Terrafugia Transition is a flying car. Or maybe it’s a driving plane. Whatever you want to call it, it’s probably not what you were picturing as the vehicle of the future… But while it’s not nearly as slick as the Moller Skycar, the Transition has the important distinction of not being total vaporware, and as proof, it had it’s maiden flight on March 5th:
Remember in ye olde days when we were all dependent on phones with cords? Sucked, right? But at least we didn’t have to continually worry about having bars in places. And yet, even as technology causes us worry, it can also cause us joy by giving us the opportunity to fix those problems by spending a bunch of money.
We’ve seen a few cell signal boosters before, but they’ve been complicated and expensive affairs, while this USB model is instead simple and (slightly less) expensive. All you have to do is plug it into a USB port, and it works. No software, no drivers, it just uses the port for power (which means you can also plug it into a wall adapter). The booster should give you a bump of 2-3 bars within 5 feet of the antenna. It’s supposed to work with “every carrier in Canada and the US” except Nextel, and includes 3G data frequencies. Sounds helpful, but at $100, it’s still about $50 more than I’d realistically want to spend… Especially since increasing cell reception is one of the few reasons I have to drag my ass outside.
While this shirt was actually designed by Formula Werks and Chicago-based designer toy store Rotofugi for those who collect vinyl figures, I think it applies just as well to those of us who prefer to waste our money on gadgets, electronics and gizmos. Just because they may require a firmware update every few months, doesn’t mean they’re not toys!
$25 from Formula Werks, and you can customize the color of the shirt or the text to your liking.
The Wii might be the current champion when it comes to having an overload of accessories and peripherals, but let’s not forget that Nintendo has been dabbling in fancy add-ons all the way back to the original NES with the Zapper. So when it was time to release a successor to the NES known as the ‘Super’ Nintendo, the company obviously had to come out with a ‘super’ version of the original Zapper. And that’s how I assume the Super Scope came to be.
Unlike the Zapper, which could be easily held in one hand, the Super Scope was like a miniature bazooka designed to be rested on your shoulder while you targeted the screen via a non-magnified scope on top. I wouldn’t say it was the most comfortable thing to hold for prolonged periods, but it was satisfying. Now unfortunately the library of Super Scope-compatible games never grew to be extensive, but thankfully the scope came with its own game called Super Scope 6. The ’6′ of course led you to believe you were actually getting 6 original games, but that wasn’t the case. It actually came with 2 different titles called Blastris and LazerBlazer, which each had 3 different modes. So I guess if you add all those up you do technically get 6. (Lame.)
I definitely enjoyed the Super Scope for a while since it was part of a Super Nintendo Christmas package, but unfortunately the novelty did wear off rather quickly. Partly due to the limited selection of games, and partly due to the fact that the scope gobbled up 6 x AA batteries. I mean what kid likes to waste their hard-earned cash on batteries?
I’m pretty sure that it’s every game designer’s dream to work on a title that smashes records. There’s nothing quite like knowing you helped make something that’s in the record books. Well everyone that had a hand in House of the Dead: Overkill can pat themselves on the back. The game has been officially inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records.
So what feat was so incredible that Guinness thought it was worth immortalizing the game in their sacred book? Apparently the game drops the F-bomb a whopping 189 times, which is more than any other game out there. Yes, that might sound like a lot of swearing, but that’s really nothing when you compare it to the 260 times it’s said in The Big Lebowski, or the 398 times it’s uttered in Casino. If you’re wanting a nice breakdown, the F-bomb is dropped a little over once per minute and accounts for roughly 3% of the entire dialog. Now that’s something to be proud of.
In case you missed it, Apple held their big conference announcing the iPhone 3.0 software yesterday. I have to get something out of the way right off the bat. As soon as the event was announced, the blogosphere lit up with rumors of a Mac tablet also being announced. Honestly, it seems like that’s been the case since Apple was granted a patent for a tablet back in 2005. At any rate, it’s been four years and there is still no Apple Tablet to be seen. The event was, as promised centered around the new iPhone software, which was anything but disappointing.
The biggest features that made their way into the third iteration of the mobile OS were (in no particular order) cut and paste, MMS, push notifications, turn-by-turn GPS navigation and data tethering. Yes, looking over that list there were likely a great many iPhone users that thought they were still dreaming when the announcements came in. Of course it was the things that Apple didn’t announce that made them realize that it was, in fact real.
I’m not entirely sure why Space Invaders has become the poster-child for retro gaming, but I’m sure part of the credit has to go to the game’s simple pixel graphics which are easy to recreate on everything from ties, to ice cube trays, to even cutting boards now.
Hand-made in the USA from cubes of walnut and hard-maple, these Space Invaders themed cutting boards measure 15-inches by 10-inches and are the perfect tool for cutting down those hordes of invading green peppers. But because they’re hand-made, they’re only available in limited quantities. In fact it looks like ThinkGeek is currently sold out until the end of the week, but if and when they’re back in stock you’ll be able to order one for $129.99.
While this lovely 3-speed blender from Vela was actually designed by Bugatti, I’m afraid it doesn’t have much in common with the Veyron supercar that Captain Slow drove to 253 MPH on Top Gear. It does however feature a “racing-inspired body” with a simple 3-speed dial that controls a 400W motor allowing the 18/10 stainless steel blades to effortlessly chop through ice, fruit or whatever you see fit to cram in the 1.5L glass pitcher.
And like the Veyron and the company’s other fine automobiles, the Bugatti Vela 3-Speed Blender comes with a higher-than-average price tag of $350 in your choice of a red or shiny chrome finish. Definitely not cheap, but if you’ve ever wanted to own a Bugatti, this is probably as close as you’ll get.
Incredibly, this is not just another piece of weird internet humor. You actually can make a photovoltaic cell with little more than high proof alcohol, powdered donuts, and purple Passion tea from Starbucks. It’s the future, people! The cell only puts out about 0.13 amps per square meter, so you’re not gonna be able to power your house with a few boxes of donuts and some Everclear. But, just in case, you should probably pick that stuff up anyway. You know, for scientific experimentation.
Related Tags: automotive, Aviation
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By Evan Ackerman
