Not too long ago, I was sitting across from a friend in a coffeeshop who, upon spilling a scalding cup of coffee all over his groin region, jumped up so fast from his laptop that he forgot his headphones were still attached to both his ear canal and his computer’s audio jack. This (of course) sent everything crashing off the table and onto the tiled floor, causing the monitor to partially crack and detach from its hinges, rendering it totally useless. If this sound like something you’d somehow manage to do, I suggest you invest in a Replug, a universal attachment that will work with your iPod, your laptop and/or the Discman you’d never admit to owning, so when you decide to scorch your nether regions and neglect to remember you’re wearing your headphones, it’ll merely detach from the jack, saving everything from a miserable demise. A solid investment, and absolutely worthy of its Design Distinction award in this year’s ID Magazine Annual Design Review, don’t you think?

News of another good thing that will only be available in Japan: Honeyee, the Japanese lifestyle magazine, is currently testing out a new auction feature, in which users can bid on super-rare, super-desirable items like one-of-a-kind bikes, furniture…and what appears to be an El Camino. It’s an interesting move for Honeyee, who certainly has the readership for some heated auctioneering, but details that might aid in clarifying the mag’s motives are missing (or not missing, but written in Japanese). In any case, it could be interesting to watch the auctions once they’re actually running, so keep an eye out — and let us know if you snag something good.

My local drugstore’s card aisle leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to subjects outside of birthday and Christmas, so I’m usually left speechless, so to say, when it comes to the moments in between. Whimsy Press has created a slew of attractive cards with witty sayings for all those other momentous occasions in life, i.e. the “Shut Up” card you can give to the jerk behind you at the concert who won’t stop yammering, the “Other Fish” card that goes to a friend who was just dumped; the seratonin-revver “You’re Swell” that promotes all-around good feelings and the funny-but-true “Build a bridge. Get over it.” for drama-loving pals. The simple design and innocent feel belie the smart-ass messaging, but there’s no doubt: nothing says it like a card.

I’m sure more than a few of our readers will be heading west this week for the AIGA Design Conference in Denver, where speakers like Paul Budnitz of Kidrobot and Bill Buxton of Microsoft (and about a hundred other big names) will be sharing their predictions for the future of design. Aside from being the most exciting thing to happen this side of the Rockies since, um, THE ROCKIES MADE THE PLAYOFFS, the AIGA conference will be an awesome opportunity to meet and mingle with potential collaborators, friends, and lovers. Registration is still open if you’re hoping for a last-minute chance to sign up, and if you think there’s any chance you’ll have some free time to hunt around Denver, feel free to contact me — I’ll do my best to point you in the right direction(s).

In case you have say, $100K lying around and happen to be unhealthily obsessed with your iPhone’s touchscreen, you can always step it up and go for Perceptive Pixel/Jeff Han’s Interactive Touch Media Wall — Josh raved about his play with the eight-foot-three monolith at last year’s TED, although he thinks the mark-up is just a “tad steep.” Think of it as Apple meets Minority Report; Neiman Marcus has the video illustrating the Wall’s abilities which, for most of us, will be about as close to getting our hands on one as we’ll get — at this point in time, anyways. In any case, it’ll definitely be interesting to watch how this sort of technology is employed in our everyday lives over the next few years.

Via Uncrate

Wicked Lasers has long established itself as a premier designer and manufacturer of quality laser products, targeting the mild hobbyist to the insane gadget freak, so when I was offered the opportunity to test out a laser that was developed for the U.S. military — and cost more than my car payment — I could not resist. After scrambling for two AAA batteries, I fired the Photonic Disruptor and shone its beam across the room. The first thing my co-worker and I noticed was how bright it was; the reflection from 10 feet away was enough to create white spots in your vision. This not very surprising when you learn that the Photonic Disruptor was created as a non-lethal weapon designed to take incapacitate threats by temporarily blinding them. At 100mW, this isn’t your teacher’s laser pointer. I repeatedly called people into my office and lit matches with the beam, burned skin (it feels like pin prick), and made small holes through black trash bags. I should stress that this is not the intention of the device; as their literature says, This is not toy. This is not a laser pointer. On the up (down?) side, the batteries drain quickly enough so that after a few sessions, the laser isn’t strong enough to really create too much heat, but still plenty capable of performing its job. If you are interested in checking out the Photonic Disrupter or any number of laser devices, head on over to the Wicked Lasers website, where you can read literature and purchase the products. Additionally, check out their new site called Tech Lasers, which carries a larger selection of lasers from other manufacturers, including models up to 500mW.

“It’s a big stereo. Speakers so loud, they blow women’s clothes off.”

I’m not much of an audiophile, but even I’m impressed by these bad boys. Or at least by the design; I have no idea how they sound. The Ferguson Hill Horn Speakers have got to be what the dude in The Italian Job was talking about — they just straight-up look LOUD. Can you imagine walking into someone’s home and seeing these thing hanging out in the corners? I think I’d be afraid to walk past them.

They also remind me of the giant bubbles we used to make as kids with that giant red-stringed bubble maker. Of course, at a price upward of $20,000 (yes, that’s the correct number of zeros) and a size around a cubic meter each, these aren’t for your average Manhattan apartment either. Anyone seen these on Cribs yet? They have to show up sooner or later.