If you live in or have ever visited the UK, you are no doubt familiar with the monster British wall plugs. These gigantic three-pronged plastic beasts make packing a phone charger in your small bag annoying, but they are surprisingly safe. English tinkerer and video-maker Tom Scott make a video extolling the virtues of the humble British wall socket (and its clunky partner, the wall plug).

Scott’s video explains why British plugs are plainly superior to American and European plugs, and he makes some very good points. First, the pin holes that could shock you if you stick something into them aren’t open all the time; they only open when the slightly longer “ground” pin of a plug is inserted, making it virtually impossible to shock yourself by sticking a screwdriver into a socket.

Additionally, the “live” and “neutral” pins of the plug are insulated halfway up their length, meaning that even if a plug is only inserted in the socket halfway and you happen to touch one of the pins, you won’t get a jolt. Then there’s the construction of the inside of the plug, which we’ll let Tom explain in the video above. If you didn’t think the British design was brilliant before, this clever and funny video will probably make you a believer.

The post Video Explains Why British Wall Sockets Are the Best Ever first appeared on Gajitz.

If you have small children, houseguests, or just a house that’s difficult to navigate, you’ve probably used traditional night lights at some point. They’re bulky, they’re intrusive, and they take up at least one of the sockets on your power outlet. The SnapRays Guidelight from Snap Power is a simple but brilliant alternative that lets you keep both sockets open while illuminating your space.

The SnapRays Guidelight takes the place of an ordinary outlet cover and looks just like one except for the LEDs at the bottom. The lights have a sensor so they turn on at night and off in the day. According to the company, the LEDs cost less than 10 cents per year to operate, and they can keep producing light for more than 25 years.

Installing the nightlights is easy enough for just about any adult who knows how to use a screwdriver. You just have to shut off power to the outlet you want to install the Guidelight on, then unscrew the existing outlet cover plate. The SnapRays Guidelight fits over the outlet, you screw it in place, and it’s ready to go with no wiring or electrical work necessary.

It works with two clip-type arms that the company calls “power extractors.” These make contact with the sides of the outlet and provide energy to the sockets as normal. The device also draws a tiny bit of power from the outlet to light the LEDs. Because the nightlights look just like regular outlets, they don’t take up any extra space – but they do provide a nice ambient light in the dark that helps you get around without hogging your electrical outlets. They’re available from Snap Power’s website.

The post Wall Sockets + LEDs = Convenient Nightlights, Free Outlets first appeared on Gajitz.

The Free Socket concept would forever free us from the hassle of finding an extension cord. The design, created by a team from East China Normal University, was an entry in the 2012 iF Design Talents competition. Simply put, it is a wall outlet that pops out from the wall and is attached to a long, retractable cord. When users need to plug something in that just won’t reach all the way to the wall outlet, they can simply take the outlet out of the wall and stretch it to the most convenient spot.

Like many other modern wall socket designs, the Free Socket features USB ports as well as electrical outlets. But unlike any other wall socket ever, the Free Socket is not permanently stuck in a hole in the wall. Its retractable cord sits on a spool just behind the wall and to the side of the socket’s mounting place. As with any gadget, the more moving parts are involved the greater the potential for mishaps. We’re envisioning a lot of electrical fires due to old and frayed retracting cords if this concept ever became reality. Nevertheless, it’s a clever idea that approaches a problem from a unique perspective.

The post Cutting the Cord: Wall Socket is Free to Move Where Needed first appeared on Gajitz.

Ugly power strips probably aren’t the worst problem you’ll deal with in your life, but they’re annoying anyway. The PlugBook is a pretty clever way to keep a couple of extra plugs handy without the typical power strip uglying up your space.

The PlugBook takes the shape and size of a book (the old-fashioned kind, with pages made of paper). It sits on your bookshelf when you aren’t using it, staying neatly out of place but still readily at hand. When you need it, you pull out the 3-meter-long cord and plug your devices into the two outlets. Two integrated USB outlets also let you charge phones, cameras, e-readers and other gizmos.

When you’re done, the cord retracts with the simple push of a button. The PlugBook is still in the fundraising stage at the moment, but the inventor has worked with an established company with experience in designing specialty plugs. It will eventually come in two varieties: one for the US and one for most of Europe.

The post Extension Cord Disguised as a Book Hides in Plain Sight first appeared on Gajitz.

Do you see human faces in inanimate objects? Do you giggle when you look at cars because their grills look like funny characters? If so, you’ve no doubt noticed that electrical sockets (in the US, at least) look like very surprised faces. So why not have a little fun with that and make them into adorable characters?

Etsy shop Creative Outlets sells sets of cute stickers that turn your outlets into a variety of silly characters. You can combine them in any way that strikes your fancy to satisfy that odd need to see faces in absolutely everything.

The post Shocking! Fun Stickers Turn Bland Outlets Into Silly Faces first appeared on Gajitz.