By Andrew Liszewski

Most of the rides at Las Vegas’ Stratosphere are pretty tame, except when you take into account the fact they’re perched atop the 1,149 foot tower, which makes them a tad more thrilling. But I don’t think any of them will provide quite as much excitement, or sheer terror, as their new SkyJump attraction. For a mere $99.99 you’re taken to a platform somewhere near the Stratosphere’s observation deck, attached to a set of safety cables including one connected to a decelerator, and then allowed to jump where you’ll enjoy 855 feet, or about 100 stories, of controlled free-fall before you’re slowed to a safe stop on the ground.

The ride will be opening to the public sometime this month, and since the entire experience, including a brief safety lesson, takes about 30 minutes, there’s a limited number of people who can jump every day. So you might want to check out the availability calendar on the SkyJump website before you psych yourself up to take the plunge.

[ SkyJump Las Vegas ] VIA [ Gizmag ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Flat folding seats and semi-private mini berths in the first-class cabins of some airlines have made traveling on an international red-eye as comfortable as spending the night in a hotel. But let’s face it, those seats are not priced for travelers on a budget. So hopefully these Rotel Tours buses are.

Think of them as a combination of a Greyhound bus and a motorhome, minus any of the luxuries of the latter. Each passenger is privy to a 6 foot long bed, though each bunk is only about 3 feet wide by 3 feet high. A single bathroom is located on the bus, but as you’ve probably already guessed, there are no shower or bathing facilities, so apparently every tour makes periodic stops giving travelers a chance to ‘freshen up.’ At least there are plenty of windows to open. According to Jalopnik the company has been operating these tours since 1959 and has around 3,400 of these buses! But it’s no wonder I haven’t seen one before given they don’t seem to operate in North America. And you know what? I don’t really feel as if I’m missing out.

[ Rotel Tours ] VIA [ Jalopnik ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Billed as a “mobile designer suite” instead of a ‘pop-up camper’, the Opera provides many luxuries and amenities you don’t usually associate with camping. For example, features like a teak veranda, ceramic toilet, electrically adjustable beds, water heater, hot air heater and low-energy LED floor lighting aren’t usually things the Boy Scouts head out into the woods with.

But the Opera clearly isn’t targeted at teens looking to earn their fire starting badge, but for people who want a well-appointed “holiday home” that they can literally take anywhere. Heck, I’m even considering giving notice on my apartment and moving into one of these across the street. Unfortunately though, the fact that they don’t throw around terms like ‘affordable’ in the brochure tells me that when the price is revealed there’s probably going to be a lot of zeros on the end.

[ Opera Mobile Designer Suite (Warning! Flash with music!) ] VIA [ Uncrate ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Now I use Google Maps on my iPhone as much as the next person, but sometimes finding directions on a touchscreen, aqua-phobic, battery-sucking device isn’t the most convenient way to find your way around a strange city. A while ago we brought you the fabMAPs from Rand McNally which were crumple-friendly maps printed on microfiber cloth, but I think I prefer these Crumpled City maps created by Emanuele Pizzolorusso instead.

Unlike a traditional paper map which can be awkward to deal with, the Crumpled City maps can be easily crammed in your pocket, backpack or their own carrying pouch, without having to worry about properly re-folding it along the crease lines. And since the Crumpled City maps are printed on Tyvek, an engineered fabric used as a moisture barrier in house construction, they’ll easily shrug off the worst mother nature can throw at them. Best of all, they’re not just a design concept, but are actually in production and will hopefully be available in London, Paris, New York, Tokyo and Berlin versions soon.

[ Emanuele Pizzolorusso - Crumpled City ] VIA [ Cool Hunting ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Even though standing in long lines at the airport can quickly suck your soul away, it’s at least a few minutes where you’re not working. Or at least it was a few minutes, because thanks to this rolling luggage trolley that converts into a miniature office, you’ll be expected to spend every free moment you have toiling away.

It weighs about 10 1/2 pounds, but is able to support up to 20 pounds, and has a large enough surface to hold a 17-inch laptop. It folds down small enough to fit in most overhead storage compartments, and will set you back $129.95 from Comfort Home. The only question I have is what exactly is that woman in the product shot sitting on?

[ CartDesk Luggage Trolley ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

By Andrew Liszewski

If you’re looking to kill a few hours online, and by a few I mean enough to cover the almost 10,000km route between Moscow and Vladivostok taken by the Trans Siberian Railway, then head on over to Google.ru where they’ve teamed up with the Russian Railways to create a virtual version of the trip.

Not only do you get a small snippet of Google Maps keeping you constantly updated on your current location, but a series of YouTube videos provides an actual view out of a passenger window as well. And if you find the scenery lacking or the trip a bit boring, you can even choose to listen to a small collection of Russian literature along the way including Tolstoy’s War and Peace, which is sure to liven things up and make the trip fly by!

[ Moscow-Vladivostok: virtual journey on Google Maps ] VIA [ FAZED ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I like the idea of a luggage scale, particularly when airlines are charging ridiculous fees for overweight baggage. But I usually only have an issue with heavy luggage when I’m returning home from a trip, and carrying along an electronic scale just adds to the problem. Not so with the Gravity Ruler. It’s made from bungee cord running through a clear plastic tube (so it’s lightweight) that’s labeled with weight increments, and the heavier your bag is, the farther the bungee stretches, giving you a rough idea if you’ll squeak below your airline’s weight limits.

What’s even cooler about the Gravity Ruler is that it was created by Politecnico di Milano design students Marcella Maltese and Lin Wei. And while you might think it’s just a concept, apparently they created an initial batch of 35 units which sold out at the Travel Trading fair in Milan in less than an hour. So it seems like there’s a very good chance you might find these in stores one day, if and when they can find a manufacturer.

[ Core77 - "Gravity ruler" luggage scales ] VIA [ SlashGear ]

By Evan Ackerman

While we’re still (apparently) a long way away from the mythical standardization of cell phone chargers, more and more phones (and other gadgets like portable music players and digital cameras) have come to rely on (or at least accept) USB connections for recharging. The current supplied by most USB connections probably won’t charge your gadget as fast as whatever proprietary wall plug that came with it, but the epic level of convenience of only needing one plug and one cable more than makes up for it.

Unless you need to charge two things at the same time, in which case multiple powered USB ports are a necessity. Your laptop probably has multiple powered USB ports, but sometimes leaving your laptop plugged in and turned on just to charge some stuff isn’t especially convenient, sometimes you don’t want to carry around your laptop at all, and sometimes you just don’t want to deal with all the crap that happens when you plug something in that also uses USB to transfer data.

So after all that ranting, you’re probably expecting some kind of fantabulous thing that will solve all of your USB charging needs. Sorry. All I’ve got is this wall jack that has TWO USB charging plugs instead of ONE. And it’s small and black and has foldy plugs. And it only costs $7. Find it at USB Geek.

VIA [ CrunchGear ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Next month I, along with my fellow OhGizmo writers will be heading off to Las Vegas for CES. While I’m looking forward to seeing the city and all of the latest gadgets, I’m not looking forward to the 8+ hour flight. I have various means for keeping myself occupied during the trip, but it’s a pain to keep all of those handy while in your seat. However, this Airplane Seat Back Valet might make things a bit easier.

I chuckled a bit when I first saw this, thinking it to be rather lame. However, after thinking back to the numerous flights I’ve taken, it would be great to have. I could keep track of my books, DS, PSP, laptop, drink and any other things I’d want during the flight. If you’re forced to fly on a regular basis, you might want to consider investing $40 in one of these.

[ Hammacher ] VIA [ RedFerret ]