I'm Not Actually Cold Right Now

December means winter (in the Northern Hemisphere, anyway), and winter generally means snow, ice, and cold—and everything we humans have invented to ward off the chill. One of the earliest methods and the most fun is fire. There's just something about flames that's fascinating, that draws us in, that speaks to something primal in us. Perhaps this is a window into the psyche of the supervillain?

So, in honor of winter, today we're talking about fireplaces. The homes of the future (or today, if you're blessed with money) might include:

a) a fire pit embedded in a table*

b) a rotating fire pit suspended from the ceiling** (40 years old, but whatever)

c) a fireplace in a suitcase ***

d) a fireplace that doubles as a dragon's egg *** (click the top box on the linked site for a description)

Of course, if you don't actually want an open combustion reaction in your living room, you can always go with the radiator coffee table.**** This one has the added benefit of looking like ice but never melting. It's shiny.

And if you ever needed to survive on a hostile planet, abandoned space station, or post-apocalyptic Earth, you'd want Wicked Laser's Torch. The Torch flashlight is capable of burning paper, melting plastic, and cooking eggs.****

So, I know all of today's features are out there already, if you can pay, but imagine a world far enough into the future that you and I could afford them. Wouldn't it be nice to come home after a long day, light the table, and cook dinner while watching a holovid from the couch? What a gorgeous way to ward off winter's chill.

… Actually, now that I imagine some of the price tags, we might have climate control before we'll have rotating fires in every home. Winter will be obsolete. Oh well.

* Boing Boing Gadgets
** Boing Boing and Gizmodo
*** Gizmodo
**** Gizmodo

***** Gizmodo