funny

Where top chef meets trivia night

When I was a kid, I used to read volume after volume of the Guinness Book of World Records. In my later years, this quest for knowledge of the world and the people in it developed into a love of science and experimentation, Trivial Pursuit, and Ripley's Believe It or Not. If, like me, you grew up loving random bits of trivial knowledge, you'd be just the type who'd love this Equal Measure measuring cup.

Not only does the cup provide you with the measuring accuracy needed for premium baking and cooking, it teaches you a few … Read more

Blender-powered plant saver scares kitty away

While some of you might think of the "Blender Defender" as mean, I don't. Animals kept as pets need to learn the rules. Cats and dogs, though, are notorious for deciding the rules don't apply when we, the owners, are away.

That is why one clever soul rigged up a blender filled with water to a motion-activated wireless Webcam aimed at the house plants his cat liked to nibble. When the cat would enter the frame, a networked upstairs computer would activate the water-filled blender--and a strobe light next to it--via an X10 wireless home automation module. … Read more

Fake blog, GadgetNugen, roasts gadget rumors

I'm the first to admit that we as gadget bloggers love good rumors. Without them, many of you readers wouldn't be hovering over that "refresh" button for hours when new Zune phone or iPhone speculation starts circulating. But sometimes the rumors are ridiculous.

Enter GadgetNugen, a new blog that roasts gadget rumors with speculations and complete falsehoods that are literally too good to be true.

The latest post, for example, features a rumor that Tesla is working on a giant electric SUV that can fit 24 people and has a 103-inch plasma display instead of a … Read more

10 hilarious 'Star Trek' spoofs

"Star Trek" is coming (back) to theaters, and millions of fans are getting ready to check it out. It's serious business. Before you see the new film, watch these 10 videos that spoof the famed franchise.

Ben Stiller gets in on the action What's better than watching "Star Trek" get spoofed? Watching Ben Stiller spoof "Star Trek"! In this clip, he's Captain Kirk. And he's on a mission.

Can I get a... Something is on the minds of Captain Kirk, Spock, and the rest. They're worried. They're pensive. No, they're just hungry.

Grandpa Simpson loves old-school "Star Trek" "The Simpsons" is one of the most cherished cartoon comedies in history. And its portrayal of "Star Trek XII" is hilarious. You'll find all your favorites--Kirk, Spock, and Sulu--but they'll be just a little older than you remember them. And Grandpa Simpson loves it.

If you're in the mooood for coffee

As the years after my first sip of coffee have gone by, I've transitioned slowly into a full-blown coffee addict. My rushed morning cravings for the stuff on busy work days, however, haven't yet dulled the enjoyment that I get from sipping a slow cup on my days off--nothing beats a lazy late brunch with a full pot straight from the French press.

If I cook brunch for a group, then setting out coffee with a sugar bowl and creamer pitcher is a necessity, but even if I eat alone, leaving the sugar and milk separate until I'… Read more

Make some noise

Think your clackety keyboard is loud enough? Think again! Funny Typing's fairly simple purpose is to make some noise each time you press a key. It's not bad looking, with a straightforward interface and a nice toolbar with large icons. It comes with several themes and the ability to easily download new ones from inside the program.

All the features are easy to find, and seem easy to understand, even without a Help file. You can use the predefined themes, alter them, or create your own. Response time between key press and sound was frequently lagging, and pressing … Read more

Video: Not the best way to fix your plasma HDTV

I'm lucky. The Olevia TV I bought two years ago is working just as fine as it was the day I brought it home. But not everybody's that lucky. I have a few friends whose LCD or plasma TVs have presented varying problems. That seems to be what's happened to the gentleman in this video, and he's taken to a unique method to fix his plasma's problems: he uses a baseball bat.

I winced the entire time I watched this for the first time. I think you will, too.

Squishy driving

JellyCar is an inventive and whimsical free game in which you drive a bouncy car through a series of 2-D puzzles on 15 short levels. What makes JellyCar unusual (besides its goofy soundtrack) is the game's "soft-body physics," which make your car and everything in the game world extremely squishy and reactive. The fairly simple controls make great use of the touchscreen--you can drive left and right, temporarily "inflate" the size of your car, tilt your device left and right to rotate the car, and pinch and zoom to change your view of a level. … Read more

Five ways John McCain can become the Wizard of the Web

My heart, or at least some recondite part of me, went out to John McCain this weekend when I read his plaintive words: "I'm an illiterate who has to rely on his wife for any assistance he can get."

He was, I understand, referring to websurfing rather autocue-reading.

And I can honestly say that I feel his pain.

Thankfully, he is, on this page, in the hands of the experienced.

In the early part of this century, I was asked to help a company called Senior Surfers. Senior Surfers' goal was to find easy ways to take … Read more

StumbleUpon's Stumble Video adds new content partners

Media "discovery" site StumbleUpon announced Tuesday that its video service, Stumble Video, has a host of new content available: content sites College Humor, Funny or Die, and VBS.tv, as well as video-hosting sites Vimeo, DailyMotion, and Veoh.

Stumble Video, which uses past preferences to pick out videos that a member might like--in other words, a nifty procrastination tool--already amasses content from big sites like YouTube, MySpaceTV, and Metacafe.

StumbleUpon was acquired by eBay last year, about six months after it debuted the Stumble Video feature. There's also a specialized version of Stumble Video for Nintendo's … Read more