Part of the real pain with traditional security systems is the pain of setup.  And if you have to run wires, well, that really bites as well.  Swann wants you to buy the ADW400 and say goodbye to those pains.

The ADW400 surveillance system features a wireless, infrared video camera and a base station (DVR).  Now, for the good.  It is a digital, wireless video camera solution that allows for encryption of the video signal.  This means that no one can grab that signal and use it for nefarious purposes, like stealing your concrete duck out front.  It also means that the wireless signal will not experience interference.  The vendor claims a generous 165 foot signal distance, but I’m not super confident on that.  It also uses 1/4″ CMOS and you can record in VGA: 640 x 480 / QVGA: 320 x 240 modes.  You power the video camera by hooking it up to a power outlet.

And now for the not so goods.  The first thing is that you use an SD card in the DVR/base station.  It comes with a 2GB card that will afford you 2 hours of recording time.  If you upgrade to a 32GB card, you can record 2 days at the lowest resolution.  Now, in the long run, that would drive me insane.  I want something that would write to a computer directly.  Who wants to move video back and forth between storage devices?  It would be nice to have an eSata slot or something.  Also, I don’t think the actual camera is waterproof.  I could be wrong on that, but I didn’t find anything to tell me differently.

But, for $250 you get a pretty easy to use infrared and DVR surveillance syste.  That’s pretty good for the price.  You can also add up to 4 wireless video cameras to the system.

Here’s their video on the product.  I was half expecting this guy to rap with the music:

Solar production of hydrogen has been pretty inefficient.  And really, it seems like hydrogen should be thought more of a battery type solution.  I know of home solar installations where people are also doing hydrogen production so that they can switch to hydrogen in low sunlight situations.  Anyway, Dr. Thomas Nann at the University of East Anglia have found a way to make the solar hydrogen production at 60% efficiencies.

I just have to post their abstract summary though b/se it makes me die laughing whenever I read these:

“A novel nanophotocathode for hydrogen production which is based on a multi-layer array of InP quantum dots activated with a synthetic iron-based electrocatalyst related to the subsite of an hydrogenase…”

Okay, enough geek humor.  Basically, what they have done is create a gold cathode with indium phosphide nanoclusters on it.  What they found is that the nanoclusters really catalyzes the electrolysis event.  That means better hydrogen production.

Now, what’s funny is that gold doesn’t have to be used for the cathode.  And that’s good, with Gold currently exceeding $1,000 and ounce.  So, the possibility of building low cost, high efficiency hydrogen producers is much more likely.  But, like most nano work, I’ll believe it when i see it in production – being mass produced.

I loooooooove destructive projects that involve dangerous and hazardous materials.  Feast your eyes on the potato and fireball canon.  These crazy nutsjobs at Monkeybase (Norway) have created a weapon that will be envied by the world of men and boys everywhere.  Me wantie.

Watch the vids and drool:

As wireless networking gets more and more powerful, the shift into the home theater space is natural.  People want to stream all their media.  HD TV makes this challenging.  Netgear’s new WNHDB3004 touts HD wireless media transfers.  Will it deliver?

The funny thing about the WNHDB3004 is that it is a kit of 2 wireless adapters.  You plug one into your router/gateway and the other plugs into your blu ray player, TIVO, etc.  The adapters run Wireless N and netgear claims that you can run 2 blu ray quality streams over it wirelessly.  Early testers seem to agree with this statement, saying that the quality is impressive.

Here are the specs:

I usually don’t post about concept items, but I like one.  The inflatable sleeping coat could revolutionize your campouts or college experience.

Lin Tsui-Wei says that it is “refreshing to get away from work and the hustle and bustle of life in the city, but spending time in nature can be a challenge – carrying luggage and outdoor equipment, and being prepared for unpredictable weather can cause inconveniences.”  So, she created this concept that would allow you to pare down your sleeping items to, well, what you are wearing.  The great thing about this idea is that it would fit around your body naturally.  Sure, it wouldn’t do in those camping extreme examples, but could really do well in a pinch.  I love minimalism.

I can still hear that strange, computer derived pulsating beat coming from the arcade box.  It was like magic.  And I can still feel the pressure of trying to get those little buggers before they get too close.  Now you can bring that anxiety nostalgia to any room.

Well, now, for a paltry $38, you can buy that nostalgia and post it in any room.  Man, that is capitalistic goodness.  The Blik Invader is here.  Perfect for any dorm or geek

You know there are times, places, and circumstances when you just wish you had a flashlight.  Well, there are handful of interesting LED gloves out there and they are surprisingly well priced.

The MCR safety gloves pictured above look like snow gloves, but are really work gloves.  That would make any work at night much easier.  And for the cost, $13.22, that’s not a bad deal.  The gloves are foam rubber in the palm with a neoprene skin around the wrist and so forth.  The battery will last 14 hours and the bulb a measly 50,000 hours.

You know, for the rugged photography, the need for minimalism is extreme.  But having a compact tripod could fit anyone’s needs – if the price is right.  Well, ZipShot Compact Ultra-Light Instant Tripod runs around $50.

This lightweight weighs in at a tiny 11 ounces.  And as far as setup, well it’s a cinch.  If you have set up a tent recently, the system will look all too familiar.  Watch the video and you’ll see what I mean:

The Barrett M82A1 is one bad gun.  The original M82 was featured on future weapons.  But the M82A1’s main purpose is not sniping individuals in the battlefield.  It is used primarily to breach concrete barriers, disable vehicles, hit installations, etc.  However it’s used, it’s sure to instill fear in the enemy’s mind.

The incredible range of 4900 feet makes this a versatile weapon.  Let that range sink in for a bit.  It’s a high energy weapon that can also handle armor piercing,  incendiary rounds.  This weapon takes a .50 BMG (Browning Machine Gun) round, pictured below.  Imagine that hitting something or someone.  Egads.

The flared nozzle minimizes kickback from those massive rounds.  This also allows quick volley fire.  I could go on and on about the Barrett M82A1, but I think video does it best justice.

There is still an open jury around the effects of radiative energy and cell phone use.  Pong isn’t taking any chances, however, offering an innovative iPhone case that directs that energy away from your melon.

So, how exactly does the Pong case work?  Well, it attracts the radiative energy from your cell phone antenna.  It works like a chimney, funneling that energy away from your mop top.  So, what about signal loss or distortion?  Well, Pong is claiming that there is no signal loss or distortion with this technology.  Wired did a test not too long ago and made the following observations: “Specific Absorption Rate fell from 1.181 W/kg for a bare iPhone 3GS to 0.421 W/kg for the same iPhone 3GS with a Pong case, a drop of 65%.”  That’s pretty impressive.  Cost is $60.