So it’s a hell of a lot cooler and more powerful than a scooter, moped or Segway — but the 1300W lithium ion–powered motor will only take you between 30km and 50km on a one-hour charge (depending on weight). That’s not enough to make it a serious mode of transportation, but if you live in an urban area it might make some sense. You don’t need a parking spot and you can ride it in like you would any other bicycle. Of course, that kind of flexibility won’t come cheap. Expect to pay €5877 ($9426) for the Grace E-Bike when it ships in January. [Grace via DVICE]

On November 9, 1989, thousands rushed through the ruins of the Berlin Wall, celebrating the unity of East and West. Twenty years later, millions across the world watched as 1000, 2.3m-tall dominoes fell marking the occasion.

About six months ago, those Styrofoam dominoes were sent all around the world and painted by school children and artists. Today they were reunited in a 1.5km line where the Berlin Wall once stood. And just like the wall did so many years ago, they fell to deafening cheers. [Dominoaktion and news:lite]

Designed by a group called KARO, the library started out as an art installation consisting of beer crates stacked up in an abandoned district centre in Madgeburg, Germany. Now sheltered seating areas and extra cosy nooks constructed out of wood from an old warehouse have been added to complete this crazy design. I’ve got no clue how they keep books dry when it rains, but I definitely wanna snuggle up with a novel in one of those corners. [Dezeen]

The “Velcro”, which isn’t really Velcro but has one side with spikes and the other with steel brushes, can take heat at up to 800 degrees Celsius, which is plenty sufficient for use in cars, which only gets up to 800 degrees Celsius in direct sunlight.

And if you’re interested in tearing these Velcro strips vertically (as in straight out instead of horizontally, where it’s stronger), it can hold up to 7 tons. So, a 6 ton man or a 6614 pound Hummer H2 could be suspended from a building with no problem! [New Scientist via Make]

The Die Nachteule also features 40 hours of battery life and a weight of only 8 grams. No word on when or if this reading light will ever make its way to the States, but I’m not in any rush. The last thing we need over here is a guy wearing a Bluetooth headset, glasses and one of these things simultaneously. [Meineeule]

The Bibliosphere is focused on sustainability, with natural lighting, ventilation, and using only renewable energy sources, and consumes an amazing 50% less than German regulations require—and we imagine German environmental laws are already much more strict than those here in the Land of the Free and the Home of the SUV. [Greeen Architects [sic] via PopSci]

German scientists were actually trying to create synthesised gasoline from brown coal, also called lignite, which is the least energy-efficient form of coal that can still actually be called coal. Lignite power plants actually still make up about 25% of Germany’s energy sources, though the Germans use far more of the stuff than any other country. The lignite-derived gasoline was supposed to replace oil-based gas as oil prices rose in the 1980s and ’90s, and though the prices did rise, lignite never caught on. [Popular Mechanics]

The con was simple (and old): A group of British con men showed the German bargain hunters a few iPods, laptops and other gear as “proof” of their authenticity; offered to sell them hundreds of second hand iPods at basement prices; and then proceeded to hand over a 4-lb. sack filled with potatoes instead.

They made off with about $US972 for their efforts, along with the knowledge that they probably took advantage of people who were about to take those “iPods” and resell them again for a high markup. Too bad, so sad!

Regardless, the Polizei are on the case, and there no doubt will be a very large, bitter serving of German potato salad on someone’s dinner table very soon—provided the authorities return their hard-earned wares, now evidence, in a timely fashion (pictured). [Orange - Thanks, Sigurd]