20 Second Work Out Girl

Remember the USB Pole Dancer that was canned by Marks & Spencer, thanks to pressure from one segment of the Brit demographic for being "cheap and tawdry"? Ironically, Boys Stuff from UK is now carrying it. And thanks to all that kerfuffle, this gyrating babe now carries an inflated price tag of 29.95 pounds (US$58.75), from its original 19.50 pounds. If that's too rich for you, here's more desktop eye candy at a fraction of the cost, for geeks who like cheap (literally) and still tawdry. There are four 20 Second Work Out Girls to collect, with each doing her "thing" for the said duration after a wind-up. Sorry, no USB. But at least membership to this club is free, almost.

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Via Coolest Gadgets

Price: About 3.95 pounds (US$7.75)
Availability: At Gadget Shop
Device: Wind-up toys
Specs: Stair Stepper, Leg Lifter, Exercise Bike and Recumbent Cycle

Wake 'n Bacon alarm

If the smell and sizzle of bacon in the morning doesn't wake you, there's still the alarm to nudge you out of dreamland. This deliciously wacky idea is being trotted out by the team of Matty Sallin, Daniel Bartolini and Hsiao-huh Hsu. Hogwash, you reckon? Well, this gets a thumbs up from the team at CNET Asia ([probably because it's made up primarily of carnivorous writers) for some nifty conceptualizing chops. Here's the beef, ah, pork. The night before, you plonk a frozen strip of bacon in the Wake 'n Bacon which is shaped like a pig's head. Then 10 minutes before the alarm is set to go, two halogen lamps turn on and slow-cook the meat. Problem is you'll need a mighty big side table to go with the chunky Wake n' Bacon, and there's the possibility of unvited overnight guests attracted by all that greasy goodness bedside. Either way, it'll be one pig-out of a morning.

Via CNET Crave

Price: N.A.
Availability: Concept
Device: Alarm clock
Specs: N.A.

Milk Table

Niicee. This one's got style, with an almost Apple-like signature to the design. That is, clean, simple lines that flow toward the minimalism. And like the Volkswagen Beetle's flower holder, there's even a modular slot for your own aquarium if you fancy. Why Milk? That's something for Danish designer Soren Kjaer to explain. Since he doesn't really do so on his site, we'll assume that just like all the food-labeled tech names (think Apple, LG's Chocolate, LeMon), it's really about milking the art of cool.

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Via Uncrate

Price: N.A.
Availability: More info here
Device: Computer table
Specs: 140 x 80cm

Pak-Lite

This has got to be one of the handiest and smallest lights we've come across. All you gotta do is snap a twin LED plastic cap onto a 9v battery, and voila! How cool is that? We've seen an equivalent of this in action, and we can vouch that the illumination it puts out is glaring enough to approximate natural sunlight. Ah, simply brilliant.

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Via Uncrate

Price: US$25
Availability: More info here
Device: LED light
Specs: Two super-bright white LED bulbs, high/low & off modes, 10 cap color options, 9v battery Included, expected to last 100,000 hours

Uber Shades

Great shades of Elvis! Not that the King was spotted sipping a Singapore Sling at Raffles Hotel, but that somebody with a penchant for knives has gone Swiss Army on a pair of sunglasses. Artist-designer Rodd Miller's idea of eyewear could probably send Q into transports of delight, with ear stems that pack enough hardware licensed to kill. Of course, it's all in (or on) Miller's head. So unless someone has his sights set on producing these killer glasses, for now it's all just, erm, a shade.

See Miller's illustration close-up at americaninventorspot.com

Price: N.A.
Availability: N.A.
Device: Swiss Army shades
Specs: N.A.

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