Ethan's shared items in Google Reader

Ditch Your Shoes for Better Runs [Running]

Adam Pash — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:00:00 PDT

Some studies have shown that walking barefoot can ease your body's aches and pains, and we've already told you that expensive running shoes aren't a necessity; now Wired's throwing in their two cents with an explanation of how barefoot is better.

Photo by XWRN.

Now, a small but growing body of research suggests that barefoot is the way adults should run, too. So, many runners have been shucking off the high-tech trainers in favor of naked feet — or minimalist footwear like Nike Free, the Newton All-Weather Trainer and the glove-like Vibram FiveFingers.

What's so great about going shoeless? It allows the foot to flex and absorb shock, says Tony Post, president of Vibram USA, which makes FiveFingers. With thick heels, people lengthen their strides, landing heel-first and letting the shoe absorb the impact of each footfall. You can't do that barefoot (try it sometime), so your body naturally falls into a shorter stride, landing first on the outside middle or ball of your foot. As you advance your foot rolls inward; the arch flattens and helps absorb the impact; it then springs back up as you lift your foot and push off the ground.

The article also says that "strong evidence" suggests that your cushioned running shoes haven't prevented any injuries in the past 30-some years they've been around. Of course, running shoeless can be difficult when you live in a city, but options like the Vibram FiveFingers (which you see in the video) are there to protect you from some the potentially pointy stuff while still giving you the barefoot experience.

So how about you? Would you ever consider switching to barefoot—or have you already? Share your experience in the comments.

To Run Better, Start by Ditching Your Nikes [Wired]

Easter Basket Fail

Cheezburger Network — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:00:54 PDT

Picture by: dunno source. Submitted by: dunno source via Fail Uploader

The Gear Junkie: SylvanSport GO Camper Trailer

The Gear Junkie — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:12:43 PDT

By Stephen Regenold

The SylvanSport GO came onto my radar in 2007 as a brave new concept in the age-old category of the pop-up tent trailer. Indeed, this was a camper designed for a younger, hipper outdoors crowd, a pop-up you could park at mountain bike race and get visitors streaming over to see what was inside.

In the outdoors media, it was heralded as a feat of design and ingenuity theretofore unseen in the camping world. It won an award from the Industrial Designers Society of America.

But then there was the price tag. After its release, the SylvanSport GO was marketed at $8,999 fully loaded. Next came the quips about the company's "$9,000 tent on wheels."

A recent price cut has made the trailer more approachable. By changing its sales and distribution model, the company (www.sylvansport.com) was able to reduce the cost of a GO trailer by more than $2,000.

Today, a camping enthusiast can purchase the basic GO trailer for $6,195. Still pricey, to be sure. But SylvanSport's pop-up offers a slick and convenient option for outdoors lovers looking to pull a wilderness home behind their truck or car.

The GO weighs 840 pounds, allowing for use with small cars that have a trailer hitch. It has high-flotation tires and 13 inches of ground clearance for pulling the trailer into moderate off-road terrain.

It packs into a low-profile bullet of a trailer with a strong aluminum frame that can be adorned with racks for bikes, kayaks or skis. You can load gear and supplies inside the lockable main compartment before hitting the road.

At your destination, the integrated tent, which is made by Kelty, unfolds like an origami flower to create a spacious and weather-proof pod. It has windows, walls, zippered doors, a stair step, bed platforms, and a table.

I tested a SylvanSport GO for three nights last month while car camping along the Mississippi River. With my wife and two small children, the trailer offered ample room when compared to a typical family tent. I configured the trailer one night with its bed platform nearly taking up the unit's entire 118-inch width. With an inflatable mattress we created a luxurious sleeping spot larger than a king-size bed.

Our demo trailer had a removable fabric storage unit on a wall for organizing and stashing all manner of small items. The table clicked in place easily for a meal at night while the bugs swirled outside.

We set up the GO's optional awning accessory with poles and stakes in the dirt. This extra polyester roof, which is like the vestibule on a large tent, adds a space for stowing bikes or gear outside the main door. Set a camp table under the awning and you have an adjacent living space off the main room for eating or hanging out while still protected from the rain or direct sun.

Overall, I found the GO to be comfortable and convenient. For safety on the road, the GO has LED taillights and turn signals. But the unit is not powered, and there is obviously no bathroom inside.

Like with a tent, most GO users will cook with a camp stove. You won't sleep on the ground in this trailer. But you will zip the door open and closed, and you'll have to hike to the outhouse at night before bed.

For a quick, solid space to make your home outdoors--and as a trailer to transport gear while getting there--SylvanSport's "tent on wheels" is a one of a kind camping option.

--Stephen Regenold writes about outdoors gear at www.gearjunkie.com.

Cats "Exploit" Humans By Purring

kdawson — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 02:31:00 PDT

An anonymous reader notes a BBC report on research recently published in the journal Current Biology, indicating that cats manipulate humans by adding a baby-like cry to their purring. "Cat owners may have suspected as much, but it seems our feline friends have found a way to manipulate us humans. Researchers at the University of Sussex have discovered that cats use a 'soliciting purr' to overpower their owners and garner attention and food. Unlike regular purring, this sound incorporates a 'cry,' with a similar frequency to a human baby's. The team said cats have 'tapped into' a human bias — producing a sound that humans find very difficult to ignore."

Read and Understand Your Food Expiration Labels [Storage]

Azadeh Ensha — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:00:00 PDT

Use by. Sell by. Best if used by. Turns out not all food expiration warnings are created equal. Here's how to read between the lines to help gauge what needs to be tossed out from what's still fair game to chow down.

For starters, the post and accompanying video say it's best not to feel locked down by labels. Instead, try to treat expiration dates more as suggestions since they concern the quality, not safety of your favorite foods. Items marked according to a "sell by" label are generally good for several days past that date, while "use by" dates indicate when that food will begin to lose its freshness. "Best if used by," however, is what it sounds, meaning you should try to stick to the date indicated.

According to the video, milk is often good for a few days after its expiration date (we've all experienced this), and yogurt for a few weeks after its label says to discard. Eggs can be enjoyed up to five weeks after the stamped date. (You can also test an egg's freshness by placing it in a cup of water. A fresh egg will sink, and a bad egg will float.) Canned goods fare even better. Technically, they're good forever, even if dented. You should, however, avoid cans that are rusted, leaking, or have broken seals.

Hit up the below post or check out the above demo for more expiration tips, and if you're looking for more ways to test your food's freshness, check out previously mentioned tool StillTasty.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Expiration Dates [Minyanville via Consumerist]

Recycle Tin Cans into Garden Lanterns [DIY]

Jason Fitzpatrick — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 13:00:00 PDT

If the glass lanterns we featured yesterday just don't seem fancy enough, you can always try your hand at recycling your tin cans into decorative votives, a similarly cheap, easy, but nice-looking decoration.

Fine Gardening magazine has a detailed tutorial on turning soup cans into outdoor votive holders. You'll need some cans, sand, water, and a freezer. To help the can keep its shape when you're tapping holes in it with a nail and a hammer, you fill it with wet sand and freeze it to create a solid core.

Their tutorial is photo-heavy with a video, so you won't be left wanting to see anything from a different angle. If you've made your own crafty DIY outdoor lighting, we'd love to hear about it.

How to Make Garden Lanterns [via TipNut]

PetMD Supplies Pet Health Information in a Pinch [Pets]

Erin Schwendemann — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:30:00 PDT

When a pet starts acting funny, it can throw you into panic mode. Web site PetMD aims to help by supplying pet owners with the health knowledge they need for the pets they love.

The information is supplied via the health library, which has multiple sections: symptom center, learning center, topic center, breedopedia, vet dictionary, and emergency first aid. The site also offers—in addition to the abundance of pet health information—a finder service, helping you to locate emergency clinics, vets, groomers, pet day care, pet friendly hotels, pet parks, pet sitters, and pet walkers. And if you're looking to test your knowledge of fleas and ticks, check out the PetMD University courses.

With all the health and pet information supplied, PetMD aims to be your go-to resource for all things related to your pet. iPhone users can also purchase PetMD apps ($2) specific to various pet types in the iPhone App Store for on-the-go pet information.

PetMD [via Makeuseof]

Facebook BlackBerry App Updated to Version 1.6.0.21

Ronen Halevy — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 04:42:34 PDT

Wyslano let me know that Facebook has also received a slight version bump last night from 1.6.0.17 to the new version 1.6.0.21. I am not sure what it fixes but hopefully it is a little more stable.

You can pick it up at this link OTA

Enhanced Gmail Plug-in for BlackBerry now in beta testing

Nilay Patel — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:42:00 PDT

It's no secret that using Gmail on a BlackBerry is a painful experience -- since the built-in mail client has shamefully broken IMAP support, your only real choice is a variant of the same Java-based Gmail app that runs on ancient featurephones, and that rules out direct integration with either contacts or attachments. Yeah, it's sad, but hope is in the air, as RIM's apparently beta testing something called the "Enhanced Gmail Plug-in for BlackBerry," which promises to bring things up to speed. Features are said to include Conversation View, support for labels, stars, and archiving, and full mailbox search -- you know, Gmail. Of course, it would be even nicer if RIM would just sack up and bring proper IMAP support to the most famous messaging platform in the world, but we'll take what we can get.

[Via BerryReview]

Filed under: Cellphones

Enhanced Gmail Plug-in for BlackBerry now in beta testing originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Wildlife Fail

Cheezburger Network — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 04:00:20 PDT

Submitted by: dunno source via our FAIL Uploader

Friendly Pet Fail

Cheezburger Network — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 10:00:17 PDT

Picture by: dunno source. Submitted by: jojack via Fail Uploader

Doctors Baffled, Intrigued By Girl Who Doesn't Age

kdawson — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:29:00 PDT

phyrebyrd writes "Brooke Greenberg is the size of an infant, with the mental capacity of a toddler. She turned 16 in January. Brooke hasn't aged in the conventional sense. Dr. Richard Walker of the University of South Florida College of Medicine, in Tampa, says Brooke's body is not developing as a coordinated unit, but as independent parts that are out of sync. She has never been diagnosed with any known genetic syndrome or chromosomal abnormality that would help explain why. Brooke's hair and her nails are the only two things that grow, Howard said. 'She has pajamas and outfits that are 10 or 12 years old,' he said."

Canada Announces New National Park

The News Team — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:31:38 PDT

Yesterday, the Canadian government finalized the expansion of the Nahanni National Park on the border of the Northwest Territories and the Yukon. The original park encompassed 1,840 square miles straddling the Nahanni River when it was created in 1972. But, according to the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, it did not offer adequate protection for roaming caribou herds and grizzly populations, nor did it include some of the region's most spectacular natural features. After a 35-year effort from CPAWS, the seven-fold expansion adds the granite formation known as the Cirque of the Unclimbables, one of Canada's best big wall climbing venues, to the National Park. The addition protects nearly 12,000 square miles of Boreal Forest; three times the size of Yellowstone.

--Kyle Dickman

checking out … Outdoor Bunnies

rickmc — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:26:16 PDT

Szu-ting Yi recently launched an online network of bloggers called … Outdoor Bunnies.

You may know Szu-ting Yi as LittlePo.

The name of her new site itself may draw undesirable lurkers. Most will go away when they realize the kind of bunnies on display.

… Outdoor Bunnies is the safe and supportive community for women of the wilderness (outdoor bunnies) to connect and grow with each other. At Outdoor Bunnies, outdoor bunnies share their thoughts, insights, emotions, and wisdom inspired by their outdoor endeavors. Its purpose is to empower fellow bunnies to take initiatives to pursue wilderness adventures, to engage intellectually with nature, or to simply enjoy what the great outdoors has to offer. …

Outdoor Bunnies Launch Statement

home page – Outdoor Bunnies

The site is hosted by WordPress using BuddyPress. Members can add their own blogs, if they wish. Very cool.

I am subscribed. And have added the new site in the right hand navigation under BLOGS.

Make Fresh-Baked Bread in Five Minutes [Eat To Live]

Kevin Purdy — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:30:00 PDT

Can you spare five minutes each day? That's all you'll need to make fresh-baked bread with this recipe and method.

We've shown you that homemade bread can be cheap, delicious, and easy to make, especially if you're using a no-knead recipe. Now, thanks to Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François, you can have fresh-baked bread with only five minutes of actual effort each time:

A one or two-week supply of dough is made in advance and refrigerated. Mixing it takes less than 15 minutes. Every day, cut off a hunk of dough and quickly shape it without kneading. Allow it to rest briefly on the counter and then toss it in the oven. We don't count the rest time or baking time (usually about 30 minutes to an hour each) in our calculation, because you can do something else while that's happening. If you bake after dinner, the bread will still be fresh the next day (higher moisture breads stay fresh longer), but the method is so convenient that you'll probably find you can cut off some dough and bake a loaf every morning before your day starts. If you want to have one thing you do every day that is simply perfect, this is it!

Hertzberg and François even make remembering the recipe simple by explaining the "6-3-3-13" rule:

To store enough for eight loaves, remember 6-3-3-13. It's 6 cups water, 3 tablespoons salt, 3 tablespoons yeast, and then add 13 cups of flour. It'll amaze your friends when you do this in their homes without a recipe!

Using this rule, you can easily cut the recipe into half or double it in your head if needed, just maintain the same ratios. Follow the link below for the details on the recipe and several variations or tell us about your favorite bread recipe in the comments.

Five Minutes a Day for Fresh-Baked Bread [Mother Earth News]

Keep Your Cats from Destroying Your Furniture [Pets]

Jason Fitzpatrick — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 14:00:00 PDT

Scratching is a natural behavior for our feline friends, and furniture is a tempting target for their fabric-shredding claws. Save your furniture with these tricks. Photo by jeknee.

Domesticated cats still have strong instincts from life in the wild. Despite your best efforts to curb them, attempting to stop a cat from scratching and climbing is a nearly impossible task. By taking a multi-prong approach to modifying their behavior, you can save your furniture and keep your cat healthy and happy. The following tips are ordered by ease of implementation; start at the top of the list and work down if earlier solutions haven't fully solved the problem.

Provide Appropriate Scratching Surfaces

You will have absolutely zero success training your cat not to scratch your table legs or the arm of your couch if you don't provide something appropriate the cat can scratch instead. An appropriate scratching surface for a cat has several important characteristics. Photo by safetypinheart.

The most important characteristic is weight. If a scratching post or climbing tree feels wobbly or unsteady, the cat will almost always abandon using it. Make sure that any scratching post you intend to build or purchase will be stable enough to present a sturdy scratching surface. The scratching surface also needs to be at least tall enough for the cat to fully stretch itself out while scratching. In other words, a short scratching post will be ignored for the nice tall table leg. If you have the space, a scratching post should be tall and sturdy enough for your cat to also indulge its climbing instincts. While most cats prefer to stretch up and scratch, some are just as fond as stretching out horizontally. A flat scratching surface like this DIY cardboard scratching pad is ideal for those cats.

The final point of consideration is the material the scratching surface is made out of. Avoid scratching posts covered in carpet. Not only is the carpet not very durable, but cheap carpet scratching posts often have carpet with looped fibers which will snag on your cat's claws, discouraging use at best and causing an injury at worst. Sisal is a natural fiber rope and when wrapped tightly around a post is about as close to a tree trunk as you'll get without chopping a tree down and dragging it into your house.

Put the scratching post or climbing tree in a sunny location and encourage your cat to explore it with a sprinkling of catnip leaves or a spray of catnip oil. I highly recommend getting some catnip spray, as it's like a mind control drug for your cat. A final note on larger scratching posts: if you're thinking about building your own, it's only really worth it if you have access to cheap or free materials like leftover lumber. The return on investment for building a large scratching post or cat tree is nearly zero if you have to buy all the materials yourself and spend a weekend building it. I speak from the voice of experience—wrapping hundreds of feet of sisal rope is a tedious and time-consuming project.

Make Scratching Improper Surfaces Unpleasant

This does not mean yelling at your cat. Cats are extremely smart animals. If you clap your hands at, yell at, or strike your cat when it is scratching inappropriately, it will quickly associate the punishment with you and simply avoid scratching when you are around. When you're at work however, your love seat will be targeted for destruction. You want to discourage scratching on furniture without the cat viewing you as the troll that guards the couch. Photo by sara.atkin.

A small spray bottle can be an effective tool when you're home and able to observe the cat. Never yell or make it known to the cat that you are the source of the spritz of water hitting it. You want the cat to associate scratching on the couch or furiously digging into the carpet with the apparently random blast of water, not with you being nearby. That also means, unfortunately, not laughing when the cat has an extremely disconcerted look on its face after getting spritzed.

Making the surface itself unappealing is also an excellent tact. Double-sided tape is an excellent deterrent, for example. When a favorite scratching spot is suddenly sticky instead of soothing, the cat will quickly abandon it. Make sure to pay close attention to the kind of tape you purchase, as you want removable double-sided tape, not permanent double-sided tape. The removable kind has a lighter adhesive intended for affixing party decorations to walls and other temporary usage. Make sure to test a small area before wrapping up the entire side of your favorite chair! If you have trouble finding suitable double-sided tape, there's a commercial product called Sticky Paws.

It can also help to spray the area being scratched with Febreeze or another odor removing spray. Cats also tend to dislike citrus scents, so a natural orange or lemon air freshener sprayed on the furniture can be quite effective. If the favored scratching spot smells odd and the new scratching post smells like catnip, it won't be a tough choice.

Trim the Claws

Depending on the age and temperament of your cat, this will either be an easy task or a horrible trial. If you have a kitten or young cat, now is the time to get them used to having their nails trimmed. Trimming the nails can be especially helpful during the training phase of transitioning your cat to appropriate scratching surfaces. Removing even the tiniest bit from a cat's nail makes it less of a fabric-unraveling needle sharp hook. When training one of my cats away from the couch she'd taken a liking to, keeping her nails trimmed completely removed her ability to snag the fibers of the couch and actually damage it. If you've never trimmed a cat's nails before, it's not as daunting as it sounds. Check out this tutorial at wikiHow for details on how to safely trim your cat's nails. Photo by kevindooley.

When you approach your cat's scratching as a natural behavior instead of a destructive prank you have no control over, it becomes much easier to find a happy solution for the cat and relief for your abused furniture. Before investing money and time into a solution for your cat, take the time to observe your cat in action. Do they go and scratch right after waking up from a nap? Do they scratch excitedly after you play with them? Knowing how your cat likes to scratch, and when they scratch, will help you decide what kind of scratching posts and trees they would enjoy and where it would be best to place them.

If you've had your own luck curbing your cat's destructive scratching, let's hear about it in the comments. Help your fellow readers spare their couches the death of a thousand claws.

Dean Potter Solo Highlining at Yosemite

rockythompson — Tue, 26 May 2009 05:42:36 PDT

Some photos from Jeff Cunningham of Dean Potter’s recent solo highline work at Taft Point in Yosemite. The prAna blog has plenty more photos.

In Jeff’s, words: Dean had a high line set up there that he measured as somewhere between 99 to 100 feet. He had walked the line leashed a few times when I saw him untying from the tether. I figured he was just taking a break. Instead, he stepped up to the line and started walking it with confidence and determination.

I at least comprehend the ethos of bouldering or even solo climbing, but this looks insane. I sure hope that’s stretch denim.

Thanks Andrew

15 Creatively Offbeat Canoes, Kayaks & Boats

Steve — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:58:01 PDT

Smokin’ on the water… that’s how hot these cool canoes, krazy kayaks and bodacious boats are! It’s amazing what a little tech know-how and a vivid imagination can do when whipping up wild watercraft. Here are 15 that’ll really float your boat.

Pedals, Not Paddles

(images via: Life In The Fast Lane)

Trampofoil, Hydro-bike, HydroSlide, Hydrothopter, Aquaskipper? Any of these ring a bell? They may not exactly be commonplace but these odd names indicate that the field of human-powered watercraft is a wide one indeed. In many ways, these spindly contraptions recall the early days of powered flight: jury-rigged construction, home craftsmanship and in many cases, every finished model unique unto itself. Here’s a video of the Aquaskipper in action:

The Aquaskipper, via Life In The Fast Lane

Folbot Refuses to Fold

(images via: Atcha6 and J.R. Burch)

The name Folbot is familiar to most anyone who read a comic book or magazine sometime in the last 50-odd years. In fact, Folbot has been producing and selling their iconic folding boats and kayaks since 1933. Sturdy, lightweight and with decades of incremental improvement behind them, Folbot is a hydrodynamic success story in every way.

Canoe Say Chopsticks?

(images via: Pink Tentacle and InventorSpot)

Wood was the original building material for humankind’s first boats and Shuhei Ogawara, who works in the Fukushima, Japan, city hall forestry department decided to go back to basics when designing a home-made canoe. Ogawara added an environmental twist to the concept, however, by using only discarded wooden chopsticks from the city hall cafeteria - 7,382 of them! The result is a snazzy-looking canoe 13 feet long that weighs 66 pounds. No telling if an hour after launching, Ogawara wants to build another canoe.

The Glass-Bottom, Sides & Top Boat

(images via: Clear Inflatable Kayak and WanderMelon)

Ever dipped a clear glass in a swimming pool? See how it virtually vanishes? Now imagine the glass is an 11-foot boat - and you’re inside! Constructed from lightweight aluminum tubing and clear polycarbonate plastic, the $1500 Molokini is rated at 425 lbs carrying capacity. Sailing over tropical reefs in one of these must be like scuba diving without getting wet.

The Saga of the Sleeping Beauties

(images via: Modern Mechanix)

Motorised Submersible Canoes (MSC for short) were developed by Great Britain’s Royal Navy in World War II. Essentially a one-man submarine no larger than an average canoe, the so-called “Sleeping Beauties” were used in daring raids against Japanese shipping in captured ports such as Phuket, Thailand. Though the operators were equipped with scuba gear, piloting one of the battery-powered subs just beneath the ocean’s surface for up to 40 miles must have been a miserable experience.

Solo Submarining

(images via: Elite Choice and Innespace)

Consider the Innespace Dolphin and Seabreacher to be modern descendants of the wartime Sleeping Beauties. Both craft - the Dolphin is slightly smaller - are driven by a rear-mounted electric motor and can swim, leap and perform limited acrobatics like real live dolphins. One wonders what actual dolphins think of Innespace’s robo-Flippers… all this writer can think of is a certain scene from Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls.

The Corvette Corvette

(images via: Elite Choice and Serious Wheels)

The Corvette Stingray was named after the corvette, a “a small, manoeuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft,” and the stingray, a marine vertebrate related to sharks. Now Bo Zolland has doubly returned the compliment with his stunning 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Boat Design. The boat features gullwing doors and can be ordered with a choice of engines including 496 HP or 502 HP Mercruisers, an LS-9 marine or a Volvo Penta Diesel with up to 550 HP. Seats 5 and would look fairly amazing on a trailer behind an actual ‘63 Vette.

Fresh Sea Air

(images via: Flying Inflatable Boats)

Like a little air with your sea, or vice versa? You get plenty of both with the Flying Inflatable Boat, or FIB as it’s called at the company website. The FIB is one of those inevitable inventions - once the concept of ultralight aircraft was proven and standardized, extending the idea to create a flying boat just seems obvious. What better way to explore far-flung tropical islands, pop in to isolated fishing spots, conduct search & rescue missions or, as the company website recommends, “fly into your favorite restaurant”… which hopefully isn’t on the upper floors of a Manhattan skyscraper.

Walking On Water

(images via: WaveWalk Kayaks and Webshots Outdoors)

Kayaks are not normally recommended for the balance-challenged but the innovative WaveWalk kayak puts a new spin on things. Evoking the stable design of the much-larger catamaran, WaveWalk kayaks are so stable they can be stood up in and fished from - a trick even the Eskimos did not know.

Guitar Boat Plays Sea Sharp

(images via: Walyou and Zimbio)

Say you’re an Australian singer who’s looking for a new angle for a music video, and you’d probably be Josh Pyke. The strummer created a larger than life replica of his favorite guitar and starred - aboard the seaworthy axe - in the video for his song “Make You Happy.” Since you’re probably wondering what the guitar boat looks like in action, here’s the video:

Josh Pyke’s “Make You Happy”, c/o Ivy League Records

Wood Too Float

(images via: JeffBridges.com)

If boats can fly, cars can certainly float… Ted Kennedy may have been wrong about that but Jeff Bridges has hit the nail on the head with a series of custom carpentered car-boats. WHY he does this is unknown, though as an attention-grabber it’s hard to beat a floating Ferrari.

The Spider That Ate San Francisco

(images via: Fun President, Lectronic Latitude and SFGate)

More like a Water Strider actually, the Proteus catamaran skims across the surface of the water much like nimble insects on sun-dappled ponds - without the need for surface tension to hold it up. Explains Ugo Conti, co-founder of Marine Advanced Research, “Proteus is the prototype of what we hope to be a new class of water vessel - the Wave Adaptive Modular Vessels, or WAM-V’s.” Testing on San Francisco Bay should confirm whether Proteus and its ilk really do have the spidey-sense needed to cross entire oceans. Stay tuned!

Waving Ahoy

(images via: InventorSpot and RJ3SP)

Another odd boat is the Suntory Mermaid II, a wave-powered boat… which sounds impossible, like a wind-powered airplane, but it’s the real thing! The three-tonne catamaran sailed over 4,350 miles from Hawaii to Japan in early 2008 with ocean waves being its only source of motive power. Mind you, it didn’t break any speed records but it didn’t have to - just arriving at its destination was the whole point of the exercise.

Modern Day U-Boat

(images via: Trends Updates and Tuvie)

The term “U-Boat” stands for unterseeboot - undersea boat; or submarine. The Ammonoq is also a U-Boat though it carries no torpedoes. Cruising at the surface it’s much like any other boat, though the smoothly curved glass top will attract second glances. The Ammonoq really comes into its own when it submerges. The crew of 3 can spend a surprising amount of time beneath the waves thanks to the onboard rebreathing unit and individual regulators. Find a pretty place to explore? break out the tanks from storage and go scuba diving. Fun in the depths - with no annoying depth charges.

Absolut Canoe

(images via: The Object Works)

Everyone’s familiar with the long-running series of Absolut Vodka ads but this unofficial one may have floated on by. It’s the Absolut Canoe - no connection with the clear liquor but clearly inspired by it. Though only an artistic concept by The Object Works, it would be interesting to take the Absolut Canoe out for a spin… would the experience leave one shaken but not stirred?

KeyRingThing Creates One Bonus Card to Rule Them All [Clutter]

Jason Fitzpatrick — Tue, 19 May 2009 06:45:00 PDT

Thousands of businesses have loyalty cards that reward you with everything from coupons to free pet food if you display them at checkout. KeyRingThing creates one bonus card or keyring tag for all your stores.

We showed you how to make your own space saving card before, but it involved scanning, photo editing and maybe a little bit more effort than you wanted to put into the project just to shave a centimeter or two off your wallet's width. Update: As Jay points out, you can get similar results from previously mentioned Just One Club Card.

KeyRingThing is a service that makes creating a space saving card a snap. Using their template generator, you create a double-sided card with up to three barcodes on each side. You can print and laminate the template on your own dime or you can pay $2.97 to have them mail you a higher-quality version printed on credit-card material. If you don't have a printer and a laminate machine, you'll likely spend nearly as much making your card at a copy shop.

You can select from a list of well known stores like Office Depot or Borders Books or, if you have less conventional shopping habits, you can enter your own business names. If the store isn't in the database, it asks you to check the barcode style against the physical loyalty card to match it up. Loyalty cards that have just a number work as well. KeyRingThing is free to use, you only pay if order a heavy-duty card. If you have your own solutions for cutting down on loyalty and perk card clutter, sound off in the comments below.

KeyRingThing [via Simple Productivity Blog]

Roomba's journey shown to be endless, beautiful

Nilay Patel — Sat, 09 May 2009 10:44:00 PDT

We've always suspected our Roomba was actually performing a complex dance loaded with hidden meaning and bewitching charm instead of just bouncing around, and now we've got proof -- check out this long-exposure shot of a Roomba's path over 30 minutes. You can see the initial spiral path in the center, but after that it's a free-for-all that somehow manages to cover the entire room. Now if someone would just make a high-speed video set to the Benny Hill music, we'd be all set.

[Via DoobyBrain]

Filed under: Robots

Roomba's journey shown to be endless, beautiful originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 May 2009 12:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.