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GFS Captures Attention of U.S. Military
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Misc. Tech, Science, Transportation,
Want the American military to notice your particular talents? You can always use the method of former hovercraft engineer Geoff Hatton. He designed and patented a flying saucer from his workshop in the UK. Dubbed GFS (Geoff’s Flying Saucer), it is powered by an electrically driven propeller that pushes air over its outer surface and features controllable flaps. Although the Ministry of Defense passed on the saucer, which was partially funded by a grant from the Department of Trade and Industry five years ago, the American military believes that it has potential.
“It’s a unique approach which lends itself to a surveillance platform,” said Sal Gomez, of the US Army’s International Co-operative Programs center. “It could be useful in urban areas because if it bumped into walls it could recover.”
We think that it won’t be long before UFO sightings will be the real thing, albeit in a slightly smaller size.
Read More 
| Daily Mail
Gallery: GFS Captures Attention of U.S. Military
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bp Tries to Clean Up Its Act
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Editorial, Transportation,
After seeing bp’s latest commercial for its company, we can’t help remembering that sometimes even the supposedly best technology can go wrong, very wrong. On March 23, 2005, one of their refineries exploded killing 15 workers and injuring more than 100. Out of more than 1,000 injury claims from this incident and others that happened previously, bp settled out of court with most of them.
To counter the remaining bad publicity, the company, which provides 3% the U.S. petroleum, has launched Helios Power commercials featuring engaging animated toddlers singing “Say Hey”and hanging out at bp stations. To make them really worry about their image, what say we stop buying their gas until their refineries are a lot safer?
Read More | bp
Gallery: bp Tries to Clean Up Its Act
Charles in Space Reaches His Goal
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Misc. Tech, Science, Transportation,
Way to go, Charles! Our favorite non-professional astronaut Charles Simonyi finally took off over the past weekend and is now on his way to the international space station with two cosmonauts. The U.S. plans to retire its own space shuttle fleet in approximately three years to begin work on the Orion, the next generation of spacecraft. It will be ready to fly around 2015.
This move leaves Russia the chance to become the principle carrier of crews and cargo. Currently, the country builds two Soyuz spacecrafts a year for manned launches and four unmanned Progress cargo ships which can only be utilized once. They are expected to up that figure to 4 Soyuz and 7 Progress vessels by 2010.
Read More | Charles Simonyi via USA Today
Gallery: Charles in Space Reaches His Goal
iGolf es Muy Bueno
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Apple, Portable Audio / Video, Transportation,
We always like presenting our readers the latest in iPod accessories. The iGolf has to be the most definitive of our collection. Developed in Spain, the team of Apple and Volkswagen created this vehicle that will set you back about $12,000.00. Place your beloved 8GB nano into the armrest dock to send your tunes directly into the automobile’s sound system. No news yet as to when it will arrive stateside. We have to admit, even if we can’t afford the car, we surely enjoyed playing on their website.
Read More | Nuevo iGolf (Spanish) via Stuff.tv
Gallery: iGolf es Muy Bueno
Now that you have ordered your folding Carvin, your next purchase should be a matching foldable Pinel & Pinel Bike-in-a-Box. The design company has made it available in 51 colors so that you can match it to your new guitar’s pic or shoulder strap. The wooden trunk is covered in leather, is 25 x 25.2 x 6.7-inches in size, weighs about 66 lbs., and comes with a Brompton M6R bike, in a choice of ten colors. Contact Pinel & Pinel for price.
Read More | Pinel & Pinel
Gallery: Bike in a Box is Foldable
GMC Displays Triplet Concept Cars
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Design, Transportation,
Making their mini-debuts at The New York Auto show going on April 6 to 15, are GM’s three concept cars designed at their South Korean studio. The Beat is a three-door hatchback designed for personalization. The Groove is “retro-inspired” with fender flares and the Trax is an “urban crossover.”
GM will be showing the “Triplets” at other car shows and are even asking online voters to choose their favorites. At present, Groove is ahead by about 8 percent. While it remains to be seen whether the American car company will start producing these mini-cars anytime soon, we appreciate that the idea is being considered.
Read More | GM
Gallery: GMC Displays Triplet Concept Cars
Ford Unveils Redesigned Fairlaine
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Design, Transportation,
At this week’s New York Auto Show, Ford unveiled its Flex, which is slated to go into production next summer at their Ontario plant and will become a part of their 2009 automotive family. Mark Fields, head of Ford’s North American ops, said that the redesigned Fairlaine was meant to be comparable to Honda’s Pilot, Chrystler’s Pacifica, and GMC’s Acadia. Based on the Freestyle wagon, the Flex seats seven and offers an optional mini-fridge and mood lighting. Aside from the roof color, just where do those similarities to the Fairlaine begin?
Read More | Detroit Free Press
Gallery: Ford Unveils Redesigned Fairlaine
Tahoe Prepares for DARPA Race
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Science, Transportation, Wireless / WiFi,
This is one remote control vehicle we just can’t wait to try out. Carnegie Mellon’s Tartan Racing team, in cooperation with GM, is preparing a Chevy Tahoe for a November outing sponsored by DARPA (Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.) The desert race consists of navigating vehicles through a 60 mile course that resembles a city street.
The Tahoe will be equipped with automatic steering, brakes, and throttle, and its challenge will be to stay on the road while avoiding obstacles such as other vehicles and oversized cacti. The winner of the race collects a cool $2 million. DARPA foresees this as a way of improving humans’ safe driving habits in heavy traffic conditions. We just see it as an expensive Hot Wheels racetrack for bigger boys and wonder what connections you have to have to become a team member.
Read More | CMU
Gallery: Tahoe Prepares for DARPA Race
If you remember a movie from the 70’s called “The Big Bus,” then you surely will appreciate the capabilities of the TGV. The French high-speed train has set a new record of 574.8 km (357.2 m.) per hour. Taking off in Paris, two engines, three double-decker cars, and a boost of 31,000 volts of horsepower in its overhead cable sent it on its way to Strasbourg. The previous record had been set in 1990, when it merely traveled at a speed of 515 km/h (320 mph.) Save your tokens. This bad boy will set any country back 30m euros (US $40 million.)
Read More | BBC
Gallery: TGV Breaks Speed Record
James Doohan is finally going to “see” space. The actor, who played Scotty on “Star Trek,” died July 5, 2005. A few grams of his ashes, those of Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper, and about 200 others were loaded into a rocket. The canister and its cremated space travelers are to be launched from New Mexico on April 28.
Celestis arranges these final trips with various rocket firms. “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry’s ashes were sent into space in 1997. If you would like to make space your final destination, you’ll need $495.00. That’s not a bad price when you consider you will finally be in a place that you won’t spend half your time looking for parking.
Read More | CNN
