Chit Chat...

Tiny, ear worn communications devices are a staple of most spy movies. The real thing generally costs quite a bit. However - for more casual conversations at shorter distances, there's a new option: the 'Dragon V2 Bluetooth Headset'. More like Bluetooth on steroids - these little headsets will allow two way communication up to 100 meters away (328 feet). Not bad for about 100 USD. Available in the US from CallPod.




Details and Order info from CallPod:
www.callpod.com

Now with extra blades...

You know how razors are better with extra blades? Apparently, so are helicopters. At Sikorsky, they've been planning on a revolutionary coaxial blade arrangement for a while. The first test flight the other day was a big success. The final product is a helicopter that is expected to travel at close to 300 MPH.



Some background on the X2 Coaxial arrangement from Sikorsky:
www.sikorsky.com


News release on the recent test:
www.sikorsky.com

Recursive...

British luxury watch makers Bremont will be introducing a new Pilot's watch next month. The limited edition EP120 is made with parts of a famous RAF 1942 Spitfire Mk V fighter plane. Salvaged pieces from the restoration of the plane have been incorporated into the dial and movements. Cost: About 12,000 USD.




Tidbits from Men.style.com:
men.style.com


The Bremont site:
www.bremont.com

The wearable motorcycle...

Somewhere between an exoskeleton and a motorcycle, is the 'Deus Ex Machinea' -- a concept motorcycle designed by Jake Loniak. Picked up as a 'maybe' by Yamaha - this could be the shape of motorcycles to come.


A little background from Autoblog:
www.autoblog.com


Concept video by Jake:

Jake Loniak's Electric Exoskeleton Motorcycle - Watch the top videos of the week here


Thanks for the submission D!

Escort service...

One of the hottest trends in security right now is engaging Female Body Guards. There are times when having a big, beefy, no neck gent lurking around is just not practical or desirable.




One of the pioneering security agencies is U-Nome in Australia.
Read more about the all female staff on their homesite:
www.u-nomesecurity.com.au


Another was Anna Loginova, who died protecting her Porsche in Moscow, during a carjacking earlier this year.
Details via the Daily Mail:
www.dailymail.co.uk

Gordon is a rat...

More precisely, Gordon has the brain of a rat. At the University of Reading, they've built a simple robot called Gordon. His little brain is made up of the neurons of a rat. Either way, it's not very complimentary -- and a little creepy. It's one of the first successful fusions of biological and mechanical material.




Read more about it via LiveScience:
www.livescience.com

Lofty parking...

Two of life's pleasures - a good view and an excellent parking space, are being combined in Berlin. The 'Carloft' project has a series of luxury flats with drive-in elevators. No worries about door dings - your car is parked in a spacious private garden off of your balcony. Prices start at about 450,000 Euros. Other projects are planned throughout Germany.





Details via Carloft:
www.carloft.com

Carry on, then...

To celebrate their 110th anniversary, the Globetrotter Company asked industrial designer Ross Lovegrove (the chap responsible for the walkman) to come up with something special. He came up with this: a composite piece of luggage that weighs 3 pounds and it's bulletproof. Excellent. The new case will debut next month at fashion week in New York. Cost: about 3,500 USD.




The homepage of Globetrotter:
www.globe-trotterltd.com


Interview with Ross Lovegrove via WWD:
www.wwd.com

Surf Munich!

Munich is probably not the first place that comes to mind as a surf location with it being landlocked and all. Intrepid surfers have been river surfing on the Eisbach, a canal that that flows through Munich's English Garden. While not exactly a sanctioned activity, it's widely enjoyed.







Background info via The Atlantic:
www.theatlantic.com

Going for a quick swim...

Sure, you could train to swim very quickly - or you could just buy one of these: The 'Lunocent Monofin'. After spending way too much time studying the swimming habits of dolphins, Ciamillo Lunocet designed these swivel blades made of silicon wrapped carbon fiber. Cost: between 1200 and 1800 USD.



Details, video, and technical specifications via Lunocet:
www.lunocet.com

Climbing the walls...

Climbing is a great form of exercise, but it can be rather time consuming to wander off to a sheer cliff face. The 'Treadwall' can come in pretty handy. Similar to a treadmill, but it's vertical and has handholds. It offers an unlimited wall for an extended workout - and it's a little more forgiving if you slip. Prices vary based on size and options.





Available from the BrewersLedge:
brewersledge.net

A week of bonding...

You see those travel agencies advertising a 'James Bond Experience' all the time - but.. here's one that's rather exceptional... the folks at the BlueFish have this in mind: Clubbing in Monaco, private driving lessons with a formula 1 driver, Some water based fun on the Octupussy yacht, a quick flight to Russia for fighter jet training, followed by a tour a Kremlin. Not a bad week. Cost: about 75,000 USD.



Read a bit more via The BlueFish (click on the James Bond choice):
thebluefish.com

Japan, via Brazil...

One of the newest editions to the nightclub scene in Las Vegas is 'The SugarCane' at the Palazzo Resort. There aren't too many places in the desert where you can find taiko drummers, samba dancers, geisha girls, and models dressed as soccer players all hanging out together. Other fun includes demonstrations of the Brazilian martial art capoeira and 4000 elaborately illuminated sugarcanes that drop from the ceiling from time to time. It's all very subtle, but, you get the picture...

Located adjacent to 'SushiSamba' in the resort.


More info via the SushiSamba homepage:
sushisamba.com

It's in there somewhere...

If you're needing to stash a lot of equipment on your person, this might be for you: the 'Rodeo Jacket', by Scottevest. This seemingly normal jacket has a total of 39 hidden pockets for all those little items you like to travel with. A great conversation piece for you and the airport security people. Currently on sale for 100 USD.



The Rodeo Jacket by Scottevest:
www.scottevest.com

Pod Mod...

Only one third of small airports have an option for ground transportation - that poses quite a problem. Enter the 'MotoPod'. This pod modification for small planes adds a small, fold up motorcycle that can be stashed underneath your plane for a speedy get away. Cost: About 10,000 USD.



Details and video from the product site:
www.motorcyclepilot.com

Cuba Libre...

Author Peter Moruzzi is a little obsessed about the history of Havana. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. His new book: 'Havana Before Castro - When Cuba was a Tropical Playground' is just now available. Illustrated with great artwork from that period, it will keep you interested and informed until you get a chance to drop in.




Reviews, sample chapters, and graphics via the Book's website:

www.havanabeforecastro.com

Firestarter...

If you have difficulty getting your outdoor barbeque started, the Boeing Corporation has a few tools that might help you. Last week was the first ground test fire of a large scale laser weapon. Using a specially outfitted C130H, the chemical laser equipped plane was able to hit and destroy a ground target - this paves the way for future inflight air to ground laser strikes.




Read more about it via Defense Update:

www.defense-update.com

Over ice....

If your travel plans include going somewhere a little frosty, you might be interested in this: the Lotus Ice Vehicle. Conceived for the Moon Regan Transantarctic Expedition, this rather serious piece of hardware is meant to traverse some very rugged terrain. It can be fitted with ice penetrating radar for detecting cracks in the ice. Another design feature is the large spiked foot for those emergency stops.



More pictures, videos, and specs via Zercustoms:

www.zercustoms.com

Sun Deck...

One of the first of the new season yachts has been announced, the Lazzara LSX 92. The new yacht has all kinds of new design features including a private sun terrace off the stateroom, a retractable aft sun deck shade, and a large teak swim deck with a garage for water toys. Cost: between 8 and 9 million USD.



Details from Yachtforums.com:

www.yachtforums.com

Floor mats included...

There's a new winner in the category of 'the world's most expensive car' - the just announced 'Aston Martin One77'. The limited edition super car will be sold to 77 lucky buyers next year, for a cool 1 million GBP. Other general stats include a 7.0 liter, V12 engine housed in an aluminum and carbon body. This will be the first new car produced since the sell off of the company last year.




See a few more picture and read a bit more from Autoworld.com:
www.autoworld.com

The Civilian Osprey...

Those tilt rotor military planes are very cool, but what if you need one for zipping around for non-military purposes? The good news: there's now a version you can buy. The bad news: it's a little spendy. between 18m and 23m. But not having to deal with traffic might be worth it. It's the Bell 609.

Watch the Spielberg-esque commercial:




Read a bit more about it via the Register:
www.theregister.co.uk

Swat...

So, how tiny do you think those flying cameras can get? Take a look at the Delfly Micro . Weighing only 3 grams and measuring 10 cm from wing tip to wing tip, this flying camera is at serious risk of becoming bird food.


The Delfly Micro Ornithopter test flight video (with inset camera view)




More info via the Delfly page:
www.delfly.nl

Smooth talker...

Sometimes communicating and getting along with others can be a little tricky. Skills like 'ending a conversation' without using words, detecting lies, and talking a cranky person back to 'normal' are very handy. Here are 10 Conversation Hacks from LifeHacker to help you get through an average day.




10 Conversation Hacks from LifeHacker (tip: follow the embedded links for extra info)
www.lifehacker.com

Props...

The newly opened 'Aviator Hotel' in Farnborough, England is calling itself 'the sexiest airport hotel in the UK'. (really,who decides these things?) Located at TAG Farnborough, it's an excellent location for those conducting business or traveling by private jet. The sleek modern hotel has 150 rooms and 19 elegant suites without having to venture into central London. Cost: about 195 GBP.




The stylish website of the Aviator Hotel:
www.aviatorfarnborough.co.uk

Getting up there...

There are times when a little extra oxygen would come in handy. The 'Ymup Oxygen Generating Backpack' might be just the thing to have. The backpack runs on batteries and can provide 2 hours of O2 at a 30 percent concentration. Comes with a remote control and in a couple of fashion colors. Cost: between 880 to 1150 USD.




News release info via CrunchGear:
www.crunchgear.com


Actual release information ( Japanese only):
www.ymup.co.jp

It's a frickin' moonbase...

The next logical step in going back to the moon will be hanging out there for a while. One of the current plans for accommodations is 'Moon Base 2' - an inflatable temporary structure. The plan is for a dome that will hold 4 astronauts during a 6 month stay. Concept by 'Architecture and Vision'.




Additional Images and text via the 'Architecture and Vision' site:
www.architectureandvision.com

The basics...

When wrenching around on equipment there are some absolute basics needed to get the job done. Those basics would have to be music and cold beverages. The Kobalt 53-inch Tool Chest has in integrated Pioneer sound system, iPod jack, mini-refrigerator, and LED lighting system. Perfect. Cost: about 1,600 USD.





The somewhat dramatic opening page of the Kobalt site:
www.kobalttools.com

Merry Kriss-mas...

There's plenty of time to get one of these on your Christmas list: the Kriss Super V. Out of prototype and now for sale. The Kriss is considered a big leap forward in automatic weapon design with 60 percent less recoil and a huge reduction in muzzle climb, resulting in improved accuracy. A civilian model is being offered for sale as well.





Read all the details via the Kriss TDI site:
www.kriss-tdi.com

Driving Miss Eleanor...

If you saw the movie 'Gone in 60 Seconds', you might recall the star of the movie - the classic Mustang called Eleanor that Nicholas Cage needed to steal. Now, it's possible to get a recreation of Eleanor for your very own. Classic Recreations from Oklahoma makes a fuel injected 535hp version for 139,000 or a supercharged 770hp version for 189,000. Shipping is free.




All the details from Classic Recreations:
www.classic-recreations.com

Fan-ie-Pack...

The Martin JetPack company demo'ed their prototype they intend to put into production for next year. Arguably, it's a fan pack rather than a JetPack, since the main propulsion is a set of dual fans. It's also a little larger than you might expect. On the other hand, it's a lot less dangerous than some of it's competitors. Of course, if you're flying around in a JetPack, you're probably not that worried about the safety aspects. We'll let the marketing people sort that out. Cost: about 100,000 USD.



The Martin JetPack via the Martin website:
www.martinjetpack.com

No one in particular...

There are times when you might need photos of random people. Literally. A paper from Columbia University discusses automated 'Face Swapping' to create composite faces for photographs when individual identities need to be masked. Freaky.





Quick overview from Conceptual Trends:
kk.org



The detail paper in PDF form from Columbia University (at least look at the samples):
www1.cs.columbia.edu