“Connected” Glasses and Bottles Will Track Your Alcohol Consumption

Long lines at the bar, iffy brand loyalty, and out-of-touch leadership are among the woes of the liquor business—and issues that brands are looking to solve for their consumers. With “connected” cocktail glasses and liquor bottles, brands will be able to track consenting party’s habits, preferences, take their orders, and provide them with real-time discounts and recipes. The question is: it unnecessary intrusion or considerate …

Make Beats by Bouncing the Oddball Drum Machine

Funding on Kickstarter now, a product that's part musical toy and part tech device

Currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter, the Oddball is many clever entities, crammed into a palm-sized sphere. Part toy, part musical instrument and part tech device, this invention is a drum machine that can be bounced to make different sounds. Almost any surface can be used—simply bounce the Oddball (the lighter you bounce, the more delicate the sound) and sensors inside translate noise via Bluetooth to a …

Link About It: This Week’s Picks

Tons of hidden diamonds, Jupiter's new moons, America's last Blockbuster and more

1. Some Recently Discovered Moons of Jupiter are Weirder Than Others Scott Sheppard’s astronomy division at the Carnegie Institution for Science hunts for objects in very distant parts of our Solar System. Sometimes, however, they’re able to scour areas closer—depending on the orbit of planets intersecting with their work. When the latter scenario arose with Jupiter, Sheppard and his colleagues discovered 10 new moons—bringing the …