world record
Vehicles
High-Flying Solar Power Zephyr Glider Breaks Own World Record With 3.5 Day Flight
5:00AM Jack Loftus | Last we heard from the UK’s high altitude Zephyr glider, it was unofficially breaking the record for longest unmanned flight. That was back in 2007, when the record was a paltry 30 hours, and the Zephyr was able to manage a 54 hour flight, thanks to its solar powered batteries. On Friday, the Zephyr flew that and them some when it completed an 84-hour flight without issue. Military types are no doubt licking their lips at the news, as the plane was designed to support troops in the field with continuous surveillance and communication support from its perch on high at 60,000 ft. [Telegraph] More »
Software
Firefox Claims World Download Record (No One Disputes It)
12:30AM Benny Goldman | Mazel tov, Mozilla, for claiming the Guinness world record for most downloaded software in a 24-hour period after 8 million of your minions snagged Firefox 3 on launch day. It’s not that big of a feat considering you took the record from absolutely no one, but you sure set the bar pretty high for anyone planning on breaking it. [Firefox via Reuters] More »
Gadgets
The ‘Moaster’ is the Highest Popping Toaster in the World
5:20AM Sean Fallon | You know how sometimes your toast doesn’t quite pop out of the toaster fully? And because your judgment is a little impaired that early in the morning, you decide to jam a fork in there to dig it out only to be electrocuted and rushed to the hospital? Sure, we have all been there. However, Freddie Yauner, the dude behind “The Moaster,” will not have to worry about that anytime soon because he has set the record for the “highest popping in toaster the world” according to the Guinness Book of World Records. More »
Entertainment
Turiba University Sets World Record With 1,911 Simultaneous Coke-Mentos Explosions
12:00AM Gizmodo US Edition | Some people celebrate anniversaries with food, or a little dancing, but Business University Turiba in Latvia decided to have a little fun with a Gizmodo favorite: the ol’ Mento in the Coke reaction. For the school’s 15th anniversary, the students set out the break the previous world record for this category, which was held by 1,499 Belgian students in the town of Leuven. Last Thursday, they succeeded, and the contents of 1,911 bottles of Coke were sprayed violently upward, and into history. More »
Software
Mozilla Shooting for Download World Record With Firefox 3
4:40AM Matt Buchanan | Sure, Firefox 3 is the bee’s knees (and has been since Beta 3), but will it go down in history books? It will if it sets a world record! Mozilla’s taking the quick and easy path to everlasting glory (until someone beats it anyway) by planning to set the world record for most software downloads in 24 hours on Firefox 3’s official launch day. The exact day isn’t posted, but it’ll be sometime next month. I hope they’ve got some Stark Industries-powered servers running this show. Check out the super-cute Firefox 3 download badge: More »
Science
Wannabe Supersonic Skydiver Foiled by Weather: Tomorrow Looks Good
5:00AM Gizmodo US Edition | Those of you who’ve hunted for news of crazy Frenchman Michel Fournier and his attempt on the skydiving height record (and the sound barrier) will be pleased to know that the jump is still on: just delayed by the weather. During his pre-jump oxygen breathing session this morning, the wind began to rise. Three weather balloon surveys showed the wind speed was too high to launch his main balloon. So, it looks like it’ll be happening tomorrow instead, and you’ll be pleased to know the forecast is excellent. [Le Grand Saut] More »
Random Stuff
The Biggest Drawing in The World: Created With the Help of GPS and DHL
5:00AM Sean Fallon | I have to hand it to Erik Nordenankar and DHL for devising what has to be the most creative fusion of art and technology to date. The concept was simple but brilliant: place a GPS device in a briefcase and mail it via DHL with precise travel instructions over the course of a 55 day period. When all was said and done, the GPS data formed a virtual self-portrait of the artist that spread over 6 continents and 62 countries covering about 112,000 kms. More »
Science
Belgian Students Break Mentos-and-Coke World Record
7:25PM Addy Dugdale | Here’s what you do when you’re a student in the Belgian town of Leuven. You don a blue plastic poncho alongside 1,499 undergraduates, all standing in line at very long table, on which is placed a bottle of Diet Coke and a Mentos. On the count of three, having raised your hood, you drop the mint in the plastic bottle, and 1,500 fountains of sticky drink erupt simultaneously. More pics below. Update: We’ve stuck a video up there, as well. More »
Gadgets
Panasonic’s Evolta Batteries Last The Longest, and They Have a Guinness Record to Prove It
8:50AM Sean Fallon | It looks like the folks at the Guinness Book of World Records took some time away from determining how many frat boys can fit into a Volkswagen to bestow the title of “world’s longest-lasting AA alkaline battery cell” onto Panasonic’s new EVOLTA. According to their findings, EVOLTAs have a 10 year shelf-life —which is nearly double the duration of other products on the market. More »
Random Stuff
