Anyone addicted to the snooze button will view this alarm clock design as one of Satan’s instruments from Hell.

The Ramos Alarm Clock, from Paul Sammut, is fiendishly designed so that the slumbering victim has to physically leave bed and enter a PIN code into a wireless panel to silence the buzzer.

Clearly aimed at heavy sleepers with mashochistic tendencies, the clock’s manufacturers suggest placing the PIN code panel as far away as possible, such as another room.

Don’t think you can merely fly out of bed, hit any old number, and retreat back under the warm covers.

The PIN code has to be entered correctly – and, in a custom version, could be programmed so that the code had to be entered a number of times – or the buzzer will merrily continue to wake up the entire house.

It comes in three models: a standard desk-top LED Ramos (£100) in sustainably-harvested birch box; a vertically mounted teak clock with USSR-style nixie tubes for around £200; and the custom-made version (to your own warped specifications) starting at around £500.

Each version is wirelessly paired with a ‘defuse panel’, powered by a 9-volt battery and featuring a 12-digit push-button keypad.

Each morning, the sleepy customer will be asked to enter the day’s date into the keypad. The clocks can also be programmed to flash up an ever-changing four-digit code on the LED – forcing the foggy brain to work harder and subsequently get into gear quicker.

A long-range version of the clocks mean that the panel can be placed 100ft away.

Sammut has even found a solution to those who habitually wake up before their alarm goes off, and change the alarm time for a longer lie in.

The Ramos can be programmed to feature a lock-down mode, where the clock will no longer permit any alteration to the alarm settings 30 minutes before the pre-set time – unless its owner types in a code at the defuse panel.

It’s not all evil – Sammut has included a ‘grace period’ setting, where the alarm cuts off after 10 seconds and waits one minute before activating again. (Mail Online)

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An Australian Professor, Mark Tester and his team of scientists have made the world’s first formula which makes flora appear to be luminescent. Released to the world only a few days ago, the company Galassia Flowers is already receiving requests from floral companies around the globe.

Prof. Tester said the formula makes flowers “look like a galaxy of stars” and that “they look like glistening jewels”. Looking at these pictures I have to agree.

In order to make flowers and plants luminescent Galassia Flowers formula must be sprayed onto the blooms and a battery pack is also needed for the flowers to “glow”. This product will be marketed directly to florists which will in turn make luminescent flowers available to the rest of us without us having to do the actual work.

I can see many wonderful uses for luminescent flowers! Imagine a wedding at dusk on the beach, or even in a dimmed reception room. They could add atmosphere to restaurants, galleries, theaters, practically anywhere with low lighting! I’m looking forward to this products arrival in Canada so I can check it out for myself. (wrapup)

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Cat flaps have officially had their day.

It’s the cat app that is the must-have feline gadget of today.

A new iPad app has been developed by the RSPCA in Australia to keep techno-moggies entertained.

The ‘Affection Collection’ is made up of Kitty Raid, where cats have to defend cheese from invading mice, Roller Kitty, where cats can play with a roll of virtual yarn, and Kitty Chef, a game where cats can become chefs.

Designers said they wanted to promote enrichment for cats and highlight their intelligence. A points scoring system helps owners know how well their moggie is performing.

The three games are never played twice in a row and move on automatically to keep the cats entertained for as long as possible.

It is hoped it could prove useful if cat owners are struggling to keep their pets indoors.

It is also the ideal playmate for lonely moggies.

RSPCA spokesman Michael Beatty said: ‘This is a unique concept that RSPCA hopes will really help put cats in the limelight this month,

‘Basically, you place your iPad on the ground, start the game and your cat or kitten can interact with it on his/her own terms.

‘There are automatic features including reset and shuffle, making it easy for cats to navigate this game on their own, and keep them interested’.

It’s not the first time cats have been allowed to play with iPads. Footage on You Tube shows moggies from all over the globe playing cat and mouse games with their owners.

The cats seem just as fascinated with the glow of the screen and the repetitive play as everyone else.

Soon pets won’t even have to leave the house – or be forced to make their own fun with real toys.

Saxon Cameron, a student from Bond University, developed the app for the RSPCA, based in Queensland.

He said: ‘This game I have designed you can put down so if you go out to work or to the shops; it’ll repeatedly shuffle through games so the cat will remain interested’.

‘For us it is all about keeping indoor cats stimulated and excited because they have not got that natural environment to go hunting’. (Mail Online)

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How about this for some toilet humour — a loo made in the shape of the Apple symbol.

The designer of the fruity lav claims his tongue-in-cheek work has nothing to do with the US brand, even though the sleek design resembles its distinctive logo.

Milos Paripovic, from Belgrade, Serbia, said of the large fruit-shaped toilet seat: "Some people may think it looks like Apple logo, but I disagree.

"Even though it is white and has one button, it does not mean it is an Apple product."

He added: "This is just the perfect shape for the toilet since it tightly fits the shape of one’s bottom."

According to Milos, regular toilets hit a bum note in comparison to his modish invention.

He said: "This toilet has exactly the same function as any other toilet and costs only twice as much for the same performance; but you will agree it is all about style and taste." (The Sun)

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They are often referred to as man’s best friend and considered to be extremely loyal to their owners.

And now it appears there is no excuse for dogs to be left behind when their owners head for the pub in one part of the north east.

That’s because The Brandling Villa in South Gosforth, Newcastle, has come up with a pet-friendly menu.

The pub is now selling a special beer designed for dogs so that drinkers’ four-legged friends can also enjoy a tipple at the same time.

It is also serving a Sunday roast covered in cat-flavoured gravy.

The pub aims to remain traditional but with a modern twist, which includes welcoming dog owners with their pets to enjoy the atmosphere.

But rather than just offering water, the pub decided dogs should join the craft beer revolution too and has started to sell the non-alcoholic beverage for pets.

It is made with beer ingredients of malt and hops, but also includes meat extract.

Dogs seem to have a thirst for the drink as the Brandling Villa has had to reorder fresh stock after the first 48 bottles ran out in a fortnight.

But ironically, manager Dave Carr’s own dog, beagle Franco, doesn’t like it. (Mail Online)

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This new car is revolutionary — as it works on water, ice and sand as well as the road.

The Volkswagen Aqua can switch between surfaces like a hovercraft and has top speeds of 62mph.

Designer Yuhan Zhang, 21, created the spectacular car for a competition sponsored by the German car manufacturer.

His invention has two motors and is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, with zero carbon emissions — using technology which is already available.

Yuhan said: "I hope Aqua will become an affordable supercar that is available to the general public one day." (The Sun)

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Designer Peter Treadway shows off the motorised footwear he has invented that propels walkers at 10mph down the street.

The battery-powered spnKiX is strapped to shoes and controlled by a remote control.

Californian Peter says they go three miles without recharging. Users steer by leaning. (The Sun)

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A man in China is trying to break the record for the world’s most expensive tea – by making it out of panda poo.

College lecture An Yanshi has collected five tons of panda excrement to create a new type of tea.

He believes the rich fertiliser will give rise to a unique aroma that will make his brew a connoisseurs’ favourite, which he will be able to sell for up to £50,000 per kilo.

‘Pandas have a very poor digestive system and only absorb about 30 per cent of everything they eat. That means their excrement is rich in fibres and nutrients,’ Yanshi explained.

‘It has a mature, nutty taste and a very distinctive aroma while it’s brewing.’

Yanshi, who collects the poo by the lorryload from the Giant Panda breeding centre in Chengdu, Sichuan province, southern China, aims to secure the Guinness World Record once his first batch of the expensive blend is ready for sale.

The world’s most expensive coffee is made from beans eaten, partly digested, then expelled by the Indonesian civet cat.

Kopi luwak, or Civet coffee, sells for up to £100 per pound. (Metro)

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While his fellow businessmen moan about Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s constant sex scandals and the fallout for Italy’s image abroad, Carlo Pagani has decided to cash in.

Inspired by the Italian leader’s “bunga bunga” parties — reportedly a form of lap dancing enjoyed by Berlusconi, Pagani’s small plastics factory has come out with the “Bunga Bunga Band,” a bracelet with supposedly aphrodisiac qualities.

And it won’t stop there. The businessman has registered various trademarks linked to the now famous phrase and will launch a full line of accessories.

“When we saw the words ‘Bunga Bunga,’ they sounded magical,” Pagani said during a visit to his Castelberg Technologies factory in Grumello del Monte, near the northern city of Bergamo.

While the bracelet was the first off production lines, Pagani is planning to expand internationally with a full Bunga Bunga line of items including necklaces, keyrings, perfumes, lingerie and even body oil.

“For us, Bunga Bunga has an extremely positive sense. It means joie de vivre,” said Pagani, whose factory also produces accessories for major brands including French cosmetics giant L’Oreal and Italian fashion house Prada.

Pagani said he wants to send one of the bracelets to Berlusconi and hoped the scandal-tainted prime minister would get the joke.

It “has no political meaning. We respect all politicians. Even Berlusconi,” he said.

Pagani’s factory employs 40 people — one of the thousands of small and medium-sized companies that make up the backbone of Italy’s economy and are struggling now with low growth rates and tight credit conditions.

The bunga bunga scandal broke last year when it was revealed that Berlusconi was being investigated by prosecutors for alleged involvement in an underage prostitution ring with raunchy parties at his villa near Milan.

He is now on trial for paying for sex with then 17-year-old nightclub dancer Karima El Mahroug — better known by her stage name Ruby the Heart Stealer — who described the parties in detail during police questioning.

“After dinner we went into a hall in the basement where the bunga bunga was held,” the young woman told investigators, according to leaked transcripts.

“All the girls were naked during the bunga bunga and I had the feeling that they were competing with each other to make Berlusconi notice them by performing more and more daring sexual acts,” she was quoted as saying.

The phrase quickly became an Internet sensation and has already inspired the name of a new bar in Tuscany, a pizzeria in London, as well as thousands of T-shirts for tourists and a line of “Bunga Bunga dance” boxer shorts.

Berlusconi himself has joked about the scandal, asking two students at a graduation ceremony to join his bunga bunga and telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that a historic painting was “The Bunga Bunga of 1811.”

However, the media tycoon’s television channels are clearly less amused.

Franco Donato, who is in charge of promotion for Pagani’s accessories, said Berlusconi’s Mediaset firm has refused to place ads for the Bunga Bunga band. (AFP)

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Now this is a gap in the market no one had seen before. Plucky Japanese start-up Real-f offers you the chance to ‘see yourself’ as never before.

For £2,500 (yes, really) – or $3,920 – the company takes digital stills of your face, then moulds them over a 3D model to create a hard vinyl chloride ‘face’.

The resulting model is called a 3DPF – 3 Dimensional Photo Form. If a face isn’t quite enough, then you can opt for a full head and shoulders.

The company describes its process as a ‘human photocopier’.

Oddly, it’s not the first start-up to offer human face masks featuring your own face – but it’s by far the most realistic.

Real-f claims you can discern individual blood vessels and irises in the models.

‘We have progressed from monochrome to colour, now is the era of the 3D stereoscopic effect,’ it says.

R The one thing Real-f fails to address is what the point of it all might be – except to suggest that you could put the ‘head’ model (about twice the price of a mask) on top of a mannequin.

Whatever you use them for, expect to wait two weeks for delivery.

You can see more pictures on Real-f’s Facebook page. (Daily Mail)

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