For the 'got to have every grill gadget out there" guy comes this ingenius little device to keep your meat rocket from becoming a charred chunka chunka of burning love. RoastmyWeenie.com offers several different models of hotdog cookers and grill accessories and gets the Dooferbook nod of approval for creative thinking!

If you're looking for a good set of his and hers gifts this holiday season, thrown in the Marsha Mellow marshmallow cooker!

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 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".

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!

"We finished the rocketbelt and from then on it was murder, kidnapping and all kinds of other stuff."

Flying cars (see 2009 Flying Car Roundup) and rocketbelts were two 'can't miss' products from the pages of Popular Science and James Bond films that were supposed to revolutionize personal travel by the late 20th century. Sadly, none of the predictions came to pass, but the dream was still there for many - including the developers of the Rocket Belt 2000.

The Rocketbelt Caperfollows the story of the RB-2000 from it's initial development through its mysterious disappearance years later. Privately built and drawing heavily from the original Bell Rocket Belt design from the 1960's, the RB-2000 became the center piece of a twisted feud between three former partners centering on greed, revenge, bloody violence - and ultimately murder. Well researched and with a compelling narrative, it is one of those rare books that you just can't put down. It features a sobering essay at the end on the monumental engineering challenges faced by would-be rocketbelt developers. Unfortunately we are unlikely to see mass utilization of these devices for years to come...

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)

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.

TANKED UP FOR FATHER'S DAY

Tanks Instead of Beer for German Dads?

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.

jas

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 an earlier entry, I blogged about some backyard scientists driving to create real, usable "death rays" -  like the ones we all dreamed about as a kid.

Star Trek phasers might be a long way off, but recently I put together a couple of burning lasers that are a step in the right direction. Considering their humble beginnings as simple diodes scarfed from DVD burners and Blu_Ray players, and stuffed into Chinese flashlights via current-limiting drivers, these little guys are fun to build and more fun to play with. Beav and I spent the afternoon filming  homemade 650nm red and 405nm Blu-ray lasers take on some gunpowder, with a kickass little high speed camera, the Casio EX-HF20. 

Next up is a portable 10 watt CO2 laser I'll use to torch brush around the property, and completion of a collimating lens for my Fresnel solar death ray, which can be seen in the background at ~ :51 secs. Enjoy the movie!

We've all seen the Bird Man of Switzerland and his nifty little jet-powered personal wing, but this guy may be on to something a bit more accessable to the masses. I see these things replacing jet skis somewhere down the road.

...and remember, you're not even until you're ahead! I found a great little gadget to dish out a little STFU to rude people who think cell phone conversations should be in the public domain -- the Dealextreme.com "Personal Cell Phone Blocker". These things have been around for a while, but thanks to direct trade with China they're now quite affordable ($32 with free shipping).

These little guys will jam most cell phone frequencies, 3G and even wi-fi up to a radius of about 40'.  What a great way to shut up all those  Lt. Uhura-Bluetooth-earpiece douchebags you run into! No cells, no texting, no internet - brilliant! This is also a great way to counter little teenage tricks like the mosquito noise, and it's guaranteed to buy you some peace and quiet next time you're at the airport. There's also a  more powerful model that will jam up to a 25m radius for $137.  

 Better yet, add one of these  (the infamous TV-B-Gone) and take both to your local sports bar. Think of the possibilities!

[ed. note: Dealextreme.com is a great site for all sorts of cheapie electronics stuff. The bad news is the shipping times are also sometimes a bit extreme]

Kirk Hawkins, CEO and founder of Icon Aviation, has a new airplane, a new logo worthy of an expensive sports car, and a pretty slick marketing campaign that  reaches out to the thrill sport crowd or anyone wealthy enough to drop $139,000 on an ultralight. The former Viper driver unveiled the new A-5 a while back and invited what seem to be a preponderance of metrosexuals to the launch party out in LA (see video below).

The A-5 is a cool-looking, carbon-fiber version on the old and familiar ultralight, with updated avionics, electric fold-up wings and amphibious capability. Ultralights fall under the Sport Aviation certification process, so anyone armed with a drivers license and a dumbed-down version of a pilot license from the FAA can operate this thing.  Amphibs are a little tricky to fly for newbies though, and I'm having a hard time believing that some of the potential buyers in the video won't end up splattering themselves to smithereens - hence I added the "buffoon" tag to this post.

Nevertheless, I wish a former brother in arms good luck with his enterprise. Good to see some of us can do something other than fly ;-) Read more about theA-5 over at Icon Aviation.

Along the lines of the "mosquito tone" previously reported here (The Brown Noise Redux), seems teens have come up with another brilliant hack - spoofing those annoying  speed cameras popping up all over the place. 

Armed with a little bit of Photoshop, some common fonts  mimicking those on license plates and some glossy ink jet printing paper, they print up bogus license plate pics and slap them over their real ones. Viola - a high tech, low cost version of good old fashioned MIJI! (Meaconing,Intrusion, Jamming and Interference)

Better yet, they often use the actual license plate numbers of people they don't like -- the likes of whom no doubt include school principals, dick head classmates and, uh, even asshole parents. Known as the "pimping' game", they race through the speed camera traps which dutifully record an image of the plate and send out an expensive ticket to the "registered owner". Yeah, I know, not ethically correct and probably downright illegal, but hey, you gotta give them credit...

Outrage over 'chastity belt' lingerie fitted with GPS tracking system
By Daily Mail Reporter
 

Controversial: Critics have said underwear featuring a tracking system is the high-tech equivalent of a chastity belt

Feminists around the world have reacted with horror to a new line of lingerie that comes equipped with a GPS tracking system.

The 'find me if you can' range of underwear has been described as a modern-day, high-tech chastity belt.

'It is outrageous to think that men can buy this, programme it and give it to their partners and then monitor them,' said Claudia Burghart, leader of a Berlin feminist group.

'It is nothing more than a chastity belt for insecure men.'

Lingerie maker Lucia Lorio of Brazil says her design targets the 'modern, techno-savvy woman'.

The lingerie combination set consists of lace bodice, bikini bottom and faux pearl collar, with the GPS device nestled in the see-through part of the bodice next to the waist.

'This collection... is a wink to women and a challenge to men because, even if she gives him the password to her GPS, she can always turn it off,' Lorio said.
 

'It's not a modern chastity belt. Some men think they can keep tabs on their girlfriends with it, but they're wrong,' she added.

Unconcerned with the controversy her collection has raised, Lorio is also dismissive of the global financial crisis and its adverse impact on luxury items sales.

The GPS lingerie sells from a cool £500, complete with a standard Global Positioning System, to £700 with a more advanced model.

'Some women are now interested in buying it for protection,' she said, programming it for partners themselves so they are safe on a night out alone.

'In London, New York, Rio de Janiero - wherever there is danger, the underwear may prove to be a lifesaver,' she added.
 

But feminists in her homeland have called her a modern-day slaver and urged women to boycott the GPS underwear.

Well, not exactly. According to Michio Kaku, physicist, string theoeretician and author of several dumbed-down-so-you-can-understand it science books (Physics of the Impossible is his latest, and a great read, btw!), we are decades away from creating handheld particle beams that will anihilate anyone who gets in your way. But don't let that deter you - there's a lot of smart and clever backyard scientists who share the dream and have come up with some pretty cool stuff like handheld burning lasers and focusible solar deathrays. Here's a couple of fairly easy DIY projects that are a step in the right direction and should keep you entertained on a dull weekend.

With the advent of cheap DVD burners came a flood of parts for them - including the laser diodes inside. These diodes can be harvested from an old DVD burner or found on the web, and when properly driven (by an easy to build circuit) and focused can light matches, melt plastic and pop ballooons. Many build these lasers into hosts like regular LED flashlights, but a simple project box - though not as elegant - will suffice for most. Head over to http://www.laserpointerforums.com/ , where there are a number of resident experts to get you started. I'll wave the safety flag before you begin and let you know that powerful little red lasers like these can and will burn your cornea, so make sure you get some laser goggles before you start messing with them.

Another gee-whiz device that can be used for nefarious means is the Fresnel lens. The lens uses concentric circles to focus sunlight into a beam powerful enough to melt concrete and copper, boil water in a matter of seconds and well, build one and see! Fresnels allow you to take toasting ants with a magnifying lens to the graduate level and beyond. They are used in lighthouses and also in rear-projector TV's - a tv repair shop is a potentially good, free source. I bought mine on Ebay, but no matter where you get it they are one kick ass guy toy. Here's a great tutorial to get you started:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Giant-Fresnel-Lens-Deathray-An-Experiment-in-Opti/

We've been saying it for months (Welcome to Outsourcing, Gentlemen! and Georgian UAV films its own death), but now it looks like its official. The final nail is being hammered home into the coffin of manned tactical aviation. Undergraduate Drone Training is starting to take the place of UPT!

 (Photo: UDT Class 09-01 take their stations at Creech AFB,NV)

USAF Develops Plan For Filling Unmanned Aircraft System Positions
by Master Sgt. Russell P. Petcoff
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
Washington DC (AFPN) Sep 22, 2008

Air Force leaders are taking a two-pronged approach to address the increasing need for pilots of unmanned aircraft systems in Afghanistan and Iraq, an Air Force official said recently.

The first approach will use a small percentage of undergraduate pilot training graduates for the short term. The second will examine the potential for a distinct career path for Airmen to fly unmanned aircraft.

"The UPT approach will happen quickly," said Col. Pete Lee, chief of the operational training division in Air Staff Operations.

In the next couple of weeks, Air Force officials will select approximately 10 percent of UPT graduates to begin UAS training when they graduate in October. Their UAS training will be at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada.

After completing a standard UAS tour, UPT Airmen will receive a follow-on assignment to a manned aircraft, Colonel Lee added.

In January 2009, the Air Force will begin the second approach, a small-group testing of a program to train approximately 10 active-duty officers to specifically fly unmanned aircraft. Colonel Lee said the lessons learned from the first group will be used to train a second group of 10.

Initial training will begin in Pueblo, Colo., where the Air Force conducts introductory flight screening. UAS-specific training will follow with full major weapons system qualification completed at Creech.

"The plan is to develop and validate training programs that prepare non-UPT pilots for wartime UAS duty," Colonel Lee said. "We will continue to uphold the highest levels of Air Force flight safety standards."

The colonel said this is a historic time for the Air Force.

"Pilots flying unmanned aircraft today and Airmen selected for the new UAS training program are charting ground-breaking paths for the Air Force," Colonel Lee said. "They are truly trailblazers."

The Air Force general in charge of oversight of air, nuclear, space, cyber and weather operations for the Air Staff said the demand for UAS in theater is critical.

"The combat contributions of unmanned aircraft systems in today's fight have surpassed all expectations and have taken a crucial role in our ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Lt. Gen. Daniel Darnell, Air Force deputy chief of staff for operations, plans and requirements.

"The surveillance-only role of UAS has rapidly expanded to include strike, force protection, and additional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions," the general added.

Colonel Lee said unmanned aircraft are the tip of the spear for Air Force combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq because of "their ability to identify, track and engage our enemies."

From January to August of this year, MQ-1 Predators and MQ-9 Reapers flew more than 4,400 sorties, logging over 81,800 combat flight hours. They also engaged more than 9,900 ISR targets and were an integral asset during more than 300 incidents of troops in contact with the enemy and more than 1,000 raids.

 It seems an original F-16A, serial #78-0061, now has an official FAA tail number. My research shows that it once belonged to the Montgomery, AL ANG wing and was being used for BRDT. I sent away for a copy of the registration record -- unfortunately they don't deliver it electronically. In the meantime, anyone know the story of this jet? Is it currently being flown in the civilian world? You guys want to pitch in and buy it???

http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNumSQL.asp?NNumbertxt=324DC&cmndfind.x=16&cmndfind.y=5

... enough power, even a brick will fly.? But it still can not defeat the brick!

Similar to the Bugatti vs. Eurofighter but not as cool - this is a ground race only.  Block 25 is underpowered/slow - wouldn't have been close vs a Blk 30 or 50...

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0InYCDbYkMM 400x300]

 I remember an old South Park episode where the boys went to a band competition that was to be nationally televised. Their entire objective was to hit an exact note on their instruments at the same time, a note which would supposedly cause anyone who was listening to immediately shit their pants. Unfortunately, no such note exists in the real world, but here's something my son told me about that I found interesting and falls along the same lines.

Seems that kids these days have figured out a way around the "No Cell Phones Allowed" rule at school. By setting a ringtone in the high frequency range - a frequency which is inaudible to adults - they can text away all day at school, impervious to any repercussions.

My son says he hears these tones throughout the day, and says it is actually a pretty annoying sound. So annoying, that Securitek, Ltd, a security company in the UK,  has packaged a high frequency generator as a deterrent to teenagers. According to their website, the device offers a solution to "the eternal bane of shopkeepers and Mall owners around the world, who are troubled by small crowds of anti-social teenagers who have nothing better to do than loiter outside their shops and stores deterring older customers who want to go into the shops to purchase goods."

I downloaded this so-called "Mosquito Ringtone" and have to admit it is extremely difficult for me to hear even with the volume cranked up to max on amplified speakers. I have to give a bit of a hand to the kids who figured this out; it's good to see they're using technology in devious ways, kind of like the way we did when we used to refill the parents' vodka bottle with H2O...

 If you want to check it out for yourself, click the link below: