Archive for November, 2008
China has a revolutionary construction technique
…and I have no clue how they do it with any kind of accuracy!
The Chinese are constructing the world’s largest highest bridge called the Siduhe Grand Bridge. This bridge is over 2,100 ft. tall, which makes it higher than any skyscraper in the United States by about 360 ft. This bridge is not only tall, but it is also about 3/4 of a mile long, making the combination of construction over a valley with that long of a span creating some really interesting contructability issues.
Well, China has their solution…use rockets to launch the suspension cables across the valley to construct the main supports. Instead of normal methods such as helicopters, they actually launched the cable across. The weight of those cables alone had to make the rockets fly awkwardly, but they have successfully launched them.
Check out the pictures below to see their method!
Retrieved from -Dvice-
No comments
Now here is one interesting looking lamp
and I’ll leave it up to you to decide if it is an illuminated bowl of chips, a nice mood lamp or or a Himalayan Ionic Crystal Bowl Lamp.
I have to say that when I first read the article about this lamp on Nerd Approved that they weren’t kidding, that it was an artificial bowl of chips with a light bulb placed inside to make it have a “warm” glow. With as much weird stuff as I look at in a day, I didn’t think twice about it. Then I read the article and noticed that it was a bowl of salts that when heated release ions in the air to clean and refreshen, which is something they have used in the Himalayas for over 200 years. Personally, I think it would have been funnier to have a bowl of chips, but, I have to report all odd things I see, whether they have some base in science or an hilarity!
Product Info -Ionic Crystal Bowl Lamp-
No commentsA nice addition to retaining walls to liven up the courtyard
…if you actually invite people to attend parties!
A lot of people have those modular block retaining walls around their house, and with our new house, we are no exception. I saw these posted on Nerd Approved and thought they would make a great addition to people who are actually sociable. There are two types of blocks that they offer. One, called the RisiLight, provides ambient lighting along the wall. As great as that sounds, I prefer the second one called the RisiSound which is a built in speaker that can be hooked up to a stereo of your choice. I’ve always found those garden speakers to be rather cheesy, so this would be a slightly more palatable option for having music playing in your socializing venue. Granted at $140 and $175, it might be out of most people’s price range (like my own!).
Product Info -RisiSounds and RisiLights-
No commentsWe’ve all heard of man-bags, now introducing the ultimate man-purse
…straight from e-Volve to the gunless wannabe cops.
How often have you as a guy found yourself wanting to not have that phone in your pocket or hanging on your belt clip because it’s in your way? Or needed to have that pen and paper waiting right beside you so you could jot down the phone number of that girl you just met at the bar. That’s right, she couldn’t take her eyes off of you because of that huge, discreetly hidden holster by your side. She thought you were possibly an undercover cop, you know, since women can’t resist a man in uniform. But wait, then she realized that holster actually held a pen and paper….and your phone. Crap, too late to take back the number she just read off to you. Now she’ll just spend the next week trying to avoid any unknown phone calls…but at least you with your phone holster will be able to pick up the next girl in the meantime!
Product Info -eVolve-
Retrieved from -Engadget-
How frequently do you find the need to be stimulated on the toilet
…because amateur inventor Johnny Henry from Mississippi has developed just what you need if you do!
Johnny Henry, a native of Mississippi, invented his own toilet seat which vibrates to help stimulate you while going to the bathroom. His quote…he invented it to “make you feel good while you are there” on the toilet. I have to say, I’ve been in a lot of those massaging chairs and have had those huge thumping massagers on my back, and they always tend to make my skin red and itchy from stimulating the blood in the skin too much. Last thing I would want on the toilet is to have my posterior turn red and itchy from vibrating while using the toilet. Just doesn’t sound very…stimulating, more annoying.
He was able to attend a convention for inventors however, so undoubtedly someone thought highly of his product. I am also amazed that it took him 11 years to make a prototype. How hard can it be to make a vibrating seat?
Retrieved from -Leader Call-
No commentsI was requested to post about “Decotora”
…the Japanese version of “Pimp My Ride”.
A friend of mine at work was watching G4 the other night where on “Attack of the Show” they were talking about the Japanese and how they decorate semi-trucks with tons of lights. Wikipedia defines Decotora as “trucks commonly found in Japan that have neon or ultraviolet lights, extravagant paints, and shiny stainless or golden exterior parts”. The funny part is, during the night, these trucks are not allowed on the roads due to being a crash hazard with the amount of lights blinding other drivers. I don’t know a whole lot more, but enjoy the pictures nonetheless!
Pictures retrieved from -Dark Roasted Blend-
No commentsNow here is an interesting thought on photography
…from Japanese designer Mac Funamizu.
How comfortable would you feel walking around town, seeing something you want to take a picture of, framing it up in your hands like a movie director and then winking to capture the picture? If you said comfortable, then you need to follow this designer’s idea and promote him. What I described above is exactly what this concept is…sunglasses that can take pictures based on what you framed up on your fingers. All you have to do is wink with you left eye to snap a picture. Personally, I would be to embarassed, so it isn’t for me. But I bet some people would really be interested…
Retrieved from -Coolest Gadgets-.
2 commentsGift cards have quickly become the gift of choice for most
…and Target and Best Buy are really trying to play them up even more!
So, a lot of people have turned to gift cards as an “easy out” for getting a gift. Me personally? I love to get them, but that is probably because I’m the odd man that is a shopaholic. It seems that some of our big retailers are trying to remove one of the stigmas associated with giving gift cards…you aren’t giving something physical to the person, so it feels less like a gift. Therefore, let me introduce the proposed solution starting with Best Buy first.
The speaker gift card from Best Buy includes a speaker and a mini headphone jack so that you can plug it in to almost any MP3 player you may own. I guess if you don’t have an MP3 player, you can just use the gift card to purchase a new iPod (even though rumors are that they will stop making them soon) and then plug it in.
Now, the cooler of the two that I will be talking about is the Target Camera gift card. Now this one comes completely loaded…40 free prints, a self timer and averages over 50 pictures with the built in 8MB of space. I’m sure it isn’t the highest quality, but a nice free benefit for a gift card if you ask me. I’ll take either!
Product Info -Best Buy Speaker Gift Card-
Product Info -Target Camera Gift Card-
Retrieved from -Coolest Gadgets- and -Coolest Gadgets-
I’m sure this is for airplane fanatics
…but I think one could argue this could be used to cure claustrophobia.
There are some people in this world (namely my mother) who have an extreme fear of enclosed spaces…so much so that they will never be able to fly in an airplane. No traveling overseas, no cross country travels, you name it, they can’t do it. Could placing an airplane window like this beside their bed make them get used to the sight so that being in the actual plane wouldn’t be so bad? Probably not, and for $1500, I think they would be much better off buying tons of valium to make it through a flight.
So, if that’s the case, who would want to pay that for an airplane window?
Product Info -Airplane Window-
Retrieved from -Nerd Approved-
Time for some old school ‘rithmetic
…at least, back from the 1940s.
Introducing Ma & Pa Kettle with their backwards view of math….enjoy!
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