USB-Heated Fingerless Gloves Keep the Thermostat Turned Down
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.31.08
Photo via USB Brando
If you’re having trouble keeping warm as the weather cools but are reluctant to heat the whole house just to keep your digits intact while working on the computer, try out these cool gloves that plug right in to your PC.
You can keep your hands toasty with gloves that plug right in to your USB port and use your computer or game station as its energy source. There are a range of styles – fingerless, convertible, some with little animals to keep you chuckling to yourself or bright colors to ward off winter blues (pictured above) – as well as a range of prices, from $8 to $25 depending on your style.
It’s a pretty great way to keep warm while keeping away from the thermostat knob. The only thing that would be neater is if it used the waste heat from the computer instead of power. Now that would really be green. But of course waste heat from laptops already keeps your lap quite toasty...
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A great idea, especially since many with the stance of frugality and environmental preservation would love to have these gloves as an alternative to heating their entire house!
What would be even neater is a pair of USB-less mittens, also known as...mittens.
I don't really think this is very green. It's something that will ultimately create more waste and pulls power from your computer. Shouldn't we be focusing on using less crap, instead of repackaging said useless crap?
Maybe it's because I don't use a properly ventilated stand, or maybe it's because I use it almost exclusively to play World of Warcraft, but I find that such gloves would only be useful for desktops, as my laptop has come close to scorching my fingertips on innumerable occasions since I got it this past August. I just think of the minor burns as a more efficient use of the waste heat from the device.
What a great way to steal data! You see, Fed Govt Specs say that in the name of security - unencrypted USB ports must all be shut down. Soon employees with find either that their USB ports dont work or there not there at all. Now you can argue to the SYSOP that the reason you need USB it to keep your tottsies warm. All the while you can hide a flash drive in the mittens and steal all the secrets. Some buildings wont let you bring flash drives or ipods in at all for fear of theft - they'll never know what you have when you bring these spy-v-spy mits in.
It is postings like this that define the green movement as a bunch of dizzy flakes.
Sorry if that's harsh, but it needs to be said. I read this site daily but am always afraid to refer it to any of my intelligent, sensible friends for fear of discreditng myself by association.
I bought a pair and they zap/shock the top of my hands (where the heating element is) - so i don't wear them any more since they are dangerous.