Where Can I Get One

Ed sent us a link to this amazing retro-looking gas powered bicycle. It gets 120+ mpg and does 40 mph. [Thanks Ed]

The frame is from a '90s vintage Huffy cruiser I got at a flea market for $25.00. The front fork is a reproduction Schwinn style springer. I fabricated "leaf springs" for the look, but their only function is as fenders. The wheels are from Husky- very heavy duty with thick steel and 11 ga spokes. It has a high quality coatser brake, but it also has calipers front and rear which is what I generally use for braking. The tires are all-white vintage style from Kenda. (From make) 

Pretty cool if you ask me. 

Wasted Talent?

Where GM's Eggs Are

Food Dehydrator

I have always wanted to make a REAL food dehydrator, but all the plans I have found always start out "make a box..." That lets me out! I don't have the patience to make a box, let alone the skills to make it square, then add racks (also square!!) so I came up with a super easy way to make a container that looks like the commercial dehydrators using stacking trays in a cylindrical shape. It took me less than an hour and cost about 20 dollars. I could have scavenged and cut that in half, as I am sure many of you readers can. Read on! (Full Story at instructables)

I'm not sure if this is genius or insanity. For some reason that just looks like a fire waiting to happen, and on the other hand.  .  . I have a strong desire to start building. 

The New Collider

Want to check out the new Large Hadron Collider? Here are some webcams you can check out:

http://www.cyriak.co.uk/lhc/lhc-webcams.html

When You Have Lots of Spare Time

Who Needs Nerf When You Have Legos

Free 411

This isn't all that new but on the off chance that some of you didn't know:

Mythical Products That Became Real

Remember this stapler? Well, boxvox highlights it and 5 other products that were mythical but then turned real. What mythical product do you wish would find its way into production?

Beware Google Maps

(via presurfer)

Solar Cell Windows

ScienceDaily (July 11, 2008) — Imagine windows that not only provide a clear view and illuminate rooms, but also use sunlight to efficiently help power the building they are part of. MIT engineers report a new approach to harnessing the sun's energy that could allow just that.

The work, reported in the July 11 issue of Science, involves the creation of a novel "solar concentrator." "Light is collected over a large area [like a window] and gathered, or concentrated, at the edges," explains Marc A. Baldo, leader of the work and the Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Career Development Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering.

As a result, rather than covering a roof with expensive solar cells (the semiconductor devices that transform sunlight into electricity), the cells only need to be around the edges of a flat glass panel. In addition, the focused light increases the electrical power obtained from each solar cell "by a factor of over 40," Baldo says. (Full Story at sd)

Great idea, when can I buy some?

Searching Wiki

Ever get frustrated trying to find an answer to a question? Well Powerset has decided to make it a bit easier on you by allowing you to search in question form. The results allows you to browse through Wikipedia articles in order to find what you want. Check it out here.

Competitve Eating

I read a book recently (Eat This Book) about competitive eating. It's actually pretty interesting. These guys (and gals) take it very seriously. It just so happened that my reading coincided with the annual Nathan's Hot dog Eating Contest, so I decided to find some video of the said event. Enjoy. Also, I would recommend the book for some light reading.

Living on The Computer

Many of us pretty much live on the computer already. I, for one, interact with many people almost exclusively via IM or email. Well, now Google wants to help you create your virtual world. Go ahead and make an identical home for yourself and chat it up with your buddies in the living room. Check Lively out here.

Batmobile

Anyone excited about the new movie?

Things You Cant Do

I'm sure some of you wonder how I have so much free time on my hands (a misnomer I assure you), but I think this guy has more at any rate. . . and he's more of a dork.

Racing

Cool New Guitar

If you aren't into music or maybe even if you aren't into making music you might want to skip this. At any rate, I can't wait to see what some folks do with this.

Baby Smash

Windows only: Programmer and dad Scott Hanselman wanted an easy way to let his toddler play on his computer without deleting files or quitting programs, so he put together baby-proofing software, Baby Smash!. Start up Baby Smash! and let the little one go to town on your keyboard.

As babies smash on the keyboard, colored shapes, letters and numbers appear on the screen. Baby Smash will lock out the Windows Key, as well as Ctrl-Esc and Alt-Tab so your baby can't get out of the application. Pressing ALT-F4 will exit the application and Shift-Ctrl-Alt-O brings up the options dialog. (babysmash here | via lifehacker)

Now I just need someone to come up with a way to keep my kids from touching the LCD monitor all the time. . .

When The Microwave Is Broken