Nov 5 2009 Inner City Bike Sports No Chain, Comfort
Because bike chains (and gold chains) are such a hot commodity in the inner city, the Inner City Bike doesn't have one. Or a comfortable seat. Or much practicality. I have to have it!
Bicycling to work may be the way to go for some, but parking could still be an issue. That's why Jruiter Studio has come up with the "Inner City Bike". It boasts an ultra compact design and has no chain to boot
There's a shot of a guy riding it after the jump, which I'll be the first to admit doesn't look as uncomfortable as I thought it would. But I won't be the first to admit where I hid the jewels. Not even if you tortur -- TOP DRAWER, UNDER ALL THE SOCKS. PLEASE DON'T HURT ME, I HAVE CHILDREN I DON'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT!
Hit it for a guy sitting on the thing.
Continue Reading " Inner City Bike Sports No Chain, Comfort "
Nov 2 2009 Great: MIT Developing Dashboard Death Bots
MIT, a school best known for not accepting me despite two super-sweet essays and several threatening phone calls, is now developing a robot companion for drivers. Why? Because we need more distractions in the car.
AIDA (Affective Intelligent Driving Agent) communicates with the driver via a small, sociable robot built into the dashboard. The idea is to develop an informed and friendly passenger, the buddy perpetually riding shotgun who aside from reading the map and helping with navigation, acts as a companion. As such, AIDA is being developed to read drivers' moods via their facial expressions and other cues (hand gestures?) and respond to them in the proper social context. It communicates back in very human ways as well: with a smile, the blink of an eye, the drooping of its head.
AIDA analyzes the driver's mobility patterns, common routes and destinations, and driving habits. It then merges its knowledge of the driver with its knowledge of the city around it, mashing up the drivers priorities and needs with real-time information on everything from tourist attractions to environmental conditions to commercial activity to help the driver make better decisions.
Yeah, but can he take the wheel? Because what good is a robot in the car if it can't drive you home? I don't need a friend in the car THAT'S WHY WE HAVE TEXTING, am I right? No, I'm dead wrong. Literally: DEAD. WRONG. Don't text and drive.
This message brought to you by the GW and everyone else who agrees that you already suck at driving bad enough without another distraction.
MIT Introduces a Friendly Robot Companion For Your Dashboard [popsci]
Thanks to Jeff, tom and Kristi, who just get lost and play 'I Spy' with themselves in the car like normal people.
Nov 2 2009 Oooh, Nice Wheels: Pac-Man Drives In Style
I've often wondered what kind of car Pac-Man would drive, and now I know. He doesn't just gobble dots -- he gobbles the dotted line! OM NOM NOM!! And, in case you can't see this and somebody is reading it to you, the car is bright red and yellow. Kind of like a firetruck/schoolbus combo. Which -- these kids are heroes, damnit!
Hit the jump for several more shots of the car including the sweet rims.
Continue Reading " Oooh, Nice Wheels: Pac-Man Drives In Style "
Nov 1 2009 Sure, Why Not?: Driving Around In A Half-Car
Ever wanted to see some crazy Serbian driving around in car that's been cut in half? Then today's your lucky day! I kept waiting for him to flip the thing over on himself but the physics weren't there. And speaking of crazy Serbians: I used to know one. He drove a bright yellow VW GTI with a matching smiley face air freshener hanging from the rearview and an AK-47 in the trunk. I never rode with him.
Thanks to alex, who claims he could do the same thing with a 1/4 car.
Oct 28 2009 Road Rash: Crazy Four-Wheeled Motorcycle
The 2010 Cosmos 4RW V8 Muscle Bike sports four 17-inch wheels, a 250 cubic inch V8 producing 350 horsepower and an extra helping of deathtrap. Want one? Expect to spend $93K. Unless you're Batman, in which case it comes standard in the front end of a Tumbler. Unless he's been drinking, in which case it may come smashed in the grill of an 18-wheeler.
Is a motorcycle still a motorcycle if it has four wheels? [dvice]
Thanks to Chris, who drives a four-wheeled moped which I think we can safely assume has never felt a woman on its Italian pleather seat.
Oct 23 2009 CHOO CHOO!: A Little Superconductor Train
This is some French guy making a little superconductor train out of a bunch of magnets and a cup of magic potion. I have no idea what's in the magic potion but that won't stop me from chugging a whole chalice in the hopes of floating. Plus, it even works upside down which is super cool because I've always wanted to take a nap on the ceiling. I will drool on you!
Thanks to Rich the destroyer, who destroys because he's Rich the destroyer damnit, you know who he is!
Oct 13 2009 Power Wheels Modded Into Halo Warthog
I was never allowed to have a Power Wheels growing up because my parents were too afraid I'd back over my own head, but that's neither here not there, it's just one of the reasons I have parent issues. Anyway, some lucky tyke's father went and modded his to look like a Warthog from Halo. Sweet!
Fortunately, thanks to the folks at Bungie, we're all that much more knowledgeable about the DIY Power Wheels modder set. All it took was one M12 Light Reconnaissance Vehicle--better known as the Warthog--fashioned from the guts of a Power Wheels miniature truck--a "very used 2001 G3740 Street Scene Silverado," according to its creator.
That creator, flux83, has done a capable job of turning that Silverado into a teeny-tiny Warthog that looks to seat a maximum of two wee Spartans.
OMG how different my life would've been if only I'd had a Warthog Power Wheels growing up! I probably would have been popular in school and maybe even had a girlfriend. And you know what having a girlfriend means! Nagging, LOTS of nagging. Oooooh, swift burn to the ladies!
Hit the jump to see a video of the awesomeness in action and a link to the build page.
Oct 9 2009 Yeah, But Can It Fly?: Amphibious WaterCar Does 60MPH On Both Land And Sea
The $200,000 WaterCar is the lovechild of a Corvette that fell in love with a cigarette boat. But, like having sex with a mermaid, everyone will tell you it was just a manatee.
Get a Corvette engine, rig it up with a Dominator Jet drive, and then strap it into a floating car, and you get the WaterCar Python, the fastest and highest-performing amphibious vehicle in the world. If zipping over the water at a top speed of 60mph doesn't float your boat, it'll accelerate on land at a neck-snapping 0-to-60 speed of a mere 4.5 seconds.
Call me old fashioned, but I like all my vehicles single-purpose. If it drives on the road, I don't want it in the ocean or sky. I mean, that's just more stuff to go wrong. And wrong, my friends, is the opposite of right. And two Wrights made an airplane. ZING! Thanks for that one, dad.
Hit the jump for several more shots and a video of the thing in action (worthwhile stuff starts at 0:50).
Continue Reading " Yeah, But Can It Fly?: Amphibious WaterCar Does 60MPH On Both Land And Sea "
Oct 9 2009 Not A Plane: Nissan's Futuristic Land Glider
Sure it may look like a spaceship's cockpit, but it's not! It's the cockpit of Nissan's Land Glider, a conceptual car design recently unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show.
This is the Nissan Land Glider, an electric car with two seats. it has a narrow body, which Nissan says will help reduce traffic congestion by allowing more cars in the same city space, as well as making parking easier. It has a balancing system to make it stable as it takes curves, compensating for inertia with the car's body movement.
I actually like it (hit the jump for more shots and a video). And not just because it looks skinny enough to bob and weave between a giant robot's legs, but that's something you have to think about when you're in the market for a futuristic car. Also, standard weaponry and estimated RBI. Ha, what do you mean that's a baseball stat? SHUT UP I KNOW CAR STUFF!
Hit it for for more pictures and a 6:00 video.
Continue Reading " Not A Plane: Nissan's Futuristic Land Glider "
Oct 1 2009 Looks Safe To Me: A Power Line Bridge
This is a picture of Philippine residents using power lines as a bridge in wake of the recent Typhoon Ketsana (bitch). EDIT: It is sad and Geekologie wishes everyone affected the best. Plus jetpacks.
Using Power Lines as a Bridge Seems Incredibly Dangerous [gizmodo]
Sep 29 2009 I'm Not Sitting On It: Real Robotic Transformer
This is a real-life Transformer (OmniZero.9, the brainchild of Takeshi Maeda) that can morph from a humanoid robot to a humanoid robot that can carry a person, to a wheeled cart. Just watch how scary it is when it moves. If I didn't know better, I'd swear there was a little person in there. But there isn't! Just wires and servos and a metallic heart of death. Which, true story, only beats for the destruction of the human race. And speaking of which: One time I competed in a three-legged race solo.
Hit the jump for a video of the robot battling another, much smaller one.
Continue Reading " I'm Not Sitting On It: Real Robotic Transformer "
Aug 28 2009 You Better Not Push Me Down The Stairs: Wheelchair Of The Future
The Veda International Robot Research and Development Centre (in Japan, of course) is hard at work developing a wheelchair for all the aging fogies in the country. And this is it, the Rodem. It's being touted as the wheelchair of the future. Pfft, I'll believe it when my grandpa has one. Isn't that right, gramps? I SAID, "ISN'T THAT RIGHT, GRAMPS?!"
Right now Rodem isn't much of a robot, but the people at Veda still want to add more features to the not-wheelchair; for example, Tmsuk president Yoichi Takamoto said, "...we could add a new function so it comes to your bedside when you call."
Hmm, I'm not sure how I feel about a wheelchair with robotic features. Yes I do -- I don't like it. No, the only improvements of the current wheelchair we need are an air horn and naked lady mudflaps. Now those would really put the whee in wheelchair -- am I right, gramps? I'm over here, you're talking to a chair. Now drink your juicebox and tell me where you buried the money.
Hit the jump for a shot of some poor bastard with a broken leg toting his own hospital bed around with the thing.
Continue Reading " You Better Not Push Me Down The Stairs: Wheelchair Of The Future "
Aug 26 2009 Smoke Bud: Another Hacked Roadsign
Another day, another hacked roadsign, this time in Raleigh, NC outside North Carolina State University. Honestly, I have no idea what this bud is of which the sign speaks (you hear that, mom -- no idea!), but if it's anything like banana peels and grape leaves, you count me in. Whee, I see stars! I mean it -- I'm passing out somebody catch me.
Tampered sign promotes pot [abc]
Thanks to Milkman, who better stop using the backdoor.
Aug 21 2009 Segway's Little Sister: The eniCycle
The eniCycle was designed by Aleksander Polutnik and is the lovechild of a Segway and whatever the hell this thing is. And I, for one, would totally ride it. Without a helmet. I'm bad!
The EniCycle is powered by an electric 1000 watt hub motor that you lean forward to set into motion--just like a Segway. Measuring your vertical angle 100 times a second, the gyroscopes make adjustments to help keep you balanced.
Not only would I ride the hell out of this thing, I would do it juggling bears. And not just because I'm hardcore, but because I'm classically trained for the circus. Just sayin', I can eat fire (now booking birthday parties).
Q: What did the snail riding the turtle say?
A: WHEEEEEEEE!
Hit the jump for a video of the uni in action.
Aug 18 2009 God Bless Ameriiiiiiiica: Preamble Of The Constitution In Vanity License Plates
This is the Preamble to the Constitution on license plates (all 50 states and Washington DC). And in case you aren't hip to special needs L337 speak, here's how it reads:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
USA! USA! USA! Truthfully, this piece is actually OLD. It was created by Mike Wilkins in 1987 and is on display at the Smithsonian. Which I might have actually seen if I didn't always shoot straight towards the museum of natural history. BUT ONLY BECAUSE THE STREET VENDORS AROUND THERE HAVE THE BEST FALAFEL. I kid, I kid, I bang the dinosaur skeletons. Also, which ever one of you jerks keeps stealing my 'GK WRITR' license plates better stop before I give it to you. And I don't mean 'the business' either. Yes I do. BUT LIKE IN PRISON.
Preamble [ordinaryfinds]
Thanks to Matt, who tried to recreate the Gettysburg Address in license plates but stopped at 4 SCR. Valiant effort, Matt.
Aug 2 2009 iPhone Allegedly Catches Fire, Ruins Upholstry
Allegedly some Dutch guy's iPhone spontaneously combusted in his passenger seat when he stepped away from his vehicle to fix a windmill and make a pair of wooden shoes. Per the translation:
Pieter from Leiden had this afternoon, unfortunately the Dutch premiere of his iPhone 3G spontaneously started burning. His iPhone 3G was on the passenger's seat in standby mode and not the charger. By returning to his car came thick black smoke through the door to the outside and the cause was his iPhone 3G in spontaneously fire was flown. Besides a total devastated iPhone 3G Pieter has also considerable damage to his car.
Pieter has direct contact with Apple Netherlands and T-mobile but n och Apple or T-mobile still take some responsibility.
Hey, weirder things have happened. I can't think of any right now but I'm sure they have. Well, there was this one time I parked my car, opened the door, and there was a $10 SITTING RIGHT THERE. Explain that one without aliens. Exactly, you can't.
Hit the jump for two more shots of the damage.
Continue Reading " iPhone Allegedly Catches Fire, Ruins Upholstry "
Jul 31 2009 Robotic Moles To Deliver Goods Underground
An army of little robots that travel through a city's existing sewer lines delivering packages of death to unsuspecting recipients. That sounds wonderful.
The brainchild of designer Phillip Hermes, the Urban Mole is a capsule that travels through existing networks of underground pipes in order to transport packages as diverse as groceries, signed documents and any title that appears on Oprah's Book Club.
According to VisionWorks, "The pipe system is structured like a road network - the more traffic, the bigger the pipe." Electric rails within the pipes provide juice for the Mole's motors in a system that works like a miniature subway. Still more pipes run from drop-off points to delivery centers called MoleStations...where customers can retrieve their items locally. The designer estimates that the average cross-town delivery could take place in less than ten minutes.
Interesting, but it'll never work. Mainly because you and I are gonna sit down there with night vision goggles and crowbars and bash every single one of these things open waiting for a shipment of diamonds. Then, we'll order pizza and party with the ninja turtles. COWABUNGA!
Hit the jump for a coupe more shots of the conceptual couriers.
Continue Reading " Robotic Moles To Deliver Goods Underground "
Jul 27 2009 Do It Yourself Aftermarket Motorcycle Seat
People's ingenuity never ceases to amaze me. Take this custom motorcycle seat for instance. Just imagine the lumbar support! But the question remains: is there enough room to add a baby seat? BECAUSE MY BABY WAS BORN TO RIDE! And by 'my baby' I mean I sit with a hot computer in my lap for 14 hours a day. There are no survivors.
DIY Motorcycle Seat Grants Great Posture at the Expense of Dignity [gizmodo]
Jul 18 2009 Do Or Do Not, There Is No Try: Geekologie Reader Spots Yoda Shaggin' Wagon
Geekologie Reader Dustin spotted this Yoda themed shaggin' wagon driving around in the wild and snapped a few pictures with his iPhone. Good lookin', Dustin. But seriously, next time keep both hands on the wheel. I kid, I kid, that's why God invented knees.
Hit the jump for two more shots of the van that attracts Star Wars cosplay girls like moths to a flame.
Continue Reading " Do Or Do Not, There Is No Try: Geekologie Reader Spots Yoda Shaggin' Wagon "
Jul 7 2009 Laser LightLane Creates Your Own Bike Lane
You know what I hate about bicycling? All the pedaling. I have tiny chicken legs and can't even pedal my Big Wheels to the mailbox without running out of steam and crashing into the azaleas. But for your hardier folk, the LightLane is a little laser system that attaches to your bike and provides you with a laser-line bike lane wherever you go. Clever idea. Now are you thinking what I'm thinking? If you answered, "no officer, I was not swerving, I was following the bike lane," you are!
Thanks to Rogefgv, Romeo and Mandy, who ride those bikes with the giant ass wheel in the front and the little tiny one in the back. Because they're oldschool killas.
