From the end of the BBC report: The French Government believes the mix-up was partially down to the mistaken translation of some Arabic names. “Sorry we vanished your husband. We’re immune to torts resulting from clerical errors, however, we are prepared to refund you the cost of the bullet we used on him.” [ Thanks [...]
Bombadier has a prototype for a single-wheeled, fuel-cell powered, motorcycle-like thing that looks like a prop out of Akira.
One thing I like about London, the cabs. They’re not the ratty, yellow Crown Victorias that pick up fares over here in the States. They look cool, and the passenger compartment is relatively spacious. LTI, the manufacturer of London’s Black cabs, has found a importer in the US, they’ve passed federal and California certification, and [...]
[ via Mighty Girl ] Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong’s flag carrier, launched a post-SARS deal: travel from San Francisco, LA or New York to Hong Kong, then you can bounce among other cities in Asia on a single travel pass for $699 (landing taxes not included.) You have to travel between September and December of [...]
My friend P. is sailing around the world aboard the tall ship Picton Castle. They left Nova Scotia last month, and passed through the locks of the Panama Canal yesterday. *That being my favorite Split Enz song. However, the Picton Castle’s cruise will be a full year.
Teresa had been collecting pointers to scary patriotic tat (praying Precious Moments figurines in full battle armor and the like) during the invasion portion of the recent unpleasantness. So when a friend found a link to a patriotically wrapped SUV, I had to roll my eyes. Someone gave up a vacation in Europe for that… [...]
Prentiss Riddle points out the connection between the Segway and an Austin counterculture folk hero.
LiftPort, a startup created to commercialize the space elevator technologies mentioned in a previous entry, has a paper outlining their space elevator concept, as well as a FAQ.
Listening to Bike Lanes is an interesting paper by Jeffrey Hiles on the controversy between planners who want to create ‘safe spaces’ for cyclists, and so-called ‘Effective Cyclists’ who distain bike lanes, and point out how they not only hider riders, but can contribute to accidents and instead argue for training cyclists to ride in [...]
Last night at a party in Cupertino, I got to try out Mike Saari’s Electric BetterBike. It’s built on top of a stock recumbent from commodity components, accelerates quickly, and was easy to ride. You have to unlearn a couple of things such as wanting to steady it by holding the handle bars. A hybrid [...]
First of all, I think this is clever, and I ordered one today. But, given the mood of the country is to torch the Constitution, whipping out the Bill of Rights isn’t going to win hearts and minds at the security checkpoint. And I’d bet that Homeland Security will ban them. You gotta play to [...]
You know, we could do all kinds of fun, peaceful things with decommissioned Minutman III missiles. Pizza delivery, for example. And the old silos in Kansas and Missouri are close to supply points for flour, cheese and tomato sauce.
Michael Rawdon sent a pointer to Car and Driver’s review of the Cadilac Escalade EXT with the note “Always nice to read someone making fun of SUVs”. I don’t think the EXT is a SUV, but then, what is it? Or you could think of the EXT as a shrine to Harry’s Big and Tall. [...]
Why walk kilometers carrying your water when you can roll your day’s supply?
Open the door! The automobiles bright future. — slogan from Tokyo auto show From an early age I’ve strongly favored appliances that talk, teapots that walk, chairs that jitterbug and automobiles that flirt by batting the eyelashes over their headlights. I’ve had an unwavering commitment to topiary ever since I can remember. I’ve always been [...]