The dream of a flying car has been around since the 50ies, when the first prototypes were made. However, no viable, serially produced models have emerged up to this date, something which might be about to change. According to the manufacturers, the Terrafugia Transition is a "roadable aircraft" with foldable wings, which runs on gasoline, which will be available to consumers by the end of 2009 and which will cost approximately $200 000.
The "roadable aircraft" designation comes from the fact that you will need to get it to an airport in order to takeoff..Once there, you initiate the wing unfolding procedure,after which you are ready to go.
also see: Image gallery
Terrafugia corporate site
onsdag 21 januari 2009
måndag 19 januari 2009
Our universe might be a giant hologram
A large-scale scientific experiment in Hannover,Germany might inadvertedly have picked up evidence for the existence of observable granularities in space-time, the fabric which makes up our universe, something which might in turn be evidence for that we are in fact living inside a giant hologram.
The observations are consistent with and predicted by a theory in cosmology, which states that the structure of the universe can be described by the structure of its "surface", which is the limit of our observable universe, approximately 14 Bn light years away. However, this is exactly analogous with the physical phenomenon of holography (which we encounter in our everyday lives by the 3D images on banknotes and credit cards) where light bounced off a 2D surface generates a 3D image), and that is why the theory is called "the holographic principle". The theory also predicts that the smallest measurable unit of space-time will be larger (and thus detectable) inside the universe than on its surface..something which might turn up as static interference noise in laser beams,among other things...and this is exactly what happened in the experiment!
The observations are consistent with and predicted by a theory in cosmology, which states that the structure of the universe can be described by the structure of its "surface", which is the limit of our observable universe, approximately 14 Bn light years away. However, this is exactly analogous with the physical phenomenon of holography (which we encounter in our everyday lives by the 3D images on banknotes and credit cards) where light bounced off a 2D surface generates a 3D image), and that is why the theory is called "the holographic principle". The theory also predicts that the smallest measurable unit of space-time will be larger (and thus detectable) inside the universe than on its surface..something which might turn up as static interference noise in laser beams,among other things...and this is exactly what happened in the experiment!
fredag 16 januari 2009
Ultralight antarctic speedster/explorer from Lotus
The vehicle in this entry is neither massproduced, nor available for acquisition by the general public, so strictly speaking it does not fit within the criteria for being reported here, but its design (and accompanying specs ), which gives it a distinct aircraft-like appearance, is just TOO intriguing not to mention.
Lotus, known for its fast and beautiful sports cars, has designed an ultralight vehicle, called the Concept Ice Vehicle which will join the upcoming Moon-Regan Transarctic Expedition in late 2009, where it will have a scouting role exploring the terrain ahead of the main expedition, hunting for obstacles and perils (such as deep cracks in the ice).
It has a small glass-fiber cockpit, 3 broad skis supporting it, and a rear-mounted propeller which powers the vehicle at speeds of up to 84 mph across the antarctic ice.
In addition, it is also equipped with a GPS-enhanced radar system which will be utilized in the terrain exploration, and the coordinates of any obstacles can be radioed back to to the rest of the team.
Wired Article
Lotus, known for its fast and beautiful sports cars, has designed an ultralight vehicle, called the Concept Ice Vehicle which will join the upcoming Moon-Regan Transarctic Expedition in late 2009, where it will have a scouting role exploring the terrain ahead of the main expedition, hunting for obstacles and perils (such as deep cracks in the ice).
It has a small glass-fiber cockpit, 3 broad skis supporting it, and a rear-mounted propeller which powers the vehicle at speeds of up to 84 mph across the antarctic ice.
In addition, it is also equipped with a GPS-enhanced radar system which will be utilized in the terrain exploration, and the coordinates of any obstacles can be radioed back to to the rest of the team.
Wired Article
onsdag 14 januari 2009
3 deep-sea personal submarines
The Ocean Pearl, the C-Quester 3, and the OrcaSub are 3 submarines for personal use which either are or will be available within a year or two, depending on model.
They do admittedly cost "slightly" more than the average person can afford....., but on the other hand they are not your average run-of-the-mill , hobbyist experimental submarines either, as their maximum operating depths vary between 100 and 700 meters
(yes, that is 700 METERS, and not feet...) and have endurances of between 6 and 12 hours.
Entry no.3 does hold special novelty value, as it possibly is the first real-life sub to emulate in both shape and performance the small shark-shaped one-man sub invented by professor Calculus in the episode "red Rackham's treasure" of the TinTin comic book series by Herge
They do admittedly cost "slightly" more than the average person can afford....., but on the other hand they are not your average run-of-the-mill , hobbyist experimental submarines either, as their maximum operating depths vary between 100 and 700 meters
(yes, that is 700 METERS, and not feet...) and have endurances of between 6 and 12 hours.
Entry no.3 does hold special novelty value, as it possibly is the first real-life sub to emulate in both shape and performance the small shark-shaped one-man sub invented by professor Calculus in the episode "red Rackham's treasure" of the TinTin comic book series by Herge
Emotion of "Elevation" Explained
Boing Boing writes about the feeling you can get on occasion when you listen to a particular piece of music or watch an epic movie,
"a feeling of spreading, liquid warmth in the chest and a lump in the throat", and a sense of meaningfulness and context. It turns out that this emotion actually has a name , the emotion of Elevation, and it is currently being studied in laboratories. The latest approach taken by the researchers in order to induce this emotion apparently is letting their subjects listen to Barack obama's victory speech!
Slate also has a feature on "elevation" research.
"a feeling of spreading, liquid warmth in the chest and a lump in the throat", and a sense of meaningfulness and context. It turns out that this emotion actually has a name , the emotion of Elevation, and it is currently being studied in laboratories. The latest approach taken by the researchers in order to induce this emotion apparently is letting their subjects listen to Barack obama's victory speech!
Slate also has a feature on "elevation" research.
fredag 9 januari 2009
Electric cars : driving the revolution
Treehugger.com is currently running a feature on 23 state-of-the-art electric cars.
The first entry, the Tesla electric roadster, is certainly generating a lot of buzz currently, but beyond that it seems that the only two entries worth mentioning in this context are number 9 and 10.
The Tango, by Commuter Cars looks like a Cooper Mini that got stuck in a metal crusher, and got squashed to half its width,while still retaining its other dimensions..BUT..it does 0-100 kmh (60mph ) in 4 seconds (something that would seem like a rather scary experience in such a small & flimsy craft!..)
Aptera 2e, by Aptera Motors , on the other hand,rather resembles a sports aeroplane which has lost its wings.
(The photos on the company site possibly don't render the idea of the vehicle in the clearest possible way, so you would probably like to do an additional search on Google Images.)
electric cars
The first entry, the Tesla electric roadster, is certainly generating a lot of buzz currently, but beyond that it seems that the only two entries worth mentioning in this context are number 9 and 10.
The Tango, by Commuter Cars looks like a Cooper Mini that got stuck in a metal crusher, and got squashed to half its width,while still retaining its other dimensions..BUT..it does 0-100 kmh (60mph ) in 4 seconds (something that would seem like a rather scary experience in such a small & flimsy craft!..)
Aptera 2e, by Aptera Motors , on the other hand,rather resembles a sports aeroplane which has lost its wings.
(The photos on the company site possibly don't render the idea of the vehicle in the clearest possible way, so you would probably like to do an additional search on Google Images.)
electric cars
onsdag 7 januari 2009
Icon A5 "Jet-ski/sports car" small airplane
From Wired Magazine:
What happens when an iraq war veteran F-16 fighter pilot and a skateboarding ex-banker meet and decide to design an aircraft?
Apparently, something like the hyperdesigned,easy-to-fly Icon A5 amphibian 2-seater, whose looks could most closely be described as something like the mix of a sports car, a jet-ski and a snowmobile,and with detachable wings for easy transport.
Icon Aircraft Corporate site
What happens when an iraq war veteran F-16 fighter pilot and a skateboarding ex-banker meet and decide to design an aircraft?
Apparently, something like the hyperdesigned,easy-to-fly Icon A5 amphibian 2-seater, whose looks could most closely be described as something like the mix of a sports car, a jet-ski and a snowmobile,and with detachable wings for easy transport.
Icon Aircraft Corporate site
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