The invention of the “Man Cave” was a game changer for men. It gave men the excuse to devote a place in the house exclusively to enjoying all things manly. They could watch sports, play video games…do whatever they wanted. But why should guys get to have all the fun? After seeing how awesome man caves were, women have started making their own versions known as “She Sheds.” One woman was exploring new property when she found a tiny cabin. What she did with it was amazing. (via Wimp) It’s awesome and beneficial for everyone to have a place to get away from it all. If you can afford it, you should definitely invest in your own space to relax. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/she-sheds/
If you’re hungry, you better smile: Researchers at the University of Toyko have developed a smile-activated refrigerator, which requires users to flash a grin before entering. The system, which is called the “The Happiness Counter,” aims to naturally encourage smiling in our every day lives. Equipped with built-in Sony CyberShot digital camera that features smile-recognition technology and an attached light sensor, it can sense when a smile has been flashed and unlocks the refrigerator door. Although you would think this could cure late-night food-binging for those feeling down, it’s still possible to open the refrigerator if you don’t smile — you just have to tug at it harder. “We feel that the happiness counter will naturally encourage the act of smiling in the multitude of daily frustrations, thus enhancing a positive mood and the communication of people,” a spokesperson said in a product video. The fridge might actually make smiling easier, too: researchers conducted a series of trials to test its effectiveness and found participants were more likely to smile forcefully in the first few days of using the system, compared to day 10 when people were much more likely to smile naturally. The team also believes this type of smile-activated technology has potential to boast productivity and morale in the workplace. For example, a “Happiness Counter” could be installed outside a meeting room, and only those who smile are allowed to enter. “Increasing the number of smiles in the workplace will enhance the atmosphere for everyone and they might be able to produce some nice ideas,” a spokesperson said in the video. Are you intrigued by the concept? Do you think it could really make a difference in your overall mood and outlook? Let us know in the comments below. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/10/smile-refrigerator/
Cocoagraphs are artisan chocolate bars printed with edible Polaroid-style photographs. Calling to mind nostalgia for years past, these charming confections are completely custom, printed with any photograph, logo or image of your choosing. With each cocoagraph handmade to order, all users have to do is upload a photo and choose the ingredients from milk, white, dark or organic dark chocolate. Best of all, Instagram and Hipstamatic photos are particularly well-suited to the square chocolate bars, making them instant gift or souvenir for any occasion. Using ethical sourcing and manufacturing practices to ensure superior flavor and quality, this family-operated company seem to have found the perfect balance between food and technology. Watch a video explaining the process below. This article originally published at PSFK here Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/07/20/cocoagraphs/
The Inebriator is a cocktail machine that mixes your drink in seconds. With this Arduino-powered robot bartender, all you have to do is grab a glass, fill it with ice, select your desired drink, give it a little stir and enjoy. The makers of the cocktail-making robot describe the inspiration behind the project: Most parties we have been to there is a good selection of spirits and mixers, but no one has the inclination to make cocktails. This project is designed to make it as simple as feasibly possible to get perfect cocktails every time without the hassle of looking up ingredients or measuring spirits and mixers. The Inebriator features a Hitachi HD44780 compatible display that displays drink information, navigation buttons, a stepper motor to drive the drink shelf and a cluster of LEDs to illuminate the glass and mixers. This article originally published at PSFK here Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/09/06/inebriator-cocktail-machine/
The Nuna Pepp is sure to make you wonder why Americans need to have everything so big. The European stroller, which only recently debuted in the United States, is compact and incredibly light, weighing in at just 19 pounds. Despite its smaller size, the stroller still has a shade, storage basket and five-point harness. We had a chance to test drive the Pepp stroller, and found it to be snappy, compact and very chic. Assembly was a breeze, and it folds incredibly flat for easy storage. The compactness of the stroller is probably its best feature; place it side-by-side with a typical American stroller, and you’ll definitely see the difference. The Pepp is also made for one-hand navigation, so no more coffee-stained shirts while pushing your baby. The five-point harness, however, is something to get used to. Because it requires so many clicks into and out of place, prepare for a greater struggle with your writhing little one. What’s more, the basket underneath is reminiscent of typical European car trunks — very small without much room for storage. The Nuna Pepp retails for about $300, so it isn’t the cheapest stroller on the market, but urban dwellers will appreciate what it has to offer. Read more Crash Test Mom gadget reviews on Mashable Image: YouTube, Crash Test Mom Natali Morris Natali is a technology reporter and host/editor-in-chief of Crash Test Mom, a parenting product review show. She is a regular contributor to CNBC and The TODAY Show, as well as an MBA student at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. She is …More Read more: http://mashable.com/2013/09/29/nuna-pepp-stroller/
Trade your wallet for some creativity this holiday season. The Cooperative of Photography compiled six DIY gift ideas for photography lovers. Even if you’re strapped for time (and cash), you can still make a beautiful and personalized gift. Wood transfers and photo lanterns are basically popsicle stick frames for adults. The Bellas and Green Bay Packers aca-battle in ‘Pitch Perfect 2’ trailer Walter White sells ‘pharmaceuticals’ in Esurance Super Bowl ad Richard Sherman directs his latest tirade at Bill de Blasio in ‘SNL’ sketch ‘SNL’ follows Jay Z on his journey from drug dealer to successful rapper Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/12/16/diy-photography-gifts/
Once you see how the sausage is made, they say, you probably won’t want to eat it. A photographer named Peter Augustus created a photo series that shows popular food dishes next to their raw animal counterparts. It’s … eye-opening, to say the least. Elliott gives his take on it in the newest episode of Mashable Minute. Last week, we strongly persuaded you to not have sex with a shark. Check it out: Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/09/08/mashable-minute-food-porn/
A self-professed food geek has developed a sleek kitchen gadget that makes high-end sous vide cooking accessible in your own home. Sous vide is a cooking technique where food is kept in a water bath that is held at a consistent, low temperature. As explained in the video below, the sous vide method can’t overcook food in the water, allowing consistent results each time you make something. It is partially similar to cooking with a crock pot, in that you can plan a meal ahead and leave food cooking for hours at a time. Seattle-based Scott Heimendinger and Lukas Svec created the Sansaire immersion circulator, which heats and holds water at a very precise temperature, circulating the water to even out hot and cold spots. The consistent results give you evenly-cooked food, as show in the image below (sous vide on left, versus traditionally-cooked on right). Sous vide is a technique we’ve seen in restaurants, but Heimendinger told Mashable it makes sense in the home environment “because it removes you from the role of human thermostat.” In an oven, the temperature is higher so you can overcook food. With sous vide, the water bath is set at or slightly above the intended temperature you want the food to reach. Heimendinger said he cooks a medium-rare steak via sous vide at about 52 degrees Celsius. Afterwards, he uses a blow torch to quickly sear the steak. Heimendinger, also founder of the blog SeattleFoodGeek.com, said he first discovered this technique when he went out to dinner and had a side salad with a sous-vide-cooked egg on top. “The texture was so incredible,” he told Mashable. “It was so perfectly cooked. The yolk: it was thick but still runny, and the white was like pudding … There was something totally special and different about it, and I had to know how it came to be so.” Along with cofounder Svec, Heimendinger wants to take their Sansaire gadget into full-scale production by raising funds on Kickstater. Their project hit its $100,000 goal in about 13 hours, when it first launched in early August. With 13 days still left to go in the Kickstarter campaign, backers had already pledged more than $516,000, as of Friday afternoon. The Sansaire costs $199, much lower than the pro $1,200 circulators Heimendinger says he traditionally saw on the market. This summer, competitor Nomiku also raised more than a half-million dollars on Kickstarter for its immersion circulator. The Nomiku device currently costs $359. A Food Geek Heimendinger (pictured above, left) said he has always had some interest in food, noting that both his parents were good cooks and used to have a lot of dinner parties. “When I got to college, I got more interested in cooking on my own, mostly because the food on campus was pretty terrible,” he said. Heimendinger studied information systems at Carnegie Mellon University and has worked for IBM and Microsoft. He’s now involved with Modernist Cuisine, a Seattle-area research lab that merges the art […]
Our next non-fiction selection for the MashableReads social book club is Douglas Rushkoff‘s Present Shock. We’ll be hosting a Twitter chat with Rushkoff on Dec. 16 from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET. You can discuss the book with the author personally, along with other participants from all over the world. In Present Shock, Douglas Rushkoff details our culture’s recent shift from our concentration on thinking toward the future to our obsession with the present through pop culture, social media and work habits. Rushkoff notes how we use smartphone alerts and multi-tasking in an attempt to emulate the productivity rates of machines, but highlights the risk we run of ignoring natural biological cycles in doing so. Far from rejecting new technology, Rushkoff suggests a balanced approach to navigating a connected life that allows us to experience the moment without missing it altogether. Be sure to follow @mashlifestyle to discuss Present Shock, using the hashtag #MashReads during the chat. You can also join our Facebook group to stay updated on MashableReads, and let us know what you think of the book throughout the month. Want to hang out with the author in person? Share your thoughts on the book using the hashtag #MashReads via Vine video, Instagram or Twitter prior to the chat, and we will select 10 people to visit Mashable‘s New York headquarters to meet Douglas Rushkoff and participate in our book club. If you want to get started on Present Shock, you can listen to the first chapter from Audible below. Below, we spoke with Rushkoff about chronobiology, the importance of personal connection and resistance to mobile technology. Q&A with Douglas Rushkoff Mashable: Given your discussion of the active nature of modern entertainment with DVR and channel surfing, I’m curious to hear your thoughts on fantasy sports. Do you think they enhance sports fandom by making participants more likely to watch games because they feel like they’re participating in them, or do you think they cause us to miss out on the moment because we’re checking a box score instead of watching the game? Rushkoff: It always depends who you are and how you’re engaging. Fantasy sports went a long way toward developing the sabermetrics formulas used not only by oddsmakers but general managers in hiring players. So the amateur fantasists ended up creating some of the algorithms that Oakland GM Billy Bean’s statisticians used to win games with less salary money available for star players. As far as downsides, I’m not very concerned with people being distracted from the TV (I mean, who really cares if they’re looking at a different screen, or texting with fellow fans instead of paying attention to the corporate-sponsored game?). What I am more concerned about is the way that “money ball” changes the game itself, as well as the bigger culture of fandom. Everything is done with stats now. Players’ bonuses are based in numbers of wins or strike outs. So in order to save money, managers now pull pitchers from […]
On your clothes, between your couch cushions or tossed in drawers — everywhere you go, you’ve got sew many buttons. Buttons are not just a cheap and accessible craft supply, they’re also a trendy item that’s taking over DIY boards on Pinterest. These versatile tools are a must-have item in any craft kit. With so many colors, sizes and styles available in your stockpile, it’s easy to look cute as a button. Button DIY Projects 1. Paperclips Add some pizzazz to your office supplies, or use them as bookmarks. Image: Etsy CraftyBitzandBobz 2. Bookmarks Some pretty ribbon fastened with a covered button is a charming way to keep your place in your current novel. Image: Etsy frolickingleaves 3. Thumbtacks Dress up your cork boards with some tiny pops of color. Image: @inspiredbycharm on Instagram 4. Magnets If your refrigerator is looking a bit drab lately, pin your important papers and notes with cute, colorful dots. Image: Erlend Johansen Morning Creativity 5. Bobby Pins Add an accent to your ‘do by adding fashionable buttons to your functional bobby pins. Image: Etsy MyKookieJar 6. Belt Dress up any outfit with a quirky belt of buttons. Image: Erlend Johansen Morning Creativity 7. Buttoned Infinity Scarf Give your old scarf an update by turning it into a stylish buttoned infinity scarf. Image: P.S. Heart 8. Vintage Button Bracelet Lace together vintage buttons for a pretty, new accessory. Image: Drew Scott Scrappy Happiness 9. Covered Button Earrings Covered buttons are a cheap, easy way to wear buttons without looking like a little kid. Image: Etsy CraftbyCandlelight 10. Vintage Button Ring Turn that stray vintage button you found at the thrift shop into a fashionable ring. Image: Etsy TheWitchingHour 11. Vintage Button Statement Necklace Or, stack a ton of buttons for a runway-worthy statement necklace. Image: Etsy DalstonLane 12. Shoes Arrange some colorful buttons for a pair a shoes that will add some spring in your step. Image: Alexa Westerfield I Love To Creae 13. Embellished Pillow You can arrange buttons to easily create any kind of customized shape. Image: Kathy Lewinski Just Crafty Enough 14. Framed Wall Art Some buttons are so beautiful, they need to be displayed as a work of art. Image: Amy Anderson Mod Podge Rocks 15. Clock Clocks are a snap to make. Take a clock kit and am embroidery hoop from your local craft store and use buttons as your clock face. Image: Jessica Van Den Epheriell Designs 16. Giant Wall Buttons Turn patterned plastic plates into oversized wall buttons — perfect for any craft room or work space. Image: Jen Kluftinger Drawings Under The Table 17. Lamp Shade Just a few buttons are all it takes to dress up a plain lamp shade. Image: Lesley Warren Chaotically Creative 18. Woven Coaster Make coasters that all your party guests will notice with colorful embroidery floss and plastic buttons. Image: Linda Permann Craft Stylish Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/08/17/button-diy/
