According to Nathaniel Bullard and Adam Minter, writing in the CT Post, we are using fewer, lighter, more energy efficient, and easier to recycle gadgets. This trend has been going on all century but with all the fear-mongering and hand-wringing and news photos of boatloads of e-waste going to developing nations, the truth is much less dystopian. Turns out, we use fewer gadgets because our smartphones are taking over more and more of those functions.
If only there was a news source that would alert us to this and help us make sense of this. Like this article which I wrote three years ago. We used to walk around everywhere with bags loaded like this:
Now, we’re more likely to walk around with this:
Americans’ 284 million TVs use 35 times more electricity than their 238 million smartphones. For that matter, the remaining 104 million cordless phones in the U.S. use more electricity than U.S. smartphones — and the remaining 113 million clock radios use more electricity than 140 million tablets… Finally, the 284 million TVs in use in American households is down from 353 million in 2010. Smartphones and tablets really are eating everything – and replacing them with something many times more energy-efficient.
The solution? Get rid of (and by that, I mean responsibly recycle!) everything that wasn’t made this century! Here at the Gadgeteer, we’ve been leading this charge since the ’90’s, and we’ll continue past the time those gadgets are surgically installed in utero. So keep on coming here to find what new, green, light, healthy upgrade is available for your old, heavy, inefficient energy hog of a gadget from yesteryear!
Heaven’s Gate is a well-produced and thought-provoking podcast that takes a deep look at the cult of the same name. Over 20 years ago, this group emerged from obscurity and captivated the world when 39 members took their own lives in a mass suicide. Host Glynn Washington offers insight through interviews with the departed’s loved ones, ex-members and videotapes containing personal messages left behind by the group.
I listened to the series, which released its final episode near the end of December, and found it absolutely riveting. The host himself was a member of a cult in his childhood and offers amazing personal insights into how rational, intelligent individuals can make the choice to leave everything they know to join a new and different family… and even make the ultimate sacrifice to uphold their ideals.
You can listen to the entire 10-episode series for free on Stitcher or wherever you get podcasts.
Thanks to the Arctic blast, winter is here from the North. It’s time to grab your sword and prepare for battle, and thanks to ThinkGeek, it can be a White Walker sword. This blade is 41.5″ of acrylic icicle, with 31″ of that the actual blade. This White Walker Sword is officially-licensed Game of Thrones merchandise, and it’s guaranteed not to melt. Wielding the weapon of a frozen, undead soldier without first dying is gonna cost you though – they are $199.99 at ThinkGeek.
This week we have four crowdfunding campaigns from Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Click through to read more details about these crowdfunded products.
GIGA | The Super Jacket with 16 Amazing Features
What is it?
The GIGA Super Jacket is a down filled jacket that converts from a bag or cushion into a winter coat with plenty of pockets for your gear.
Why do I like it?
This might be silly, but my favorite features of this jacket are the built-in scarf to keep the wind from going down your neck and the built-in thumb loops to keep the sleeves from creeping up your arms. These features will come in handy for really cold weather like we’ve been heaving here in Southern Indiana so far this winter. I also like that the jacket can fold up to be carried like a bag or used as a pillow if you get stuck in an airport or you need a quick nap. The only downside to this jacket is that it won’t ship until September. That’s a long time to wait but hopefully, it will be ready for next winter.
Where can I find more info?
The GIGA Super Jacket campaign ends on 2/17/2018 and they have already met their funding goal of $12,780. You can pre-order a GIGA Super Jacket starting at $119. After the GIGA Super Jacket campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in September 2018. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.
Why do I like it?
These guys already have a proven track record, so you know they will bring their product to market and that it will be well made and useful. It’s also great that the RNGR knife is made in the USA.
Where can I find more info?
The RNGR campaign ends on 1/31/2018 and they have already met their funding goal of $15,000. You can pre-order a RNGR starting at $44. After the RNGR campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in March 2018. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.
70MAI: Smartest Dash Cam Featuring Voice Control
What is it?
The 70MAI is a 1080P dash cam for your vehicle that features 130-degree viewing angle, 1GB built-in storage, and voice control.
Why do I like it?
The 70MAI has two main things going for it. First of all, it’s only $39 which is a bargain considering the second thing it has going for it, which is voice control. This is the first dash cam that I’ve heard of that you can control with your voice. You can say “Take a picture” and it will do just that. You can also say “Record a video” and it will make a separate recording so that you can easily find it instead of searching through saved video footage.
Where can I find more info?
The 70MAI campaign ends on 2/29/2018 and they are still working towards their funding goal of $10,000. You can pre-order a 70MAI starting at $39. After the 70MAI campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in March 2018. Visit their Indiegogo page for all the details.
Geekey Multi-tool
What is it?
The Geekey is a stainless steel key-shaped multitool with 16 functions.
Why do I like it?
I like that the Geekey (love that name too) can easily fit on your keychain and blends in with the rest of your keys. You don’t have to unlock it or unfold blades to use it. All the features are available to you right away in a small convenient form factor. It has hex wrenches, bit driver, Phillips screwdriver, bottle opener, rule, and more.
Where can I find more info?
The Geekey campaign ends on 1/19/2018 and they have already met their funding goal of $5,000. You can pre-order a Geekey starting at $17. After the Geekey campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in April 2018. Visit their Indiegogo page for all the details.
The Drone Racing League and Toy State have developed the Nikko Air line of racing drones powered by the same technology used by professional DRL pilots. The first models to come out of this partnership went on sale in August 2017. I had a chance to review one and experience the fast-paced fun of drone racing. Read on to see what I think!
What Is It?
Drone racing is an extreme sport in which pilots compete head-to-head with small flying drones while wearing first-person-view goggles. Like every type of competition, proficiency only comes with practice. The Nikko Air Race Vision 220 FPV Pro provides everything you need to start racing drones and practice the skills needed by a professional drone pilot. The kit includes real-time video transmission to a full color screen and FPV goggles that provide an immersive flight experience. Just in case, the drone is designed to be resistant to crashes. The controller has progressive flight modes and speed limiters that can be adjusted as skills improve akin to removing training wheels on a bicycle. The controller also has 4 buttons which are configured for one touch stunts. The drone can be connected to a computer to interface the controller to a DRL simulator on Steam or custom configured using BetaFlight.
Hardware Specs
220 mm wheelbase
5.8 GHz analog transmission
4.3″ LCD screen
130 degree wide angle camera with adjustable mount pitch
Highly durable composite frame designed to flex, bend and crash
16 pre-programmed stunts
Speeds of 25+ miles per hour
removable propeller guards
View and record stills and video from the drone POV
BetaFlight controller tuning
Hard case quick swap battery design
Interchangeable pinch and thumb stick controls
Does not require FAA registration
What’s in the box?
Racing drone
Controller + 4 AA batteries
FPV goggles
SD Card
Screen Holder
Thumb sticks
2 of 7.4 V Rechargeable Li-PO batteries
USB charging cable
2 “A” and 2 “B” replacement propellers
4.3” LCD Screen + 4 AA batteries
Instruction booklet
Design and Features
One of the stand out features of this kit is how complete it is.
The package contains everything needed to start flying a few minutes after opening the tape on the box.
The package even includes batteries for the screen and the remote controller.
However, it seems that the batteries aren’t quite as fresh as they could be – the life indicator on the video display isn’t quite full even when used for the very first time.
The drone is a 220 mm wheelbase design. A dollar is included in the picture for scale.
its a decent sized unit to learn how to pilot. One thing that is deceptive from the picture above is the type of motor installed on the drone. It looks like they are brushless type motors from a distance. But, upon closer inspection:
They are actually brushed gear motors. The drone still has plenty of pep, but an experienced pilot may complain about the responsiveness and top speed achievable.
The manual states that fully charging the battery will take from 60 to 180 minutes. Furthermore, the batteries may only be charged when installed in the drone. However, the batteries in the box were mostly charged.
Its nice that the battery installation doesn’t require handling connectors. I tied the drone to a stool and ran the throttle close to 90% of capacity with a full battery. The battery lasted for 4:50 before the controller started to vibrate, alerting a low battery. The drone motors stopped 10 seconds later. This probably translates to the rated 6 minute flying time because rarely is the throttle turned up this much.
The controller is more like a game controller than a model aircraft controller, but that makes it easy to hold. I noticed that sometimes my yaw doesn’t center all the way back, but I usually have a finger on throttle anyway.
The buttons for tricks are easily reachable from the controller handles. The controller also has a vibration motor in it. It will vibrate when various settings and modes are made and will also vibrate to alert you that the drone battery is weak.
The controller has three built in modes: The Nikko mode has auto banking, the auto mode has auto leveling, and the pro mode has full acrobatic ability. The Nikko mode switches the yaw to the right stick and the roll to the left. The auto and pro modes have the same controller layout, with the throttle and yaw on the left and the pitch and roll on the right. It seems confusing that beginner lessons would be done in one mode and later lessons would be in another. Imagine, after driving for 6 months, that you learn the left pedal is really for breaking and the right is the accelerator. The controller also has two speed limiting settings: 1 is 50% max, 2 is 75% max and 3 permits 100% maximum speed.
Usually the first thing that is required when using a drone is trimming out the drift. The Race Vision is no exception, but the controller for this unit doesn’t have the usual trim wheels. Instead the pitch and roll stick is pushed in the direction opposite the drift. This is simple in theory but lacks the ability to specify the amount of trim applied. It may take a few repetitions to get it just right. Once it is trimmed out though the drone has a good ability to hover in one spot.
A pilot that can comfortably control the drone in P mode has the ability to adjust the responsiveness of the pitch, roll, and yaw by changing the PID tuning parameters in BetaFlight. Because the flight controller is BetaFlight compatible the flying experience can be tailored to personal preferences. Programming the drone is achieved by connecting it to a computer via a USB cable and then using the BetaFlight software in Chrome to adjust the settings.
There are 16 stunts available by pressing bumper buttons in combination with the right stick. See the excerpt from the instruction manual below. The P mode has no auto-leveling so these stunts are possible by just using the sticks, but are also accessible by using the buttons.
Rarely does the topic of learning to fly drones or drone stunts not include some discussion of crashes. The frame of the Race Vision drone is very robust and can take a beating. The nylon frame is designed to flex and adsorb the energy of a crash and ensures a damping of the impact. The propeller protectors limit damage to the propellers and other property during an impact and are removable for more advanced pilots.
The Race Vision 220 FPV comes with a 4.3″ LCD video screen. It is powered by 4 AA (included) batteries. The screen receives an analog 5.8Ghz signal which has the advantage of much less latency and greater range than WI-FI signal. The screen also has the capability of recording the incoming video. A 4GB Class 4 SD card is included with the set for this purpose. The recorded video is in .AVI format and has the following characteristics:
The screen is also capable of recording still pictures with a resolution of 720 x 240 pixels.
The screen is designed to either be mounted on top of the controller or at the end of a head-mounted display.
The image in the head mount display appears as a 48″ diagonal image at 3 feet distance. The image is neither stereoscopic nor convincingly immersive; the real benefit of the head-mounted design is that it allows training from a drone POV and completely isolated from observing the flight 3rd person.
There are 3 basic ways to fly the drone: out in the open individually, out in the open with friends, or with the simulator. Using the drone individually is the most obvious scenario. I found that the range for the FPV was somewhat limited compared to other more professional units, but beat out what is typically provided by WI-FI drones. The video starts to cut out about 50 yards and when using the drone in a line-of-sight scenario. However, becasue the transmission is a linear 5.8 GHz signal (5732, 5769, 5806, or 5843 MHz) the FPV may be used with many other FPV goggles that support these frequencies. Also, the 130 degree FOV paired with the 240 TVL resolution made for difficult viewing at times.
One good thing about the camera on the drone is that it is also designed with growth in mind – the camera angle can be increased as the pitch is increased with faster flying speeds.
Each frequency has a different tail light LED color: green, cyan, blue, and violet. Unfortunately, the blue and cyan LEDs are virtually indistinguishable.
Using the drone with the simulator allows new pilots to learn how to fly a racing drone. The simulator allows pilots to practice the controls and perfect the basics before taking flight in real life. On the computer pilots can master skills, race against friends, and compete in actual DRL courses. The DRL simulator runs on the Steam game platform, which means it is cross-platform.
After installing Steam and the DRL simulator, the drone is USB connected to the computer and the controller can interact with the game just like it is being used in real life.
The image below is a screenshot from one of the training sessions
In the field I had a ball playing with this. I also crashed it a bunch of times too. The frame and propellers withstood all of my hard landings. The video I recorded has the quality of a bad VCR but looked better as I was filming.
Positives
True novice to expert flexibility
Complete kit includes everything (even batteries and an SD card!)
BetaFlight compatible
Simulator learning
Durable design
Negatives
Limited FPV range
Limited controller range
Marginal recorded video quality
Final thoughts
Having a drone controller and FPV goggles all in one package is nice. Its also great that the drone is designed for the novice through the enthusiast. I think the greatest benefit to this is the simulator. This is the perfect collection of merchandise and the right price point to get someone who is curious about drone racing into the sport. If you are looking for a system for a pilot that has intermediate experience, there are some comparably priced units on Amazon that don’t have simulator capability and may not have channel specific LEDs but have brushless motors, carbon fiber construction, 15 minute flight time, and HD video.
Price: $169.99 Where to buy: Target Source: The sample of this product was provided by Nikko Air.
The image in the head mount display appears as a 48″ diagonal image at 3 feet distance. 
After installing Steam and the DRL simulator, the drone is USB connected to the computer and the controller can interact with the game just like it is being used in real life.