I stumbled across this great PEZ mod which is the best I have seen to date. Dipswitch has taken a great deal of time and effort to ensure the quality of his work on this MOD.

See the C3PO Pez Mod here

Whilst looking around my local stores for suitable FLASH DRIVE MOD hosts I had the idea for using a chewing gum packet. It’s not hard to see that the size and shape is ideal for a flash drive. I considered using silicon resin but since I had none to hand this mod was even more simple. I have had the drive in daily use for 6 months now and it has been admired by many. It also offers a new level of security to your flash drive since it is so well disguised.

I feel its important to make sure your donor flash gum carcass is in good order and fresh from the shelves of your local store. Choose the design that suits you best.

Measure the length of your drive and cut your gum packet accordingly. Be sure to use a sharp knife and make sure there is sufficient remainder to make a little lid flap if you want one.

Empty our contents via a tipping motion. You need your gum packet in good order for the insertion. At this time you might have the desire to eat some gum. Do so if you wish since this will not effect the outcome of your drive.

Here you can see the gum carcass and the drive lined up to check for any potential insertion problems. All looks to be in order. However You should note at this point that the look and feel of your gum drive will depend on which way you insert it. My advice would be to have the design on the gum drive facing up when inserted into the USB host machine.

Next you need to find your self a rubber band that is about the same length as the drive, perhaps a little longer. You might find one of these on your door step in the morning.

The rubber band is usefull for 2 things, firstly it creates a perfect look and feel for the gum packet. Once complete this drive will genuinely feel like it contains gum. Secondly it offers resistance preventing the drive coming free from its gum carcass, meaning we don’t need silicon or glue to fix it. You will find that you can be quite casual with the way you wrap the band round your drive, however try to use some logic and make 5 gum shapes in total. Also make sure the first is at the foot of the drive.

You are only going to get one shot at this insertion so make sure that the band is wrapped in the right places. It should enter the carcass without too much resistance (expect some). Also note that as you insert, the rubber band wraps might ride up the drive. This is good since they will increase resistance and make it more secure, however if you did not wrap from base up you will find you have a dead/empty/no gum area at the base since its ridden up the drive.

Once you have your drive inserted you will probably want to hightlight the form of the gums inside, this will again help to secure the drive. You will find that the drive will never come out accidentally. Equally you will find that the Gum Drive looks just like a pack of gums and will wear very well, with daily use only enhancing its desirability. A further development on this USB GUM DRIVE would be to house the cap from the PEN drive in the flap of foil, using glue or resin, but I think this might cause too much wear and tear. Some users might like to simply do away with the flap, although on my 6 month old drive I still use it.

If you can’t sleep at night without knowing that those vacation photos you have stored on your thumb drive are absolutely, positively secure, this 007 USB Flash Drive is for you. Combining the digital security of encryption with the decidedly analogue security of a bike lock, the 007 keeps your data doubly safe. The combination lock not only keeps would-be data thieves from getting to the thumb drive, it also will physically lock the drive to an object, such as a desk, via the steel cable. If they somehow figure out that the code is your birthday, once they plug it into your computer they’ll need yet another password to access the data. That’s a lot of protection, so you’d better have something important enough to be worth keeping under such lock and key in those photos. This seems to be just a concept right now, but who knows, it could hit stores someday.

More from SciFi

Duel Against The World Online! — One of the world’s most famous trading card games is now online! Join duelists from all over the world with this accurate recreation of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game on your PC and experience the power and magic of Yu-Gi-Oh! Like never before!

Join The Community! — Thousands of duelists have already discovered the amazing dueling place that is Yu-Gi-Oh! ONLINE. Now you can become a part of the community! Trade Cards Online! — You can chat in chat rooms, in the meeting areas, and even during the actual duel itself. The best part: Using the built-in auto-translate feature, you can even chat with duelists who speak a different language! Duel With The Best! — Can’t find a worthy opponent in the real world? With Yu-Gi-Oh! ONLINE, you can have the chance to duel against the very best duelists in the known universe — right from your PC at home! More Cards! — Did we mention cards? Yu-Gi-Oh! ONLINE includes a huge amount of cards! Plus, new cards become available over time via the game’s unique auto-update facility. The comprehensive card list shows you which ones you have and which you don’t. Can you collect them all?

Plug in the USB Duelpass Key and automatically launch to Yu-Gi-Oh! ONLINE.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Online is beta testing between now and January 11, 2007.

Find out more here

SolidAlliance continue to confound the storage consuming public with such enchnanting objet de wonder as the FAT BEAR USB DRIVE

We came across these interesting Subbuteo style flash drive on http://mostwanted.webuser.co.uk/2007/01/subbuteostyle_f.html%20target= The design is based on the USB logo and looks like a twisted figure thats built into a moulded subbuteo weeble wobble type base. Not available to buy but you can see more of the designers (Marco Leone) work here.

This ghost detecting USB drive is certain to be attractive to one or two souls. Ssssshhh Did you here that?

Ghost Radar locates ghosts, spirits, and other entities. Its sensors detect and combine any significant related changes in electro-magnetic turbulence, heat, light, and biometrics which are believed to accompany any mysterious apparitions. Ghost Radar measures 89mm x 57mm x 12mm, and is powered by one CR2032 3V battery. It has three energy sensors, a bio-feedback sensor, a clock-timer, a sixteen-light array, an on-off button, a mode button, a beeper, and a UV LED. It includes a tiny USB flash drive storage device, which lights up when it’s busy, for your documents, photos, i-tunes, and movies. It needs no installation, uses no batteries, comes with a USB extension cable, and works with any modern PC or MAC. This can also improve the general performance of Windows Vista: a feature called ReadyBoost allows Vista to use the flash memory as extra system RAM.

Ghost Radar is part of Cherry Heaven, a shop in Corfe Castle village near the National Trust Estate. Cherry Heaven sells a wide range of essentials and luxuries. To look at Cherry Heaven, use the link above the menu bar.

GHOSTRADARS

GhostRadar uses complex algorithms to analyse the sensor data, make lunar-cycle adjustments, add biometric feedback from your skin, and pattern-match the real-time energy dispersion. In use, it beeps quietly, the light-array patterns change, and the UV LED flashes. If it detects any phantom presence, the beep-rate changes and the new light-array patterns help you to assess position, movement, and risk possibilities.

The ghosts may be behind you, watching everything you do. Or all around you, waiting, or trapped in an afterlife, or lost in a twist of time. Are they friendly, seeking a connection. Or are they just hungry. Well, whatever their intentions, the Ghost Radar and a small silver adhesive label have been purified at a Shinto shrine to help bring good fortune and keep evil spirits in check.

Whilst you’re working late, alone, quietly, in the dark, use the attached USB flash-memory device to back up and store your work, in case there’s a sudden energy surge as a ghost passes. It’s powered by the computer’s USB port: so won’t feed on you whilst you’re sleeping. Keep your GhostRadar in your pocket or handbag, in case you’re alone in the dark. Or go anywhere creepy. Or know anyone creepy. Just in case. And the USB memory will always come in handy.

You can take your GhostRadar anywhere as your personal memory bank, or use it to share or swap any type of data. Or use your Ghost-Radar as a temporary, backup, or archive storage device: just leave it plugged in all the time. USB solid-state memory devices, sometimes called USB flash drives, memory keys, memory sticks, or thumb drives, can hold thousands of documents, spreadsheets, photographs, or music tracks.

TO SEE, OR NOT TO SEE

GhostRadar has been developed by Solid Alliance and GRX, a virtual organisation that investigates energy fields and the paranormal. However, using technology to detect ghosts is an emerging expertise: there’s a lot to learn. GhostRadar does not guarantee to detect ghosts, nor does it imply that they exist. But it might, and they may. However, your interaction, emotional state, and belief system, may be important factors in interpreting events.

SHOPPING

You can shop here: on line, by phone, or with a cheque. Prices include VAT, a UK tax of 17.5%, and delivery: there are no other charges. If your invoice address is outside the EU, you don’t pay VAT: so the prices will be 17.5% less. Use the link below the menu bar. There’s one exception: large or heavy packages. If your delivery address is outside the UK mainland, there might be an extra distance-related charge: so mail or call first. Also, your own country may impose an import tax.

You can buy other USB peripherals such as disk drives, memory sticks, keypads, mice, card readers, recorders, webcams .

FInd out more at http://www.ghostradar.co.uk/