Check out our new Motivator component!
Here's some pretty cool color footage of the venerable P-47 Thunderbolt doing some good work during WWII:
Remember that old James Caan movie Rollerball, which portrayed a futuristic sport combining armored roller skaters and motorcycles in a small enclosed arena, with lots and lots of gratuitous violence? Rollerball was so cool they remade it in 2002 featuring rapper LL Cool J. Unfortunately the newer version didn't come close to capturing the magic of the original and just plain sucked. The good news is there's a better sport out there that's quite real, and coming soon to an arena near you!
Ultimate Tazer Ball features 4-on-4 play and is similar to team handball with a twist - players armed with tasers (the real way to spell it) that can zap the crap out of their opponents as they move the ball. The sport is so new it doesn't have a Wikipedia entry, but it does have a web site - http://utblive.com/. The UTB has four teams, with plans to expand to twelve. For now the league functions as a traveling road show, but plans to hold a scheduled season as the sport grows. This sport would have Tom Brady screaming "Don't tase me bro!"
The last couple of decades has given us lots of new technology, from the internet to iPhone porn to Jersey Shore re-runs on Demand TV. But one of the neatest things developed in the last few years has been the GoPro HD cameras, which are used on practically every reality TV show and documentary these days. These miniature wonders can be mounted on everything from a helmet to a ski, and shoot video in a quality unheard of just a few years ago. And let's face it, if you're gonna do something awesome, what good is it if you can't show it off to your friends or the entire world on YouTube?
One of the coolest uses of these little gems has been in skydiving -- in particular skydiving in one of those little squirrel suits and documenting suicidal hops off majestic mountain peaks. Daedalus would be jealous - the concept of personal flight is now available to the masses - if you have the stones for it. And sadly, at my advanced age - and as tough as it is to admit this - I don't. I hand it to the X-Games generation though for inventing this kind of stuff. As awesome as flying fighters is, if you're really into flying, this sport would be the cats' meow!
But think of the possibilities if they figure out a way to strap an Aim-9 or a GAU-8 onto those suits...
This looks like something that can be done at home:
This time lapse sequence was pieced together from pictures taken from the ISS. Pretty amazing footage.
From the ashes of Dooferbook headquarters....the new and improved Casa de Spike 2.1!
To lighten things up a bit after the creepy story about the misguided antics of one of our Canadian brethren, here's a satellite view depicting a 24-hour snapshot of world-wide air travel. Note the ebb and flow of transatlantic traffic as the earth's terminator works it's way westward - pretty neat!
One of the hottest sites out there right now is xtranormal.com, a site that takes your screenplay and populates it with virtual actors and animation. While obviously in its early stages, this text-to-movie application shows tremendous promise and should develop into something really cool by version 3 0r 4. Below are a couple of homemade movies that are beginning to go seriously viral. Enjoy!
The video below is a highlight reel of US gun camera footage recently declassified and made available through the Romano Archives. The quality is pretty darn good and better than most that we've seen over the years. More stunning WWII footage can be seen at their homepage or on their Youtube channel, UnknownWW2InColor.
My, how the ROE has changed over the years!
The video below was shot with a Phantom HD high-speed camera at 1000 fps. Disregard the actors (who look like they came from the Deliverance set) and the crappy soundtrack - this is one seriously kickass video! You can see more high-speed Phantom videos over at Vision Research.
3D entertainment technology has made leaps and bounds over the last few years, and the new wave of products represent a giant stride forward in the quest for a functioning Holodeck. If you haven't had the chance to check out one of the many 3D TV's, it's well worth a trip to your local big box store to see them in action. On a grander scale, Samsung recently produced a stunning outdoor display to promote its new line of 3D LED-LCD TV's - no glasses required. Sony was quick to follow with their own version of what is known as "3d projection mapping." Enjoy!
The basic "bacon weave" (Death by Bacon!) we reported on in Jan '09 quickly gave birth to other more creative bacon productions such as the The Bacon Explosion!, the bacon AK-47 (Another twist on bacon) and even a Bacon Blowtorch!. The latest iteration of pork belly goodness is the Bacon Cheese Turtle Burger, a delightful treat guaranteed to entertain both kids and drunk adults alike this holiday weekend. Assemble as depicted and grill on indirect heat at 400F for 30-40 mins. Happy Independence Day!
Below is a video shot on July 16,1969 during the launch of Apollo 11. It was filmed in 16mm format at 500 frames per second, stretching 30 secs. of film into 8 mins. of slow-mo awesomeness. (A shortened 2:45 version is below} Sadly, the Rocketdyne F-1 engines were retired after the Apollo program, but remain the most powerful rocket engine ever developed by the US. Each F-1 engine had more thrust than all 3 of the Space Shuttle's engines combined -- and the Saturn V rocket had five of them!
The kid in me can't get over a fascination with deathrays, be they the homemade type or the great big, hugely expensive institutional ones paid for with our tax dollars. The military is sparing no effort or expense trying to develop the next generation of directed energy weapons, including the Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser and the new Active Denial System (left) being tested in theater over in Afghanistan for the first time.
The ADS is not a traditional "death ray" as in a Star Trek phaser or a Star Wars light saber, but it's a good start. It uses millimeter wave radiation to cause intense pain on the victim's skin; enough pain to make the enemy get the hell out of its way before his scrotum starts sizzling. The ADS has been around for a few years and the underlying technology is pretty old - it is essentially a weaponized microwave oven. It radiates at a frequency of 95 GHz (3.22mm) - the same frequency your microwave uses to jiggle water molecules back and forth really fast to heat up your pizza from last night.
Also known as the "Pain Ray", the weapon can be ratcheted up to various levels of intensity -- apparently all the way up to a "fry-like-a-piece-of-bacon" setting, as a couple of unfortunate Airmen found out a few years ago during testing. Below is a clip of some geek reporter getting zapped at what is obviously a pretty low level of radiation - think "set phasers on stun".
Ten weeks after the fateful fire that rendered Dooferbook HQ (see Rock's Corollary...) a toxic waste dump, the wrecking crew finally arrived to start the rebuilding process. Out with the old, in with the new!
Below is a time lapse of the demolition shot and edited by Sean:
One of the big reasons it's been so quiet around here at the Dooferbook is Stumble Upon, a powerful internet search engine that serves up random sites based on categories you choose. There is a whole community of Stumblers out there who collectively recommend best-of-the-web type sites, offering high doses of virtual Zoloft to cure your 'I've reached the end of the internet' blues. Stumble Upon works flawlessly with a simple adware/spyware-free integrated toolbar that you can download here.
How cool is it? A recent stumble through the food/cooking category served up this awesome display of porcine goodness:
California photographer Adam Sailer built a high-speed flash unit that can be timed down to the millionth of a second. He added a 40X digital Nikon, an automatic timing mechanism, and a laser triggering device - and now has one kick ass little setup to capture some amazing photos. What to do with such a cool toy? Combine it with a gun of course, and start shooting! Obviously a very clever guy when it comes to electronics and photo equipment, he is also a damn fine shot, as the split .177 caliber lead pellet to the left shows. More of his incredible photos and explanations of them can be seen over at Adam Sailer's Flicker Gallery. Enjoy!
They say cheetahs can hit speeds of up to 75mph for short stints, and it seems the Cincinnati Zoo is on the pointy edge when it comes to cheetah racing. Yesterday one of their cheetahs smashed the World Land Mammal speed record, clocking a 100m course in 6.13 seconds - about 3 1/2 seconds faster than Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt. "This is an all-time great day in cheetah racing," quips zoo official Thayne Maynard at 1:29 of the video, while cheetah handler Cathryn Hilker calls it a feat of "heart, skill and commitment." You think these races are paramutualed anywhere?
The latest party rage in Germany? The Bier Bike! The one ton-plus vehicle seats up to 16, comes equipped with a keg with multiple taps and a sound system, and has a range of however far you and your buddies can pedal before the acid reflux kicks in and the beer starts flowing out in reverse. Rentals start at about $140/hr plus beer, which will set you back $5/liter.
Bier Bike Home Page
Bier Bike home page (translated)
Fresh on the heals of Discovery Channel's annual Shark Week, designer by Diddo has announced the planned release of a special edition "Shark Attack Wetsuit" to help ensure cold water sportsmen are outfitted in the height of predatory victim chic. No word yet on what these things will cost, but think of the possibilities!
Pelosi and her band of scoundrels would love to see the nation's highways teaming with Smart Cars - after all, MPG trumps driver safety every time with the environmental nuts. Over in the Netherlands they've found a better use for the diminutive little piece of FOD - dunking them in the canals of Amsterdam. That's one European fad that will hopefully take America by storm. Or, you could also always just mod the damn thing and make it semi-useful:
Look carefully at the photo to the left and marvel at the clever talent of the artists over at Styleyourgarage.com. The German company creates Photoshopped plastic sheets to cover otherwise ho-hum garage doors. Prices start at about $250. More photos of their work can be seen here.
A Navy F-18 from NAS Oceana is seen "G'ing" it up over the Detroit River during pre-race ceremonies for the APBA Gold Cup boat race, held in the Motor City over the weekend. No word on whether the pilot still has his wings...
Flying cars have always peaked people's interest, but it looks like it'll still be years before they become mainstream - if ever. The hurdles involved in bringing such vehicles to fruition are huge from an engineering standpoint, and probably insurmountable when it comes to regulatory and legal issues. Nonetheless, there's still a bunch of inventors out there who share the dream. Bottom line: There's very few of these things that work.
If you found yourself a little frustrated after building your bacon AK-47 only to find out it didn't shoot anything, here's a project that will give you a little more hands-on swiney satisfaction.
From the pages of PopSci:
In our continuing coverage of man's favorite meat, I bring you the B-AK-47, a 1:1 scale model of a real AK made from bacon and wire. You can read about it here!
TANKED UP FOR FATHER'S DAY
When Father's Day comes around next Thursday, men across Germany will mark their special day by downing beer and schnapps. But every year there are new ideas to replace the traditional binge. This year's suggestion? Tank-driving lessons.
AP
Better than a Father's Day beer? Aficionados drive Soviet-era T-55 tanks at the Panzer Fun Driving School.
To the uninitiated, Father's Day in Germany comes as a bit of a shock. Motley crews of men drink until they drop, either in traditional fashion, tugging a handcart full of beer and spirits across the countryside, or by downing schnapps in a local bar.
This idiosyncratic celebration of fatherhood is held on the public holiday of Ascension Day. Also known as Herrentag or gentleman's day, a holiday dating from the 18th century, it is not just fathers who join the festivities.
But the rowdy gangs of inebriated men are not to everyone's taste. The annual event has long been criticized by feminists. Germany's Family Minister Ursula von der Leyen, a mother of seven, has also urged dutiful dads to spend the day playing with their kids -- and be rewarded with flowers and chocolates rather than booze.
The German travel agency TUI this year has come up with an alternative alcohol-free present for dads: tank-driving lessons.
"Tanks fascinate all boys, big and small," the company wrote in a press release this week. "We offer trips in armored tanks, driving around Germany's biggest playground for men -- it's an ideal gift for Father's Day."
Participating dads will get a short course in how to control the 14 tons of metal. Then follows a supervised half-hour drive in vintage Soviet armored vehicles, roaming a rugged practice field in the eastern state of Brandenburg. For an extra fee the pupils can plow their tank through an old car.
The courses at the Panzer Fun Driving School were the brainchild of Axel Heyse, 49, whose hobby started with an old Soviet T-55 battle tank he renovated with his brother in 2002. Now the business has some 13 tanks and 12 employees. Despite advertising themselves as "a men's playground," they say many women also take tank-driving lessons -- making up some 40 percent of their customers.
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The guys over at Carlos Labs have hacked the Google maps api to include a 'ground zero' footprint simulation of various nukes from original Little Boys to B61's and even an asteroid. Just type in your favorite target, hit "Search", then choose your weapon and hit the pickle button from below!
ROCKET MAN WANTS TO FLY THE GRAND CANYON
Daily Express
May 3, 2009
YVES Rossy spread his wings to conquor the English Channel and now he's set to take on a new challenge.
The Swiss pilot , 49, has been tinkering with the jet-propelled wings that allowed him to ''fly'' from Calais to Dover last September.
He has now come up with a more powerful set of wings that he hopes will carry him across the Grand Canyon.
It took him 10 minutes to complete the 22 mile Channel crossing and parachute to the ground.
The former military pilot admitted to having his eye on the Grand Canyon for some time before he began searching for launch sites over the landmark.
He wants to complete the flight by the end of October.
Rossy told the Austrian Times: "A month ago we went there and found a spot for flying. I'd like to fly in the US to make my name over there."
"There are vertical cliffs over 1,000 metres high, so I can do what I do without taking risks. I'd be 200 metres from spectators with 800 metres of air below me.
"It's a world famous location and very beautiful. It's also in an Indian reserve, so there is that symbolic side of things too.
"I want to make a simple wing that I can share with others and put on someone else's back so that we can do formation flying in the clouds.
"I have a list of friends who are interested. They're a bit scared but when they see me they really want to go for it."
In the "Gee, wonder what my little pranksters have been up to?" category, it's tough to top what 18 yr. old Rory McInnes pulled off in the UK. Hoping to immortalize his artistic talent, he painted a 60-foot schlong on his parents' rooftop - fingers crossed that Google Earth satellites would take a snapshot. After a 6 month run, his artwork was recently discovered by a helicopter pilot flying overhead ( pun intended). Yep, that's a grounding! Sadly, Google never picked it up...
This is pretty similar to what some kids pulled off in Hazelton, PA back in 2007 - which now can be seen on Google Earth!
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=300+N+Cedar+St,+Hazleton,+PA
