Losing Weight: Sorry, but your diet is blown sky high when you carry around a briefcase full of sausage—as is your resolution about not having heart attacks in 2010. [Link]
Get More Enjoyment Out of Life: Unfortunately, if you purchase any one of the gadgets on our list of the 50 (+10) worst gadgets of the decade, the chances of leading a more joyful life are significantly reduced.
Get On a Budget and Save Money: If you want to save more money in the upcoming year, you should probably steer clear of impulse Back to the Future Delorean replica purchases on eBay—no matter how insanely detailed they might be. [Jalopnik]
Get a Promotion: Forget a promotion, you will be completely unemployable if you decide to bust out the office babe score cards. [Smutty Gifts]
Stop Drinking So Much: After New Year’s Eve, I’m going to cut down on the alcohol—and this time, I mean it. Unfortunately, that goal is going to be a lot harder to achieve with a booze-loading shotgun lying around. [Giftlab]

And if you plan on going out tonight and getting completely hammered, make sure to check out our PSA on the dangers of mixing alcohol and gadgets. You’ve been warned.

Meet a Nice Woman: If you go around wearing a shredder hoodie everywhere, 2010 probably isn’t going to be the year you get lucky in love. ['80s Tees via Link]
Stop Smoking So Much: Cigarette smoking is one thing, but using the Volcano Vaporizer for the purpose in which it was intended is quite another. Instead of smoke, you inhale vapor, which eliminates many of the toxins but retains all of the flavors and mind numbing effects. Sounds great, but this little guy simultaneously puts four new year’s resolutions in jeopardy: get organized, learn something new, get promoted or find a new job, and establish a budget (it costs $500). [Volcano Vaporizer via Link]

Biff Tannen gettin’ you down? Too many screen doors on your battleship? Don’t sweat it, McFly — there’s somebody home at eBay, and they want to sell you one of the coolest DeLorean time machine replicas ever built. It’s the Libyans!

The car in question, a 1981 DeLorean DMC-12, was built by Gary Weaver, a Back to the Future enthusiast widely hailed as the leading authority on DeLorean time-machine replicas. (There’s an authority on such things? Who knew?) Weaver has an extensive connection to the BTTF brand; he owns BTTFparts.com and is often described as the go-to guy for parts sourcing and true-to-film accuracy.

The car you see here is the result of six years of research, not to mention countless hours of painstaking construction. It was built on commission for a California owner who requested that no expense be spared and no corners be cut. Everything from the 95-mph speedometer (U.S.-spec DMC-12s are equipped with an 85-mph unit) to the programmable time circuits (they light up and make the proper sheeow noise) is blindingly accurate. Here are a few of the key details, borrowed from the auction’s description:

• Built on a beautiful, super-clean, stock 1981 5-speed DMC-12 with over $16,000 of mechanical work and upgrades performed at DMC California in September of 2008. Approx. 78K miles on vehicle.
• Programmable time circuits which function just like those in the film.
• Functioning digital speedometer on the dashboard (reads actual vehicle speed).
• Main Time Circuit switch functions just like in the film, with all sound effects.
• All interior indicators and switches light up, just like in the film.
• Sound effects upon door opening.
• Screen-accurate “OUTATIME” metal-stamped license plate with 1986 registration tag.
• Eagle Goodyear GT tires, as seen in the film (not pictured).

Yeah, we know: Ninety grand for a kitbashed DeLorean is one hell of a lot of money, and by and large, movie cars are pretty stupid. Think of what you’re getting, though — this isn’t just a period piece. This is one of the few film vehicles that transcends the movie it appeared in. It speaks to you. It means something. It doesn’t hate manure.

It’s also staggeringly well-done. Most hacked-on DMCs are little more than a pile of neon tubing and some label-maker tape held together with baling wire and love. The car you see here is as close as you’re likely to get to the real deal, and it’s far more realistic than the two much-spanked stainless tramps that live on the Universal Studios backlot. Buy it. Love it. Call us up and let us play with the time circuits.

Auctions? Where we’re going, we don’t need . . . auctions. Screw the Batmobile; we’re going to the Hill Valley high-school dance.

Robert Zemeckis/M.J. Fox Shout-Out Department: Michael J. Fox doing Marty McFly doing a duckwalking, Gibson-ES-335-gunning Chuck Berry made us pick up a guitar at the tender age of five. Thanks, guys. You rock.

Random Technical Accuracy Point: The residence in the attached gallery is known as the Gamble House. It was built in 1909, from a design produced by architectural firm Greene and Greene, for Procter & Gamble’s David Gamble. It’s located in Pasadena, California, and appears in the Back to the Future trilogy as the exterior of Doc Brown’s mansion.

[Head on over to see the auction at eBay]

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404 Hoverboard!

(Credit:
CNET/The 404)

There’s so much to do on today’s episode of The 404 Podcast that I’m surprised we were able to fit it all into half an hour–we’ve got 404 listener Leopold’s take on our theme song, Back to the Future/The 404 mash up fan art, and a prize giveaway courtesy of Otterbox!

Before we get into all of that, we have to make fun of the new Karate Kid movie coming out next year starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith. Slashfilm just released four official photos from the next film in the franchise, and already we’re seeing glaringly obvious cultural mix-ups. For instance, one of the training scenes features the young Karate Kid practicing on the Great Wall of China. Karate = Japanese, Great Wall = Chinese. Come on!

And speaking of mistakes, the third installment of “Jackass: The Movie” will premiere in 3-D. Don’t get us wrong- The 404 is no stranger to the Jackass movies, but a 3-D view of Chris Pontius’ Speedo we do not need!

A big thanks goes out to 404 listener and music student Leopold, who sent in an amazing new theme song for The 404–we’ll definitely put it into the song rotation, great work, Leopold! Jim, another talented 404 listener, also deserves our appreciation for the Back To The Future hoverboard mash-up you see up there! Judging by the DeLorean in the background, Jim is obviously a big BTTF fan and so are we, so check out the slideshow for more pictures of The 404 hoverboard, and don’t worry–it’s got POWER.

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Otterbox Defender case for iPhone 3G/S

(Credit:
Otterbox)

Finally, the good folks at OtterBox hooked it up with 10 of their Defender and Commuter cases, so if you have an iPhone and need a case, leave a comment on this blog and tell us why you deserve to win!

Here’s what you need to do:

• Register as a CNET user. Go to the top of this page and hit the “Join CNET” link to start the registration process. If you’re already registered, there’s no need to register again.
• Leave a comment below. You can leave whatever comment you want. If it’s funny or insightful it won’t help you win, but we’re trying to have fun here, so anything entertaining is appreciated.
• Leave only one comment. You may enter this specific giveaway only once. If you enter more than one comment, you will be automatically disqualified.
• The winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive (1) Otter Box case for the iPhone 3G/S. Retail value is ~$50.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified via e-mail. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
• Entries can be submitted until Friday, December 4, at 12 p.m. EST. Full rules after the jump.

EPISODE 478

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Originally posted at The 404 Podcast

“What is it, a tactical nuke?” I’d ask, ever thinking of Starship Troopers. “Even better,” he’d say, eyes crazier than ever, “I went back to 1998 and got a can of Josta!”

I don’t really have a fitting end to this story, but now I want some Josta. As for the fridge, it’s actually not as effective as it looks:

It has 3 peltier coolers enclosed is a 4 inch diameter pvc T joint. It’s powered (underpowered by about 120 watts) by a 55 watt 5 volt power supply…It cooled the inside down to 68 F when it was 96 F outside. I took it inside and it cooled down to 46 F.

I mean, it’s better than anything I could have made, but buddy, you don’t drink Josta cool — you drink it ice cold.

[via Hack A Day]

Ebay via Laughing Squid

One of the most enduring images of the ’80s is also one of the decade’s most notable gadgets: the DeLorean. Not just because Doc Brown turned one into an iconic time machine, but because there were some amazing and high-tech design elements throughout the machines, like the gull-wing doors, …

By Chris Scott Barr

As far as movie trilogies go, Back to the Future will probably always be in my top 5.  I mean it’s got a time-traveling DeLorean, it’s always going to be cool. As such, we’re probably always going to see replicas of some of our favorite items from the movies. Be it actual props from the set, or Nike’s Hyperdunks which were nothing like the ones from the movie. Well today I’ve found the weird-looking hat Marty McFly Jr. wears in the second movie.

I think the most prominent feature of this hat is the strangely-colored fabric that it’s made out of. There’s really the most high-tech thing about it, and not really futuristic at all. I’m no fashion expert, but something tells me that kids aren’t going to be wearing these in 2015, unless they’re reenacting scenes from the movie. This cheesy one-size-fits-all replica will only set you back about $25 when it ships on July 15th.

[ Amazon ] VIA [ Coolest-Gadgets ]