Ever wondered how the heck the Hindenburg zeppelin – a beast that was 245m in length and 40m in diameter – was built in the 1930s? With huge ladders, that’s how. More »
Located just off Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Cocoon is a house shaped like a zeppelin. It sits propped up on the edge of a steep drop-off, as if it’s tempting people to make Hindenburg jokes. I’ll resist the urge. [Designer Choice via Inhabitat] More »
With soaring fuel costs and greenhouse gas concerns, zeppelins might get their second chance to be a relevant mode of transportation. According to the New York Times, several countries are now looking into developing dirigibles for transporting things such as sightseers, postal deliveries and scientific payloads. France’s postal service, La Poste, seems to have some of the most ambitious plans in mind: using airships on routes between France and Corsica or the Antilles in an effort to reduce emissions.
A San Francisco start-up called Airship Ventures has raised US$8 million to launch its first Zeppelin this fall, for the purposes of tourism and research. The “flightseeing,” as they’re calling it, will cost a US$250 to US$500 for a spin around the Bay Area in a bonafide don’t-call-it-a-blimp Zeppelin. What’s the difference, you ask? Blimps are basically helium filled baloons with little cockpits attached. Zeppelins are usually rigid structures, larger and faster, achieving higher altitudes with better maneuverability. Before you airship nerds get all uppity, I will join you in saying that not all Zeppelins are Zeppelins (wha?)—it all boils down to the rigidity of your dirigible. Here’s a rundown of this particular model, plus an actual photo of it:
B&W make some awesome sounding speakers. Awesome sounding and awesome looking. So when the email saying their Zeppelin iPod dock was getting an Australian release, there was a certain amount of nervous excitement at the possibility of owning one.
All that came crashing to the ground in a pile of burnt hopes and tattered dreams when I saw the price, though. It will cost you $999.95 to own one of these docks. That’s a grand of your hard-earned cash. Or put another way, the same amount of money could buy you 15 iPod Shuffles, five iPod Nanos, three iPod Classics or two iPod Touches.
What makes this more offensive is that our American cousins can pick up the same product for US$599.95 on Amazon. That’s about $645 at current exchange rates.
If you’re an Australian B&W fan, you have every right to feel ripped off here. Of course, if you are an Australian B&W fan, you could probably afford the grand without batting an eyelid.
[Conexus]
