STUFF: News, Technology, the cool and the plain weird

[MIKA27]

This Pile Of Cash Is Actually Just Carved Wood

We’re rich! You would scream if you stumbled upon these cash wads in a cardboard box but your calculations would be a little off.

Not because you counted wrong but because there actually isn’t money in the box. What you think is a box of 100s is actually just an excellent wood carving. The money is wood.

Wow have your eyes deceived you. It’s all because of the masterful woodwork of artist Randall Rosenthal. He turns blocks of wood into everyday objects. It’s a wonderful illusion. Each piece of art is hand carved from one block of wood and then hand painted.

Just look at the detail on some of his work:

And here’s part of his process

[MIKA27]

PAWS UP LUXURY CAMPING

Glamping (glamorous camping) is a growing global phenomenon that combines camping with the luxury and amenities of a home or hotel.

Paws Up Resort is the ultimate in the glamping experience, they offer all the elements of real camping, and at the same time a butler is at your beck and call! The 37,000-acre ranch features several luxury safari-style tents of impeccable rustic elegance and comfort, all with a private chef and butler that will take care of just about anything you can dream up.

Located in Montana, Paws Up Resort also provides many ways to pump up the adrenaline for anyone who loves the outdoors, including rafting trips, bicycle tours, fishing, horseback riding, atv tours, hot air ballooning and many more. If camping is not your thing, the resort also offers luxury timber homes.

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PROWLER BIG GAME II KAYAK

The new Prowler Big Game II by Ocean Kayak, is the ultimate fishing kayak that will carry all the angler´s necessary equipment. The high capacity beast is packed with features and accessories that allow the user to customize the boat based on their personal specifications, it features a large adjustable seat, a cup holder, foot braces, a center hatch system providing easy access to fishing rods, and plenty of hatches and bungees to accommodate gear throughout the kayak.

With a 600-pound limit you´ll be able to carry all the gear necessary to reel in that big catch. Available this Spring. via

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SKINTH STORAGE SOLUTIONS

Skinth´s are skinny sheath storage solutions for those who want their EDC(everyday carry) at the ready on their belt or pack.

The Skinth pocket seaths are available in various sizes and styles and can organize your gadgets, from notepads, multi-tools, flashlights, pens, pencils, and other small items you would need on your day to day. All of your gear bundled in to one compact, easily accessible package. Several colors are available.

[MIKA27]

WELLOGRAPH WATCH

It was only a matter of time before the makers of wearable activity trackers stopped producing techie plastic pieces that only look appropriate in a gym, and started focusing on making them look good for everyday wear.

The Wellograph Watch looks gorgeous, crafted from sapphire crystal, stainless steel, accompanied by either a genuine leather or nato strap. Its tasteful user interface — displayed on a low-power LCD screen — shows useful information at a glance, letting you monitor your exercise, fitness, heartrate, steps, and more. The Wellograph app, available for iOS and Android, gives you an in-depth look at your wellbeing and syncs wirelessly over Bluetooth.

[MIKA27]

EVAN WILLIAMS SINGLE BARREL BOURBON

One of the first bourbon releases of 2014 also happens to be one we look forward to the most every year, Evan Williams Single Barrel.

This is the 19th annual release of the world-renowned spirit, spending 10 years aging in barrels. It's also become a tradition to find that each bottle is marked with the exact date the liquid was placed into the barrel and then bottled. Inside each hand numbered bottle is a sweet, smooth bourbon with flavors like maple syrup, toffee and mint. A bottle this great usually costs you an arm and a leg, but at under 30 bucks, you might want to buy more than one.

[MIKA27]

MOMENT LENSES

We love our smartphone cameras. And while we sometimes wish they were a little more versatile, there's nearly always been some issue with the available add-on lenses — either requiring a bulky case, or requiring no case at all, or otherwise using some shady adhesive that we wouldn't trust on the outside of a lunch pail.

Moment Lenses are different.

Designed for iPhones 4 and up and Galaxy S2s and up, they use a thin, case-friendly adhesive metal strip for an attachment point, a bayonet-style mount, and quality optics to give your device both wide-angle and telephoto powers.

[MIKA27]

AUDI A8 L SECURITY

Whether you've been receiving death threats or are simply rich and paranoid, the Audi A8 L Security is the vehicle for you.

Arriving directly from the factory with a host of security features built-in, this rolling passenger tank boasts class VR 7 ballistic protection and explosion resistance, making it impervious to both "NATO sub-caliber ammunition" and military hand grenades.

It also features an armor-plated communication box in the trunk, as well as optional emergency exit, fire extinguisher, and fresh-air systems. Of course, it's still an Audi, and as such is loaded with luxurious interior appointments, one of two powerful engines, and full-time quattro all-wheel-drive — which can come in quite handy when fleeing a steady stream of assassin's bullets.

[MIKA27]

ONEWHEEL

Yes, it's technically billed as "the world's first one-wheeled self balancing electric skateboard." But the fact of the matter is that the Onewheel isn't really a skateboard at all — it's a whole new experience.

Powered by state-of-the-art batteries and a new type of brushless hub motor, it uses a host of sensors to allow you to move up to 12 mph, over a range of 4-6 miles, by doing nothing more than hopping aboard, leaning forward to accelerate, and leaning backward to slow down and stop. All of which sounds much easier than kicking the ground/bailing into the grass.

[MIKA27]

KEECKER

If the idea of sentient robots one day invading our homes sends luddite chills down your spine, do not read further — because that day is one step closer.

Keecker is an Android-powered robot that follows you around your home, projecting content from your smartphone, or directly from the device itself onto your walls.

You can use it to play games with your phone as the controller, watch video projected onto the walls, listen to 360-degree immersive sound controlled by an app on your smartphone, Skype with friends while walking around your house, or use it as a nanny-cam by telling it where to go in your place.

In addition to entertainment, you can also use it as a home security robot — and though it won't shoot lasers at intruders — it can monitor air quality and let you check in on your home remotely.

Since it is completely wireless, has a built-in battery that lasts up to a week, and can run any Android app out there, the possibilities are pretty much endless.

[MIKA27]

Titanic iceberg simulator in Chinese theme park 'in bad taste'

Bernard Hill, who was in the 1997 Titanic movie, attended the project's launch

Plans to build a full-scale Titanic replica with an iceberg simulation in a Chinese theme park are in bad taste, a Northern Ireland politician has said.

The attraction in Sichuan province, about 930 miles from the sea, will let hundreds of people at a time experience the shipwreck.

The Titanic was built in east Belfast.

Former Lord Mayor of Belfast Jim Rodgers said he had asked the Chinese firm behind the 1bn yuan (£100.7m) project to reconsider their plans.

'Disgraceful'

He said that while it was a "great idea" to build the Titanic replica at the Romandisea Seven Star International Cultural Tourism Resort, "to have a simulation of an iceberg collision is going a step too far".

Belfast has commemorated the Titanic with a visitors centre beside the Harland and Wolff shipyard

Mr Rodgers said his grandfather had worked on building the Titanic at the Harland and Wolff shipyard, and he felt the iceberg simulator would offend "many of those who lost loved ones" when the ship sank on its maiden voyage in April 1912.

"I don't think it should be done in this fashion," he said.

"The ship was perfect when it left these shores in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and unfortunately it struck an iceberg, but for people to try and make money out of that is disgraceful and shameful."

The vessel, the largest luxury ship in its time, struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. It went down on 15 April 1912, leaving more than 1,500 people dead.

Su Shaojun, chief executive of the Seven Star Energy Investment Group that funded the project, said "the universal love and sense of responsibility shown during the Titanic shipwreck represent the spiritual richness of human civilisation".

"When the ship hits the iceberg, it will shake, it will tumble," he said.

'Sensitive'

"We will let people experience water coming in by using sound and light effects ... They will think, 'The water will drown me, I must escape with my life'."

The actor Bernard Hill, who played Captain Edward Smith in the 1997 movie Titanic, attended the launch of the project in Hong Kong and rejected suggestions that it was inappropriate.

"It's been approached in a very delicate and a very sensitive way and they're very aware of the extent of the disaster in 1912," he said.

"I don't think it will belittle that disaster."

Work is also under way in China on a sea-worthy Titanic replica, commissioned by Australian mining magnate Clive Palmer. It is expected to be ready to set sail in 2016.

[MIKA27]

The World's Fastest Speedskating Suit Has Lockheed Martin DNA

As much as the Olympics are a test of humanity’s physical capabilities, these days the events are also an opportunity for equipment makers to show off their latest technologies designed to enhance an athlete’s performance. And it’s fitting that Under Armour’s new speedskating suit — which the company claims is the fastest in the world — is called the Mach 39, since it was developed with the help of Lockheed Martin.

As the photo of this ridiculously muscled athlete shows, winning gold at the Olympics is still dependent on every competitor’s performance. But when it comes to speedskating, the US Olympic team will have an extra edge with the Mach 39, which underwent 300 hours of wind tunnel testing and was analysed using computational fluid dynamics at Lockheed Martin to determine the optimal aerodynamic design.

Not only will its highly engineered moulded shape help skaters slice through the air, a repositioned zipper that bypasses the throat will make the suit more comfortable to wear. And in addition to strategically placed vents that help keep the athlete cool, a material the company calls ArmourGlide will help drastically reduce friction in the thigh area — which is very important in a competition, even if it looks like there’s am awkward spotlight pointed at the athletes’ crotches.

[MIKA27]

A Collection Of Japanese Katana Fails

Japanese katana are not only legendary but sharp! You have to know what the hell you are doing.

These experts most certainly do. But while practicing, they’ve cut up their fair share of successes — and failures.

Before we look at their fails, here are over nine minutes of katana cutting perfection

I think we can all agree, however, that this is the greatest katana cutting success:

And now here are the fails:

Hang in there, Japanese swordspeople! This is no laughing matter.

[MIKA27]

Monster Machines: Why Is There A Naval Cruiser In The Middle Of This Cornfield?

If you’re driving along the New Jersey turnpike just outside of Moorsetown and think you see the top of an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer peeking above endless rows of corn, miles from the nearest ocean, don’t worry — it’s supposed to be there. It’s just a full-size mock up that Lockheed uses to develop its AEGIS Combat System.

The USS Rancocas, officially called the Vice Admiral James H. Doyle Combat Systems Engineering Development Site (CSEDS) but known by locals as the Cornfield Cruiser, is a unique naval R&D facility — half warehouse, half strike cruiser. The facility began as an Air Force-operated ballistic missile early warning radar installation in the 1950s and remained so until the 1970s, when the Air Force sought to shutter the site.

But rather than let the facility be mothballed completely, Rear Admiral Wayne E. Meyer convinced the Navy to buy the site and use it for weapons development instead. By the time CSEDS was formally commissioned in 1977, the giant, golf ball-shaped radome that had previously occupied the building’s roof had been replaced with the 122-foot-tall forward deckhouse of an Arleigh Burke-class class nuclear strike cruiser. Because how else are you going to make sure that your cutting edge combat system works with existing naval technology without installing it on a seafaring frigate?

The facility houses both US Navy and Lockheed personnel, as well as a number of smaller defence contractors, and has been instrumental in the AEGIS’ design and development. What’s more, every system in the deckhouse superstructure operates as it would aboard an actual ship, to dutifully simulate combat conditions.

In fact, sailors utilise a pair of antennae on the facility’s roof to track commercial flights around NYC — all in order to simulate enemy aircraft movements. So if you’ve ever flown into a New York area airport, you may have helped them hone their technique without even realising it.

[MIKA27]

Google Working On A Smart Contact Lens

Forget Google Glass: the web giant is working on an actual contact lens to insert into your eye.

Don’t panic, though: it’s not a new kind of wearable gadget designed for social sharing or using as a remote for your phone. Instead, it’s to track diabetes.

Specifically, Google plans to use the new contact lens it’s developing to track glucose levels in diabetes patients. From Google’s blog:

You’ve probably heard that diabetes is a huge and growing problem—affecting one in every 19 people on the planet. But you may not be familiar with the daily struggle that many people with diabetes face as they try to keep their blood sugar levels under control. Uncontrolled blood sugar puts people at risk for a range of dangerous complications, some short-term and others longer term, including damage to the eyes, kidneys and heart. A friend of ours told us she worries about her mom, who once passed out from low blood sugar and drove her car off the road.

…

We’re now testing a smart contact lens that’s built to measure glucose levels in tears using a tiny wireless chip and miniaturized glucose sensor that are embedded between two layers of soft contact lens material. We’re testing prototypes that can generate a reading once per second. We’re also investigating the potential for this to serve as an early warning for the wearer, so we’re exploring integrating tiny LED lights that could light up to indicate that glucose levels have crossed above or below certain thresholds. It’s still early days for this technology, but we’ve completed multiple clinical research studies which are helping to refine our prototype. We hope this could someday lead to a new way for people with diabetes to manage their disease.

We’re in discussions with the FDA, but there’s still a lot more work to do to turn this technology into a system that people can use.

Of course, the learnings from this will probably help Google commercialise consumer-level technology on the eye in future which is completely terrifying. More so than the fact that Google is now in your home and making military robots.

Google will look for research partners to help it bring this to market to turn the tide in the “losing battle” against diabetes.

[MIKA27]

Fearless Man Plays With Grizzly Bears Like You Play With Your Dog

Oh, nothing to see here. Just a guy playing wrestle with a grizzly bear and letting it fake swallow his head. Wait, what? Mmhmm. Bear trainer Doug Seus plays around with an 8 foot tall behemoth of a beast the same way you would mess around with your dog. It’s stunning to see.

I mean, I wouldn’t even play around like this with another human for fear of getting hurt and Seus is doing it to a ginormous grizzly bear. Doug and his wife Lynne use their ranch in the Heber Valley, Utah and it looks like Seus has an absolutely fantastic relationship with the animals. He trains them so that they can appear in movies and TV shows and to shock humans into thinking about how they feel about animals bigger than them. (the bear in the video popped up in Game of Thrones recently).

Just look at this bear pinning Doug down and then giving him a hug! What is going on here.

Doug has been doing this bear thing for the past 40 years with four different bears. Be sure to watch the short video below by Barcroft TV.

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A Ghost Ship Full Of Cannibal Rats Has Disappeared In The Atlantic

A massive ghost ship has been missing in the Atlantic since last February, along with its potential cargo of “disease-ridden cannibal rats”, via BBC Future. Now, it looks like it’s headed for the UK.

The Lyubov Orlova was first misplaced on its way from a harbour in Newfoundland, Canada, to the Dominican Republic, where it was to be sold as scrap. A storm sent it loose into the ocean, however, and the Canadian government decided to cut its losses and let it and its crew of hundreds of starving vermin drift. And that’s the last anyone saw of it.

It seems completely impossible that today, in the time of Google Earth, that a 1270-tonne ocean liner could completely disappear.

But New Scientist ran a fascinating profile by Richard Fisher on the mystery last month that explains why finding the former polar tourist vessel is so damn difficult. The ever-growing search area, plus the fact the abandoned boat might already be underwater, has made actually locating it nearly impossible.

The closest they’ve come is an emergency signal broadcast from the ship, about 10 months ago, that placed it about 1000km from Ireland. Even with that guidance, it couldn’t be found.

The New Scientist report also notes that maritime law states that tossing a rope on a derelict vessel allows you to claim it as your own. Which, incredible.

BBC Future reports that automatic identification system (AIS) satellites could be used to locate the MV Lyubov Orlova, which turned off its beacon — it would be identified amongst the active ships as the lone radar blip not broadcasting. For now, it’s a freaky unknown (surely coming to a theatre near you sometime soon)

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A Home Designed To Stand Up To A Tsunami

Little can actually be guaranteed to survive the high-velocity wave walls and pummelling winds of a tsunami — but this house will at least put up a damn good showing.

Designed by Dan Nelson of Designs Northwest Architects, this building has become known as the Tsunami House. It’s structure has been carefully created to withstand 7.8 scale earthquakes and 137km/h lateral winds, as well as the flooding that comes with the territory.

That was achieved by positioning the two vital living floors three metres above the ground, so the main part of the house stands on massive support columns, reinforced by steel framing. Gaps in that framework are then filled with glass doors that close like roller shutters, which look great but also break preferentially during flooding, relieving force on the building by allowing water to flow through. Essentially, they take one for the team.

They also happen to make the ground floor feel like an ordinary room, as opposed to redundant space. In fact, that ground floor — also known ominously as the ‘flood room’ and pictured above — is very much useable. It’s decorated a lot like any other stylish living space, expect each and every item within it is certified waterproof so they won’t be ruined by floodwaters.

The house is located in the US state of Washington — which is no stranger to tsunamis — and some of its elements look set to be used elsewhere, including New Jersey in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Hopefully, the house’s abilities will never be truly put to the test.

[MIKA27]

This Enormous Garage Is Actually The Belly Of A C-17 Globemaster

OK, I know Globemasters are huge, but I’m always stunned when I see how much you can fit inside one of them.

Rwandan soldiers and their equipment are flown from Rwanda to the Central Africa Republic on a C-17 Globemaster III based out of McChord Air Force Base, Wa. Jan. 19, 2014. U.S. forces will transport a total number of 850 Rwandan soldiers and more than 1000 tons of equipment into the Central African Republic to aid French and African Union operations against militants during this three week-long operation.

[MIKA27]

Spectacular Photos Of Fireworks Weaponry From The Ukraine Protests

Protests against new anti-democratic laws in Ukraine are increasing in intensity, with four citizens reported dead. As you can see in these extraordinary images by Ilya Varlamov, the demonstrators are using rockets made with fireworks. They look like scenes from some science-fiction movie about urban warfare.

The latest reports talk about at least four people killed and hundreds injured by the police. After the massive protests against the government’s rejection against the European Union in favour of an alliance with the former Russian oppressors, Kiev officials announced new repressive laws limiting the people’s right to protest. These urban battles are the people’s reaction to those laws.

Ukraine was a former Soviet Republic, created after a civil war between pro-communist and the Ukrainian People’s Republic armies at the beginning of the 20th century, right after the fall of the Russian Empire. The communists won, and the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was established. In theory, it was an independent state, but in fact — like all republics in the USSR and satellite countries — it was under a tight control by the Kremlin.

Here’s a video with some of the action. Fast forward to the three-minute mark to see the fireworks guns:

From the AP: “A protester throws a Molotov cocktail during clashes with police in central Kiev, Ukraine, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014.

Three people have died in clashes between protesters and police in the Ukrainian capital Wednesday, according to medics on the site, in a development that will likely escalate Ukraine’s two month-long political crisis. The mass protests in the capital of Kiev erupted after Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych spurned a pact with the European Union in favour of close ties with Russia, which offered him a $US15 billion bailout. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)”

From the AP: “Protesters use fireworks during clashes with police in central Kiev, Ukraine, late Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014. The mass protests in Kiev, the capital, erupted after Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych spurned a pact with the European Union in favour of close ties with Russia, which offered him a $US15 billion bailout. (AP Photo/Evgeny Feldman)”

From the AP: “Protesters fire at police with fireworks, in central Kiev, Ukraine, Monday, Jan. 20, 2014. After a night of vicious streets battles, anti-government protesters and police clashed anew Monday in the Ukrainian capital Kiev. Hundreds of protesters, many wearing balaclavas, hurled rocks and police responded with tear gas. (AP Photos/Sergei Grits)”

[MIKA27]

Staring At These Spiders Straight In The Eyes Is Sucking My Soul Away

I can’t do it. These photographs by photographer Jimmy Kong are absolutely fantastic in capturing the venomous detail of spiders in their habitat. They look positively alien and almost peaceful. But don’t you dare think that. Not for a second. Because once you think these fur ball mini aliens come in peace, the spiders are going to leap off the screen and rip your freaking head off.

Spotted by Colossal, these photos of spiders from Malaysia are just deeply unsettling. What a fantastic job of capturing the creepy mischievousness in these critters. You can see more pictures here.

[MIKA27]

These New Black Ops Radios Are Better Than Some Mobile Phones

There is no internet connectivity or reception in the remote locations frequented by American Special Forces, so they bring their own. Using a new generation of squad-based radio technology known as wideband tactical communications networks, our secret forces can call, text or video conference from anywhere in the world.

US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) recently announced that it has awarded an $US18 million contract to Harris Corp for its next-gen Falcon III manpack (which generate and transmit the signal) and handheld tactical radios. These radio systems tap into SOCOM’s wideband tactical communications network, which allows units in the field to exchange reconnaissance and tactical information over voice, video, or data feeds while providing commanders back at base with mission-critical updates as they happen.

What’s more, the radio’s proprietary Adaptive Networking Wideband Waveform (ANW2) can produce 10 times the bandwidth of the Type-1 radios currently in the field. And unlike older wave forms — VHF/UHF, SATCOM, or SINCGARS for example — this network waveform can distribute data signals with information assurance protection and automatic routing across complex terrain. What’s more, these radios work with not only the older legacy transmission standards, but can also be used to bridge the networks of military and civilian radio systems in the event of a national disaster where local, state, and federal agencies all need to coordinate.

And there is no shortage of the ways that information can be exchanged between units: video and image transmission, live chatting, situational awareness and mapping data, text messages, email — it can even extend connectivity to mobile devices.

[MIKA27]

Watch The Most Expensive Lamborghini In The World Get Delivered

http://youtu.be/IthV60NY9p4

The Lamborghini Veneno is the world’s most expensive and insane hypercar, and this billionaire just bought one of the three made. Now he’s having it delivered, and he’s really showing off about it.

Luxury car addict and managing director of Tequesta Investments down in Florida, Kris Singh is one of three lucky and wealthy owners of the rare Veneno, and he had his dropped off in front of his house for all to see and gawk at.

Singh paid $US4.106 million for the car, and the first thing he did after unloading it was drive to a restaurant in South Beach and park it on the street for everyone to see.

I don’t know about you, but if I had a $4 million unicorn car, I wouldn’t want anyone to touch it, let alone see it.

You can read more about the three buyers of the Lamborghini Veneno over on Jalopnik.

[MIKA27]

Shocking Photos From The Water Sports Site Of The Rio Olympics

Getty Images has published a fresh set of photos from the heavily polluted Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro — which is the site chosen for water sports at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics. The photos are frankly shocking, as the iconic bay will be the site of sailing events during the summer Olympic Games.

Although Rio’s Olympic bid included a promise to clean up the filthy bay, industrial and human pollution still remain a major problem.

According to the Deputy State Secretary of Environment, just 34 per cent of Rio’s sewage is treated while the remainder flows untreated into the waters. They have only two years to clean up this terrible mess.

Debris sits along the Guanabara Bay outside Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport

A dead fish floats in the water

Kids play by the shoreline

Fishing and industrial boats

Bubbles rise in the polluted waters

An aeroplane lands above the polluted shoreline

A man boats on a dirty inlet of the Guanabara Bay

Household garbage

Waves wash up trash along the shoreline

Hazardous waste floats on the surface of the water

An olympic sailing qualifier was held in Guanabara Bay on January 11 — looks ok from the distance

[MIKA27]

This Extremely Rare Blue Diamond Was Just Found In South Africa

This 29.6-carat blue diamond was found last week at the Cullinan Diamond Mine near Pretoria, South Africa, the same mine where the famous South of Africa blue diamond — the second largest cut diamond in the world — was discovered. The mining company claims that it is “extremely valuable”.

The stone is an outstanding vivid blue with extraordinary saturation, tone and clarity, and has the potential to yield a polished stone of great value and importance.

Blue diamonds are among the rarest and most highly coveted of all diamonds and the Cullinan mine is the most important source of blues in the world. This stone is one of the most exceptional stones recovered at Cullinan during Petra’s operation of the mine.