Avi Loeb, chairman of Harvard University’s Astronomy Department and friend of late theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, claims that the mysterious interstellar object Oumuamua is actually a spaceship sent be extraterrestrials, and it uses a solar sail for propulsion. “The Spitzer Space Telescope found no evidence of heat emission from the object, and that means that it is at least 10 times more reflective than a typical comet or asteroid. What we have, then, is a thin, flat, shiny object. So I arrived at the idea of a solar sail: A solar sail is a spaceship that uses the sun for propulsion. Instead of using fuel, it is propelled ahead by reflecting light. In fact, it’s a technology that our civilization is developing at this very time,” said Loeb. Read more for a video giving ten reasons why Oumuamua will blow your mind.
You may have heard that rapper Soulja Boy pulled his previous video game consoles due to legal threats, but now, he’s back at it again, and with a brand new PlayStation Vita knockoff, called the “SouljaGame Handheld”. It’s priced at $99.99 and features a 4.3″ (480 x 272 resolution) display, 8GB of internal storage, an integrated camera, TV out, and a “multi thread task mode, you can listen to music, while watching e-books.” There’s no word yet on if it will come branded with the Soulja logo, but if this interests you, snag one quick, or else it may be pulled again even before hitting the ground. Read more for another hands-on review of this console and additional information.
Many already know that RollerCoaster Tycoon is a series of simulation video games that lets players build and manage an amusement park. Each game challenges players with open-ended amusement park management, development, and construction. Marcel Vos has created “12 Years of Suffering” a ride that that doesn’t end for 12 straight years in real-world time. Simply put, it’s two separate coasters that have been joined together, with one taking up almost all of the park with single carts that go around 20 times and another on a smaller track that features 30 carts. Read more to see this crazy attraction in-action.
Are you a professional eSports gamer and have been looking for a backpack large enough for all of your gear or a high-powered Intel / AMD desktop machine, complete with monitor? If so, then look no further than “Backpacker’s Closet” by Japanese design studio CWF. It measures 100 cm in length and 68 cm in width while offering a maximum holding capacity of 180 liters (48 gallons). The shoulder straps feature extra padding and an additional middle strap to reduce stress on the wearer’s back and shoulders. Read more for additional pictures and information.
Photo credit: Compare The Market
If Batman decided to go pure luxury for his next Batmobile, it might look something like this Rolls-Royce concept by NeoMam Studios. On a somewhat related note, did you know that Rolls-Royce Motors was a British luxury car manufacturer, created in 1973 during the de-merger of the Rolls-Royce automotive business from the nationalized Rolls-Royce Limited? That’s right, they produced luxury cars under the Rolls-Royce and Bentley brands, but was eventually sold to Volkswagen in 1998. BMW acquired the rights to the Rolls-Royce trademark for use on automobiles and launched a new Rolls-Royce company shortly afterwards. Read more for more geeky Rolls-Royce concepts that could one day become a reality.
Photo credit: Twiste Sifter
The origin of folded paper airplanes is generally considered to be of Ancient China, since manufacture of paper on a widespread scale took place there during 500 BCE, and origami as well as paper folding became popular within a century of this period – approximately 460-390 BCE. The most significant use of paper models in aircraft designs were by the Wright brothers between 1899 and 1903, the date of the first powered flight from Kill Devil Hills, by the Wright Flyer. The brothers used a wind tunnel to gain knowledge of the forces which could be used to control an aircraft in flight. Read more to see a massive 122-inch paper airplane being flown.
Have $22,500 and want a Lamborghini Aventador replica that might be able to fool someone who knows absolutely nothing about cars? If so, then this Pontiac GTO-based creation should do the trick. Instead of the 690 hp 6.5-liter V12 engine found in the real Aventador, this 2004 Pontiac GTO frame / body comes with the original 5.7L V8 drivetrain and electronics as well as a fake mid-engine setup, since its motor actually sits up front. Read more for additional pictures and information.
Photo credit: Reddit via Bored Panda
For those who haven’t heard about pareidolia, it’s a psychological phenomenon where the mind responds to an image or a sound by perceiving a familiar pattern where none exists. Those familiar patterns could take the form of animals, faces, or objects in cloud formations, water, or even hidden messages in recordings. In the image above we see what appears to be a dog-shaped cloud in a sitting position. Read more to see additional examples of pareidolia in everyday objects.
At first glance, these apples may appear to be just a Photoshop trick, but they’re real and called “Black Diamond”. They are mainly grown in the mountains of Tibet, and a breed of Hua Niu apples (Chinese Red Delicious) that get their unique dark purple color from the geographical conditions of Nyingchi, in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Since the temperature fluctuations between day and night are significant, the fruits get a lot of sunlight and ultraviolet light which causes their skin to change from the deep red to dark purple. Read more for a video, additional pictures and information.
The iLight 7S is touted as the world’s smallest iPhone-inspired Android handset, if that even makes any sense. However, if you’re hoping for decent performance, this may not be the microscopic handset for you. Featuring a 2.4″ touchscreen display, an MTK quad-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, Bluetooth / WiFi connectivity, and a metal body. Unsurprisingly, there is no headphone jack, so you’ll need to snag a pair of wireless headphones or earphones to jam. Product page. Read more for another hands-on video review and additional information.