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Cliris cleans your glasses for you

technologyEdward Kiledjian

I know cleaning your glasses is a lot of hard arduous sweat inducing work. You probably ask yourself all the time "there must be a better way". Why hasn't technology solved this age old problem already?

Cliris is a new Kickstarter project that want to make your life just a little easier and make you just a little more lazy. In just four minutes, it will clean, disinfect, anti-fog treat and dry your glasses for you.

Cliris uses ultrasonic technology (the same one used to clean jewelry for years) along with a biodegradable cleaning solution. The solution comes in special pods that cost about $US25 each and last for 30 cleanings. Add to that the $US269 cost of the device and this is something for a very specific subset of lazy individuals with tones of disposable income burning a hole in their pockets. 

You've got 25 days to fund this project (link).

This Atomic wristwatch is the most accurate available

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

Where possible, I try to buy clocks that automatically correct their time using the signal from the Atomic Clock in Boulder CO. The atomic clock loses 1 second every 300 million years... The magic of this always correct timepiece is the Cesium 133 core. It is the natural decaying of this isotope that allows the atomic clock to sat on track. 

Casio has a line of wristwatches called the Waveceptor series which can also automatically correct its time based on the Atomic clock signal. Now a Kickstarter project (link) wants to take things up a notch by giving you your very own (wristwatch) mini atomic clock. It's slightly less accurate than its older brother but losing 1 second every 1000 years isn't anything to be ashamed about. 

10 watches will be produced at a cost of $6,000 each. This is the ultimate timepiece for the watch freak in your life.

84% of Kickstarter projects ship late

technologyEdward Kiledjian
Kickstarter is the most popular crowd-sourcing site and since its inception of 2009 has funded $376 million dollars for 34,000 projects. For product inventors, Kickstarter is the promised land where you they can fund their dreams quickly.
CNN Money conducted a review of the 50 most popular Kickstarter projects and found that things get ugly, very very ugly.
  • 8 of those 50 projects meet their delivery commitment deadlines
  • 15 of those 50 projects had not shipped yet (very very late)
  • 27 of those 50 projects were delivered late (usually 2 months but some were as late as a year)
Unfortunately it seems Kickstarter is more interested in taking its 5% cut and moving on rather than helping project supporters get fair treatment. Many analysts (yours truly included) have been asking Kickstarter to take a much more active role to ensure projects are delivered on time or to implement penalties for late deliveries.
Don't forget that the worst case scenario is that your project may never actually materialize and the project creator has no obligation to refund your investment. Unlike a credit card or Paypal, you have no claim of refund for abandoned projects.
My hope is that eventually enough people will be aware of these shady situations and will take their money elsewhere forcing Kickstarter to re-evaluate its position. I think consummer protection should be at the forefront of its mission statement.

Wear this shirt for 100 days without washing it

TravellingEdward Kiledjian
Wool & Prince claim that you can wear their new shirt for 100 days without having to wash or iron it. The company claims this is possible because of a new special wool technology that wicks moisture away (better than cotton), fold resistance and breathability. 
Putting aside "Mr disgusting" looking for ways to wash less often, this could be an amazing addition for business travellers looking for wrinkle resistant stay clean shirts. It could mean less content and lighter luggage. 
Is all of this worth $US98?
They are crowdsourcing the funding on kickstarter.