Awesome Stuff: Get Out And Exercise
from the some-workout-ideas dept
For this week's awesome stuff post on interesting crowdfunding projects, I thought we'd look at some unique ideas that are trying to help people exercise more.- First up, we've got the amusingly named monkii bars, which are basically a set of two bars along with a suspension line, that makes it easy to create a set of hanging bars for a variety of different exercises that can be done on the go.
- Next up, we've got the TAO device, which kind of looks too techie for its own good. It's a little electronic device that apparently lets you do resistance work outs just by holding the device and doing certain exercises that involve pushing the device. Frankly, the whole thing feels... flakey. It's not entirely clear how well it actually works. The company uses made up terms like "Variobic" (which they've trademarked), they hype up their patent... and the video... well, is kind of creepy. The way the guy eerily quotes the positive press coverage, comes off as bad TV pitchman, rather than anything all that compelling.
- Finally, we've got one where the product isn't an exercise device itself, but something that hopes to inspire people to get out and run. Rundercover is an "audio game" that is apparently supposed to make going for a regular run a bit more adventurous, by overlaying an adventure/set of missions on the process. The video is... incredibly lacking in showing any detail about how this actually works, unfortunately. The idea could be interesting, but from the video and the description, I basically have no idea what the actual final product will be like.
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Filed Under: awesome stuff, exercise
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I like the idea but the Rundercover crew really needs a better video, something that is not just "Running Woman Plus Dramatic Text Cards And Music!"
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Re:
It reminds me of "Mivii" - a 'honeypot'set up by MPAA/RIAA's hired-gun MediaDefender to bait fools.
And speaking of fools, I've got to wonder, who in their right mind would pay a hundred dollars for what is essentially two small pieces of pipe and a few feet of cord?
Not just that, but how can this Kickstarter organizer claim that making such a simple device requires an up-front investment of $25 thousand dollars? Is this the cost of buying equipment and putting together a professional-grade machine shop? There are plenty of existing woodworking/machine shops that could be hired as subcontractors and produce the device for a fraction of the listed $100 cost -- and would not require anything like a 25 thousand dollar deposit upfront.
I just can't help thinking that so many of these Kickstarter fund-raising programs - like late-night 'infomercials' - seem like nothing more than sucker-bait, designed to separate fools from their money.
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Hollow wood handles?
Those Monkii bars look like a face plant waiting to happen. They should come with a GoPro to be sure you get your accidents with them on video.
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Hollow wood handles?
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Interesting Tech
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