Google’s Nest smart home devices get spooky updates for Halloween

For Halloween this year, Google has rolled out a handful of festively frightful features to their Nest home products, including letting owners swap out their doorbell chime for the sound of a cackling witch and asking the Assistant to “get spooky.”

On Monday, Google announced that users can look towards their Nest smart home devices for help getting festive (or scary) this Halloween.

As of Oct. 21 and through the beginning of November, owners of the Nest Hello video doorbell will have the option to make their chime sound like a cackling witch, ghost, vampire or monster to make your home the spookiest on the block — no decorations necessary.

When these tones are no longer available, Google has promised that winter-themed bells will roll out on Hello products, too.

While that’s the only brand-new feature coming to Google’s Nest smart home products, the company outlined a few additional ways the devices can be used to help owners prepare for the big day.

By saying “Hey Google, get spooky,” the Assistant will start playing a 60-minute playlist of “spooktacular” sounds and music.

Requesting the devices to “show me DIY Halloween costume videos” or “show me Halloween makeup videos on YouTube” will bring up content to help users get their looks ready ahead of fall parties and trick-or-treating outings.

All Halloween Nest features are available as of Oct. 21. Time to get your spook on! IB/JB

source: technology.inquirer.net

Strange candy: Meth found in child’s trick-or-treat stash

One boy from Keshena, Wisconsin found an unusual candy in his trick-or-treat stash this Halloween.

According to a report by ABC 2 WBAY, a bag of methamphetamine was said to have been mixed in the toddler’s bag of sweets. He has not yet ingested the drugs as it was discovered in time. His parents called their local Menominee tribal police to notify them about the substance.

Tribal police chief Mark Waukau then ordered to test if the substance was indeed drugs, which turned out to be positive. His team is looking into how the drugs got into the child’s stash, and whether it was handed to the kid by accident or intentionally.

Police believed this happened on Sunday when the local community had its annual trick-or-treat event. They urged other parents to dispose the candy collected from said event or subsequent trick-or-treat affairs.

“Right now this is an isolated incident, but if there was more out there, if it does get through the Ziploc baggies and kids are touching this candy, that can be very dangerous to them. Even the parents,” said Menominee Tribal Police Detective Josh Lawe.

Despite of what happened, the community’s spirit was not dampened. The locals hosted another trick-or-treat later at the College of Menominee Nation. Katrina Hallare/JB

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Ebola virus spreads to Halloween outfits

WASHINGTON — An online retailer in California is making no apologies for marketing Ebola-themed outfits for grown-ups looking to add some shock value to their Halloween party get-ups.

Brands On Sale has so far sold “hundreds” of men’s white Ebola containment suit costumes — complete with face shield, breathing mask, safety goggles and latex gloves — for $79.99 a pop, CEO Johnathon Weeks said Monday.

“We can barely keep them in stock,” Weeks told AFP by telephone.

Last Thursday, responding to customer demand, Brands On Sale added a “sexy” version for women at $59.99 that substitutes the coveralls with a white short-sleeve nurse’s mini dress.

“The short dress and chic gas mask will be the talk of Milan, London, Paris and New York as the world’s fashionistas seek global solutions to hazmat couture,” says the blurb on the company’s website.

With fear of Ebola sweeping the United States, the latter costume has stirred up an online furor, with the left-wing Mother Jones magazine calling it “the stupidest Halloween thing ever.”

Weeks begged to differ, saying shoppers can easily find edgier alternatives, like children’s marijuana leaf costumes, pregnant nun costumes, even “priest-holding-boys-around-the-genitals costumes.”

In any event, Brands On Sale has sold “less than a dozen” so far, he said, although it is accepting orders — and shipping to 50 countries — right up to Halloween night.

After a decade in the Halloween costume business, Weeks said his company, with its own costume factory, has noticed how media attention and current events drive consumer tastes — and sales — when October 31 draws near.

“When Michael Jackson died, everybody wanted to be ‘Thriller’, and when Heath Ledger died, everyone wanted to be the Joker” from the Batman superhero franchise, he said.

He added: “America and the rest of the world need to lighten up. Halloween is the one day of the year when you can dress up and be anybody you want.”

The National Retail Federation, an industry group, forecasts that Americans this year will spend $2.8 billion on Halloween costumes — including $1.4 billion for adult costumes to be worn by an estimated 75 million grown-ups.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

Halloween-theme holders you can DIY with your kids

Liven up your home with these very easy to make pumpkin- and bat-theme holders. They’re great for holding paper napkins at the dinner or buffet table. They may also hold the pens on your kid’s desk.

As a fun and creative do-it-yourself (DIY) project, you may do it with your kids. You hit two birds with one stone: you not only bond with your kids, you get to teach them the value of environmental conservation as well.

For this project, teach your kids how to transform their used and rinsed Tetra Pak cartons into colorful holders that are easy to create and design.









What you’ll need:

Tetra Pak carton
A pair of scissors
Cutter
Glue gun/double-sided tape
Fancy wrapping paper
Bond paper
Pencil
Coloring materials


Instructions:

1. On the bond paper, ask your child to draw his or her favorite animal. You may print out stencils or actual shapes from your computer. Color in the drawing and cut it into shape. Set aside for decorating.

2. Help your child cut open the top part of the carton.

3. Cut off half of the carton’s left, right and front sides. Leave the back part of the carton as it is.

4. Cover the carton with fancy wrapping paper of your choice. This will be the background of your animal.

5. Help your child design the pencil holder with the animal that s/he has drawn. For this project, we taped the head of the giraffe on the back board, while the body was taped on the front board for a multidimensional effect. You can also create a 3D effect by using foam tapes.

6. Use it to display and store your child’s pencils and coloring materials and set it up on his or her study desk to make study time more exciting for your little one.

DIY projects need not be complicated. Start involving your kids in simple projects and who knows, you could just spark up the little DIY aficionados in them. Bond with your kids by helping them develop their creativity by upcycling materials and encourage them to make useful items from upcycled materials.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

Halloween-style statements to wear on your wrist

Get fashionably in theme this Halloween with orange and black watches from Swatch. Take your pick from different plastic models with silicone straps.

Go chic with the Swatch New Gent Faux Fox. It features big readable Arabic numerals on a contrasted dial, a matte black plastic case and an orange silicone strap with dark orange lizard print and black stitching print.

Have just a tinge of orange with the Swatch New Gent Dark Rebel. It comes in an all-black feel, from the dial to the case and strap, complemented by a pop of orange indexes and day/date window.

Standout with the Swatch Scuba Libre Sundowner. This timepiece has a black dial with orange and white superlite dots and indexes, a transparent orange plastic case and bezel with black-and-white indexes and Arabic numerals. Its strap is fashioned of solid orange silicone with a black buckle and a solid orange silicone loop.

Be bold with the Swatch Chrono Plastic X-Swatch. This watch has a black dial with superluminova indexes, making it glow in the dark. It also features a matte black plastic case and a black silicone strap and loop with red detail.



Sparkle and shine with the Swatch Gent Original Deep Orange. It has a sunbrushed dial framed by an eye-popping orange plastic case and a glittery orange silicone strap.

Check out the Swatch shops for more watches you can match with your Halloween wardrobe.

Swatch is available at Swatch shops in SM Megamall, Glorietta 1, Glorietta 4, Greenbelt 5, Trinoma, Alabang Town Center, SM Mall of Asia, SM City North Edsa, SM City Davao, Rockwell Power Plant Mall, Greenhills V-Mall, Shangri-La Plaza, Robinsons Place Ermita, Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall, Festival Mall, Ayala Marquee Mall, Ayala Center Cebu and Abreeza Mall Davao.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net