Brilliant Weekend Edition

Bullet-proof Cybertrucks, security phones, 3D-printed breast implants, one-key keyboards, minimalist writing tools, smartphone handcuffs and more!

Turn your Cybertruck into a suburban assault vehicle

It's all fun and games when Chechen warlords have guns mounted on their Tesla Cybertrucks — until, that is, somebody returns fire. That's why they need the "STING" package, an aftermarket upgrade for the Tesla Cybertruck, developed by Archimedes Defense and Unplugged Performance. This upgrade comes in three variants. It can give you an 800V genset generator capable of supercharging the Cybertruck and doubling its range, bullet-proof steel armor plating, bigger tires, additional fog lamps, and antennas. The design changes also involve reinforced doors and a redesigned upper rear half of the vehicle. The result is something quite ridiculous. I want one.

                                                                 ⁂

Worst-case scenario: This case blocks most phone features for the sake of security

The unimaginatively named Anti-Spy Device protects you from surveillance and data theft. The case physically covers the camera and blocks all radio signals, including GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth. A screen protector doubles as a privacy screen, which means you can see the screen only if you're looking straight at it. Plus, the product comes with encryption and other security software. It's almost like having no phone at all!

                                                                 ⁂

3D-printed breast implants (don't try this at home!)

Scientists are inventing fake boobs that become real over time. Researchers at CollPlant and 3D Systems are developing 3D-printed regenerative breast implants. The implants are bioengineered using plant-based collagen and are designed to gradually be replaced by the patient's own tissue over time.

                                                                 ⁂

This one-key keyboard is cute as a button

Here's something for you minimalists: a mechanical keyboard with only one key. Called the Monokey and designed by BigBadCult, this Bluetooth and WiFi keyboard can be customized to run shortcuts on your phone or home automation devices. You can control media playback, launch applications, or execute macros. It's powered by an ESP32 chip and is Arduino-compatible, which means you can create custom firmware. And the keycap is replaceable.

                                                                 ⁂

This writing tool is just a tiny black-and-white screen

Minimalist writing tools abound. If you want to write The Great American Novel, it's easier without YouTube, TikTok, and the world of distractions that are always a click away using a desktop or laptop. The idea of minimalist writing tools is to strip your system down to just letters on a page, with nothing else to do. One problem with this gadget category is that people dedicated to writing tend to be very particular about their keyboard and may not like the keyboard attached to the writing gadget. The Bring Your Own Keyboard (BYOK) solves the problem by not including a keyboard at all. The low-rez screen connects to your own personal keyboard via Bluetooth, USB-C, or USB A and lasts 20 hours on a charge with the backlight off and 5 hours at full brightness. This could be the best minimalist writing tool — if you like this type of thing.

                                                                 ⁂

A product concept for people attached to their phones

Handcuffs on smartphones, a staple of the stock photo industry, could now become an actual product, thanks to an industrial design consultancy called Bored Eye. The company posted a beautiful mockup on Instagram of a handcuff attachment for the CMF phone by Nothing, which has an unusual "Accessory Point," enabling users to attach a stand, card case, or lanyard. Or handcuffs, theoretically. But for other phones, it would have to be a case. As someone who has had two phones stolen at different times by masterful pickpockets in Spain, I could definitely use something like this.

                                                                 ⁂

Urine for a treat if you like LEGO and bathrooms

The Lego Urinal is a unique design submitted to the LEGO Ideas platform. This model stands just over 25 bricks high — too high for a minifig to reach. Why, person who submitted this? Why?

---

Shameless Self-Promotion

• Humanoid robots are a bad idea

• How Paris Olympic authorities battled cyberattacks and won gold

• AI and AR can supercharge ‘ambient computing’

• Where are my AR glasses?

• More from Elgan Media!

---

My Location: Oaxaca, Mexico

(Why Mike is always traveling.)