When it’s finished in ten years, Dubai’s latest architectural monolith will be the tallest skyscraper in the world. At more than one kilometer high (3,280 feet), the Nakheel Tower will have around two hundred floors. Like always, the company behind the project is very secretive about the actual size of the leviathan, in order to beat other buildings for as long as possible, but you can see how it compares to Burj Dubai and other the rest of giant towers here:
Get ready to fight to the death for this one, Disney, Pixar, and Dreamworks: More than a thousand penguins have suddenly appeared on the beaches of Brazil. The scientists can’t explain why this is happening. Some say they are somehow confused. Knowing the views in Brazil’s beaches, I personally think they are not confused at all. Brazilian National Institute for Space Research climatologist Jose Marengo thinks the penguins–who are being airlifted back to its origin by the air force–got lost because of changes in the ocean circulation in the South Atlantic:
Russian billionaire and Chelsea soccer club owner Roman Abramovich is building a $US400 million mega-yacht. Yawn, you say? You have two? OK, well, this yacht has its own submarine. And armour plating with bulletproof glass. And little boats that fit inside the bigger boat. And a frickin’ missile defence system that will alert he and his crew of 70 former SAS soldiers that there be pirates in those waters. It should be noted that Abramovich’s other yachts—the 377ft Pelorus, 282ft Ecstasea and 160ft Sussurro—all pale in comparison to the 550ft Eclipse, and do not include missile detection systems. You can never be too safe, right?
CrunchGear got their meaty hands on the new HP HDX16 Blu-ray notebook we previewed back in September, and it’s pretty shiny. And I say “meaty” because they damn near broke some of those flashy, flush buttons during the initial feeling up. Keep those paws away from the 16:9 high def widescreen and I think we’ll be OK, fellas. [CrunchGear]
The 2008 Paralympics wrapped up over the summer, but we’re only just today learning about some of the awesome stories to come out of this amazing tech-assisted sporting event. We’ve covered these bionic athletes before, with some help from the Big Picture, but today’s story out of Germany shows just how much goes into helping these young men and women compete. A previous sporting injury left Wojtek Czyz without a left leg and the ability to long jump. The ESA, using materials developed for space, helped him get to the Olympics and vault into the record books.
Like a Ronco rotisserie or the perfect politician, you can set this non Stop Top and forget it, because it never stops spinning. Well, it never stops until it runs out of battery juice, which takes about eight hours. Mileage for pols or rotisseries is probably much more than that. It’s a cool, shiny top, however, even if they don’t really go into detail about the inner workings that keep it spinning for so long. [I Want One of Those]
When everyday devices become autonomous and start mating in the far future thanks to nanotechnology, items like fire extinguishers will become what designer Adam Scott has envisioned with the X Sting Wish. Mixing one part Dustbuster, one part machine gun, and a final part carbon fiber-wrapped fire extinguisher, Scott has managed to cook up a device that looks as at home in a kitchen as it would in Gears of War made real. There are even side-mounted LEDs for night missions. So, why make a lifesaving device like the fire extinguisher so, well, weapon-y? As the mock-ups reveal, it’s all about easy recognition in an emergency situation. Apparently, when fire strikes, people are more apt to reach for their shotguns than that red cylinder marked “FIRE EXTINGUISHER.”
As part of its continuing effort to fight the “sin” of pollution, the Vatican has revealed that the first few panels of its 2,400-strong solar panel roof project were installed this week. The $US1.5 million project will require minimal maintenance over the next 25 years, and is part of an ambitious environmental project that could see the tiny European state become the first carbon-neutral body in the world. “Those who destroy the environment are also big sinners”, said Italian Cardinal Deacon Renato Raffaele Martino earlier this year. “It’s a big insult to God.” I see it as more of an insult to my lungs, Martino, but I hear you barking on that one anyway. Good form. [Treehugger]
Sony’s PSP is currently getting its butt handed to it by the Nintendo DS, but don’t tell that to Sega. With its upcoming Sega Vision PMP, due out in the UK sometime in 2009, the former hardware company-turned-sub par software maker is hoping to take on the jack-of-all-trades portable market. The prognosis for such a device is OK, but then again how could it not be? After all, this is the company that brought us the 32X, Saturn, and the Dreamcast—the only direction any Sega hardware offering could go from this point forward is up.
Ballpark vendors, those hot dog-dispensing, beer hawking staples of sporting events the world over, are in need of a refresh. A “get yer peanuts hee-yah!” 2.0, if you will. Designer Mario Weiss might have the fresh look they’re looking for with Nebo. Put simply, this slick all-in-one vendor concept could change the way people have food thrown their way at a baseball game. And, it will do this in such a way that’s so visually appealing it will stop your kid from asking what a Fenway Frank is really made of, forever. (Spoiler: It’s dreams)
