Five to watch

Disco at
your desk

Do you sometimes feel that Monday mornings in your office just aren’t similar enough to being in a nightclub? If so, Luxeed Rainbow Computer Keyboard has the solution. An illuminated, multi-coloured computer keyboard that changes shade with each keystroke like a retro disco floor also comes with the option of staying in its preset hue. The keyboard is available in a white backlit version and a sleek black backlit one where the keys stay black and only the letters change colour. Retailing at around £100, the keyboard is currently available only in Korea.

Source: Trendhunting

Stop your gassing

Ever left the heating on at home, only for it to turn out to be a baking hot day? British Gas is putting a stop to such wastage with a pilot programme that allows its customers to control their home heating systems via mobile phones and the internet, using a web-based tool created by start-up company AlertMe. Heating takes up nearly 50 per cent of total energy consumption in the UK. Controlling gas and electricity use in this way would foster both energy conservation and lower 
utility bills.

Source: Cleantech.com

When the weatherman
says it’s raining

With the low pound meaning many Brits are
remaining on native shores for their holidays, there
is still that perennial problem of the unpredictable English weather. DryDay aims to put an end to all that, promising to help you make all your future events rain-free, with 85 per cent accuracy. Based on the culmination of 30 years of privately funded meteorological research, the service model offers long-range forecasts for 50,000 cities, providing daily 30-day predictions free of charge, along with advance reports (up to 18 months) for $4.95 (£2.99). But don’t discard your anorak just yet – the service has yet to cover the UK.

Source: PSFK.com

No-girls slimming

It’s not just women who have body hang-ups. Following the success of women-only gyms, WeightWatchers has started a chain of men-only slimming clubs.  Usually dominated by women, your average slimming club can prove an intimidating atmosphere for shy men. But men need them more than women do, with 67 per cent of UK men currently classed as overweight compared with 58 per cent of women.

Source: Daily Telegraph

Hot and saucy

As cash-conscious foodies increasingly stay home for their supper, Dutch company Verstegen has made it even easier to bring the experience of dining out in. The packaging for its sauce range, designed with a built-in hot plate, means that no domestic dinner party will lose its heat. Marketed in an aluminium tray with a moulded plastic lid, a well in the centre of it holds a small tealight. When needed, the candle is lit and the sauce tray placed on top of the mould to keep the temperature simmering
all evening. 

Source: Made