Posts Tagged ‘toys’

A Jump Rope is Fun – But It Also Can Make Light

February 1st, 2010 by Jim
Posted in Accessories, Designers, Education, Gadgets, Lighting Toys

I love to jump rope. I love love love it. I grew up in an area in central Illinois where Double Dutch was THE grade school recess activity of choice - either jumping or watching. I grew up in a financially poor area, but the kids I grew up and went to school with were rich with creativity - and when there was no rope to jump, they collected and tied bread bags together and made jump ropes with that.I just read about a toy idea that uses kinetic energy used in jumping rope to charge an LED flash light ... Read More»

Tags: electrical energy, Eu Tteum Lee, Hyun Joo Lee, kinetic energy, light toys, toys
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Holy LED Umbrellas, Batman!

November 3rd, 2009 by Jim
Posted in Accessories, Jewelry and Personal Lighting, LEDs

I just found the most ridiculous awful lit-up thing - an LED umbrella with LEDs composing the shaft of the umbrella. That's pretty cool in my opinion. Now if I could only slap an effects engine into the umbrella and make the umbrella itself unrippable, then I am set!Check out the umbrella on Brando's website - and check out the video and pictures below. It's running around $50 shipped I think, which is a little rich for my blood right now. Cool umbrella though!

Tags: Gadgets, LED, light, toys, umbrella
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Lighting Up The Pool

March 30th, 2009 by Jim
Posted in Hilarity!, Just Plain AWESOME., Lighting Toys, Lighting for Enjoyment!

Only twice in my career have I had the opportunity to throw a whole bunch of light into a swimming pool. Once for a corporate party at an olympic sized swimming pool, and once for a rave that took place at a pool park. Those were two of the coolest design gigs I ever had the pleasure of doing. Water and swimming pools allow so many excellent things to be created with light. Red light, for example, at the right angle, turns the water a murky swampy black color. It is awesome.I was looking at the Gadgeteer blog a few ... Read More»

Tags: fun, swimming pool, toys, water
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Luminos, from Tomoaki Yanagisawa

January 3rd, 2009 by Jim
Posted in Lighting for Enjoyment!

Luminos from Tomoaki Yanagisawa sounds like it should be some kind of crazy cereal that either lights up when milk hits it, or maybe it makes your stomach glow once it's eaten. Instead, it's a series of building blocks that light up in the darkness, and they're quite cool.From Tomoaki's portfolio page: Luminos are bricks in darkness. Like a candle needs a fire to light it up, Luminos, which have light sensors and LEDs, need light to turn the LEDs on. This is a simple and intuitive interaction yet it has the possibility of complexity of a chain reaction created by ... Read More»

Tags: LED, Tomoaki Yanagisawa, toys
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