Lifestyle

What would it take to flood sound into every inch of a 7,500-square-foot home? Try 49 speakers and $30,000.

That's how Marge and Chuck Dushek did it with their Midwestern home, where "even the steam shower and walk-in closet have their own speakers," according to Electronic House. "There are absolutely no dead zones in this house," Ken Walker of Sound Design Systems says.

Top-grade Sonance speakers were built into walls and ceilings of the great room, master bedroom and an area adjacent to the kitchen. Alas, compromises had to be made in the … Read more

The solar-powered hat fan taught us how to survive the summer heat, but what about the winter doldrums? Enter the "Feel Bright Light" from Hollywood Gadgets. A set of LED bulbs affixed underneath the brim of a visor bathe your face in happy light to help ward off seasonal affective disorder, for a mere $200. Our take: We'd rather stay in a permanent funk.

If you're the kind of person who doesn't mind looking like a huge dork, then maybe you'd be down for this little levitating globe for your office desk. It's perfect for the Dr. Evil wannabe, or maybe the Kenneth Lay wannabe. Keep in mind that unless you have a massive desk (maybe even one shaped like a Mini Cooper), a sexy secretary (of either gender) and a fabulous cityscape outside your 40th-floor window, this desk decoration will just make you look stupid. In other words, Dunder-Mifflin employees need not apply.

Anyhoo, this little desktop gizmo works … Read more

Trends are a funny thing in technology. Even when major changes are under way, such as the convergence of phones and media players, companies will grasp onto old notions like grim death.

Case in point: the Philips 598, a so-called music phone that Slashphone says was created particularly for female consumers. The supposedly gender-specific features: "women's diary and calendar, buying list, discounts manager, price table, personal card info, body weight index and basal metabolic rate measurement." So are we to believe that shopping, more shopping and dieting compose most of a woman's day?

Even when the … Read more

If not for this photograph, the intersection of music, film, interactive entertainment, and celebrity sightings that is Austin's South by Southwest (SXSW) festival may have remained inadequately documented.

Comedian David Cross plays a game of Guitar Hero at SXSW, while fellow comedian Aziz Ansari enjoys the rock show.

In the photo, both showcase the Stage I Guitar Hero face.

In a perfect world, Titannica and Three Times One Minus One songs will be part of the upcoming Guitar Hero II for Xbox 360, or even the mythical Guitar Hero III. If that's the case, Cross could shred his … Read more

The pages of Crave have seen many a strange clock recently. In fact, we may or may not have imposed a moratorium on writing about creative clocks, even the kind that wake you up with bacon. But this one, featured on Technabob, is really worth a mention because of its sheer convolutedness.

Basically, this Japanese clock, which doesn't even look like a clock, is modeled off that classic old astronomy gadget called the orrery. A number of little aluminum "planets" circle a central body, and you decipher the time by "reading" the position of the … Read more

We didn't know that there enough of these to create competition, but the "SolarShuttle" claims to be the "UK's largest and most advanced solar boat," according to Gizmag. Plying the waters of the "ecologically fragile" Serpentine Lake at Hyde Park in London, the boat reportedly runs silently and without pollution while ferrying up to 42 passengers. It even stores more than enough power to operate at night, sending surplus solar energy back to national utility plants. That's especially comforting because it means the boat won't get stranded while rented out … Read more

Crave has been remiss in our self-imposed obligation to issue public service announcements on a regular basis, and for that we sincerely apologize. So today we'll try to make up for our shortcomings by addressing the dreaded "BlackBerry Thumb" affliction.

New York spa Graceful Services is joining a trend started by major U.S. hotels and is offering a "BlackBerry Finger Massage," according to My: Tech News. We don't know of anyone personally who has undergone such treatment, but we wouldn't be surprised to hear that it was frequented by a certain celebrity … Read more

The whole all-in-one concept seen so often in computer and electronics equipment is hardly confined to high-tech hardware. In fact, here's an example where "convergence" has touched transportation as well--aquatically, no less.

The "Dockitjet" combines a jet ski and speedboat into a one seagoing vehicle that looks like something right out of a 007 movie. An infltable watercraft serves as a dock that its manufacturer says can fit practically any jet-powered ski in just minutes and comfortably seat up to six people, according to Gizmag.

This sounds fine, if you're the more adventurous type. … Read more