Alright readers, get ready to have your minds proverbially blown! Imagine you are shopping in a grocery store, strolling through the aisles, when all of a sudden the cereal begins talking to you. You step back, and look around. No one else seems to notice. You move forward again and hear the commercial persuading you to select and purchase Lucky Charms. Have you finally lost the last little hold you had on sanity? Or is it a hypersonic sound beam, intended for your ears only?

Chances are, in the near future, supermarket shelves will be lined with these sneaky sound systems, but they aren’t just for use in advertising. This ultra-cool technology remotely transfers sound waves in tightly focused “columns” of sound. Once directed to and landing on any surface, (ie. ceilings, floors, walls, paintings, sculptures, advertisements, or even people!) they instantly become a source of sound. The sound waves can then be processed and heard by only people in the direct path of the audio. Surprisingly, the sound seems to come from inside the head, as it acts like a speaker while transmitting the sounds to the brain.

Imagine the implications this could have for a trip to the zoo or museum! A person standing in front of an exhibit might be able to listen to an informative lecture on the subject without disturbing those around them. The need for headphones and bulky “audio guide” systems could be completely eliminated. Automobile manufacturers could use the technology for hands-free cell phone conversations which would reduce the possibility of accidents while driving.

So how does it all work? Well, I’m not an audio expert, but a little Googling revealed the science behind the innovation. Normal sound travels on small pressure waves in the air. Changing the sound wave changes the frequencies that “pop up” within the wave. If you add some high-frequency sounds into the mix (sounds human ears can’t detect,) they generate new low-frequency sounds that we can hear. With a product like this, you can step into the beam and hear the information, or step out and not be bothered by it. The genius that invented a working model for this concept, Woody Norris, received the Lemelson-MIT prize of $500,000 a few years back. The father of 11 has over 50 patents, including a personal helicopter! With 11 children, no wonder he felt it necessary to divert unwanted sounds… It would certainly make airplane rides more enjoyable if we could direct children’s screaming through Hypersonic Sound Beams!

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This year my family was in rare form with our gift-giving. The tree was practically buried in presents and then there’s always one or two “secret” presents that don’t come out until all the others are unwrapped! I watched in anticipation as my sister opened her first gift: a Flip video recorder. Eagerly, I scanned my presents looking for a similarly-shaped gift. I opened a crock pot, a necklace, and a treasure chest of scrapbooking supplies. No Flip. I’m happy with my gifts, but seriously! The Flip is one of the coolest video recorder products on the market this year.

So what is the Flip? A while back, it was known as the “Point and Shoot” camera. With the new name, it received new features and software to up its already high coolness factor. Two of these features are extra battery power and better video quality than the original. (Naturally, we all headed outside early Christmas morning see what the gadget could do with outdoor footage. The difference in quality was noticeable, but not enough to really matter.)

There are two versions of this cam: the $125 version captures 30 minutes of video, while for a mere $40 more you can get the 60-minute version. I highly recommend forking over the extra; what if a UFO hovers into view on the 31^st minute? Both versions are sleek and sexy, about the size of the classic iPod, and just as light-weight. It’s a real “bare bones” approach to buttons.

A flip-up USB connector is one of the best features, allowing instant transfer of your video to your computer without fussing with cables. By far one of sweetest additions to the “classic” model is the software installed in the Flip. A plug-and-play type interface prompts you through a dialog that allows for posting the video straight to YouTube and AOL Video. And we all know that’s the real reason you wanted the Flip in the first place, right?

In a “don’t wanna miss a thing” world, the Flip is a necessity! You don’t need to find that just-right light, take a picture with your camera phone, or fiddle with complicated buttons and endless settings. It’s sweet and simple and definitely on the list for my birthday!

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