Laptop got their hands on one of those Slacker Portable units today which can stream music from the Slacker service in a sort of hybrid subscription/internet radio model. It's a big honkin' player, that's for sure, but I'm curious to see what Jeffrey Wilson's long term impressions are.

Slacker Portable works in conjunction with music site Slacker to let you take your customized Internet radio stations with you on the road–for free. Well, the music is free. The player starts at $199 for 15 stations, and the 25-station and 40-station models costs $249 and $299 respectively. The Basic Radio plan limits you to six song skips per hour and involves a limited number of ads, but if you sign up for Premium Radio ($7.50 per month if you sign up for one year) you get unlimited song skips, no ads, and the ability to save songs to the device while you’re listening.

The Great Unboxing: Hands On With Slacker Portable [LaptopMag.com]

Cory Silverberg, About.com's Sexuality editor, points to a hilarious local news segment in Mississippi titled "Adult Store Caught Selling Illegal Sex Toys."

After hearing rumors that the “Adult Video and Books” boutique on McDowell Road, which had previously been busted for selling sex toys, was at it again, the intrepid Kandiss Crone from the 3 On Your Side “news” team decided to go undercover. Based on the secret audio recording, it sounds like she was confronted with a helpful sales person who sold her a vibrator (she chose “the purple one”). She then went back to confront an unimpressed but entirely pleasant store owner who tried to explain to Ms. Crone all the different places on your body you can use a vibrator (the one’s not prohibited by law in Mississippi).

You really have to watch the segment to believe it. I’ve watched it twice, and am left with several thoughts:

1. I love that the store is wheelchair accessible. I live in a major city and 90% of the stores here aren’t. Bravo “Adult Video and Books”.
2. How pathetic was it that they couldn’t even get the cops interested in the store? It seems like the “3 On Your Side” team are the only ones who care about this sex store selling sex toys. This begs the question; whose side are they on?
3. The “reporter” chose a vibrator that matched her sweater. Coincidence?

Link to Cory Silverberg's post, and Link to the video (WMV).

The oddly named "Silverfish" aquarium—isn't a silverfish aquarium a bookcase?—from Octopus Studios has six orbs connected by tubes, the better to let your fish reconfigure their own habitat while gargling the theme to The Jeffersons. Each aquarium is made-to-order for $3,400 minus gravel and fish. (Freshwater suggested.)

While the manufacturer says it's not much more difficult to clean than a standard rectangular tank, I think we all know that's a bit of understatement. Still, I like it a lot—although I think I'd like it a lot more if it had a more attractive base instead of something that looks like a TV stand from Wal-Mart.

Product Page [OctopussStudios.com via Oh Gizmo]

The "N Range" Shooting System is an indoor firing range, tastefully concealed in a wooden armoire. While the target is steel-backed to absorb any impact, the manufacturer requires the use of a custom round that is low noise, low smoke, and non-lethal. Where's the fun in that?

A basic model will set you back $1,300, but the "Executive" model pictured is $3,500.

Company Page (Flash, stupid looping music) [NRange.com via BallerHouse.com via Complex]

Photographer Lukasz Skapski traveled around Poland to document the hand-built tractors used by many of the nation's farmers who were forced to hoe a DIY row due to the communist's government's inability to provision proper farm equipment. Many of the tractors are built from motorcycles and discarded war machines.

Skapski's photos are currently on display at the Zak gallery in Berlin, but Regine has a few examples to share.

DIY tractor culture in Poland [WMMNA]

Game|Life has a first look at "Major Minor's Majestic March," an upcoming Wii game from the developers and artist behind the classic Playstation game, PaRappa the Rapper. The un-ironic art is wonderful and Game|Life has more examples.

Players will use the baton to keep tempo, recruit new band members, and snag special items in an effort to create the most impressive parade ever seen. You'll be able to add up to 15 different instruments to the procession, and will be judged on how well your marching musicians keeps the rhythm and avoids obstacles.

First Look: PaRappa Creators' Wii Game [Game|Life]

Ad page [ToysRUs.rsys1.net]

Kirk writes:

Today I wrote about these fantastic items: "Cinch It anchor bands are rubber band with anchors. It sounds dumb but I've never found anything better for wrapping small wires, like iPod headphones."

The thing is I have no idea how to find these online! I first ran into them at the sadly-just-now-defunct (and very boingboingish) shop at Harvard Square "The Museum of Useful Things." Luckily their parent shop "Black Ink" still had some. I can't Google them anywhere, even "Shepard Medical Products" is mum about this lovely bit of elastic brilliance!

So I wouldn't mind enlisting boingboingers help in explaining where these come from, and if I need to stockpile more.

I found a place in Europe that sells them in a variety of sizes. Won't be cheap to import, I imagine, but you have an option, at least!

Rubber bands of the moment [Kisreal.com]

Yesterday on Modern Mechanix we look at this Japanese radio controlled tank from 1930, an article about the perils of making movies under the sea, a carousel gas station and a fire extinguisher that works by catapulting glass "bombs" full of flame retardant into the flames. Voice recognition 70 years ago? Supposedly this giant TV/Radio combo from 1934 allows the user to change the station just by speaking to it.  Lastly we have the debut of the new "De Luxe Sleeper Planes" which actually do look quite comfortable. I suppose they'd have to be considering a flight from New York to LA would take a day or two.

National Geographic's Photo of the Day are these Belgian swarm bots traveling through a forest.

A red color ring tells others, "Grab me;" blue means "stay away." Scientists study ant colonies, bird flocks, mammal herds, and fish schools to understand the simple genius of such animal swarms.

They are coming for us. And for our truffles.

Swarm-Bots, Belgium, 2007 [Photography.NationalGeographic.com via Botjunkie]

The "Unfold" is a lovely laptop bag from Working Class Heroes, half leather and half felt, which can be folded in half to work with smaller laptops or kept extended for larger, longer models. A carrying handle at the top is attractive, although I question how practical it would be to use with something so long. Would it scrape on the ground?

The Unfold will be released in limited quantities on the fourth. No price yet, but based on Working Class Heroes' other products, I'd expect it to be fairly reasonable. (Say, $200 or so. But I'm just guessing.)

WORKING CLASS HEROES UNFOLD [Notcot]

Says Reuters, with a cash and stock offer of $44.6 billion. More like "Yowza!"

Microsoft offers to buy Yahoo in $44.6 billion deal [Reuters]

The Go-One is an enclosed tricycle capable of speeds up to 20MPH that can be rigged up with an optional 500-watt electrical assistance motor. Still, no special license is needed in North America, says the manufacturer, as "bicycle rules apply." You can pop the top in the summer to enjoy the breeze or keep yourself sealed inside completely, wholly unlike a dead cat in a pine box. Holes cut in the bottom allow you to push the Go-One in reverse in a technique they call "the Flintstones method."

Since 2006, eight Go-Ones have been sold in North America.

The base rate for a Go-One is just shy of $11k, although adding additional options like the lighting package or assistance motor will obviously increase the price. Don't let me mild sneer fool you—I think these things are pretty nifty. I'd be killed instantly if I tried to ride one in New York, but if I lived somewhere with open roads I could see them making for a pleasant ride to work.

Product Page [Go-One.us via Red Ferret]

Leica's newly announced upgrade program for their M8 digital rangefinder cameras is intriguing. Instead of releasing a new model that obviates the previous, Leica is making certain upgrades available to M8 owners, including an LCD monitor cover made of sapphire and a new less-noisy shutter—for €1,200. Ridiculous, yes, but ever-so-slightly less so when you realize that the M8's suggested price is $5,500.

In short, the upgrade program is a great idea for camera owners and it's high time digital hardware be privy to the same long lifecycle of analog equipment, but you're still a twat if you own an M8 in the first place. (I'll admit, though, that this is exposing some of the inherent frisson between my desire for inexpensive goods and a willingness to pay a premium for quality.)

PMA: Leica announces M8 hardware upgrade program [Adorama]

• Media Player – Creative Zen 8GB media player for $135, shipped. Can play Divx and Xvid, plus has expandable memory via SDHC. [Dealhack]

• Wi-Fi Memory Card – Eye-Fi Wireless 2GB SD card for $101, shipped. Not a crazy deal, but this thing has been pretty popular. [Dealnews]

• Tax Software – Today's Woot! is a copy of TaxCut Premium & State Tax Year 2007 on 1GB USB Drive for $30.

Core77 has discovered this captivating Flickr pool, "I Love My Electric Appliance!" a collection of vintage advertisements showing women enraptured by their cutting-edge household gadgets.

I Love My Electric Appliance [Flickr.com via Core77]

Previously • Our Flickr Pools Still Bubbling; Welcome Intern Mk. II [BBG]

To promote an upcoming monster movie, Sony Pictures installed a holographic rig in Tokyo Bay that projects the monster onto a haze of water. What you're seeing in the video wasn't added after the fact—that's actually what it looks like in real life.

[via Core77 via Tokyo Times]

Dezeen is showing off the work of Dylan Kehde Roelofs, an artist that makes these superlative hand-blown glass light bulbs as "a reaction against the soulless glow of low-energy bulbs."

Prices range from around $200 to $1,300 and the "first filament replacement is free," although the sculptor suspects you'll get many thousands of hours out of a standard filament.

Artist's Page [IncandescentSculpture.com via Dezeen]

A new bike from PUMA—yes, the shoe folk, but they do bikes now, too—glows in the dark. The "Glow Rider" appears to use glow-in-the-dark paint as opposed to some sort of EL rig-up and includes headlights and taillights, as well.

I wonder how brightly it glows. Any extra visibility would be welcome for a city bike.

I'M POSTING ANYTHING THAT GLOWS [KayneUniversity.com/blog]

We sent Intern Brian Dunn over to Robot Village, New York's only store dedicated entirely to robots. He returned mostly unscathed.

Robot Village has been operating out of New York's Upper West Side since 2004. It's a one-of-a-kind store—its opening prompted the Yellow Pages to add a new "Robots" category. The store is either the beginnings of mankind's harmonious future with our mechanical brethren or a site of future agony during the inevitable robot revolution.

Robot Village carries a wide selection of robot-related goods, everything from novelty items like "Robot Vision" kaleidoscopes to high-tech toys like Pleo and i-SOBOT. It also has resources for building your own robots, including kid-friendly kits such as the RobotiKits line and more advanced ones such as Vexplorer and the LEGO Mindstorms NXT.

And if you really want to get your hands dirty, they carry microcontrollers, motors, sensors, and other parts to build your own robot with. In addition to their wares, they offer classes on robot building for both children and adults.

They have a demonstration table, with a variety of robots laid out for the customers' personal enjoyment.

Note the stack of R2s.

The workshop is a bit cluttered, but everyone knows that's a sign of quality. Organization hampers inventiveness.

I finished my visit with a lively robot battle against Rob, the technician in residence. These little bots go very fast and smash into each other.

For more photos of the place, you can check out my entire Flickr set.

Asustek (you know them as "Asus," makers of the Eee sub-notebook) have announced the next products in the Eee family. It seems selling capable, good quality computers for low prices is an exciting and profitable business model.

• The E-DT, a desktop PC that will sell for between $200 and $300. (Snore.)

• The E-Monitor, an all-in-one computer with an integrated 19- to 21-inch LCD panel, a la the iMac or XPS One. Oh, and it'll include a TV tuner, too. All for $500.

• The E-TV, a 42-inch LCD TV with a built in PC that Asus estimates will cost no more than $200 over a similar LCD TV.

The E-Monitor in particular sounds great. Why buy a monitor for $250 when you can get a whole computer for twice as much? (Okay, that's probably not the most convincing way to phrase it.)

Asustek announces Eee family product lines [Digitimes.com]

"Mister Zumbi" has created this wonderful Predator bust out of LEGO, suitable for placing in your alien study or music room. Dig that crazy base!

Gallery [Brickshelf.com via Bros. Brick]

Last night, Garmin announced the "Nuviphone," a touchscreen smartphone with all the built-in GPS features you might expect from the company. Built around a 3.-5inch touchscreen with no dedicated buttons (at least on the front), the Nuviphone should be able to do pretty much everything the iPhone can do, like full-screen web browsing, email, and SMS over Wi-Fi or 3G (HSDPA). The GPS functions include points-of-interest information, photo and video automatic geotagging, and live traffic updates.

The only thing holding the Nuviphone back at the moment is a carrier, but considering their choice of 3G radio, AT&T is the likely choice when the phone launches later this year.

It looks like a hell of a device. As long as they put the same spit shine on the interface that Apple did, they could have a real contender on their hands.

Garmin hits iPhone directly with Nuviphone [Electronista.com]

• Food Processor – KitchenAid Food Processor for $114, shipped, with additional $30 mail-in rebate. [Slickdeals]

• Tablet PC – Lenovo ThinkPad X60 12-inch Tablet PC for $851, shipped. [Dealnews]

• Xbox Games – Sevveral older (but decent) Xbox 360 games for under $20, shipped. [Dealnews]

• Bluetooth Headset – Today's Woot! is the Soyo Freestyler 500 Bluetooth Headset and Bluetooth USB for $18, shipped.

Today on Modern Mechanix we have this very odd rotating toothbrush that takes two hands to use. I think I'll stick to my regular one.  Ever wonder how transatlantic telephone cables are repaired when they break? In 1930 a Popular Science reporter got to ride along and found out that it's really quite a pain in the ass. This 1934 Modern Mechanix roundup of gadgets for the home includes a combination toaster/skillet/heater along with a really dangerous idea for using it in the bathroom. Here is a very early attempt at an automobile heater for your feet. I'd much prefer to just live in this nifty RV that serves as home and office. Lastly we looked at cool restaurants that are in the shape of dogs, flowerpots, zeppelins and more.

• Videogame – Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Gold Edition for PC for $20 at Amazon. [Slickdeals]

• Laptop Desk – Meritline.com desk deals: Laptop desk for $23, desk / chair set for $35. Shipping is $14. [Dealnews]

• Tiny Point-and-Shoot – Today's Woot! Polaroid Ultra-Compact 8MP Digital Camera for $90, shipped.

Wired News reports that some relatively late-model iPod owners are discovering that their devices don't work with Apple's newly-launched iTunes video rentals -- even though those iPod models have a video playback feature.

As of Tuesday, the issue had been raised multiple times in Apple's support forums. So far the company's only response has been to confirm that movie rentals work only with the iPhone, iPod touch, iPod classic and the third-generation iPod nano. Earlier iPods, including fifth-generation iPods sold before the September 2007 release of the sixth-generation iPod classic, are incompatible with rented videos.

Eliot Van Buskirk at Wired's "Listening Post" blog has more here.

CC-licensed image ganked from the photostream of Dan Taylor.

Here's a smart reminder from Wisebread: If your gadget is broken, check for a recall before recycling it.

At any rate, he was right. I Googled the maker (Toshiba) and the model number (SD-3980SU2), and immediately came up with an information page about a recall. One 5-minute phone call later, and I am expecting a new, 2008 model of the DVD player to arrive within a couple of weeks. I will have to package up the old DVD player and mail it in, but a new DVD player is worth a trip to the post office any day in my book.

It Broke? Check for a Recall [Wisebread.com via Lifehacker]

A French firm is selling unlicensed recreations of the 1927 Baby Bugatti. Their version is billed as a pedal car, unlike the battery-powered original, yet they say "battery-powered electric engine and wiring still have to be obtained by the prospective buyer." Perhaps there is a simple way to attach a motor to the drive train.

Or a not simple way! If you can swing €6,350 for a fancy go-kart, you can probably afford to hire a mechanic to rig the whole thing together.

Catalog Page [Singulier.com via Luxury Launches via Gadget Lab]

Dan Rutter gets in on the LEGO fun with this collection of god-awful designs that plagued the LEGO Space catalog in the last couple of decades. For as good as many LEGO models have been, there were the occasional turds.

Ol' 1593, here, I think suffered from New Elements Syndrome. It's like a bunch of new pieces came off the assembly line and the designers just started slapping them on like mad.

The Six Ugliest Space Lego Sets [Dan's Data]

Today on Modern Mechanix we look at this wacky idea for a police plane that launches off of an automobile to pursue fleeing criminals.  Did you know that Francis Bacon started "The New Atlantis", the first science magazine, in 1620? Supposedly he predicted the coming of the submarine, ships without sails, sky scrapers, telephones and smellovision among other things. Want to provide entertainment for the kids, but still do your laundry? Build this combination clothes dryer and "Whirl Swing" in your back yard. This 1930 Popular Science collection of new gadgets is full of cool stuff, but by far the best are the fake ears for deaf people. We also take a look at a man who makes sculptures out of bottle caps and crymotherapy, a technique for fighting cancer that involves making the patient really, really cold.

Since little helicopters remain one of my favorite things, I feel duty bound to mention this "ZFlyer R/C Astronaut" model, despite the fact it appears to be the least engaging iteration of the idea thus far. Instead of actual control by remote, a small sensor in the bottom recognizes when the flyer is about to touch the ground, spinning the rotors back up to gain altitude. The manufacturers suggest using it like a tiny, electric hacky sack.

Or at least I think there's a sensor in the bottom. It could just be the nature of the downward thrust of the rotors which cause it to gain height when there is something for the wash to push against. That would mean it would have to be perfectly balanced between weight, rotor speed, and battery strength, and knowing how cheaply these things are made I find it more likely that there's just a little sensor.

The ZFlyer is available in the UK for £25, but is currently out of stock.

Catalog Page [ThumbsUpUK.com via Geek Alerts] (Thanks, Ali P.!)

The "Drop Stop" tea strainer allows you to steep loose leaf or bagged tea in the cup, then place the contraption on a table without making a mess. Not bad for $16.

I bet if the online retailer selling this used a better font on their site they could charge twice as much.

Catalog Page [UncommonGoods.com via Cool Hunting]

• Windows Virtualization – VMWare Fusion for Mac OS X is $32 at Buy.com. $30 of that is a mail-in rebate, which sucks, but it's $18 off the $80 from the beginning. Fusion is like Parallels, but some say it's better. [Dealhack]

• Surround Speakers – Sony SA-FT1H 5.1-Channel Flat Panel Speaker System for $100, shipped. No receiver, but comes with stands, even. [Dealnews]

• Portable Speakers – Today's Woot! is the Philips Portable Speaker System - 2 Pack for $20, shipped.