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oobject: 'daily user-ranked gadget lists'
Tube testers are machines to test the notoriously unreliable predecessor of the transistor - the vacuum tube, or valve. If you are a hi-fi nut with a tube amp you might actually even need one of these.What makes them special as vintage gadgets is that they have that particular density of retro buttons and switches that spells complicated and releases Serotonin in male humans.The link to the Catalog for the ‘Supreme' brand on Steven Johnson's site is particularly fine. Tube testers can be picked up on Ebay, fairly often, for reasonable prices.
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wistit »

13 tube testers

The external fixator is a device which creates an external scaffold to holds bones in stress, allowing for regeneration of otherwise unfixable fractures. The technique was pioneered by a Russian, Dr. Ilizarov, but didn’t reach the West until the 60s after it as used to heal an Olympic athlete.These images are incredible, and they represent medical ingenuity complete with cyborg-like gadget fetish appeal. Although they are a celebration of the ability to heal people, they are, however, applied to people who have suffered terrible trauma. Something which shouldn’t be forgotten. The images which we have chosen are non squeamish, however the sites which are linked to show medical information which can be.
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wistit »

12 extreme examples of medical scaffolding

When gold prospectors first ventured to California, the equivalent of a hot tub meant farting in a zinc trough full of tepid water. Today it means an object reminiscent of CERN's LHC particle detectors, with several hundred jets, built in 40 inch plasma TVs and seating for ten.We put this list together largely because there is something fascinating and supremely gadgety about the variety of arrangements of body shaped molds and strategic placement of jets, that when laid out side by side, in a gallery, seems particularly impressive. This type of space ship like hot tub design seems like something unusual enough to define a time and place, like fins on 50s cars or undulating water beds from the 70s.
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wistit »

spaceship like hot tubs

These days, with chip based cellular devices and cameras, thing like spy radios and cameras are often toys, since the miniaturization of what used to be the realm of clandestine devices can now be made for a few bucks. As a result, modern spy radios are not that interesting, however these vintage versions from WWII right up to the Gulf War are.
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wistit »

a dozen vintage spy radios

The invention of the digital watch made accurate timekeeping a cheap commodity. This meant that expensive watches were a quixotic anachronism in terms of pure design. However, this very fact meant that designers were free to innovate timepiece designs for fun. In addition, the development of watch sized miniature electronic gadgetry meant that the wrist watch form factor could be used for other gadgets. For things like phones and MP3 players this has proved to be a failure, however included here are some interesting concepts for other uses for wrist devices such as insulin dosage, braille watches and health monitoring
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wistit »

16 concept watches

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wistit »

12 failed apple products

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wistit »

10 gas guzzlers

In the niche world of extreme car hi-fi, which seems to straddle both red neck and hip hop, various measures of audio insanity are used: how much the roof flexes or the windshield warps, to the point of shattering; or how much water can be thrown into the air from containers on the roof.My personal favorite, however, is the drive up Seven-11 remote window shake.
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wistit »

videos of extremely loud car distorting stereos

The earliest remotes were neither wireless or used to control TVs. Since the 30s devices were available to control radios, Philcos 1939 wood and Bakelite model was actually wireless and predates any TV remote. TV remotes started with gadgets such as the Zenith Lazy Bones and it was Zenith who introduced the first cable free TV remote, with the Flash-matic.
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wistit »

9 early remote controls

For high speed chase scenes or a low speed horse back rides, the film industry's cameras occasionally have to go mobile and when they do, they rely on specialist high tech. cars and trucks.Usually wearing intimidating matte black paint (to reduce glare) these vehicles are often engineering wonders, employing after market performance upgrades, elaborate electronics, exotic materials and even gyro-stabilizers to keep a subject in frame. With companies like Pursuit Systems, AP Cam Cars and a handful of others fulfilling Hollywood's high speed needs, the vehicles they create are rarely seen but hard to overlook.Here are some of out favorites including the amazing Go system, used for The Bourne Supremacy.Curated by Chris Hull
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wistit »

12 movie industry camera cars

These are possibly the most impressive gadgets on earth, beautifully complicated, polished stainless steel instruments that employ electron, x-ray, and ion probes, often in combination with depth profiling techniques, for surface analysis. They are the instruments featured on the covers of science lab and university brochures and are exactly what I want for my birthday. Vote for your faves.
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wistit »

12 ultra complex surface analysis systems

Todays welding is a long way removed from the video included here of forge welding at the beginning of the 20th century., where dissimilar metals were headed and beaten together with hammers. State of the art robotic welding machines can perform an intricate ballet of hi tech gadgety bravado, including the incredible remote welders which are shown spot welding materials several feet away, with laser beams.
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wistit »

12 videos of welding machines

From giant wind blown animal sculptures to an armored mechanical shark. The number of possible entries in this list is huge. Here is a selection of some of our faves, vote for yours.
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wistit »

Mechanical Animals

Considering that super thin, flexible, touch-screens and large capacity solid-state storage are just around the corner we expected to find many more examples of interesting concept designs for laptops. Here are the best that we found, however this is one case where we think the realized products will outstrip the concept designs.
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wistit »

17 best concept laptops

The legendary fleet of BBC spy vehicles. The BBC has a cosy reputation, but to people outside the UK the fact that TV owners have to pay a compulsory license fee to fund the BBC (even if they only watch other channels) seems absurd. Coupled with this, the BBC actively police whether people pay for their license and to do so they have a mythical fleet of hilariously creepy 'TV detector vans' that supposedly can spy on you and pinpoint exactly which room you might be watching a TV in. Whether they work, or whether they even exist or not, is open to question, these few images are the only ones we could find of them. Nevertheless, their very concept is an Orwellian nightmare.
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wistit »

sinister bbc spy vehicles

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wistit »

12 DIY bicycles

Cutaway drawings are a standard way of revealing the inner complexity of machines, and they are an art form unto themselves. Occasionally cutaways are real, however, as with this collection of cars which have been literally sliced apart to show their innards.
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wistit »

12 real life cutaway cars

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wistit »

retro saturday morning cartoons

Toilet design says a lot about a culture. In the US public toilet cubicles typically have a quarter inch gap which allows people to see in, although a pissoir, which is a partially open air urinal is almost unknown. The reason for this irony is possibly prudery. The gaps are to prevent impropriety, but the enclosed toilets are because of a general American shyness about toilet matters. A small gap allows monitoring a large one encourages voyeurism. Political correctness due to the fact that pissoirs can normally only be used by men is undoubtedly also part of the reason, although recently funnel based womens pissoirs have been developed.Pissoirs first became widespread in France but exist throughout the world, from Scandinavia to Australia. They fell out of fashion in the late 20th century, but have seen something of a revival, with ultra modern versions being built in places like Berlin. Britain, which shares anglo-saxon prudishness with America has recently relaxed its taboo against open air urinals, due to the problem of binge drinking and subsequent al fresco urination. In the south of England, cylindrical pissoirs which are hidden during the day, telescope out of the ground at night, for the relief of marauding drunken hordes.
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wistit »

pissoir designs

Most of these are either clearly dangerous, such as the shoe fitting x ray machines that were popular until the 50s or show a bizarre Alien-like (as in H.R. Geiger) aesthetic that is a world apart from current medical equipment. Bug-like metal castings in place of ubiquitous white plastic.
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wistit »

9 vintage x ray machines

What a tech bubble needs is bubble cars like these classics from the 40s to the present. Perhaps they should replace the Google bus with a 1958 Goggomobil?
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wistit »

Bubble Cars

Somewhere between a damp cloth and a full NBC gas mask lies the often unintentionally hilarious looking smoke hood.Promotional material for these items is a particular source of amusement, combining the creepy looking imagery of people wearing strange plastic bags on their heads with the utterly normal attire of office workers or suburban mums. The effect is like catching your boss wearing fetish bondage gear.
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wistit »

12 smoke hoods

Before rendering, 3d computer models are displayed as wireframes, which have a particular aesthetic. Several artists have tried to capture this in real life, with surreal models of things that aren't really there. I also threw in Gaudi's classic upside down catenary arch model of Sagrada Familia, for its sheer prowess.
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wistit »

9 real wireframe models

Whenever you see a picture of the ancient pyramids of Giza the view behind is of endless sweeping sands rather than the smog heavy skyline of downtown Cairo. Here we’ve collected some of the least flattering and depressing views of famous monuments or places, from the Stonhenge car park to the Starbucks in the Louvre. There are a couple of unlikely ones such as the Acropolis which in some ways is depressing from every angle, having been destroyed while used as a munitions dump, or the more preserved version of Trajan’s column which is hidden away in a London museum, with a janitor’s closet in its base. Vote for the worst.
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wistit »

9 depressing views of famous monuments

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Category: 'wtfisthat'

wtfisthat

WTF is that? #21

July 19th, 2010 link to (permalink)

1 year ago

wtf

What is this machine - or far more interestingly, what does it make?


5 comments »
wtfisthat

Wtf is that? #20

May 28th, 2010 link to (permalink)

1 year ago

wtf

A boat that goes in two directions. What could be the purpose of this crazy looking ship? The answer is suitably topical.


5 comments »
wtfisthat

WTF is that? #19

March 10th, 2010 link to (permalink)

1 year ago

wtf

It might not look like much, but recent evidence suggests that this might be one of the most historically important man-made artifacts in the world. What might it be?


2 comments »
wtfisthat

WTF is that? #18

March 1st, 2010 link to (permalink)

1 year ago

wtf

This object has some relevance, considering recent news. What is it?


5 comments »
wtfisthat

WTF is that? #17

February 23rd, 2010 link to (permalink)

1 year ago

wtf

These are false teeth not unique, but of a type with a sad and macabre history. What’s the story?


9 comments »
wtfisthat

wtf is that? #16

October 22nd, 2009 link to (permalink)

2 years ago

wtf

There is a whole history behind these things - what’s it all about?


16 comments »
wtfisthat

WTF is that? #15

October 7th, 2009 link to (permalink)

2 years ago

wtf

What is it? What’s the story behind it?


5 comments »
wtfisthat

WTF is that? #14

August 28th, 2009 link to (permalink)

2 years ago

wtf

What is it? What do you do with it?


11 comments »
wtfisthat

wtf is that? #13

July 31st, 2009 link to (permalink)

2 years ago

wtf

What is this, cargo and container?


4 comments »
wtfisthat

WTF is that? #12

July 16th, 2009 link to (permalink)

2 years ago

wtf

What was in this case? It’s topical.


7 comments »
wtfisthat

WTF is that? #11

July 6th, 2009 link to (permalink)

2 years ago

wtf

What is this giant book?


3 comments »
wtfisthat

WTF is that? #10

June 22nd, 2009 link to (permalink)

2 years ago

wtf

What is it, and what’s the story?


7 comments »
wtfisthat

WTF is that? #9

June 4th, 2009 link to (permalink)

2 years ago

wtf

Its pretty clear what this is - an aircraft entombed in ice - but what is the story, where is it and how did it get there?


3 comments »
wtfisthat

WTF is That? #8

May 21st, 2009 link to (permalink)

2 years ago

wtf

More specifically, what are these… answers in the comments.


7 comments »
wtfisthat

WTF is That? #7

May 15th, 2009 link to (permalink)

2 years ago

mystery object

What is this, what does it do? Can I have one for my birthday?

Answers in the comments


11 comments »
wtfisthat

WTF is that? #6

May 8th, 2009 link to (permalink)

2 years ago

wtf is that

Any guidance as to what this is? Answers in the comments


9 comments »
wtfisthat

WTF is That? #5

May 1st, 2009 link to (permalink)

2 years ago

wtf is that

What is this unfamiliar object? As always there is a clue in the question. Answers in the comments


12 comments »
wtfisthat

WTF is That? Number 4

April 20th, 2009 link to (permalink)

2 years ago

wtf

What is this ‘hellish’ machine? There’s the clue.

As usual, answers in the comments.


7 comments »
wtfisthat

WTF is That! Friday

April 10th, 2009 link to (permalink)

2 years ago

wtf

As usual - the game is to say what (TF) is going on here. In some ways this is better left as a mystery, since the image is so odd.


9 comments »
wtfisthat

WTF is That? No. 2

March 30th, 2009 link to (permalink)

2 years ago

wtfisthat

The man in the picture is not being hurt. In fact people are trying to help him. What in the world is the name of this device and what does it do? Answers in the comments.


8 comments »
wtfisthat

WTF Is That. No 1.

March 30th, 2009 link to (permalink)

2 years ago

WTF is that is a new regular feature on Oobject. We’ll trawl the web looking for unusual or interesting gadgets or technology and readers have to guess what they are from the picture.

Today’s item looks somewhat Persian or Sci-fi esque, an odd combination of chain-mail and bronze that is difficult to put in place or time.

What is it? Answers in the comments. Points for the correct or most witty answer.


6 comments »