In what sounds like the result of the lamest Truth or Dare party ever, scientists have calculated how many nanotubes it would take to support the weight of one human. The discovery unto itself isn't that impressive--a nanotube rope that's one centimeter in diameter could do the trick. But when you realise that the rope is absurdly lightweight and invisible, the prospect gets a lot more exciting.

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Today at NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Show, I discovered my next workout machine: Michael Chladil's Rope and Pulley. Seriously, gone are the elliptical and the rowing machine—I'm going to install this and do the silly dance you see above every day, until I'm at least as fit as any Wii could make me.

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We have all seen those gadgets that display the time or a message using a rapidly oscillating wand fixed with tiny LEDs. However, only designer Jacky Wu was clever enough to apply this technology to a jump rope. After all, it makes perfect sense—as you jump, the device records each revolution then displays that figure (along with time and calories burned) using LEDs embedded on the rope.

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This is a tow rope wound around a centre pin, for easy windup. It's rated for 1500 kg. Not sure I like this thing that much. Some simple designs—a tow rope—shouldn't be messed with. Just learn to wrap your ropes like a sailor. You don't want to be dealing with knotted equipment when emergencies come up.

Spotted this on Toolmonger via BBG, and I'm not sure it's such a good idea. Last winter, I got a ride in an SUV using a tow rope in conjunction with a winch to get up some steep and slippery inclines. We wrapped the tow rope around an oak at the top of a hill and towed ourselves up, staying clear of the sides of the Forerunner in case the car decided to jump into a ditch, squishing anyone. A centre-mounted windup case is great for organisation, but a tow rope strong enough for towing stuck cars plus people is going to be bigger than this, and too beefy to fit in a case. Second, if you're doubling up the rope for strength, the center-mounted plastic case is going to get crunched on a tree, or whatever else you're pulling from. Maybe this is something an SUV poseur can stow to keep his trunk tidy for shopping bags. Maybe I'm wrong. [Toolmonger via BBG]