Posts by Category: cool tech

Funky stuff, man!

cool tech May 18, 2006 posted by

Deep dive doobry.

The Aqua-Nautas Underwater Helmet. No need for scuba stuff, just put on one of these Columbian helmets and paddle about underwater. Looks like they still need an air line, but it’s designed for tourists apparently. More info from the super cool dudes over at Gizmag here.  Columbian start-up Aquanautas has created a new method of enjoying underwater activities without the need for scuba gear, tanks, masks and regulators. By wearing on of the company’s new helmets, a human can breath…


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cool tech May 16, 2006 posted by

Sunny bike.

The E-V Sunny Solar Bike. Solar panels built into the wheels, propelling bike at up to 30 kilometers per hour. $1295.00. Cool (or warm). (or something).  The E-V Sunny Bicycle has light absorbing Solar panels built right into the Wheels, creating continual power from the Sun’s Rays, and maintaining a constant charge to the batteries. The bike is propelled by a 500 watt front hub motor. The variable speed electronic controller drives the bike to speeds of up to 30…


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Bookmark This! May 12, 2006 posted by

Post Simple.

Post Simple. Hmm…there is something rather compelling about this simple online service. Enter your text and press the create button and you get a link to your text which you can distribute, make private or send to others. And people can comment. It’s really a very basic idea, and yet…well maybe genius. Try it and see. For an example of the kind of thing you can do see this post. In fact thinking about it, it’s one of those things where…


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cool tech April 27, 2006 posted by

StarRotor engine.

The StarRotor Engine. OK, so it’s a bit rocket science, but the tech looks very interesting nevertheless. A kind of jet engine for your car. But an efficient, quiet, cheap and green one. 120mpg from vegetable oil anyone? Wonder how well the development is going?   By simply replacing conventional engines (15-20% efficiency) with a StarRotor engine, fuel economy will double or triple. For example, a conventional luxury car getting about 25 mpg on the highway would get about 75 mpg. A…


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cool tech April 26, 2006 posted by

Modec Zero Emission Van.

The Modec Zero Emission Van. Carry two tonnes for up to 100 miles at 50 mph an hour. All from a single charge. We’ll believe it when we see it. [via Gizmag]  It is the first zero emission van that is comparable in economy and performance to diesel equivalents making it a real and viable urban delivery vehicle. The van has been designed with large fleets in mind and talks are currently underway with a number of organisations including Ocado….


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cool tech April 18, 2006 posted by

The LightSnake.

The STUSBG10 LightSnake (PDF). Super cool-ness ahoy! Not only is this a sound card built into a USB cable that lets you play your electric guitar directly into a computer, but it lights up too when data is passing along its length. Complete with noise reduction circuitry. How cool can you get, dude? Mac or PC.  This LightSnake cable is a 1/4” to USB cable which is ideal for guitars or other musical instruments. The LightSnake instrument cable is basically a “sound…


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cool tech April 12, 2006 posted by

Sun Tracker.

The Sun Tracker is an ‘automated solar panel’ that follows the sun for added efficiency. Now this is the kind of tech we’ll give a cheer for, but only if it’ll power up our television long enough to watch American Idol. $109.95.  The Sun Tracker is an automated solar panel that actually follows the Sun for increased power. Capable of rotating over a 160° east to west, the Sun Tracker will increase the power output of photovoltaic arrays by over…


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cool tech April 3, 2006 posted by

Streetlight.

Streetlight. Something clever and Dutch about Internet information services on lamp posts. One day all street furniture might be like this?


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cool tech March 30, 2006 posted by

Suckerfish HoverLightbox.

The Suckerfish HoverLightbox is a super cool piece of AJAX tech from Jon Christopher, above and beyond Lightbox JS which is cool enough itself. Basically it’s an image gallery application which shows thumbnails and exploded images in place on the webpage via Javascript love and goodness. Go try it out.  Being that Suckerfish, Hoverbox, and Lighbox were all written in an organized and straightforward fashion, combining them was fairly simple. I left the JavaScript files controlling the Suckerfish and Lightbox…


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cool tech March 29, 2006 posted by

Tom Cat.

Tom Cat. The Aibo killer? See, that’s the trouble with some people. They build what they think is a cat, and all we tourists can see is a weird shaped thing on four orange legs. They could have put a furry head on it, fer Pete’s sake! But mind you it does move, and fast. Yours for $2750.00.  TomCat is a research quality, quadruped robot that is moves at a speed of two body lengths per second.


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cool tech March 24, 2006 posted by

Oil Standard.

Oil Standard. A groovy Greasemonkey script which converts all online US $ prices into the equivalent value in barrels of crude oil. Suddenly you can see just what the value of that iPod is in oil resources. Bit spooky, although I’m not certain where it leads us in the end.


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Bookmark This! March 22, 2006 posted by

Classifieds come to Google.

Block Rocker. Google maps meets classified adverts, with RSS feeds tagged to your local area. It’s a bit kludgy at the moment, but you can see the potential of this kind of geo-targeted stuff can’t you? Of course it needs heaps more data, and surely it’s only a matter of time before one of the big boys (Yahoo!, eBay, Craig’s List, the big G. themselves?) launches this type of app or tech? Still, very cool indeed. Nice one.  Zoom in…


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cool tech March 20, 2006 posted by

VW Eco-Racer.

The Volkswagen Eco-Racer. Why oh why, if car manufacturers can seemingly churn out these 100 mpg sports cars with top speeds of 230km/hr at the drop of a motor show, do we not see more 100mpg + vehicles on our road right now? You have to start suspecting hidden agendas, don’t you?  This sports car is powered by a 100 k/w turbo diesel engine of the next generation and stands for a trend setting synthesis of rock-solid economy and an abundance of…


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cool tech March 9, 2006 posted by

Smart Box Container.

The IFF Smart Box Container is a shipping container which contains an RFID scanner and a GPS unit. So now not only can you find out what is inside the box while it’s in transit, but where the thing is located. Only a prototype at the moment, but I can see this tech gradually leeching its way down to common or garden luggage. It’ll come to something when your luggage has got more brains than you, eh?  German scientists have…


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cool tech February 27, 2006 posted by

The Loremo 150mpg car.

The Loremo LS sports vehicle. Weight 450kg, 150+ mpg turbodiesel, single forward opening ‘gate’ door (incorporates steering wheel), 100mph, GPS, MP3, onboard computer and air-conditioning. Priced at less than €11,000. But you’ll have to wait until 2009, sorry. [Via Metafilter]   Loremo feels like a sports car, nevertheless consuming only 15 litres on its way from Munich to Rome. Its sliding roof flooded with sun gives rise to the summer feeling at any season. Its unique appearance is a confession to…


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