cool gadgets: ipod mishare, taisin iceball maker, strida folding bike

the ipod is now as much a feature of life in the twenty first century as the walkman and then the discman were for the latter half of the twentieth century. my wife and both my children have ipods and certainly in my children’s case, they are used more than any other electronic item. from the vantage point of my wishing them to listen to and appreciate music i am pleased. i am looking at purchasing an ipod myself, chiefly to use as a storage library for my cd collection which is not unwieldy, but does take up a fair bit of space.

as is usual when i prepare to make a purchase, i shop around, not only for the item itself but for all the peripherals. that is how i came across a cool little gadget that speeds up one of the processes that i have heard a number of people say they wish someone would sort out, and that is the transfer of files from one ipod to another.

mishare has recently announced the release of an item that solves that very dilemma.
here’s some video of the mishare in action along with some narrative that details step-by-step how it works and what happens when you tranfer tunes.


we have a set of rubber trays that create ice cubes in a variety of shapes and sizes but i was really interested to see that the taisin company in japan has developed a system for making ice balls (as opposed to cubes). to make an ice ball you simply place a chunk of ice into the metal press and, as it melts, the device closes around the ice forming a ball, which is then released by the flick of a switch. i won’t be rushing out to get one but it looks really pretty.
folding bikes are nothing new, but much of the technology that is being incorporated into them is pretty spectactular. for example, the strida which was invented in england, comes complete with a greaseless chain (it’s always nice to arrive at your next meeting without that nasty black stripe across the hem of your pants!), a rustproof frame, and a claimed five-second foldup time which makes it very attractive to the time-strapped individual. additionally it possesses disc brakes and can be rolled even when folded, eliminating that nasty feature of all previous foldups, being the need to carry a chunky, unwieldy heap of metal and rubber wherever you go.
oh and did i mention that it’s made out of 7000 series aluminum making it lightweight and strong? you can get it in silver, red, black, dark blue, orange, pink, white, or yellow, $800 can put one of these in your closet, and you on the road.