Gonzo Gadgets

Zen Alarm Clock Puts an End to Jarring Buzzers

What is the sound of one Tibetan bell chiming? It is significantly louder than one hand clapping, but much more soothing than one hotel-issue buzzer buzzing.

The Zen Alarm Clock rouses you from slumber with a Tibetan bell which resonating like a Buddhist monk in the key of E. From that moment on your day can’t help but be centered and on the right track.

This Zen Alarm Clock is digital, but uses the bell inside to produce a very soothing and natural sound. It can also be used as a countdown timer for meditation. Not being a meditation buff myself, I use the countdown feature to alert me when my allotted time for a specific task is over. This helps keep me on track, relaxed and organized throughout the day when time is in short supply.

This little gadget costs $136. Takes AA batteries or can be plugged with the included AC adapter.

April Fools 2009 – The Index

Every year the April 1st jokes, pranks and hoaxes get bigger and better. This is simply our effort to catalog some of the better humor for your enjoyment and for posterity. Please share others you find and I’ll list them here.

(Last entry added 2:30 PM ET April 1st)

Technology & Geek Culture

AutoPilot takes the work – all work – out of reading/responding to emails – Google

Slashdot launches User Achievements – Slashdot

Google Brain Search – Google

Warner Bros. Acquires Pirate Bay – TorrentFreak

Lynx browser sees huge surge in popularity due to rival’s security woes – Netcraft

$99 Flights to Mars (save 3 trillion!) – Expedia

Quake Live launches as MMORPG – Quake Live

Razorfish TweetDoubler – Amazing Twitter tool that allows twice the character count – Razorfish

Face the Future: Face Gestures for Opera Browser – Opera

Is Conficker REALLY a virus? – Techware Labs

Breaking: Internet Explorer 8.1 Eagle Eyes Released – Smashing Magazine

Internet Reboot at 11:59 UTC Today – Site Point

After 188 Years of Ink, The Guardian will publish only on Twitter – The Guardian

Windows 7 will launch in only one version – The Raw Feed

Cloud Computing via Airship – Amazon

Carl Icahn is gunning for management shakeup at Apple – InfoWorld

Wolfpigeon Wireless Convergence – Quacomm

Apple Files Patent for methods to Automatically Enforce Secrecy – The Register

US Military uses Left 4 Dead as training simulator – ModShop

Domain Squatter wakes from 5 year coma, wants his money back – Domain Name News

Flying Dog to brew “low alcohol” craft brews to capture Utah market – Flying Dog Blog

Monitor return rates soar amidst dead pixel pandemic – HEXUS

Twitter added to Federal emergency response network – Infoworld

General / Related

Microsoft asks feds for bailout – InfoWorld

Automobile Canine Repellenant Alloy Protection – BMW

Mountain Cleaners Wanted in Switzerland – MySwitzerland.com

$3 Random Crap (plus $1,000,000 Shipping) – Woot

Alan Greenspan: “I screwed up!” – Models & Agents

Colorado Avalanche turn over draft pick to fans – NHL Rumor Mill

Miller, Pacino casted to play in new Bioshock movie – Dark Horizons

Man foils bank robbery after assuming it was an April Fool – Telegraph.co.uk

Bailout Special! 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Short Term Room Rental  – istopover

Nine Inch Nails release Justin Timberlake-produced full length “Strobelight” – NiN

French Museum Concorde plane resurrection story hoax – BBC News

Computer Gaming

Get your yodel on with Microsoft’s Alpine Legend for Xbox 360 – VG247

Diablo III New Class: The Archivist – Blizzard

Fallout 3 and Animal Crossing for Classic Nintendo – Minus World

World of Warcraft Dance Off (So you think you can /dance) – Blizzard

Battlefield: Bad Company “2″ new features list – Gamers Digest

2,000+ Japanese customers line up for (phantom) Dragon Quest IX release – Kotaku

World of Warcraft P1mp My Mount – Blizzard

Microsoft to release Windows Vista on Steam in May – Multiplay UK

Products

PetBook, the worlds first laptop for dogs – Toshiba

Webcam software to really watch what your web visitors are doing – Woopra

Squeez Bacon, the world’s most perfect food – ThinkGeek

Tauntaun Sleeping Bag for kids (comes with lightsaber) – ThinkGeek

USB Pet Rock – ThinkGeek

Kodak eyeCamera 4.1, clips right onto your glasses – Kodak

Whole Foods 365 Organic Air – Whole Foods

Google gBall with w/ GPS, wireless & vibration alert BETA – Google AU

Software detects when Callers Lie to Call Center Agents – PSS Help

Linked Portal T-Shirts “The Cake is a Lie” – ThinkGeek

Unicorn Chaser Drink to restore calm after viewing disturbing internet content – Think Geek

Buzzword – the shocking speech-recognition wristband – ThinkGeek

Ultimate Assasin’s Weapon Ice Mold “Never get caught” – ThinkGeek

Give the Gift of F*CK (flying F*CK toy helicopter) – ThinkGeek

Tags: april 1st, april fools, hoax, joke, prank