USB Puppy Speakers

Everyone loves a puppy (or two), but those cute, little mongrels could end up being a handful if you do not train them properly along the way. Why not get permanently small puppies in the form of the USB Puppy speakers as they sit adorably on the left and right hand sides of your monitor. Strange to see manufacturer Japan Trust Technology label them as “Wonderful Speakers”. Well, the one on the left is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy while its compatriot on the right is a Dalmatian puppy. The speaker is strategically placed on the dog’s belly, but the way they’re standing allows audio to escape in a decent manner. Strange that a guitar-shaped controller is bundled for the volume - we think it was supposed to be a shape of a bone but the sculptor somehow bungled the whole thing.

Source: Craziest Gadgets

The Chocolate Mouse

Here are more chocolate electronics for you to make it staying on a diet a little more difficult. This one is a mouse in the shape of a chunk of chocolate. It even has a bite taken out of it already. It doesn’t exactly look all that ergonomic, but at least it’s in the shape of your favorite candy. This wireless mouse takes a total of 2 different AAA batteries to stay up and running. You can purchase it for £21.99 or about $36 from Lazybone UK.

The future of fabrication is here: Shapeways announces stainless steel printing

Sure you’re not going to make a Hatori Hanzo sword - yet - but Shapeways, a 3D fabrication service, has just announced stainless steel printing, allowing you to make steel objects as easily as you would made resin or plastic prototypes. That’s right: something that took our ancient ancestors generations to perfect is now available to anyone with a CAD/CAM program and some Red Bull.

First, the press info:

Innovation Takes the Stage with Metal 3D printing for modelers and creatives
Shapeways offers 3D Printing in Stainless Steel

SIGGRAPH (August 4, 2009) — Many 3D modelers have found their way to Shapeways to bring their personal designs to life by using 3D printing. Until now the materials were limited to different kind of polymers. Today Shapeways becomes the world’s first company offering 3D printing in stainless steel for everyone.

Technique
This is a completely new technique which deposits stainless steel powder in a very thin layer, combining it with a binding material. Printed objects are built up like this, layer by layer, gradually creating the form just as you designed it on the computer screen. When complete, they are infused with bronze and cured in an oven. After cooling, the models can be left in the original steel finish or tumbled to get a great polished look.

So, as you see, the objects aren’t carved in steel like Terminator parts. Instead they are made of layered steel powder. This would allow you to build heavy-duty items including jewelery and, dare I say it, car parts. The possibilities, in a sense, are endless.