Category: Cool

Look, Up In the Sky!

Rocket launch by Uncle Jerry

I just witnessed an amazing sight! I looked to the west and and saw the unburned exhaust of a Minotaur rocket launching from Vandenberg AFB. Now, I’ve seen these before and I still get stunned when I see them, but this time was even better. I got to see the actual vehicle during it’s burn! The photo snapped by Uncle Jerry shows a bright object in the right hand side of the frame, that’s the exhaust plume. At first I thought it was a helicopter flying through a cloud but that didn’t make any sense as it was clear out. Then I realized that it must be the rocket making its ascent. How darn cool is that! Well anyway, I have thrown together a few links about the event.
This is some info on the Minotaur Space Launch System, some info on the Vandenberg Dusk Launch today, and here is some info on how you can keep up with them from Space Archive. If your in the southwest you should have a look here, its the how to on viewing Vandenberg AFB Launches.

And another taken from Kingman Az.

Rocket launch by Uncle Jerry

Rocket launch by Uncle Jerry

By Nogwater

CDFlyer

CD Flyer

Have too many coasters? Need a way to pitch CDs at people? Just want to have some fun around the office? The ‘FlyaDISC’ is for you!
It’s a plastic ring that you pop around a normal CD (VCD, DVD, whatever) that adds a bit of mass a a soft bumper that can be thrown into crowds of your adoring fans (or any old riot that you happen to come across). They look cool, now aI have another reason to attend trade shows, I want a few of these.

CDFlyerStore

Toshiba Develope Fuel Cell for Small Electronics

Toshiba Fuel Cell Player

You can’t tell me that once these come on the market some modding geek with a bit too much pocket money won’t go out and buy one of these and hack it apart just to use the power supply on another device? Sounds like a perfect way to power an iPod Shuffle or whatever is going to be around in 2007, that’s when they are expected to hit the market.

he company developed fuel cell units with 100mW and 300mW output, intended to be used with portable audio players that have internal flash memory or internal hard drives. The company announced fuel cells for portable audio products back in 2004, and at that time stated that they intended for implementation of the technology some time during 2005.

The 100mW unit measures 75 x 23 x 10mm (H x W x T) and is about the size of a few sticks of gum. 3.5ml of pure methanol (99.5% pure) is injected into its tank, and it can provide life for roughly 35 hours. The 300mW unit measures 75 x 60 x 10mm (same) and provides around 60 hours of playback time from 10ml of fuel.

These fuel cells that were developed are a passive type that is suited for smaller products. Unlike conventional fuel cells that require the methanol to be diluted to under 30% concentration, these units can use methanol with no need to dilute it. The company is looking for basic adoption of the technology during or after 2007, and is accelerating development o­n all fronts, including manufacturing technology

Toshiba developers fuel cell hard drive/flash players

Luxe Asian City Guide Books

This is the fist I have herd of these travel guides, sounds like i should be picking up the ones for Bangkok and Hong Kong! Not that I’d be able to afford most of the things listed in their guide books but it is nice to know that they are there.
Concise and hip, the Luxe guide books are updated twice a year and are very affordable (about $9US). Each is packed with information on the best things you can find in each city plus ‘secret’ things that only the contributions (the live in the cities they write about) know about.
The guide books cover most major cities in the Pacific rim area:

Bali
Bangkok
Beijing
Hanoi
Ho Chi Minh City
Hong Kong
Shanghai
Singapore
Sri Lanka
Melbourne
Sydney
Tokyo

So if your going to be visiting any of these places you might want to pick up a Luxe book and see what you might be missing.

Luxe City Guides