RPM with the adapter included with it, using a two-speed belt drive. It features two built-in 5-watt speakers with volume control and a ruby-tipped stylus to play any record up to 12” in size smoothly with no interruption.

The turntable will automatically stop once a record is finished, and there are literally no wires attached as it runs on 4 AA batteries, so fear not any ugly wires climbing up your wall. Alternatively, you can use an AC adapter to power it if you’re not into changing or charging batteries all the time.

The unique design of the turntable will definitely catch the eye and turn the heads of anyone who sees it, and it appears to be the only wall-mounted, vertical turntable available in the market. It is available at a price of $69.95, and is ideal for small, cramp apartments if you don’t have any space to spare. I don’t think scratching this particular turntable is a good idea though.

Available: Hammacher

Price: $69.94

Great Kitchen Related Websites

Check out some of these great Kitchen Relates websites:

• Kitchens.com – Kitchen designs, pictures, and modelling.
• Amazon Kitchen
• IKEA – Kitchen Accessories
• Wise Guyz Gadgets - Unique hand crafted quality gadgets and gifts for the home and garden.