Hundreds of years from now, when history has long forgotten us, people will dig up our artifacts and wonder.

Wonder what all those “Rehab is the new black” T-shirts, “Cheney’s Got a Gun” song lyrics, and Y2K warning memos were about.

Mostly, though, they will marvel at our laptop bags.

Alright, so maybe not, but while most solar-powered gadgets aren’t much bigger than your hand, Voltaic has actually given the world a practical sunlight-harnessing product with its latest computer bag. The Voltiac Generator is the first computer bag that can fully charge your laptop, the “Generator” pumps 14.7 watts into your prized computer; perfect for those of you who, like me, bring their laptops with them on everywhere and on every single adventure (it's perfect when you're in the middle of nowhere).

Who knows? They may just stand the test of time after all. $599.

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Source: [Boing Boing]

You know the drill.

The walk to your local coffee shope or even to your favorite bookstore (forget walking to the gym). You always think you've walked further than you have and you're convinced that it counts for your daily exercise -- but how far did you really walk?

That's where Gmaps Pedometer.com comes in. Another great use of google maps has come along and this one allows you to record your daily trek and then it gives you the total distance; usually a number far from what you thought it was. It even has a calorie counter breakdown based on your weight -- this cool feature makes it easy to find out that your walk to the coffee shop burned only 10 calories; so given the fact that your Caffe Mocha Latte has about 400 calories in it you better find another route.

You should be taking 6,000 steps a day for health and 10,000 for weight-loss... so use the free service to map your success or just stop the high-calorie coffees and you're bound to lose some weight without taking another step ever.

As you sit at your computer, you realize how hard work is. Your mind starts to wander and all you can think about is hitting your co-worker in the face with a ball.

Meanwhile: Out of thin air, a DayGlo Pink (or blue) beach ball smacks you in the kisser. No, you're not still day dreaming, this is Faceball, the unique sports craze that has swept Silicon Valley.

The rules are simple: Two co-worker opponents sit 10 feet apart and take turns throwing a ball at each other's face. A direct hit scores a point and gives the right to shoot again; miss, and it's your cubicle buddy's turn to take aim. The player with the most points after 5 rounds is the winner. For safety, no heavy or hard balls allowed in play, and hats, glasses, and goggles are forbidden. For fun’s sake, there’s no dodging or ducking allowed, and only clean hits to the face result in a score. Glancing blows or hair-whiffs count as a miss.

If you are wondering who the hell thought of this game, Faceball was conceived by the over worked and over stressed employees at Flickr. And not surprisingly, it has rapidly become one of the most popular workplace ball/face activities around.

Is it just me or does anyone else see a trend (specifically in the Bay Area) of what I like to call 'misfit sports'? - These guys (and gals) need to get out more!

That said, and without being too serious, Faceball will improve stress. And we all know that being relaxed will allow you to work harder and more effectively.

For real. No ball busting here.

Via: [Uncrate]

MetroNaps is a new take on an old idea – providing purpose-built comfortable facilities for a daytime powernap. Yes, for you over anxious, stressed-out, hard workers you can now buy yourself some time in the land of Nod at work or at a location near you.

As children, the concept of daytime naps was once a ritualistic part of all our lives and in many latin and equatorial countries, the siesta is still a part of the culture. Yet, here in the United States, sleep is one of the first things people tend to sacrifice, especially this time of year.

The problem: Studies show that sleep deprivation causes decreased productivity, and that a midday nap can help offset this decrease significantly.

A 20 minute nap in a Powerpod will set you back $14 - $20 in one of their New York locations (Empire State Building and Financial District) or you can purchase a pod and install it in your office for around US$8000. Visit Metronaps online to find locations or to get "napping strategies" to help you make the most out of your nap!

Another tough day on the court? No, it turns out you're spending way too much time playing simulated sports with video games. And, in an ironic twist, it seems that if you aren't already healthy and fit it may lead to real pain and muscle soreness.

A recent letter in The New England Journal of Medicine details the first documented case of acute “Wiiitis” caused by extended play on the Nintendo Wii video game system. So if you're expecting to give or to get a Nintendo Wii this holiday season, then you might also want to invest in a personal trainer!

With the Wii video game system the player faces a video screen and moves a handheld controller that senses three-dimensional movements. And in the tennis game, the player makes the same arm movements as in the real game of tennis, however, a player often plays for many hours. Unlike in the real sports, physical strength and endurance are not limiting factors -- gamers are engrossed and don't realize they are exercising.

The down-side: Just like with any other physical activity ... you should stretch first. And, you should give your muscles a rest -- lay off the video games every other day!

The up-side: Wii seems to be a real source (that might be stretching it) of physical activity rather than just a video game; which is great for all those couch potatoes out there. Even better, it proves that you do like tennis ... so get off your lazy ass and go play a real game.

Via: CNN
For a review on Wii's handheld controllers, check out Notcot.com's review.

Tomorrow's the big day.
Apple will release the iPhone and that's got a lot of people excited ... including the people at LIFT (mainly me!) Why? Well, among its other uses, it's a powerful fitness device. For instance, you can use the iPhone to:

1. Download your workouts (podfitness, iTrain, Cardio Coach, etc.)
2. Talk to your motivators (Traineo)
3. View medical sites and podcasts (webMD and ThatsFit)
4. Map your trail (Gmap-pedometer and mapmyrun)
5. Dial 911 (or call your mother) if you get hurt

Sure, you could always do this before on a separate iPod, cell phone, and laptop; but try fitting all that into a pair of running shorts -- or a speedo!

Anyway ... that leads me to it's release. Forget all the technical reviews, I expect people to be more fit! At the very least, I expect to see more fit geeks.

Maybe that's going a little too far, but there's no denying that it's always easier to stay on track with a gadget like this right in your pocket! The only hard part will be figuring out whether you want to workout at home, on the road or at the gym.

But at least it’ll be your call.