Gadget Dose

If you are like me and have either dogs or cats, (or I suppose any other pet that eats out of a food dish) you know that there are always some drawbacks with feeding. For one - when you are away at work theres no reliable way to feed your pet. Sure, you can just leave a big bowl heaped full of food around - but you know what happens. Usually, the food gets eaten all at once leaving Rover or Fluffy full and uncomfortable the entire day. This can lead of course to the dreaded accident.

Another situation (mine actually) is I have 2 dogs and one eats the others leftover food. Making one dog hungry and the other fatter.

So how (without babysitting the food bowls) do you handle this with technology? Enter the digital pet bowl. You can program this bowl to open at any time to dispense up to one cup of food and it also has a water compartment too.

An added bonus is the voice recorder - so you can record your voice and have it “call” your pet when the bowl opens.

This won’t work of course for Newfoundlands whom will probably eat the bowl too — but for most breeds it should be fine for a middle of the day snack. If you’ve got more than one like mine you can use two dishes to prevent the heaping bowl from being an irresistible treat all day.

If you want something a little more versatile - theres also a 6 day version available at Amazon.

This particular version retails for $89.95 and you can find it HERE

Isn’t it time your pet joined the digital revolution? - Just do me a favor and don’t get Rover an Ipod k?

Now just to get things straight - I’m not advocating using this to find otherworldly spirits in your house If you want to go ghost hunting, you probably want one of those um “special” units.

You then might ask yourself - Just what do I need an EMF detector for?

Use #1
Well, for starters we all have some kind of magnetic media in the house, be it cassette tapes, VHS tapes , (maybe home videos?) , Floppy disks, camcorder tapes, etc.

You want to find a place in your house to store these where the EMF fields are the lowest.

Use #2
High EMF fields can indicate excessive current draw - so if your doorbell transformer is giving off a huge field, it may be shorting out to some extent and costing you money each month. ( note you could also find improper wiring faults using the same principal)

Use #3
High EMF fields are also unhealthy - if you knew your living room couch was right over that 220v 40 amp run - you might just re-arrange the room around that.

Use #4
Tv Screens ,Monitors etc. -they by nature give off quite a field, you could use the meter to find the best spot on your desk (or under it) where the monitor would affect the pc (and its drive within) the least.

Probably the biggest reason I’m even bringing this gadget up is that my favorite Science Store Edmund Scientific has it for only $24.95 !

Once in a while you find something like this gadget, in design and function simplicity shine right through. What this nondescript little black box does is plug into a phone line (your home phone) and allows you to dial in with your cell phone and turn on devices in your house. The genius of it is the cellphone as a controller - I mean, wherever you are you probably have your cell. Even if not, theres probably a phone nearby. So call your house from the office - turn on the lights in the driveway - and you can even control thermostats with the thermostat module.

You will need the control modules as well - so this box triggers control modules which then turn on your appliance. When you call in to your home phone, the X10 Telephone Responder picks up after 30 seconds. You will then hear 3 beeps. At this point you can press a number 0 - 9 that corresponds to each of the 10 devices available followed by * for on and # for off. A three digit security code can be set before access is allowed if desired. The Telephone Responder can also be set to flash X10 controlled lights or activate chime modules when the phone rings, great for when you are outside.

There are some limitations - some answering machines may get fouled up, and if you have voice messaging through a phone or VOIP provider - they will probably intercept calls before the 30 rings.

You can always get a second line dedicated to the Responder, yes it’s gonna cost extra but its cheaper than leaving a computer running 24/7 to do the same thing - and you don’t have as much access to a networked pc as you do with a cell phone.

The Responder is priced at $69.99 not a bad initial investment. Each X-10 module is only $22.99 - not too bad. The Thermostat modules vary in price, but most of the ones I’ve seen are pricey at between $150 - $250. Considering you can get a digital programmable thermostat for less than $40.00 (this one is an example)I’d probably go that way and set it to turn on your heat an hour or so before you leave work.

If remote control of devices is appealing to you check out the Remote Controlled Outlets - We use ‘em here for all power strips where standby on tv’s or stereos costs us while the devices are off.

This candle captures the elegance of a real wax candle in a flameless, everlasting candlelight at the touch of a button. These are the world’s only remote-controlled battery-operated flameless candles. Using LED bulb technology, these electronic candles produce a soft flickering flame just like a real candle.

The remote can turn the candles on and off from 30 feet away and can be used on multiple candles. A kit of three candles is also available with a 6″ x 3″, a 9′ x 3″ and a 12″ x 3″.

Not a bad idea, instead of blowing ‘em out like the other LED candles we wrote about. I suppose since it’s a I/R remote - that you could also use a multifunction remote programmed to the candles….

Candles are vanilla scented - no idea how long that scent lasts , however I got a similar candle a couple weeks ago and it still has its scent. Smarthome also carries a fair assortment of other models of lighted (LED) candles and tealights.

** update - my bad - it was a late morning after a holiday - you can get these at Smarthome Singles for $39.99 and they also sell sets - offered at the same page.

Called atomic because it sets itself via radio frequency - connecting to the US atomic clock in Boulder Co. Which means all you have to do to set this clock is to tell it which timezone you are in and it takes care of the rest- every evening it will connect to the time server and sync to the exact second.

I have a similar clock and on a couple AA batteries will run for more than a year and always is perfectly accurate.

The moon phase indicator is a bonus - it also tells you the temperature indoors - and outside (remote sensor)

Right now it lists for $39.99 at Amazon - but if you look down to the buy it used and new - you can find e’m for 16 bucks. Im not sure how long that will last though.

Product link The Weather Channel WS-8117CTWC Atomic Digital Wall Clock with Outdoor Temperature

Almost all cordless phones come with a jack on them for just this kind of thing. For the price ($10.99) you can turn you regular phone into a hands free version, letting you do work or goof off while talking.

You can Grab one at Amazon.

Without a doubt the coolest looking light switch / dimmer I have ever seen. They even have an interactive demo where you can see how it works, and play around with different finishes and light color combo.

It’s being released this Fall - no word on pricing yet.

“Makes any existing kitchen and bathroom faucet fully automated!”
Just simply mount the Touch-Free adapter to your existing faucet. Powered by 4 AAA batteries that can last up to 1 1/2 year.

Boasts up to 70% savings in water consumption and because you don’t have to touch the faucet, no spreading of germs.

Manufacturers website

Gadget, Faucet, Infrared

This little gem is both convenient and can save you money. We all turn on the shower and wait for it to get hot. This device sits in between the shower head and the pipe. When you turn on the water for the shower - it measures the temp of the water and shuts off when the water is hot enough. Waiting for you to go ahead and get in. Think of it as a pause button for the water. Since it avoids letting the water run - you save water, and money on heating hot water thats just going down the drain.

Nice little eco friendly gadget that won’t break the bank at $39.95 -Grab one HERE

Gadget, Hot Water Saver

Ever want to brew up your own beer but not go through all the work and hassle? The Beer Machine 2000 is your answer. Pretty much all you have to do is plug it in and add the mix. The machine then lets you Brew, Ferment, Carbonate and Dispense Fresh Beer Right from your Home. 2.6 Gallon Capacity Stays Preserved Up to 6 Months.

How cool is that?

But it HERE for only $94.62

This is one of those gadgets where you wonder why no one had thought of it before. I love the way this hides cables and adapters.

manufacturer’s site.

So you have raw chicken goo on your hands and don’t want to touch anything - but you need a paper towel to wipe up with. - Problem Solved.

Sensor activated control guarantees one hand operation without touching the unused sheets or the dispenser, and the towels don’t unravel. It prevents contamination and saves paper. This smart Towel-Matic can dispense one sheet, two sheets, or the new half page sheet on demand with just the approach of your hand.

Found at Amazon for $55.99

Gadget, Kitchen, Touchless

oh man, someone hold me down - this is the coolest. - A doorbell you can plug into the pc and upload sound files to. So on Monday your doorbell can fart, on Thursday it can burp - and all weekend it can play the theme from the Godfather!

What more could any geek ask for? Nothing I tell you!

Grab it at Thinkgeek for $99.99

Gadget, Doorbell, Programmable

What with all the equipment we use everyday calling for power even when switched off, the only way to really clamp down on your energy bill is to either unplug them, or switch them off with a power strip. While this works - its not exactly the most convenient solution cause you don’t want to be crawling behind the tv everyday to reach that power strip.

These R/C outlets make the job easy. One remote can control up to 4 outlets, which makes it pretty darn simple to switch things on or off. Priced at $19.98 and additional outlets for $9.98

Get on top of your energy bill today , you can buy the R/C outlets HERE

Gadget, R/C, Energy Savings

There are plenty of good reasons why you’d want a lighted house number; night time food delivery, emergency situations, friends coming from far away. This particular unit uses solar energy to charge so theres no electrical cost of leaving it on. It’s also reduced in price from $29.00 to $19.99.
Grab it here at Amazon

Gadget, Solar, Lighted house number