It's the middle of summer vacation season and there will be many unoccupied homes protected only with lights on timers. This is America and if the lights are on all night and the flickering glow of the television isn't, more than likely nobody is at home. One of the best ways to deter thieves, burglars, prowlers and other criminals lurking about your neighborhood looking for easy targets is to leave that television on. The only problem with putting a television on a timer is that it's an environmental waste of energy, expensive and worst of all, most televisions don't even work with timers because they need to be turned on with the push of a button. Well it's no longer a problem, I found a great new solution!

Make your house look occupied and lived in with the cool new FakeTV - LED Television Simulator ($40). This innovative burglar deterrent device uses computer-controlled, super-bright, multi-color LEDs to simulate the changing light, scene changes, fades, swells, flickers, on-screen motion, and color changes just like a real television. When positioned correctly in a room, the effect of someone watching television inside is perfectly replicated to anyone who happens to be standing outside. A thief would more than likely not take any chances, skip your house and hopefully just move onto your neighbor's.

This little gadget is perfect for frequent travelers, long trips and vacations, vacant homes, vulnerable people, bad neighborhoods or simply for general peace of mind. It might also be helpful as a sleep aid for those who like to fall asleep to the soft flickering glow of a tv. Cool idea, huh? (via Michael Kiely)