ProdMod ™

I just saw Adam Matta and his friends perform last night at the New Museum here in NYC. Not only is Adam able to reproduce realistic sounds of the city and hip-hop-techno-scratching sounds with nothing but his vocal chords and a microphone - he also has some cool gadgets. This combination of creativity and ingenuity earns him some time on this blog. As a product designer and hacker I think it is healthy to get inspiration from other creative areas, especially music. Guys like Adam remind me that people are capable of great things. And I think there are a few things you and I can learn from him, if not be inspired by:

If you check out the video below you’ll see him spin this bicycle wheel he has propped up on a stool back and forth. He uses it to make turntable style scratching sound effects. He moves the wheel back and forth just like a DJ scratches a record. You’ll see a close up of the device at the beginning of the clip at 6seconds.

Isn’t he just some Beatboxer artist dude? Where did he get that? Did he make that himself? — Yes. Yes he did!

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I took a little break from making gadgets to go to this Fuerzabruta show in NYC. It’s standing room only in this very tall yet small black space and you get moved around as the contraptions and gadgets are moved around the area near you and above you. It’s basically like you are in the middle of someone elses crazy dream. There is an actor on a treadmill in front of you running as fast as he can with walls of paper boxes being hurled at him. There is wind generators, flying paper, treadmills and water. It was unique and interesting and I have to admit I was distracted by all the gadget to really absorb the art of the show except for the ladies of course.

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Most people don’t know or care what temperature wine should be when drinking, but I have a friend who is way into wine, he even has a little temperature controlled fridge for them, so I am sure he wouldn’t mind double checking the temperature again before he is ready to serve.

I like its simple design. It simply wraps around the bottle and gives you a temperature reading. I thought its C-shape would allow it to adjust in size but the ad only mentions 750mL bottles, which are most common anyway. It’s $29.95.

I think red is around 60F, but what about white or champagne? It is probably in the manual but no one reads those things. It should at least be written on the band somewhere like the one at Kickerland makes. You can buy the Kickerland version through amazon.com. It is not digital and is a bit bigger but its only $9.99!!

In any case, what if it’s not the right temperature? I don’t want to sit there and wait for it to cool down or warm up.

Can’t they add a little logic chip and a piezo buzzer so it could ring when the temperature is just right?
What if it could sense the color of the wine?

ok. Stop dreaming. Or go make one yourself.