Flushable toilet for cats and small dogs spares you from litter box duty

Some gadgets are iconic embodiments of their time. They often fill a need we never knew existed, then quickly become items we can’t live without. Others are smart toilets for felines. Guess which category Catolet falls into.

Newly launched on Kickstarter, Catolet is an automatic smart litter box for cats and small dogs that doesn’t require any filler. Instead, it acts (a bit) like a human lavatory by connecting to the water supply and sewage system for flushable waste disposal. (The Catolet must be hooked up to your plumbing to work, although most people should be able to do it themselves, courtesy of the kit that ships with the device.)

Rather than asking Fluffy or Fido to sit on a toilet seat, the Catolet is based around a smart porous conveyor belt system. Urine passes through the belt, while solid waste products are conveyed into the main basin after built-in motion sensors have determined that your four-legged friend has concluded its business. They’re then run through a shredder, and dispatched into the sewer. Finally, the belt is cleaned and returned to its starting position. There’s even a mobile app that lets you customize the experience for your pet and will message you in the event of a “sudden situation,” whatever that may be.

“There are many automatic trays on the market, but they have a number of problems: some of them require a filler, they are large in size, and usually of high cost,” Tatyana Bayramova, creator of the Catolet, told Digital Trends. “Together with cat breeders, we decided to create a tray without those pitfalls. Our target market are cats and small dogs owners who like technology devices and gadgets. We want to offer them a modern device that will help them in their pet caring routine.”

As much as we’re tickled by the idea of a smart cat toilet, this could turn out to be a great product if you’re the kind of person who totally can’t stand having to deal with a litter box. (Although explaining the miniature toilet next to your regular one could be all kinds of awkward!)

You can currently pre-order one on Kickstarter, where prices start at $159. Shipping is set to take place in April 2018. Cat or small dog not included.

13 white elephant gift ideas that are guaranteed to spice up your holiday party

Most people treat White Elephant gift exchanges as an excuse to regift unopened presents and offload unwanted junk, but they’re a lot more fun if you put in the extra effort to cause trouble. Trust us — Digital Trends’ HR department actually forced us to discontinue our annual white elephant exchange because it got too wild a few years ago. So, to help you make a splash at your holiday party this year, we’ve put together this quick list of the best White Elephant gift ideas the world has ever seen. Enjoy!

Sugar-free Haribo Gummy Bears

If you haven’t already read the Amazon reviews for these gummy bears, drop what you’re doing and go check them out immediately. Did you do it? Well if not, here’s the synopsis: These bears are made with a type of artificial sugar that’s been known to give certain people explosive diarrhea. We’re not saying it’s guaranteed to make your co-workers crap their pants at the party, but there’s a chance it’ll happen. Also, don’t forget to wear brown pants to the party, just in case you get stuck with your own gift.

Buy them now from:

Amazon

Nicolas Cage Pillowcase

“The best characters are the ones that somehow manage to be both attractive and repulsive at the same time. If you do that, you’re at the center of the universe — if you can find characters who are more ambiguous and can raise more questions than answers.” – Nicolas Cage.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Big Mouth Billy Bass

This one is a slow burn. At first people will laugh and get all nostalgic about the singing bass that captured America’s heart in the winter of ’99. Then, whoever ends up with the bass will excitedly press the button, cycle through Billy’s songs a couple times, and then inevitably place him on his/her desk. Then, for the next few weeks, everyone in the office will have to hear “Take Me To The River” and “Dont Worry Be Happy” at least 12 times per day — which will most likely cause somebody to snap and go full-on “Office Space printer scene” on Billy, thereby prompting a hilarious conflict resolution meeting with HR.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Freak Masks

These things are brilliant. They’re customizable masks made from an elastic fabric and designed to slip over your head. You can put anybody’s face on them, and then wear that face over your own face. It’s freakishly hilarious, and guaranteed to make all your co-workers pee their pants in laughter — especially if you can manage to make one of your boss’s face.

Buy one now from:

Firebox

Live animals

The funny thing about giving a live animal is that you’re basically gifting the unwanted burden of having to care for a pet. Don’t punk out and get a hamster or a goldfish, either — that’s too easy. If you want to make this memorable, we suggest giving something along the lines of a free-range chicken, a parrot that squawks profanities, or a wild Atlantic salmon (in a tank, of course).

Questionably legal fireworks

The great thing about living in America is that everything is for sale all the time — including fireworks. Even if your state’s laws prohibit online ordering and out-of-state imports, you can usually get your hands on some Roman candles over state lines — and with the right amount of rum-spiked eggnog, your giftee will hopefully start to think it’s a good idea to light a few of them off in the parking lot.

The Holiday Fun Pack

Ingredients: One 40-ounce bottle of Olde English, one pack of Marlboro cigarettes, some Magnum condoms, a fistful of bottle rockets, one pack of powdered donuts, a miniature American flag, and a roll of duct tape.

Instructions: Duct tape all ingredients together as haphazardly as you possibly can, and wrap it in a wet paper sack. Despite the crappy presentation, this gift is always a crowd-pleaser. People will fight over it, and it’ll help you identify the fun people in your office.

Shake Weight

Despite the fact that it’s a few years old, the Shake Weight is still one of the best gag gifts money can buy. Why? Because this ridiculous “exercise device” makes anybody using it look like they’re training for the 2018 Handjob Olympics. You’ll want to have your phone ready to record the “test run” that will inevitably take place after Doug from Accounting has too much peppermint schnapps.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

VistaPrint selfie calendar

You know VistaPrint? The company that sells cheap, customizable business cards? As it turns out, they also sell super cheap, totally customizable calendars as well. That means you can make one with nothing but all those drunk selfies you took with your cat last weekend, and then force somebody to keep it on their desk for a year.

Buy one now from:

VistaPrint

Shock Potato

Shock Potato is basically a modern reimagining of the classic children’s game Hot Potato. The only difference is that, instead of using an overheated root vegetable, you toss a small plastic ball that will randomly deliver a powerful electric shock to one unlucky person. Just be sure that good ol’ Pacemaker Jim doesn’t join the fun. That could end badly.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Cards Against Humanity

I can pretty much guarantee that nothing will spice up your stuffy holiday party quite like hearing your boss utter the phrase “testicular torsion,” then ask the HR manager what it means. Nothing brings people together like a card game that encourages filthy and offensive humor.

Buy them now from:

Amazon

T-shirt with your face on it

Thanks to miracles of modern technology, you can have your big ugly mug screen-printed onto a T-shirt and delivered to your door in less than a week. The poor SOB who gets stuck with it will either wear it like a champ, or give it to the nearest thrift store — after which it will probably be purchased by a hipster and worn ironically for years to come.

Never-ending birthday card

It doesn’t matter that it’s not somebody’s birthday — this card is a sure-fire way to start a scene at your holiday party. Once opened, the card will play an annoying “Happy Birthday” song at top volume until you either destroy the speaker or the battery runs out — whichever comes first. It’ll run for about three hours before the battery dies, and it’s designed to withstand water damage, so your giftee will have no choice but to smash it or light it on fire.

Buy one now from:

Firebox

Grab the Amazon Echo Dot and a TP-Link Smart Plug for only $35

Wise up and buy an Amazon Echo bundle.

Is this deal for me?

Amazon is offering the TP-Link Smart Plug for only $5 when you purchase an Echo device alongside it. With how much the Echo devices are currently discounted thanks to Cyber Monday and Black Friday, this makes for an awesome deal. For just $34.99, you could pick up the Echo Dot and a TP-Link smart plug. The Echo Dot itself sells for $46 on average, so getting the smart plug included at $11 less than that price is pretty fantastic.

If that deal isn’t quite good enough for you, there’s an even better bundle which Amazon is offering when you buy the Echo Plus in silver or black. Not only will you get the device for $124.99 (at a $25 discount off the regular price), but you’ll also receive a TP-Link Smart Plug and a Philips Hue light bulb. These two extra items add a value of around $45 that you’re getting at just a $5 increase over the current pricing of Amazon’s Echo devices.

TP-Link’s smart plug allows you to control your appliances from anywhere in the world. You can even voice control your appliances with it by pairing it to your Echo device. The Philips Hue light bulb also allows you to gain fuller control over your home: automate your lights, turn them on via app, and more.

The rest of Amazon’s slate of Echo devices (except the Echo Look) are also included in this promotion, however this deal is only available during Cyber Monday.

TL;DR

• What makes this deal worth considering? – This deal adds up to $30 worth of value for just an extra $5! If you’ve been wanting to purchase an Echo device (or a $30 TP-Link smart plug), you should definitely go this route instead.
• Things to know before you buy! – Amazon will include both a smart plug and a Philips Hue bulb for $5 if you buy the Echo Plus! This deal takes into effect Amazon’s current sale pricing on the Echo devices for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

See at Amazon

Everything you can do with the PlayStation Aim controller

A full controller pretending to be a move controller.

The PlayStation Aim controller was built to bring a new layer of immersion to PlayStation VR games where you’re shooting anything that moves, but it’s good for much more than feeling like a gun when you can’t see the real world. It’s got the functionality of a DualShock controller in an entirely new format, and we have the details on everything it can do here.

Read more at VRHeads.com

Ubisoft’s next indie game ‘Ode’ is out in the UK

A couple years ago, Ubisoft started an incubator at its Reflections Studio to make indie games — the first of which, the delightful Grow Home, came out in early 2015. Now the same team has released a new title, the relaxing platformer ‘experience’ Ode.

Similar to the previous titles that came out of Reflections’ incubator, Ode is simple. There’s no HUD, hints, instructions or threats — just exploration within its exploratory synaesthesia. In summary, it’s a “musical exploration where you gradually bring a world to life through music and light,” the game’s producer Anne Langouriuex said in Ubisoft’s blog post announcing Ode. In it, you play the star Joy who rolls around in a ball gathering glowing celestial fragments, which trail behind the character for use in puzzles — think Yoshi’s Story mechanics mixed with the emotional world of Pixar’s Inside Out.

Ode is available now on Ubisoft’s UK store for £4.50 and US store for $5.

Via: Rock Paper Shotgun

Source: Ubisoft, Ode

Google Docs, Slides and Sheets now feature drag-and-drop on iPad

It was nice to see Google integrate its Drive apps into iOS 11’s document-consolidating Files, but it seems they’re not done refining. This morning, the search giant updated several of its productivity suite apps for iOS to add two features: Compatibility with iPhone X and drag-and-drop functionality on iPad.

Now, Google’s Docs, Slides and Sheets apps extend to fill the iPhone X’s full screen (except for the awkward camera tab, of course). The iPad update is far more useful: Now you can use the screen-splitting multi-app feature to drag-and-drop content into Google’s apps. That means makes it much easier to add links from your browser or images from your camera roll to existing documents. As MacStories notes, however, transfers aren’t always perfect: Google Docs in particular doesn’t preserve formatting and will automatically translate to plain text.

Via: MacStories

Dive into ‘Destiny 2’ for free starting tomorrow

So you missed out on Destiny 2’s beta tests and didn’t want to buy the game without giving it a try. Are you stuck? Thankfully, no. Bungie will offer a free Destiny 2 trial on PS4, Xbox One and PC starting on November 28th, and it’s giving you a sizeable chunk of the game to try before you fork over your money. You can explore Earth’s European Dead Zone and Titan (though you won’t get all the campaign missions), fight fellow players in the Crucible’s Quickplay rotation and progress up to level 7. This leaves out Nessus, Io, the Competitive playlist and most of the story, but there’s at least a few hours of gameplay to be had before you run into the trial’s limits.

If you do decide to buy, any progress you’ve made in the trial will carry over to the full game.

The move comes at an unusual time for Bungie. It’s facing (and addressing) complaints that Destiny 2’s experience point system leads to diminishing cosmetic rewards for players who participate in lots of short-term activities (such as public events). In theory, that could push them to spend real cash for these perks instead of earning them through gameplay. While there’s no evidence of a mass exodus of players, the free trial might attract would-be players who might have held off based on the stories they’d heard — and of course, it might help build an audience ahead of the Curse of Osiris DLC launch on December 5th.

New to Destiny 2? Play the Destiny 2 Free Trial starting tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/0aIyHeFtEh

— Destiny The Game (@DestinyTheGame) November 27, 2017

Source: Destiny, Twitter

‘Demon’s Souls’ servers are shutting down for good February 28th

One of the coolest things about From Software’s original, brutally difficult Demon’s Souls was the in-game messaging system. No, you weren’t able to pen letters to your friends, but you could drop hints anywhere you wanted in the game — before a nasty drop or difficult set of enemies, for example — that other players would then see as they made their way through the virtual wastelands. Such a system required servers, however. Those holding Demon’s Souls‘ messages have been maintained for years with various reprieves from threatened shutdowns. Now, however, it appears that publishers Sony and Atlus are shutting down the servers for good as of February 28th, 2018.

“The game will remain fully playable, but online functionality such as in-game messaging, player death locations, and World Tendency features will stop working,” wrote North American publisher Atlus in a heartfelt blog post. As Kotaku notes, the online functionality is inextricably tied to game itself, with the aforementioned messages and the Old Monk boss fight (in which you discover the boss is actually another player) as highlights of a game that used its online functionality in new and unique ways. Losing these features is a blow to anyone wishing to experience the fullness of Demon’s Souls now and into the future, while still an understandably sound business decision.

Via: Kotaku

Source: Atlus

Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals you can still grab

This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter, reviews for the real world. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, they may earn affiliate commissions that support their work. Read their continuously updated list of deals here.

Marshall Mode In-Ear

Street price: $70; deal price: $50

We already consider these a great value at $70, this additional $20 off makes this pair of earbuds a fantastic value.

The Marshall Mode earbuds are the top pick in our guide to earbuds under $100. We wrote, “In a category plagued with fit problems and overly boosted sound profiles, the Marshall Mode sounds wonderfully rich and balanced. It fit everyone equally well, and has a single-button universal remote.”

Belkin WeMo Mini Smart Switch

Street price: $35; deal price: $25

We posted this at $20, a low, and now it’s up to $25. Still good, just not the best.

The Belkin WeMo Mini is the top pick in our guide to plug-in smart outlets. We wrote, “The WeMo Mini is a strong performer that’s easy to use. More compact than its predecessor, it works with both Android and iOS devices, and supports Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and IFTTT.”

Philips Hue White Smart Bulb

Street price: $50; deal price: $32

By far the best price we’ve seen on individual bulbs from the Hue line.

The Philips Hue White Smart Bulbs are our pick in our guide to the best smart LED light bulbs. We wrote, “Philips Hue is not just a smart bulb; it’s a whole smart system. The color-adjustable A19 bulbs can remake the look of a room in seconds. Multiple app options and device compatibility make it the best overall choice.”

GoPro Hero5 + $50 giftcard

Street price: $400; deal price: $350

Matching the best price we’ve ever seen on our top pick action camera. We wrote, “Come for the great-looking footage, stay for the nifty extras: waterproofing, a smart touchscreen interface, voice control, and electronic image stabilization.”

Razer DeathAdder Elite

Street price: $60; deal price: $50

A rare deal on our top gaming mouse pick. We wrote, “The DeathAdder Elite is comfortable for a wide range of hand sizes and grip styles, and it has seven easy-to-reach buttons, an accurate sensor, and a variety of lighting options.”

Samsung UBD-M8500 4K Blu-ray Player

Street price: $210; deal price: $130

A new low on our top 4K Blu-ray player. Add to your cart to see the price.

We wrote, “If our main pick isn’t available, the Samsung UBD-M8500 works nearly as well on non-4K discs, plus it offers a wide selection of streaming services and loads discs just as quickly as the Sony.”

Amazon Echo Dot

Street price: $50; deal price: $30

Best price we’ve seen on the Echo Dot, $5 below previous sales.

Bose QuietControl 30 Wireless Noise-Cancelling Earbuds

Street price: $250; deal price: $150

A Bose-refurbished model of our wireless noise-cancelling earbuds pick. We wrote, “If you want the freedom of wireless, the Bose QuietControl 30 offers Bluetooth support and only slightly less noise cancelling than the QC20. Despite this model’s collar design, it’s very comfortable. It even sounds better with music than the QC20.”

Monoprice Premium 5.1-Ch. Home Theater System with Subwoofer

Street price: $180; deal price: $140

Our budget pick in our budget surround system guide, matching the low we’ve seen for it. We wrote, “With forward dialogue and punchy bass at a bargain-basement price, the Monoprice is a good compact pick if you’re on a tight budget.”

HP Envy 27-b120qd All-In-One PC

Street price: $1,400; deal price: $1,150

A new low on our top all-in-one PC. We wrote, “A picture-perfect display, tasteful styling, useful features, and powerful-enough hardware converge in this exceptionally well-rounded all-in-one.”

Anker PowerCore 20100 USB Battery Pack

Street price: $40; deal price: $32

A rare drop and new low price on this battery pack.

The Anker PowerCore 20100 USB Battery Pack is the “pick for more power” in our guide to the best USB battery packs. We wrote, “The Anker PowerCore 20100 has enough power to recharge a tablet and two smartphones on a long flight, or a smartphone a day for nearly a week. It’s about the size of two decks of cards lined up end to end.”

Refurbished Amazon Tap

Street price: $90; deal price: $60

At $60, this matches the best price we’ve seen on the Amazon Tap. Carries the same warranty as a new one. In our guide we wrote, “The Tap’s built-in battery lets you take Alexa voice control to the backyard or other places outside the home, though worse audio performance and the lack of an always-on microphone is limiting.”

Anker 10ft Powerline Lightning Cable

Street price: $12; deal price: $10

New low on our longest recommended Anker cable (white model only).

The Anker Powerline is the top pick in our guide to the best lightning cable. We wrote, “Long cables can also be useful, especially when you want to use your iPhone or iPad while it’s charging but the nearest outlet is a good distance away.”

Google Home Speaker

Street price: $120; deal price: $80

A good price on a smart speaker for those committed to the Google ecosystem, usually over $120. We wrote, “Google’s wireless speaker, digital assistant, and smart-home controller looks better than its biggest competition, reliably responds to most voice queries, offers solid multiroom audio, and sounds pretty good.”

Fire HD 10 Tablet

Street price: $150; deal price: $100

A larger version of our budget pick tablet with a large discount.

UE Roll 2 Bluetooth Speaker

Street price: $80; deal price: $50

One of the best prices we’ve seen on our top pick portable Bluetooth speaker. We wrote, “Like its predecessor, the Roll 2 offers an irresistible combination of sound quality, ruggedness, water resistance, portability, cool features, and a reasonable price.”

Because great deals happen more than once a week, sign up for our daily deals email and we’ll send you the best deals we find every weekday.

Note from Wirecutter: When readers choose to buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn affiliate commissions that support our work.

iPhone X Face ID Again Unlocked With Mask, Even With ‘Require Attention’ Turned On

Since the iPhone X launched earlier this month, people have been attempting to fool Face ID, the new biometric facial recognition feature built into the device as a primary security feature. Face ID has thus far been tricked by twins, children, and even a mask.

Vietnamese security company Bkav made headlines in mid-November after uploading a video featuring Face ID accessed by a mask, but there were several questions about the unlocking methods used in the video, including whether “Require Attention” was turned on. Today, Bkav shared a second video with a new mask and a clearer look at how the mask was used to spoof Face ID.

As described in an accompanying blog post, Bkav used a 3D printed mask made of stone powder, which cost approximately $200 to produce. 2D infrared images of eyes were then taped over the mask to emulate real eyes.

Bkav reset Face ID on camera and then set it up anew with the demonstrator’s face. “Require Attention for Face ID” and “Attention Aware Features” were both shown to be enabled on the iPhone X. For those unaware, “Require Attention for Face ID” is meant to add an extra layer of security by requiring you to look at your iPhone to use Face ID, and it’s one of the features that’s supposed to prevent Face ID from unlocking with a mask, with a photograph, or when you’re looking away from your phone.

After activating Face ID, the Bkav demonstrator unlocks the iPhone X normally with his own face, and then unlocks it once again with the mask. The mask appears to be able to unlock the iPhone X right away, with no failed attempts and no learning, as Face ID was set up from scratch just before the test. The mask’s 2D infrared eyes also appear to fool the “Require Attention for Face ID” setting.

Bkav claims the materials and tools used to create the mask are “casual for anyone” and that Face ID is “not secure enough to be used in business transactions,” but it’s worth noting that fooling Face ID in this way requires a 3D printer, several hundred dollars worth of materials, physical access to a person’s iPhone X, and detailed facial photographs that can be used to reconstruct a person’s face. Even then, if the 3D printed mask and the design of the infrared eyes aren’t perfect, Face ID will fail after five attempts.

Bkav believes Face ID is less secure than Touch ID because it’s easier to capture photographs from afar than it is to obtain a fingerprint, but this is still a very complex replication process that the average user does not need to be concerned with.

Bkav researchers said that making 3D model is very simple. A person can be secretly taken photos in just a few seconds when entering a room containing a pre-setup system of cameras located at different angles. Then, the photos will be processed by algorithms to make a 3D object.

It can be said that, until now, Fingerprint is still the most secure biometric technology. Collecting a fingerprint is much harder than taking photos from a distance.

Apple’s Face ID security white paper [PDF] outlines several scenarios where Face ID has a higher probability of being fooled, including with twins, siblings that look alike, and children under the age of 13, but masks are of particular interest because Face ID features a neural network that was “trained to spot and resist spoofing” to protect against “attempts to unlock your phone with photos or masks.” From Apple:

Face ID matches against depth information, which isn’t found in print or 2D digital photographs. It’s designed to protect against spoofing by masks or other techniques through the use of sophisticated anti-spoofing neural networks. Face ID is even attention-aware.

When Touch ID, Face ID’s predecessor, was first released in the iPhone 5s in 2013, there were many similar demonstrations of how it could be fooled with a fake fingerprint, but there’s little evidence that these methods were ever used to unlock devices in the real world on a wide scale basis, and it turned out to be something most iPhone users did not need to worry about. The same is likely true of Face ID.

Apple has made several improvements to Touch ID over the years, making it faster and more accurate, and similar improvements will undoubtedly be made to Face ID in the future. In the meantime, while Face ID can be fooled by a twin or a complicated facial replication process, it’s largely secure for most users and has received mostly positive reviews for its security and ease of use.

Related Roundup: iPhone XTag: Face IDBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
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