Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Bite Counter


It was interesting to find that American blogs that posted about this product unanimously* thought of it as a medieval torture device for insubordinate children. By making this judgment American bloggers are choosing to over look the importance of proper mastication in the digestive process, as well as other hidden benefits of slower chewing. After about 20 minutes of eating your stomach releases hormones that notify your brain you are full. Using the the Kami Kami Sensor could stretch the time it takes children to eat their food. An increase in time that could curb their intake to a smaller, much healthier, portion size. If we put one of these devices into the hands of our elementary school children we could reverse the trend of obesity for the next generation. 
Order this product for your school here, 11,500 yen ($188.95) per unit.


*I was lazy and only found two blogs that posted about this product, so the voting margine is not that impressive.


Bite Counter
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls


[links: www.core77.com, www.dvice.com]

Monday, October 13, 2008

Finger Food




Juggling a drink, a napkin, finger food, handshakes, and forced conversation has always been a challenge. As the drinks flow and the night stumbles on, the task gets progressively more difficult. If this product works well, it may save you from making a complete ass of yourself. If it doesn't, and chances are leaning in this direction, it will make your failure all the more spectacular. As an alternative to 'FingerFood,' I would rather see someone produce a shrimp flavored Ring Pop or a genuinely possessed shrimp cocktail.


If you love Democracy, help make the world a better place by participating in the poll below.



Finger Food
Chindogu
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pollcode.com free polls



[links: www.yankodesign.com]

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Foreskin Prosthetics





I spent some time investigating all of my possibilities on SenSlips website. R.J. from Cambridge England, the voice of experience, was most insightful when saying, "...I am 70 and have regretted being circumcised all of my life, I have found the greatest benefit of the SenSlip is psychological, it makes me feel safe and more confident." While it is perfectly understandable for a man in the eve of his life to search for comfort and confidence in this product, needing such a device is absurd for a man in the prime of his life. Advertisers pressure men into subscribing to all sort of products (cough*) designed to secure their manhood. Before committing yourself to pay over a dollar a day for another unnecessary product think of the options. Reskin your confidence by going on an underwear shopping spree. A few good pairs of boxer briefs will keep things in place and comfortable, and it is something that a women will not mind looking at. Imagine being on a romantic date, when in the heat of the moment your partner reaches for 'you' and unexpectedly rips off your prepuce! It is a moment that will be hard to recover from. This blow could be softened only by the knowledge that in a few short minutes your penis will have to be adorned with another suit of armor. In the specific case where new underwear isn't stylish enough for you, and you don't want to wear a glorified condom all day, and you just HAVE TO HAVE your old self back, don't dispair. With todays medical technology, not even Aposthia can keep you from enjoying the full use of your – well, a – fully functioning foreskin. Foreskin restoration comes in several flavors, both surgical and non-surgical. For me, the most exciting, utilizes biological 3D printing technologies to design, print, grow, and implant custom foreskins. Digital penises are almost here! For proof, just watch CBS's Cutting Edge Video (3D segment at 2:58). All other options aside SenSlip, and their competitor ManHood, are here to give us hope. They give us the hope that if a man can restore the one part of himself that physically defines him as a man, there might be a chance for restoring the parts that emotionally define him as one too. It is important to have objects that can inspire hope, comfort, and pride in their users. Without them one can lose their place in the world. While they give use some foundation, they simultaneously expose and sometime exploit our deepest insecurities.

I learned many things on my SenSlip journey. Most of the things I learned came from SenSlip's compelling and informative website containing useful diagrams, testimonials, sizing charts, and a creative use of spelling and grammar. Although SenSlip answered most of my questions, they left me wondering about one thing: how does one cure those terrible foreskin phantom pains?





* Gillette & Schick, how many blades will be enough?

SenSlip
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
pollcode.com free polls


[links: www.boingboing.net & www.viafin-atlas.com]

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

The Return of Chindogu!

Every blog goes through a dormant phase where no one posts anything for months at a time. For Chindogu or Not that phase came this summer. Now that the winter months are almost upon us, I can safely hermit myself infront of my computer writing and posting until the snow melts. By the new year I hope to be posting consistently again, to create some kind of graphic identity for the site, to published on its real domain name, and maybe find some contributing bloggers to help write. So, as they say on other blogs; see you after the jump*!








*(notice: this page does not actually have an advert to scroll over to reach the rest of the article)

Monday, July 28, 2008

Tru Blood


Friends don't let friends drink friends: Synthetic blood nourishment beverage.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Virtual Bubblewrap

"Ouchi de Mugen PuchiPuchi Wii (Infinite Bubblewrap at Home Wii) is a game where you pop virtual bubblewrap onscreen with the Wiimote to the sound of music." Link.

Ice Balls

"... a mold that seamlessly creates a perfect sphere, no chipping and shaving required. Simple (sic) place a chunk of ice into the metal press and, as it melts, the device will close around the ice forming a ball, which is then released by the flick of a switch." Link.

Even MoMA has a version.

AdNonsense

So here is a self-referential one - the adverts at the end of this blog. This blog is [mostly] poking fun at stuff that we find 'unuseless'. Now the good folks at Google have their best hive-mind machines on the job to sift this stuff and then offer us similar, presumably 'unuseless' stuff that we also don't need [but would be happy to laugh at]. I don't think I could invent a better example of Neroism if I tried. Is this the ultimate form of product-driven, naval-gazing [an opportunity awaits someone at that link... hmm, I seem to have just outdone myself]?

Sunday, May 4, 2008

"To Protect and Hurt"


Fear of being mugged and robbed is a general fear in American society. This fear is fueling the debate over the 2nd amendment, and is the motivation behind the following Chindogu candidates. I find that these object are more terrifying then the fear of being mugged, because they expose the open social acceptance of violence as a valid form a conflict resolution. Yonko Design's Anthony James sheds some light on the Pepper Knuckles, "...Designer Idan Arbel has come up with this brilliant idea. Once you have successfully rendered your assailant a curled up crying mess on the floor, with these “Pepper Knuckles, you can proceed to give him the beating of a lifetime. Go ahead, hit a criminal when he/she is down… it’s only fair play. While you are at it, steal his/her wallet and drop it off at the nearest police station just for laughs." It stuns me that a victim of a robbery would go as far as give his assailant "the beating of a lifetime". It would be more dramatizing to inflict severe pain and injury to someone, than it would be being robbed or injured myself. Sure, it is not fair to robbed. But, retaliating against the perpetrator does not solve the problem of crime. It doesn't even solve the problem of being mugged in the first place. And retaliation does not even address the issue of environmental justice, at best it makes things worse. 

What happened to turning the other cheek, or embracing the Other? According to a study by the Graduate Center in New York, over 79% of the United States claim to be Christian (wiki). With a demographic this enormous this attitude towards violence does not make sense to me. Jesus would not have a gun rack on his bed! I am also fairly certain that He would definitely not buy "one for each side of the bed!" I propose a device that captures the robber in a large glass cup (similar to the way one captures a spider in the kitchen), then a group of peer counselors retrieve him/her, rehabilitate them, and give them a job (possibly as a counselor). Once a critical mass of rehabilitated counselors is reached, they can run for office and start NPO's to try to actually change the environment that caused them the rob in the first place. Watch the video, it is worth it.


Pepper Knuckles
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls
The Back-Up
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls




[links: www.geekologie.com & www.the-backup.com & www.yankodesign.com]

Microsoft Surface (movie)

Chindogus are not always born in the basement of a blue-collar worker who wants to make life better for himself and his family. They are frequently given birth to by some of the largest corporations in the world. Microsoft Surface is the Penthouse of gadget porn; high resolution, airbrushed, and high priced. In the best of worlds the table, often combined with the preparation and consumption of food, is a gathering place. It is a place of salvation, salvation from the business of life. This is especially true of the dinner table, which the Microsoft Surface is clearly not trying to replace. But, even the bar table is a place to get away technology itself and spend time interacting with people face to face (talking about technology). This video sarcastically points out that using a digital display surface as a table is going to detract from the simple interaction of two individuals. This exposes two important questions for me. The first, how do you encourage honest, direct, quality human to human interaction through a table display? The second, how do you prevent feature creep in a totally digital interface? The companies that find good solutions to both of these questions will be the ones to succeed.





Microsoft Surface
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls


[links: www.treehugger.com]

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Chopstick Glasses

Sushi has every nook of the urban landscape. Earlier this year I was five hefty, yet satisfied, construction workers exiting a local sushi joint. This artifact exposes the social need for easily accessible readily available chopsticks. I can only imagine that number of trees I would have saved if I had a pair of these.





Chopstick Glasses
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls


[links: www.yankodesign.com & www.coroflot.com]

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Musical Condom

A musical condom designed to play louder and faster as lovers reach a climax is to go on sale in Ukraine. Grigoriy Chausovsky, from Zaporozhye, said his condoms came fitted with a special sensor that registers when the condom is put on. It transmits a signal to a miniature speaker in the base of the condom which play a melody. He told local media: "As the sex becomes more passionate, it registers the increased speed of the movements and plays the melody faster and louder."

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Shredding Scissors







Shredding Scissors
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls


[links: www.coolhunting.com & 2]

Friday, April 25, 2008

Real Pro Comfort Massage Lounger



"the panasonic 'real pro comfort massage lounger EP30006KU'
covers the largest area of the neck, shoulders, back and lower back than any other massage
chair in its class. real pro ultra™ scans your body and is able to identify you.
the 'floating' massage heads glide over your back and know where to massage - and where not to.
it simulates the rotating movements of a wrist for a more life-like massage. the air system allows for
a complete personalized lower body massage: calves - kneading and loosening of the shins and calf muscles;
thighs - applies pressure to the muscles in the thighs, which relieves tightness and tension while increasing
blood circulation; feet - upward pressure is applied for the ultimate relief;and hips/seat - soothing squeezing
for relaxation of muscles and increased circulation."

Real Pro Comfort Massage Lounger
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls


[links: www.designboom.com]

Highway Speeding Deterrent



Highway Speeding Deterrent
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls


[links: www.photobasement.com]

Five-Toed Athletic Sandals



Five-toed athletic sandals
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls


[links: www.boingboing.net]

Cute Elephant Urinal Cleaning Robot



Cute Elephant Urinal Cleaning Robot
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls


[links: www.boingboing.net]

dinghy-hang glider combo



dinghy-hang glider combo
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls


[links: www.wired.com]

Four Man Bike (movie)



Four Man Bike
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls


[links: www.treehugger.com]

Nun-Urinal



Nun-Urinal
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls


[links: www.photobasement.com]

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Do Not feed Aligator Sign

More great Signage from photobasement.



Do Not feed Baby to Aligator Sign
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls


[links: www.photobasment.com]

EMF Protective Dog Helmet


The EMF protective dog helmet is designed for family canines that may be susceptible to prolonged exposure of Electromagnetic Fields. Wireless networking, electrical appliances, and in home wiring may inhibit your pet's health. The helmet is constructed from fiberglass and EMF shielding fabric to prevent any stray magnetic fields from reaching your dog's brain. A nylon collar is fitted with a EMF detector to alert the pet owner of any dangerous EMF fields.

EMF Protective Dog Helmet
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls


[links: designedobjects.blogspot.com & www.mfortysix.com]

Monday, April 21, 2008

Human Powered Monowheel





Human Powered Monowheel
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls



[links: www.treehugger.com]

The Banana Splits Beanie

Not sure what problem this is solving, but it is doing a bad job.


The Banana Splits Beanie
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls


[links: www.coolhunting.com]

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Designer Kitty Furniture



For the kitty who is looking for style in their scratching post.

Designer Kitty Furniture
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls


[links: www.core77.com & www.moderncatdesigns.com]

Molecular Chindogu: Bisphenol A


There have been many (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,) articles published in the past 48 hours about Canada declaring Bisphenol A a toxin. Thereby banning the use of polycarbonate in all food and beverage containers (e.g. Nalgene bottles, most baby bottles and some canned formula linings). According to Wikipedia, "...(Bisphonal A) is a difunctional building block to several important polymers and polymer additives. Bisphenol A has become controversial because it mimics estrogen and thus could induce hormonal responses." It comes to mind that Bisphenol A is a solution that is causing more problems than it is solving (on medical, fiscal, and social planes). Therefore, I am submitting it to the Unuseless chopping block.



Bisphenol A
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls

Historical Chindogu: Car-Exhaust Oven 1930

This post on BoingBoing reminds me that everything has been created before. Our second post was about a similar contemporary product.


"MEALS can literally be cooked on the run through the use of the automatic cooker shown in the photo above. The cooker is mounted on the rear bumper of the motor tourist’s car and an extension from the exhaust pipe connected up with it, as shown in the insert. The cooker contains a steam pressure kettle which is heated by the hot exhaust gases. An hour’s drive is quite sufficient to thoroughly cook meats and vegetables. Total weight of the unit is so slight that running qualities of the car remain quite unaffected. Motor tours are much more pleasant when one is assured of a well-prepared meal at the end of the trip."

1930's Car-Exhaust Oven
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls


[links: www.boingboig.net]

Diet Sunglasses


"...blue calms the brain's appetite center, and they also make the food look disgusting."


Diet Sunglasses
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls


Friday, April 18, 2008

Archisuits

Track suits [my favorite] suited for the challenges of the urban landscape.
Designed by Sarah Ross.







Archisuits
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls


[links: www.boingboing.net & www.insecurespaces.net]

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Sneaker Vending Machine

Sneaker Vending Machine
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
pollcode.com free polls


[links: www.onitsukatiger.co.uk]

MY Beautiful Mommy


My Beautiful Mommy is a new kids book about plastic surgery. It was written by Michael Salzhauer, a plastic surgeon in Bal Harbour, Florida. Salzhauer says he came up with the idea to help parents explain cosmetic procedures to their children.

From Newsweek:

"My Beautiful Mommy" is aimed at kids ages four to seven and features a plastic surgeon named Dr. Michael (a musclebound superhero type) and a girl whose mother gets a tummy tuck, a nose job and breast implants. Before her surgery the mom explains that she is getting a smaller tummy: "You see, as I got older, my body stretched and I couldn't fit into my clothes anymore. Dr. Michael is going to help fix that and make me feel better." Mom comes home looking like a slightly bruised Barbie doll with demure bandages on her nose and around her waist.

The text doesn't mention the breast augmentation, but the illustrations intentionally show Mom's breasts to be fuller and higher. "I tried to skirt that issue in the text itself," says Salzhauer. "The tummy lends itself to an easy explanation to the children: extra skin and can't fit into your clothes. The breasts might be a stretch for a six-year-old."

My Beautiful Mommy
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls


[links: www.boingboing.com]

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Shoe Wheel



Shoe Wheel
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls


[links:  www.bedbathandbeyond.com]

Monday, April 14, 2008

No Babies In Here Sign

"no. yes."

*** In all seriousness, baby dumping is a serious and often fatal problem. This sign was created to inform potential dumpers about Infant Safe Haven Laws. It's still special. ***

No Babies In Here Sign
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
pollcode.com free polls

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Biodegradable Caskets

the "ecoffin"

Biodegradable Caskets
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls


[links: www.treehugger.com]

Hello Kitty Power Belt Sander


Hello Kitty Power Belt Sander
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls


[links: www.boingboing.com]

Friday, April 11, 2008

The MusicPole

Another music chindogu

I think Craplinks put it best when they said, "...who wants to play this guys pole?"



The MUSICPOLE
Chindogu
Unuseless
Useful
  
pollcode.com free polls
[links: www.craplinks.com & www.themusicpole.com]