Archive for the “Educational” Category

Biking in the city, sometimes you wish you had 360 degree vision. Especially with increased cars that seem distracted, especially for drivers talking on the cell phones and driving at the same time.

Nike has come up with a concept design for cycling glasses called the “Nike Hindsight” that will help riders see traffic approaching them from different angles.

Normally, most people only see about 180-degrees of forward vision, by using the curved “Fresnel” lenses it extends the riders field of vision by up to 25 per cent on each side. Beyond cycling for the daily grind, I can see these glasses as a wonderful tool for sports including track and field, marathons and even professional cyclists. Imagine riding in the Tour de France with the Hindsight and being able to see other racers approaching you without turning your head back.
Specifications

• Status: concept
• Designer: Billy May
• Production date: unknown
• Increased vision: 25 per cent on each side

Nike Hindsight

Maybe I’ve been watching too much CSI lately, cause yesterday I blogged about DNA art and today I’m taken with 23andMe, a service that lets you get up close and personal with your genes.

23andMe uses both DNA analysis technology and web-based tools to give you a better understanding of your genealogy, ancestry and inherited traits.

Ok, so maybe finding out you’re at risk for Age-related Macular Degeneration isn’t exactly your idea of good times, but I’m thinking maybe they’re on to something.

Imagine if you could find out more about the diseases, traits and conditions you’re prone to based on your genetic composition? Common diseases and conditions like heart attacks, arthritis and cancers.
Maybe if you knew today, you could take preventative measures for tomorrow? I dunno, might cause me to rethink that cholesterol-laden meat-lovers pizza I was going to devour tonight.

It works like this:

With the service, you’ll have access to a variety of Clinical and Research Reports that cover several topics such as:

Breast Cancer
Obesity
Celiac Disease
Multiple Sclerosis
Colorectal Cancer
Parkinson’s Disease
Prostate Cancer
etc

You can also share and compare your data with relatives and friends, participate in studies and surveys, even explore the genetics behind things like the color of your eyes, the foods you like and why you suck at baseball.

Plus, if new research developments surface that can be linked to your data, your account is updated so you can see how the latest findings affect you.

Of course, there’s the other side of the coin too. After all, there’s a reason they termed the phrase “blissfully unaware”.

If you’re like me, finding out you may be at risk for a disease for which there currently is no cure would surely send me into mega meltdown mode!

You also run the risk of finding out your dad isn’t really your biological dad (yikes!) so that’s a whole ‘nuther ball of wax.

And even the company itself admits that diet, lifestyle and environment play a huge role (maybe even a bigger role) than your genetic makeup when it comes to living a long and healthy life - so don’t sweat it. If you decide to take the plunge, take it all with a grain of salt and don’t let the research rule your life.

23andMe

Finally learning math won’t be boring anymore, this will literally make your kids think with their feet! The mat is an interactive talking floor mat with fast and crazy quiz games make learning math fun! Kids listen to the equation, do the math, then step on the right answer. The game speeds up as their scores get higher! Features four different games and two skill levels to reinforce numbers, counting, addition and subtraction up to the number 20.

Features

• Interactive talking floor mat
• Fast and crazy quiz games
• Make learning math fun
• Features four different games and two skill levels
• Mat measures 32″ in diameter

Math Mat Challenge Game

Why not start your child with this simple but effective learning tool. All your child needs to do is making sure the Monkey balance an equal number of bananas on each side: when a correct amount is hung, he looks straight ahead with his arms level If his arms and eyes go crooked when the bananas are placed. The Monkey Math encourages children to become familiar with numbers and introduces them to math concepts like sorting, counting and basic addition and multiplication.

Features

• A fun way to learn simple addition!
• Hang colorful bananas from the monkey¿s hand.
• The monkeys eyes will be crossed or straight ahead.
• Includes scale, banana tokens and instruction booklet.
• Makes learning simple addition a whole banana bunch of fun!

Learning Mates Monkey Math

Remember the days of the 6 million dollar man where Steve Austin could zoom into far away objects? Well you too can be Steve with the EyeClops BioniCam.

The EyeClops Bionicam offers a update version of the microscope combined with digital photography for still and video images. This fun, but educational toy is easy to use i.e. insert the batteries, plug it into any TV, turn it on and presto, the magnified images appear in real time and full color on the LCD screen. A zoom dial on the device offers magnification of 100x, 200x or 400x.

Product Specifications

• Full color LCD screen
• Multiple lenses and battery pack
• magnifications (100x, 200x 400x)
• Comes with built-in flash drive, removable USB key and video cable
• Product Dimensions: 4.3 x 12 x 15.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Requires five AA batteries (not included)

The EyeClops BioniCam