Monday - May 18, 2009
THE FLYING CAR. AGAIN. AND IT CERTAINLY DOES.
I guess some have seen this. Is that correct?
I just got it from an old friend who knows how crazy I can get over stuff like this.
Wow .. I’d love to fly in that thing but I’m not so sure I’d like it as a car. Of course, MY idea of a car is a candy apple red Caddy. A Vet, Hudson Hornet, Hollywood coup. 1937 Cord 2Dr. Convt., I better quit here cuz my list is endless.
I saw something like this around 1949 or so. Maybe 1950. Saw it in an old newsreel. I miss those. The voice of Dwight Weist. Not sure of the spelling and not even sure if he was the one who presented the story back then. But it’s a name I remember from the old movietone newsreel days in theaters.
Posted by peiper
on 05/18/2009 at 04:25 PM
Filed Under: • Miscellaneous • Neat Inventions • planes, trains, tanks, and automobiles •
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Permalink • Saturday - September 27, 2008
Smart Tools
This is pure nerd-vana to a tool junkie. The very best kind of tool porn. This really is a quantum leap forward in power saw technology. It’s the “intelligent” table saw that knows when it’s cutting wood, and when it’s cutting your fingers off. And when the latter happens, the blade stops and retracts in an instant. I’ve known too many carpenters and butchers in my time who could go by the nickname “Stubby” because they all lose a few fingers eventually. Right now this saw costs about 3 times what other saws cost ... but this is how the future ought to be.
SawStop’s 10” cabinet saw and 10” contractor saw were developed from the ground up with a particular focus on safety and quality. They feature a revolutionary safety system that stops and retracts the blade (within 5 milliseconds) upon accidental contact, drastically reducing the severity of user injury. The safety system provides invisible protection (doesn’t interfere with your work), is always “on” and performs continuous self tests. The saws also includes a European style riving knife (secured via a quick-change mount) that helps minimize kick-back.
How does it do it? The saw blade is slightly electrified, and has a monitoring circuit. When your hand touches the blade the voltage drops, and that triggers the safety mechanism. That blows a fuse which lets a spring loaded aluminum block slam against the running saw blade. The blade and the motor are mounted on a pivot, so when the block smacks into them not only is the blade stopped dead in its tracks, the whole affair snaps out of the way. So the blade instantly stops and hides under the table. Impressive!
Found over at Hog On Ice. The SawStop is an industrial grade tool, and is priced accordingly. Prices run between $2800 to $3400
Posted by Drew458
on 09/27/2008 at 02:45 PM
Filed Under: • Neat Inventions • Science-Technology •
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Permalink • Tuesday - July 01, 2008
Super Fantastic, but expensive
"Ladies, are you eager to wear those stunning but complex eyeshadow styles the models have in all the fashion magazines, but you don’t have the time or the skill to apply them? And you can’t afford a personal make-up assistant? Well then, this product is just for you.”
Gosh, I love new inventions, whether they pan out or not. Here’s one that could really be a winner if the price came down a bit…
It’s such a great idea that two companies came out with it simultaneously, one in the US, one in Australia. I’ll give the land down under props for a better name; what ColorOn in the US calls Instant Eye Shadow (boring but accurate), Majic Beauty in Oz names Eye Majic (ooh, sexy). Either way, what you get is a bit of bandage material with the eye shadow already attached. Then you just stick it on your eyelid, give it a press - or a wiggle if you want to be inventive - and pull it off. Ta da! Your eyes look hot, and you’ve just saved ... how much time? Plus they have lots of patterns, including leopard spots for you nascent cougars, and even camouflage for you redneck gals!
Sure guys, we’re going to smirk at this one. But the next time you’re cooling your heels in the car, waiting, and waiting, and waiting ... because she said she’d be ready in “just a second” ... you just might be tempted to give these links a visit.
The US product costs $3 a go, the Aussie one $2 a go. I wonder if the next generation product will also include the mascara?
This post brought to you by the ever watchful, ever surfing Rancino, who found the reference over at Springwise. How he got there I haven’t a clue, but thanks!
Posted by Drew458
on 07/01/2008 at 12:10 PM
Filed Under: • Fun-Stuff • Neat Inventions •
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Permalink • Monday - April 28, 2008
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s … what the heck is that thing?
It weighs only 30 pounds and can be fully weaponized for assault and rescue. It has a 6-foot jet-wing that is steered with handheld rotary controls connected to its rudder. And it can hide more than 100 pounds of combat gear in a built-in compartment.
The Gryphon attack glider, designed to penetrate combat zones at 135 miles per hour, could revolutionize the art of parachuting.Its helmet has a heads-up display and provides on-board oxygen for the jump. To land, a soldier separates the wing from his pack and releases his parachute to slow his descent. The wing remains attached to the soldier by a cord and lands before him.
Currently, planes and pilots are put at risk because soldiers need to jump close to combat areas. Typical high altitude, high-opening, or HAHO, jumps from around 27,000 feet allow soldiers to travel only about 30 miles after exiting the aircraft.
The Gryphon could increase that range fourfold, creating an attack corridor of nearly 125 miles. Unaffected by headwinds or crosswinds because of its favorable lift-to-drag ratio, the glider would allow elite units to reach targets with increased speed, precision and stealth.
The Gryphon’s built-in oxygen supply system allows soldiers to jump from up to 30,000 feet. And with temperatures at that altitude sometimes reaching minus 64 degrees Fahrenheit, every second counts. Even in upwind conditions, the Gryphon could reduce HAHO jump duration to a third, from an average of 45 minutes to just 15, vastly reducing the risk of exposure to extreme cold.
The Gryphon’s designers, SPELCO GbR, are even planning to affix a relatively cheap and small turbo jet, which is used for unmanned military drones. Harnessing that jet, the glider would allow soldiers to jump lower, maintain altitude and travel farther than is currently possible.
I’m not totally sold on this one. If it can fly you 125 miles instead of the 30 miles you can get from a parasail, doesn’t that mean you’re falling a lot slower? And if you’re falling a lot slower, how does that make it possible to get down quicker out of the upper atmosphere where the temperature is deathly cold? Maybe they meant that you could do a power dive straight down, and then pull up and glide those same 30 miles but from a much lower altitude.
And while the Spec Ops guys will all want to try it, after the initial thrill wears off won’t this wing-thing be just another heavy bulky item they’ve got to hump around?
I like the idea of sticking a little jet engine on it, though that will add even more weight. I wonder if it would give you enough power to take off from the ground that way, or if this gizmo is going to wind up being called the Pteradactyl because it only flies after being dropped a long long way?
thanks for the link Rancino!
Posted by Drew458
on 04/28/2008 at 07:49 PM
Filed Under: • Military • Neat Inventions •
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Permalink • Thursday - April 17, 2008
Click clack, stretch snap
See video demonstrations of the product here, in what might be a 10 second TV commercial. It’s cute and smart.Design Indaba update: a condom applicator designed to help AIDS prevention has been named the Most Beautiful Object in South Africa by Dutch designer Jurgen Bey.Bey, who was in Cape Town to speak at the Design Indaba conference last week, selected the product from a shortlist of 15 products at the Design Indaba Expo.
The applicator, invented by Willem van Rensburg and designed by industrial designer Roelf Mulder of South Africa’s XYZ Design, allows a condom to be put on easily and rapidly.
The user holds the device with the thumb and forefinger of both hands, pulling the condom down over the penis in a single rapid movement.
It is hoped the design will encourage the use of condoms, thereby helping reduce the spread of AIDS. The applicator, which was selected for the SAFE exhibition at MoMA in New York two years ago and is in the museum’s permanent collection is now being marketed and sold under the Pronto brand.
“Pronto Condoms ... the best way to get it on”. No, I am NOT making this up!
Let’s face it, using an ordinary condom is a real pain in the butt. First, you have to tear the pack open, often using your teeth. Then you have to take the condom out of the pack – this is a slippery business at the best of times. Next, you have to figure out which is the right side up, before you can unroll it. By the time the condom’s on, the mood is halfway out the window…
Fortunately, those days are over. Introducing PRONTO, the condom for the new millennium. The PRONTO condom can be applied in a few seconds. And it’s a lot more convenient to use, compared to an ordinary condom. You simply crack the pack open and unroll the condom directly onto the penis. Sounds too good to be true? See for yourself, by clicking on the demo
yeah, I found this over at C&S. It took a whole year to get there.
Posted by Drew458
on 04/17/2008 at 02:47 PM
Filed Under: • Neat Inventions • Sex •
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Permalink • Five Most Recent Trackbacks:
A Box With Four Sides
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Take a look at the sidebar and click on the "DHS Certificate" shown. You'll see what Crappy Nappy thinks of those who believe in Limited Government and Constitutional Rights. Therefore,…
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On: 03/23/09 06:00
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