What the device does is simple – it aims to simulate a flickering television on your curtains or walls.  Potential burglars could see the flickering and think that someone is home watching TV.  They could then decide that your home is one they’d rather avoid.

Using the Simulator is much more power efficient than putting your television on a timer – in fact, the Simulator uses 2% of a television’s power.  You can up pick the Home Security Television Simulator for $39.95 over at Hammacher and Schlemmer.

[via Coolest Gadgets]

It might sound slightly ridiculous to throw balls at flames to put them out but it’s not. These balls (capsules) are filled with fire retardant powder and are stored inside an oxygen tank which will save you from the toxic gases. If you pull a lever on the tank a capsule will drop out and you then throw or roll it into the fire and it will explode when it gets hot and help put out the fire. Pure genius.

I’d like to thank the designer, Woo Seok Park, for this. Let’s get it on the market like yesterday.

[via Yanko Design]

The camera, like I said, monitors the drivers’ face/eyes for signs of sleepiness. If you’re attention goes off the road for a certain amount of time it emits a loud alarm to get your attention and if that’s not enough it’ll apply the brakes on it’s own to prevent a crash.

This device has already been installed in the Lexus LS600H and Toyota plans to put it in more of its cars in the future. I say, thank goodness for people like Toyota who help keep the roads safer.

[via Gizmodo]

The device is small and capable of fitting on a key ring, in your pocket or on the collar of pet. It’s shockproof and waterproof so it’s ready for whatever may come at your nearest and dearest.

It’ll cost about $40, which I have to say is a bit much for something you could just put on a regular USB drive, but I suppose you’re paying for the durability. It’s a nice thought/idea but I know there are better ways to do the same thing.

IdentityPal [via Coolest-Gadgets]

Although if you were to look at the inside of the helmet, there is a fair amount of padding and such, so it probably lost its certification due to the fact that the face of the skull continues down the front of your face, and those eye holes probably block your peripheral vision a bit. But that’s just my guess; it could be that there actually isn’t enough protection.

Word is they are already sold out, and at a $150 it’s a bit of a pricey helmet, but it is totally bad ass. Sure its not DOT or Snell approved, so I wouldn’t wear it while riding anything powered by a motor, but it’ll probably do for sports where you are self propelled, like biking, skateboarding, or roller skating.

Skull Helmet – if you want to look mean [via coolest-gadgets]

This security monitoring service is like having your mother watch over you, it thinks of and sees everything. You have two smoke/carbon monoxide detectors, three door/window sensors that will alert you if they’re opened while you’re gone and three key fobs that let you turn the alarms on or off with a click of a button and even allows you to know who’s in the house or who’s gone. That means no more late night sneaking out kiddies! You’ll also receive two motion detectors that will report any movements to you and a Panic/doorbell/quick alarm cancel button.

And there’s still more! You’ll also get a lamp that tells you the status of your home with just a glance but it also boosts your wireless signal at the same time. Aside from all the gadgetry you get in the home you’ll also be able to check your homes status online. They really have thought of everything.

AlertMe Home Security Service Thinks of Everything [via Chip Chick]

GPS systems are great for finding out exactly where you are. Fortunately, some companies are utilizing the technology to make it easier to find where other people are. This cool children’s jacket from Bladerunner can not only keep track of your child, but it can alert you when they’ve gone outside of their designated boundaries.

The jacket is available for purchase at a price of $500, plus a monthly fee of $20 for service. I’m sure this will be a great tool for parents, I just never thought I’d see the day when you’d have to pay a monthly service fee on a coat.

GPS kids’ jacket sets boundaries—literally [via crave]

With only four battery-protected sockets (plus a further two which are surge-protected but not UPS linked) this isn’t going to be suitable for even the smallest of office environments, and Belkin warn only one computer system should be plugged in at a time, but come the fateful day when the power dies on you it’ll give you up to twenty minutes to finish what you’re doing and shut down safely.

Belkin include PC software that can monitor the Battery Backup and automatically shut the machine down if you’re not there to do it manually; it’s not, however, compatible with Macs.  Less platform-specific is the loud buzzer which warns you that you’re running off-grid.  Finally, the detachable flashlight magically turns on as soon as the power goes out; handy, but I have to disagree with one of Kerry’s comments in the review:

“It’s never fun to panic in the dark!”

Obviously you’ve never taken a walk through the park at night, Kerry – you bring your flashlight and I’ll bring the thermos!  The Belkin Battery Backup with Flashlight retails for a not-unreasonable $99.99.

The Belkin Battery Backup with Flashlight review [Gear Diary]

The Seismic Watch was developed by Citizen of Japan to give you a small warning of an impending quake so that you can alert others and get to someplace relatively safe. When a quake is detected by the Earthquake Early Warning system, it transmits a signal to the watch to alert you. It actually goes a step further, and sets the minute and second hands so that they give you a countdown to when the quake will hit. Now that’s an awesome watch.

Don’t get too excited, as they’re still working on the technology. The watch isn’t slated to hit stores until sometime in 2010, though the price is said to be somewhere around $170.

Citizen unveils earthquake warning concept watch [via coolestgadgets]

American Family Insurance is taking drastic measures in trying to lower the extremely high fatality rate among teens with their Teen Safe Driver program. Their program includes a “small” camera that mounts in your car and keeps an eye on your driver. It also lets you know if your teen has been speeding or chatting on their cell phone. I’d hope they would know better than to have any back seat fun with a camera on them.

I can only assume that this would help to lower your insurance if you put this in your teen’s car. The really good news (for parents, bad news for teens) is that this is free in the following states: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, or Idaho.

Spying on your Teenage Kids Ridiculously Easy with Teen Safe Driver [via uberreview]

The affected adapters are model ADPV16 adapters that were shipped with SD-P1600 portable DVD players. These players were sold between January 2005 and April 2006.

If you have one of these, Toshiba strongly recommends that you stop using the adapter and contact their Customer Solutions center.

Toshiba recalls portable DVD adapters [via crave]

The HomeHero Fire Extinguisher definitely looks nothing like any other I’ve seen. I know that’s the point, but lets think about this for a minute. Lets say that someone else is over and for some reason a fire crops up. When they go looking for your fire extinguisher, do you think they’re going to immediately recognize this for what it is? I seriously doubt it.

There’s no pricing information on this fancy fire extinguisher, however, you can bet that it will cost more than the ugly red ones. Personally, if you actually care about your home, you’ll be smart enough to get one that anybody can recognize.

HomeHero Stylish Fire Extinguisher [via ohgizmo]

So what if you’re hanging out at a friend’s house and you want a glass of water, only to find out that their water isn’t purified? Fear not, as you always carry the iStraw with you! The iStraw is made of a light polycarbonate material that uses an internal micro-filtration system to make your water nice and clean.

Seriously, if you carry one of these in your pocket, purse or whatever you have, you might consider getting some professional help. The only people that should be carrying these around are those traveling to areas that don’t have clean fresh water. (No, your buddy’s house doesn’t count) If you think that you need one of these, it will purify up to 500 liters of water and will cost you $40

iStraw: For the Mysophobe In All Of Us [via crunchgear]

The batteries affected are model number BL-5C and were manufactured between December 2005 and November of 2006. Quite a few Nokia phones use this battery ranging from the 1100 series up to the N91 and E60.

What’s wrong with the batteries? The same thing as the Sony ones, they have the potential to overheat causing burns. Nokia has a website up to check whether or not your battery is affected by the recall. Head here to check and see if you qualify for a replacement here.

46 Million Nokia Batteries Waiting To Burn Your Face Off [via crunchgear]

The SensorFreshQ actually smells your meat for you. It analyzes the gaseous compounds produced by bacteria, and tells you whether or not it’s safe for eating. It unfortunately can’t tell you how well your food is going to taste.

The SensorFreshQ takes two AA batteries and can analyze your meat and poultry in about a minute. Retail price is $90.

Meat Smeller Smells Meat (For Freshness!) [via ohgizmo]

The Sudden Stop is a relatively simple concept. It is basically a set of lights that mounts to your license plate and flashes for around 3 seconds when you brake hard. It determines how fast you are decelerating by calculating the G-Force. This prevents it from flashing when you are just braking as usual.

The reason for the creation of this device is that when traveling at 60MPH if you have an extra .25 seconds to stop, that’ll add up to around 20 feet of distance you’re saving. The flashing lights should alert drivers behind you so that they can have that extra time to stop.

The unit is entirely self-contained and mounts behind your license plate with the lights showing on either side. There aren’t any wires to hook up, so installing it will be a breeze. The eight coin cell lithium batteries are rated to keep the Sudden Stop running for around 15,000 hours. That’s about 2 to 3 years worth of safety. You can order one from the Sudden Stop website for just $29.99.