Flying Bikes: Firms Create Airborne Prototype
Three companies in the Czech Republic have teamed up to make a prototype of an electric bicycle that is capable of flying. The amazing machine is controlled remotely while in development but its designers hope to have it capable of carrying people soon. They also hope battery technology will advance enough to improve the five-minute flights it is capable of performing and make the invention marketable. (Sky News) Continue reading »
Inside Facebook’s Data Center Near the Arctic Circle
On the edge of the Arctic Circle, where the River Lule meets the Gulf of Bothnia, lies a very important building. Facebook’s newest data center – in Luleå, Sweden – is now handling live traffic from around the world. Facebook claims Luleå is likely to be one of the most efficient and sustainable data centers in the world. All the equipment inside is powered by locally generated hydro-electric energy. It is 100% renewable and they have been able to reduce the number of backup generators required at the site by more than 70%. Continue reading »
Welcome to Sweden, Facebook!
Facebook on Wednesday started processing data through its first server farm outside the United States, on the edge of the Arctic Circle in Sweden. The company inaugurated servers in about half of its new, 300,000-square foot facility outside the city Lulea Wednesday, saying it should improve the social network’s performance in Europe.
Joel Kjellgren, Data Centre Manager poses for photographers in the server hall on June 12, 2013 in the new Facebook data center, outside the city of Lulea, Sweden. Social network Facebook Wednesday opened its first data centre outside the United States, in Luleaa, a coastal Swedish town near the Arctic Circle. (Getty Images / AP) Continue reading »
The Nano-Falcon
An employee from Japanese toymaker CCP Co. has the NANO-FALCON in the palm of his hand at the International Toy Show. (EPA)
Red Bull Soapbox Race Speeds into London 2013
Red Bull racers – soapboxes including a Beatles-inspired yellow submarine, a police car and a black cab are taken for a test drive ahead of the Red Bull Soapbox race at Alexandra Palace, London on 14 July. The vehicles, which each took three weeks to make, are made from BMX bicycle wheels and a steel axel steering mechanism. They were customized using plywood, polystyrene and cardboard tubing, and are covered in coloured plastazote foam with details such as number plates and other branding created using vinyl.
After a nine year hiatus, the world’s wackiest road race returns as 70 human-powered soapboxes compete for glory as part of a festival of music and fun. Entrants include a loaf of bread baked to soapbox size, Elvis’ blue suede shoe and a Royal baby carriage. Off the race track, there will be plenty of action to keep the crowds entertained including face painting, ‘people pit-stops’ and live music from DJs. Continue reading »
Montague – Folding Bikes are What We do Best!
Montague is the world’s leading manufacturer of full-size, folding bikes. All Montague bikes fold into a compact size in less than 30 seconds without the use of tools. When you buy a Montague folding bike, you join the growing number of riders who enjoy taking their bike where ever their spirit of adventure takes them.
This folding bicycle is part of a line of full size folding bicycles originally developed for the U.S. Marines as a military bike for tactical use. Folding bikes historically have had small child-size wheels. But not anymore, Montague Mountain Bikes, have full size, rugged knobby tires which can take you virtually anywhere. If you are looking for a folding bike, the Montague high performance folding bicycle is the way to go.
Montague Bikes are about the freedom to choose to the moment how you want to move.
Continue reading »
The 26th Annual Houston Art Car Parade in Houston
The Art Car Parade is the highlight of a three-day celebration of the drive to create: Art Car Weekend. But it all began with a donated 1967 Ford staton wagon and $800 worth of paint and plastic fruit. And now, 26 years later, it attracts 250+ vehicles (and other entries) from 23 states, Canada, and Mexico. Photo: Art cars is seen on Allen Parkway during the 26th Annual Houston Art Car Parade on May 11, 2013 in Houston, Texas. Photos by Scott Halleran. Continue reading »
The Penguin Semi Submersible Boat
A compact semi submersible for leisure activities called a ‘Penguin’ is launched near Ulsan in South Korea. The Penguin makes it easier to explore underwater without any diving equipment while concurrently functioning as a boat. (EPA/YONHAP)
44ft Bicycle
A bicycle measuring 44ft has been built in Indonesia – out of rusting iron pipe. Seating just one person, the elongated bike was hand crafted out of 84 feet of piping in Blawe village, Kediri, East Java, Indonesia. (Arief Priyono / Barcroft Media)
Speed Of Light
Joggers, wearing special suits with led lights attached, arrive outside the Lowry Theatre in Salford Quays, Greater Manchester. Around 400 runners took part in a dress rehearsal for the performance entitles Speed Of Light. Created by public arts charity NVA the display uses cutting edge technology to turn runners into human fireflies, attaching a series of LEDs to the joints, limbs and heads of moving bodies. The runners route takes them past The Lowry, The Imperial War Museum North and the new Media City complex. The first show takes place on Thursday night and runs until Saturday evening. (Dave Thompson/PA)
The Model of James Webb Space Telescope
A full scale model of the James Webb Space telescope is displayed at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas. As big as a tennis court and as tall as a four-storey building, the James Webb Space Telescope is the successor to the Hubble telescope and the largest space telescope ever built. (EPA/NASA/Chris Gunn)
Smiley Typhoon
A Typhoon jet at BAE Systems in Warton, Lancashire, is fitted with a specially-created red nose to celebrate Comic Relief 2013.
World’s Biggest Yacht “Eclipse” Berthed in New York City
The Eclipse, reported to be the largest private yacht in the world, is viewed docked at a pier in New York on February 19, 2013 in New York City. The boat, which measures 557ft in length and is estimated to cost 1.5 billion US dollars, is owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and arrived into New York on Wednesday. Photos by Spencer Platt.
Eclipse is a luxury motor yacht constructed by Blohm + Voss in Hamburg, Germany. Its exterior and interior were designed by Terence Disdale Design and its naval architect was Francis Design. The yacht was delivered to Russian businessman Roman Abramovich on 9 December 2010. At 163.5 metres (536 ft) long, Eclipse is the world’s largest private yacht, 0.5 metres (1 ft 8 in) longer than the Dubai, which belongs to Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai. The yacht’s cost has been estimated at €340 million (approx. US$475M as of September 2011), but a September 2009 report indicated that final costs could approach €800 million (US$1.12B). Continue reading »
Grumman E-2 Hawkeye
The Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is an American all-weather, aircraft carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft. This twin-turboprop aircraft was designed and developed during the late 1950s and early 1960s by the Grumman Aircraft Company for the United States Navy as a replacement for the earlier E-1 Tracer, which was rapidly becoming obsolete. The aircraft’s performance has been upgraded with the E-2B, and E- versions, where most of the changes were made to the radar and radio communications due to advances in electronic integrated circuits and other electronics. The fourth version of the Hawkeye is the E-2D, which first flew in 2007. Continue reading »
Concept Ice Vehicle by Lotus
We can forget all about the price of gas when we get news like this. Sure, we’ll probably never ride in the Concept Ice Vehicle (CIV), but just knowing that folks at Lotus are working on things like this while we sleep… well, it’s like finding out that there is a Santa Claus. Continue reading »
Mine Kafon Project by Massoud Hassani
The Mine Kafon is a low-cost wind-powered mine detonator with the appearance of a giant spiky-armed tumbleweed.
Currently it is at a prototype stage and we are looking for support in order to turn it into a reality. If successful, we will be able to develop the prototype and test it in real minefields. Filmmaker Callum Cooper will also produce a documentary that will raise awareness on this global issue.
MINE KAFON is a Winner in the $200,000 FOCUS FORWARD Filmmaker Competition, and is vying for the $100,000 Grand Jury Prize, to be announced January 22 at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. It has also been recognized as an Audience Favorite. Learn more about the Competition and FOCUS FORWARD at focusforwardfilms.com Continue reading »
Batmobile Replica Spotted in Sweden
A Swedish guy built it from a 1973 Lincoln Continental. It took him over $1 million USD and 3.5 years to complete, or some 20.000 hours of work. It features a lot of gadgets like satellite navigation, voice recognition, reversing cameras, a DVD player, a plasma TV. Continue reading »
Dutchman Launches Life-sized Replica of Noah’s Ark
If the world floods, whether from an angry God or climate change, Johan Huibers is ready. After 20 years of work, the Dutchman has completed a full-sized replica of Noah’s Ark as described in the Bible, the AP reports. He followed Biblical instructions precisely to create a boat 427 feet long and 75 feet high, which he has filled with a menagerie of stuffed and plastic animals, as well a petting zoo with live animals and an aviary of exotic birds.
Huibers, a Christian, says he started building the boat after a nightmare in 1992 in which floods once again overwhelmed his low-lying homeland. He doesn’t believe that God is planning to flood the world once more, but he hopes his ark will “make people question that so that they go looking for answers” and find them through God, he says. The ark is open to visitors and Huibers plans to take it to other European ports and possibly even to the US. Photos by AP Photo/Peter Dejong. Continue reading »
Tiger-Stone: A Fast and Tidy Drafting Brick Road Machine
Tiger-Stone allows you to build 400 yards of road a day using cobblestone. This doesn’t automatically sort, cut and arrange the bricks in patterns. It just lays them. Someone needs to put the right bricks in the right places at the top. Continue reading »
Steve Jobs’ Yacht ‘Venus’ Launched in Netherlands
Steve Jobs’s yacht was has been unveiled in a Dutch shipyard, where the unusual boat designed by Jobs and famed minimalist designer Philippe Starck was christened “Venus”, after the Roman goddess of love, beauty, sex, fertility, prosperity and victory.
According to Dutch website OneMoreThing, the finished ship was launched at shipbuilder Koninklijke De Vries in Aalsmeer in the Netherlands. Jobs’s widow Laurene and three of their children, Reed, Aaron and Eve, were at the ceremony. Continue reading »
Cheap Chinese Tablet
After Apple introduced the first iPad, and tablet computers began to appear on the system Android, the Chinese immediately rushed to rivet similar devices and sell them at ridiculous prices. Of course, many do not trust the basement hack, but in vain, by the way. For example, the tablet Pontiac G6 cost only $ 15 will run smoothly, I’m sure. Continue reading »
Auto Body-shop Mangled Masterpiece
Australian body painter Emma Hack took 18 hours to create her latest masterpiece, which uses 17 men and women to illustrate the dangers and trauma caused by speeding drivers. The stunning piece of art was the brainchild of advertising agency Clemenger BBDO Adelaide and part of the Motor Accident Commission’s new campaign. Continue reading »
An Environmental Island Floating on the Equatorial Pacific
An epic project by Japanese company Shimz Corporation. A city that grows just like a lily floating on the water. A city of the equatorial region where sunlight is plentiful and the impact of typhoons is minimal. An area rising 700-1,000m above the equator. Continue reading »
Assembling a Chair
At the GAR Products furniture manufacturing facility in Lakewood, NJ, employees prepare chairs to be sprayed with a UV stain and a chair moves along the assembly line. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg) Continue reading »
Not Quite a Monster Truck
Welder Li Lianzhi poses with his huge bicycle, which is about 2.7 meters in length and 1.9 meters in height. Li Lianzhi spent 20 days and $1,110 making the bicycle. To balance the bicycle, Li injected 100 kilograms of water into the front wheel, so the bicycle weighs nearly 400 kilograms. (Barcroft)
