Fetish
Hot Seat
Out of all the high-tech office chairs available, why would you want an Aeron chair? It isn't upholstered. It isn't padded. It comes in three different models that all look the same. So why do you want one? Well, take a seat - you'll never want to get up again. A team of ergonomists, orthopedic specialists, and physical therapists worked with designers Don Chadwick and Bill Stumpf to create a chair to help computer users keep healthy and comfortable in work-intensive postures for long stretches of time. It works so well you'll probably forget you have one. Aeron Chair: US$765 to $1,225. Depending on size and options. Herman Miller Inc.: (800) 851 1196, +1 (616) 654 3000.
Confound the Cops
Cruise right on by the Smokies and their radar guns with the Mirage 2001, the ultimate legal passive radar scrambler. When a radar gun's signal is detected, the Mirage changes the Doppler wave pattern from smooth and predictable to erratic, confusing the gun's puny CPU brain. The result is a radar gun display that is either totally inaccurate or blank. Don't you love it? Mirage 2001: US$249. The Watchful Eye: (800) 299 0889, +1 (303) 940 0026, fax +1 (303) 456 9259.
Silence!
Those of us who prefer the buzz of our brains to the whiz of a PC are sensing relief. The Silent Systems Pentium-based personal computer is constructed of materials that reduce hard-drive, monitor, and fan noise to nearly inaudible levels. It draws less power than conventional CPUs and has a modular chassis that pops open for easy hardware upgrading. Silent Station Pentium 90: US$2,940 for 90MHz, 8-Mbyte RAM, 420-Mbyte hard disk, CD-ROM drive, and 15-inch monitor. Silent Systems Inc.: (800) 745 3689, +1 (617) 273 3200, fax +1 (617) 273 0500.
DIY Paging
If you do most of your work within a few miles of your home or office, get rid of that pay-by-the-month pager clipped to your belt and become your own paging service. PrivatePage is a local paging system that provides unlimited paging through a self-contained system that easily fits on the corner of a desk. The powerful, 7-watt base transmitter can send up to 10 different message codes to one or all pagers on your system (up to 100 pagers!). PrivatePage System (includes one pager): US$229.95, each additional pager: $69.95. Command Communications, Inc.: +1 (303) 751 7000, fax +1 (303) 750 6473.
Victorian Light Show
Bored by lava lamps and strobe lights? Get an antique Geissler tube. Manufactured at the turn of the century to demonstrate the wonders of electricity, these hand-blown glass tubes fluoresce when electrically charged. The antique one-of-a-kind tubes get their juice from 10,000-volt induction coils not included in the purchase price. Antique Scientific Instruments: US$375 to $2,950, induction coils: $300 to $500. The Gemmary: +1 (310) 372 6149, fax +1 (310) 372 5969.
Fly Boomerang Air
Greg LeMond,the world-famous professional bicycle racer, has always been on the leading edge of bike technology and advancement - he was the first to race with the cyclometer, aero bars, and suspended front forks. Now LeMonde has introduced the V2 Boomerang bike, molded from carbon fiber with a unique cantilever design that maintains strength while lowering the frame weight to a mere 3.5 pounds. V2 Boomerang bicycle frame, fork, and seat post: US$2,499. Additional components, such as wheels, brakes, and gears will run you at least another $1,200. LeMond Bicycles: (800) 334 3341, +1 (303) 444 1000, fax +1 (303) 444 3595
Privacy for Rent
If you spend a lot of time in the air, you undoubtedly spend a lot of time sitting around in those sleep-proof airport chairs. Next time your flight gets canceled at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, check yourself into the Ziosk, a 7-by-9-foot private room complete with table, chair, fax machine, color TV, clock radio, phone with modem-port, and couch. Just pick up the telephone mounted on the side of the Ziosk capsule and enter your credit card number to indicate how long you'll be staying. At about $10 an hour (that's just $87,000 a year), you can call the Ziosk home. Ziosk Inc.: (800) 367 7050, +1 (813) 367 7235, fax +1 (813) 360 6463.
Liquid Calc
If you're getting soaked by the IRS this year, you might consider using a water-powered calculator to figure out your income taxes. Fill the reservoirs of the Ecotech Water Calculator with ordinary H2O, sprinkle in a little salt (for increased conductivity), and you've got yourself a wet cell battery. Just keep the little guy wet and it'll always be there for you. Energizer, watch out! Ecotech Water Calculator: US$27. Real Goods Trading Corporation: (800) 762 7325, +1 (707) 468 9396, fax +1 (707) 468 9486.
Swiss Army Phone
Ever since I got this cellular phone, I haven't gone anywhere without it. The Motorola MicroTAC Elite is not only the lightest cell phone in the world (only 3.9 ounces), but the most advanced. Its internal digital answering machine will speak in your own voice and let the caller leave a short message. If the answering machine's memory is full, the pager feature lets callers leave their phone numbers. If the sound of a ringing phone bothers you or the people around you, set the phone to vibrate instead. Shouldn't all phones work this way? MicroTAC Elite: US$600 to $1,000, depending on features and sign-up specials. Motorola Inc.: (800) 331 6456, +1 (708) 523 5000, fax +1 (708) 523 4128.
Light-Emitting Guitar
Learning to play the guitar can be like typing on an unlabeled keyboard. Optek's new Fretlight FG-200 is a high-quality electric guitar with 132 light-emitting diodes flush-mounted along the neck. Beginners can see exactly where to put their fingers to play 2,500 chords, scales, and note selections without resorting to a book. Fretlight FG-200 guitar: US$499. Optek Music Systems Inc.: (800) 833 8306, +1 (919) 850 9040, fax +1 (617) 850 9045.
King of the Off-Road
The 1,025-pound, 8-wheeled Argo Conquest goes over snow, mud, sand, rivers - even lakes (with the optional outboard motor). Its belt-driven, variable-speed torque converters and high-density polyethylene body with full-length skid plate let you explore the "big room" in style. More importantly, the Conquest's efficient planetary differential is both firm of foot and soft on the environment, guaranteeing you won't get stuck in the mud or tear up a patch of the biosphere. Argo Conquest: US$9,495. Ontario Drive & Gear Limited: +1 (519) 662 2840, fax +1 (519) 662 2421.
High-Definition Wall
The VPF 40 HD is a high-definition TV projector with a built-in computer that can store the parameters for as many as 48 different video sources, including HDTV decoders, VCRs, and laserdisc players. The projector will automatically set the size, aspect ratio, brightness, and contrast for optimum picture quality, whatever the source. Capable of projecting an image from 5 to 25 feet, the VPF 40 HD comes in a choice of white, charcoal, or high-gloss Ferrari-red finishes. VPF 40 HD: US$15,995. Vidikron of America: +1 (201) 420 6666, fax +1 (201) 420 8287.
