2017 was not a great year, to say the least. And it wasn’t just the weekly political dramas, sexual harassment scandals or a massive security breach that affected nearly half the population that had us down. There was also a slew of terrible consumer devices that sullied our mood this year. Before we say goodbye to them, though, let’s relive the horror one last time. Here’s hoping that 2018 brings us better gadgets than this sorry lot.
Archive for December, 2017
The Worst Gadgets of 2017
Published December 29, 2017 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Atari Speakerhat, Bodega, consumer device, duds, electronics, Gadget, Google Pixel Buds, Hushme voice mask, IoT, Juicero, lemon, LG Watch Style smartwatch, Nissin's ramen fork, Samsung Bixby, technology
UK’s Last Standing Leech House
Published December 28, 2017 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Bedale, bloodletting, England, Georgian Bedale Leech House, history, leech, medicine, North Yorkshire, UK, United Kingdom
The Georgian Bedale Leech House in Bedale, North Yorkshire is the last standing leech house in the United Kingdom. It was constructed to keep them alive, fresh, and hungry for blood while they waited for druggists or doctors to use them for bloodletting.
A Nacho Chip So Hot They’re Packaged Individually
Published December 27, 2017 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Carolina Reaper Pepper, Haunted Ghost Pepper, hot pepper, Nacho Chip, OneChipChallenge, Paqui, Scoville scale, snack food, spicy food, tortilla chips
Paqui makes tortilla chips so incredibly hot that they sell them in packages of one, single, solitary chip. They come packaged in a little cardboard coffin. Unfortunately (fortunately?) they’re sold out until Fall 2018.
Meet Betty Reid Soskin, the Oldest Park Ranger
Published December 26, 2017 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Betty Reid Soskin, California, Civil Rights Movement, Detroit, national park ranger, oldest, Richmond, Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park
There’s no age limit for enjoying the outdoors, switching careers, or speaking out against injustice—and Betty Reid Soskin is living proof. As Travel + Leisure reports, the 96-year-old California resident is the nation’s oldest active national park ranger, a late-in-life vocation she embarked on just over a decade ago.
Biggest and Best Tech Stories of 2017
Published December 25, 2017 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: 2017, Android smartphone, Apple, Facebook, Google, iPhone, mobile phone, Mozilla, online security, Roku, Samsung, tech, technology, Uber
MakeUseOf presents the top technology news stories of 2017. Spoiler alert – it’s not all Apple.
The Year In Pictures by NBC News
Published December 22, 2017 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: 2017, disaster, Grenfell Tower, Hurricane Irma, photography, photojournalism, picture, Politics, protest, Puerto Rico, Syria, Trump
Relativity Explained By Teenager [video]
Published December 21, 2017 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Hillary Diane Andales, light speed, Philippines, physics, Relativity, science, video
Virtual Spirograph – Feel Like A Kid Again
Published December 20, 2017 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: classic toy, Drawing, Inspirograph, spiral art, Spirograph, Time Killer, Virtual Spirograph
Visit Inspirograph to play with a free online Spirograph. It is very faithful to the original version, but without the stickpins to secure the wheels to the cardboard mat.
Surprising Plant Helps Kenyan Farmers Prosper [video]
Published December 19, 2017 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: agriculture, Alex Odundo, farming, fiber, hemp, Kenya, Kisumu, rope, sisal, Sisal Dicorticator, video
The Week In Pictures
Published December 18, 2017 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Christmas, photography, picture, Politics
After WWII, Medical Stretchers Were Made Into Fences In London
Published December 15, 2017 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: England, history, London, medical stretchers, recycle, steel fence, stretcher, UK, upcycle, WW2, WWII
On numerous housing estates throughout London, the rows of black steel and mesh railings guarding red brick mansion blocks appear, at first glance, little more than a quirk of post-war architectural design.
However, unbeknown to thousands of passersby each day, those sometimes rusting or buckled fences were in fact the emergency stretchers that helped to save the lives of those injured during the Blitz.
Nat Geo’s ‘Nature Photographer Of The Year’
Published December 14, 2017 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: nature, photography, picture, wildlife
2017 was a rough year in a lot of ways, but if National Geographic’s annual nature photographer of the year contest is any indication, it was a stellar year for observing the beauty of nature through a camera lens.