USB Microscope
I have no daily practical use for microscopes, but they bring back warm and fuzzy memories of dissecting critters and smearing onions (did you know you can still study Alchemy?). Thinkgeek is selling a USB microscope. Haha. A USB Microscope! Why the USB connection, I don't know, maybe it lights up.
In fact it does light up. And it zooms. And you can film what you're fiddling with, using software that ships with it. That's pretty cool, alright.
I picked up a Biolux AL for eighty quid on eBay last week, which also has a 200x USB camera, but goes up to 1280x with its non-USB lenses, and is a reasonably proper-looking low-end microscope, rather than the Duplo look they've got going on there. Glass slides and a cheap-but-cheerful wooden case, and everything.
You can apparently pick them up them for forty quid in Lidl, but there are a few going on eBay.
Posted by: Kevan | February 07, 2007 at 19:35
Working in the Pathology department of a university, where there are many USB microscopes, Firewire microscopes, and proprietary-connection microscopes, I am amused not by a USB microscope, but at your amusement with the idea of a USB microscope. :)X
Posted by: Hunty | February 07, 2007 at 22:50
Intel shipped one of these for kids back when they had a toy division. (like 7-8 years ago now IIRC)
http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artjan00/jhqx3.html
It was suprisingly high quality. One of the engineers on my team used it to reverse engineer the Nintendo e-reader barcode format :-)
It was pretty advanced at the time, for a $99 product. You could do AVI's of mold growing on your bits of sandwich from yesterday's lunch :-)
Posted by: kim | February 08, 2007 at 01:42
I bought the Intel one 2 years ago for my kis off of ebay. The usb puts every thing on the monitor and lights from the top or bottom is you are useing a slide. The kids love it. I paid $35 usd 2 years ago and it Rocks....
Posted by: garz | February 08, 2007 at 17:02
Yep - we got one for my Dad. The software is a bit shonky, but it's a sweet bit of kit.
Posted by: k | February 08, 2007 at 20:21
"Why the USB connection, I don't know, maybe it lights up."
No, the pictures are shown on a PC.
Posted by: Papa Smurph | February 14, 2007 at 22:51