Budget Space Airline Now Taking Reservations—Got $95k?

I think we all know that the future is going to bring us space-travel tourism. Virgin Galactic has that Spaceport America coming very soon, and there is that fairly interesting Spaceship 2.

This is XCOR Aerospace’s Lynx spacecraft. It looks smaller than what Sir Richard Branson from Virgin is working on. The Lynx first showed up in 2008, and they are now taking pre-orders for the first flight, which is expected to be unveiled in 2012.

The Lynx has been designed with four independent rocket engines whose operational profile are “jet-engine” like in the sense they are used to power the aircraft. After it lands, they are refueled, a checklist is performed, and then you take off again, up to four times per day. The Lynx takes off like a private aircraft from a runway, flies to the edge of space, and returns to the take off site. Four onboard and several ground based cameras will be recording these historical flights, and will become a memento of this extraordinary personalized experience.

Keep in mind, that you can’t just spend an afternoon in space on this flight. No, you need a four-day training session and a two-day briefing before you go on the flight.

By the way, the price of a flight is about $95,000, which is about half the price what Virgin will charge. Pre-orders require a $20,000 deposit.

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125-piece metal puzzle can be put together to form a working gun

I don’t know if we have any readers that are TSA employees, but if they are, then don’t let this on the plane!

This is because that this is not an ordinary puzzle. This is assuming that a puzzle with 125 parts is “normal”. Personally, I think I would have a heck of a time solving it.

However, you should know that this particular puzzle has about 20 pieces that can form a single-shot .45 handgun.

By the way, the puzzle needs a special key in order to disassemble it, and I’m guessing that it doesn’t come with the bullet. Good luck trying to get past security with those bullets and this puzzle, buddy.

Now we come to the question as to why someone would make something like this. I mean, is someone actually trying to get past security with a one-shot gun?

I know that John Malkovich assembled a two-shot gun so he could kill the president in In the Line of Fire, and he had to assemble it secretly. I don’t think he could do this big puzzle underneath the table.

Could we somehow make a version of this for kids? Maybe certain parts of this could form a one shot Nerf gun.

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The Flowlab 14-wheel skateboard – can it possibly work?

We have reported on a lot of skateboard technology in the past, such as the Robotic Skateboard and the 19 MPH Skateboard.

Here’s is another advancement in skateboarding known as the Flowlab 14-wheel skateboard. As you can see, it has 7 wheels on an arch-shaped axle.

This is in lieu of the “trucks” that normally mount the four wheels on a board. Apparently, the presence of the extra wheels and curved shape helps skaters “carve” turns.

You might note my semi-authentic use of the slang of Sk8ers (misspelled on purpose). This is because I once owned a skateboard. Yes, before I was a blogger, I was a boarder. Granted, I was not a very good one, and I have never been “gleaming the cube”.

From what I remember, it took a little while (as well as some painful spills) to learn the art of turning on a skateboard. The problem is the board leans during a turn, and you have to adjust your balance for that.

I would think that the presence of more wheels would create a turning board that would be very hard to balance on. However, I’m sure that a real skating pro would be able to maintain their balance. Alas, I am not one of them.

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Digital Slingshot Tags Buildings With SMS

Let’s just say I handed you this slingshot with the push button numbers on it. What would you think it was supposed to do?

Perhaps it is a new type of cellular phone, where you dial in the number and shoot it at the nearest cell phone tower to get the best possible signal.

The truth is that this slingshot is designed to shoot SMS messages. Granted, you need to have a big screen as well as a projector to see the messages, but the end result is kind of neat. There is a video of it after the jump that I highly recommend watching.

As you can see, the people are here are entering in their message, and then pulling back on the slingshot to “splatter” it on the giant screen. There is a laser in this thing that will keep track of where you are “aiming”, and then you will have some terrific digital graffiti.

This apparently a project by some media group in Berlin, but that is about all my Source has for “why” of this project. Honestly, I would love to see this experiment repeated at Times Square in New York City, but I don’t believe that screen is a projection screen. Maybe something could be worked out.

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ProMini Wireless Keyboard with Trackpad

Those who have spent a good 8 hours or so in front of their monitor at work will definitely want to give their eyes a break when tehy get home, lounging on their favorite lazy chair while stretching out with the missus serving you a nice, hot dinner. OK, so maybe the last bit isn’t that ideal, but the ProMini Wireless Keyboard with Trackpad from ThinkGeek might just help you relax, after all it offers a full keyboard layout not to mention navigation and multimedia control keys that allow you to do just about anything you like from the comfort of your preferred seating position. Heck, since it comes with a backlight, you can even dim the lights for that more romantic touch. Retailing for $69.99 a pop, it features the first 90-degree Flip Design Touchpad in the world, letting you click, scroll, and mouse like a champion despite its small size. Its lithium ion battery will also power an integrated Laser Pointer just in case you want to point to your kids to bring the can of beer located on the shelf and they’re not quite sure where it is. We jest about the last bit, and you surely know that, right?

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UC San Diego researchers repurpose 3D HDTV for heads-up VR system

This is a project going on a the University of California, San Diego. They call it the Heads-Up Virtual Reality device, or HUVR (pronounced like the word “hover”). I call it awesome.

HUVR “couples a consumer 3D HDTV panel with a half-silvered mirror to project any graphic image onto the user’s hands and/or into the space surrounding them”. Apparently, the user’s head is tracked in order to get the correct perspective, and there is a haptic feedback device on hand for manipulation. I noticed that their haptic device looks a lot like a Novint Falcon, which I believe was designed for 3D gaming.

I have a video of this after the jump if you want to see this in action. Personally, I think that the possibilities for this technology are limitless. For example, medical researchers can use this for 3D manipulation of brainscans from an MRI. Archaeologists can use this handle an artifact that is too precious to be handled with the hands-on approach.

Best of all, this technology has come relatively cheap. It uses a $2,300 Samsung 3D TV and a heads up virtual reality system that costs $7,000. I look forward to the day when it costs as much as a desktop computer. I can totally see desktop and possibly even laptop computers being like this.

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New Bond gadget? A tiny pen paper shredder with “invisible letters writing”

This is the “Paper Lacerating Pen”, and it has many features. At least two more than the average pen.

First of all, it allows you to write messages or anything else in “invisible letters”. Then, with the LED light on top, you can shine on what you have written and have a secret be revealed. I wonder if it is like that thing from the Da Vinci Code.

Not only can you write down coded messages, but you can shred them after you are finished. Yes, this pen actually has a paper shredder built right in. Granted, it looks like you can only shred things that are less than two inches wide, but hey, how many other pens can say they come with a shredder? Take that, Bic!

I suppose that the best use of this product is a toy. Unless you have a spy agency. Just think about how an agent can leave another agent a message on a small piece of paper with this pen. Then the other agent, who also has this pen, can read the message, and then shred it!

Oddly enough, my Source did not link to the company that makes these. I ran a search on “Paper Lacerating Pen” and it was also fruitless. I could easily see this marketed as something that Spy Gear would make.

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Almost invisible mirrored tree house built in Sweden

This is the Tree Hotel, designed by Swedish architects Tham and Videgard. As you can see, it is nearly invisible as it is a box made of mirrors.

It was once a concept that others mocked, saying it was “computer-generated eye candy, impossible to build, and death for birds”. There is apparently a special film that is visible to birds and applied to the glass.

As you might have guessed, it is a somewhat eco-friendly resort. It was constructed from sustainably harvested wood, has an electric radiant floor heating and a state-of-the-art incineration toilet.

The designers want to maintain the beauty of this untouched forest, and they are on record as saying:

This is untouched forest, and we want to maintain it the same way. We decided, for example, to not offer snowmobile safari which is very common up here,” says Selberg. Instead, wilderness walks will be offered.

This is one of apparently six mirrored cubes that is planned to be built at this location, and it is located about 40 miles south of the Arctic Circle.

I certainly wouldn’t mind staying here, but I hope that it stays warm in the wintertime. Something tells me that the snow would make this mirrored cube very visible. I hope the architects took these factors into account. Let’s just say they did.

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Spinning Tow Ball for water sports lovers

If you happen to have the penchant for water sports, then the Spinning Tow Ball is just the thing for you as you seek for ever new experiences in getting that new adrenaline rush high. This inflatable tow ball can spins 360º on its horizontal axis while careening across the water, being pulled by a boat. It spans 78″ in diameter, where the ball itself is composed of two hulls, an outer shell that glides across the water as well as a recessed 60″ diameter inner shell suspended by 114 shock absorbing nylon cords. This results in a human sized open-ended sphere which accommodates one rider up to 250 lbs. A swivel joint which attaches the ball’s front to a boat’s tow rope allows the rider to push against the interior using a trio of sturdy handholds to begin (or counteract) the spinning motion. As for the chamber’s shock absorption, it enables riders to enjoy the inherent jostles, caroms, and rotations that result from a full-speed joyride. Thanks to its durable 24-gauge PVC construction, the Spinning Tow Ball is more than able to withstand bumps, scrapes, and repeated buffeting by water and rider. Good thing you need not rely on lung power to inflate this puppy since it comes with a heavy duty valve which is pump-friendly. The price for adventure? $799.95.

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HP's webOS 2.0 to take on iPhone 4, iPad later this year

HP’s recent acquisition of Palm and all of its intellectual property has resulted in many people wondering just what are they going to do with the company as well as its jewels, where the webOS is chief among them. Well, word has finally come out that HP will be positioning its Palm webOS 2.0 as a direct competitor to both the iPhone, iPad and Android devices, which would mean relegating its Windows 7 Slate PC offerings to a business tablet niche. According to HP, they are working to modify its consumer offerings to help it be similar to Apple in some ways, where they intend to market premium hardware which will not come up short in terms of software, which is where the webOS software platform comes in.

You might wonder though, will this move somehow affect HP’s rather close relationship with Microsoft, considering HP is the world’s largest Windows PC vendor? It would be interesting to see how the future unfolds though – after all, earlier this year, HP demonstrated its Slate PC that is powered by Windows 7, a move which was seen by many to be a preemptive strike on Apple’s planned tablet device although the HP Slate didn’t manage to make it out of the stable doors even after the Apple iPad was shipped, selling millions in the process. This was followed by picking Palm up for slightly over a billion dollars, which might point towards new HP smartphones being powered solely by the webOS platform only, and will not rely on Windows Phone 7.

HP has now officially announced that it will do exactly that, just like how Dell will not use Windows Phone 7 but rely on Android as the OS of choice instead (without ruling out the possibility of building its own mobile platform from scratch). HP will still build a Windows 7 “Slate 500″, but it will only target enterprise customers so regular Joes like you and I probably won’t see much of it in the streets.

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Green suit is like an invisibility cloak for your home videos

Apparently, someone spilled lemonade on the Blue Man Group and created this green man group that you see here.

Actually, this is the Video Green Full Cover Suit, and it is designed to be used with a Chroma Key video effect so that you disappear. It’s how they do the invisible man trick that you see in movies.

So if you have an idea to do some invisible man effect for your next YouTube post, this is probably needed for the special effect. That, and a good green screen.

I have never used one of these, but I’m sure that you have seen several movies with this green suit in action. I believe that Andy Serkis had to wear one of these when he played Gollum for the Lord of the Rings movies, but I remember that his was blue for the motion capture. I also remember watching a making of Cats and Dogs feature that showed that at least three guys in green suits were on hand for the special effects. So when you see scenes where cats and dogs are flying through the air, then it may just be a few guys in the green suits holding it up.

Well, you can get this green suit for about $225, and they are available in the aforementioned blue. They also come in two sizes, but my Source does not say what sizes they are.

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Eraser USB drive reminds you that memories are precious

This Eraser USB Stick has a quirky design, but a serious message. It was made to help people to remember how hard it is for those going through Alzheimer’s, while also reminding you of the importance of your own precious memories. With such a serious message, it might be enough to remind you to back up those picture files you’ve been meaning to deal with.

This is a design that was created in New Zealand for those that live in New Zealand. These were sent off to local politicians and organizations along with a letter to help raise awareness of their Alzheimer’s charity. Thus far these seem to have worked pretty well and have gotten a positive response in that part of the world. It’s a great creative idea and it’s even better that they’re doing it for a good cause. There’s no word if there’s somewhere to purchase these online so far.

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Autom, the robot weight loss coach: we'll just keep the friends that lie to us, thanks

As someone who is trying to lose weight, I have quickly learned how tough a fight it is going to be.

I believe the Autom robot was designed to help out the user with their diet. It is up to the user to enter in the details of their diet, such has their fitness level. Just think of it as a WiiFit, except the white rectangle talks to you.

The Autom has some sort of databank, and then it can carry on some conversations. I can only assume that these conversations are pretty one-sided, and Autom will tell you to “stick to your workout, fattie”. Okay, I added the “fattie” on the end there, but I think you see what is going on here. I have a video of it if you want to see it in action.

This is kind of a spoiler, but the video says that Autom is going to be featured in the film Astro Boy. I seem to recall seeing that film last year, and I didn’t see it.

Personally, I think this thing should make an appearance on The Biggest Loser. Apparently, there are plans to get this thing out soon. They will probably advertise it on The Biggest Loser along with all the other health products they sell.

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AiRScouter: Brother’s futuristic head mounted display

I have covered a lot of head-mounted displays (HMD), such as the i-Bean, before.

The AiRScouter is not like the Vuzix iWear, as it doesn’t have two viewers on each eye. It seems to be designed for viewing things with just one eye, for some sort of multi-tasking. For example, this might be good for an electrician who is doing repairs, and needs to have the schematic on hand.

I believe that this device has a “Retinal Imaging Display”. I’m not really certain what this is, but I believe that Brother wants to use it for augmented reality applications. Considering that I have considered augmented reality one of the coolest gadgets ever, I am pleased to see that it just keeps getting bigger.

Believe it or not, Brother unveiled this HMD back in 2008, and then again in 2009. It was unnamed had a completely different design. By the way, it is still in a prototype stage. Man, will this ever get into the hands of customers? Something tells me this isn’t designed for the typical consumer, but for the construction worker some sort of utility worker.

If you want to see this AiRScouter, you can go to the Brother World JAPAN 2010 Expo in Tokyo for September.

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Projector ring lets you shine your memories on the wall

Most married people have a reminder of their commitment on their finger, and should have at least one wedding photo. What if you could have both of those in the same place?

That’s right, it is a wedding ring with a photo inside. This picture will give you an idea of how small the photo is, but it will get bigger if you shine a light through it. In fact, you can project an image on the wall. My source does not have a measurement of how large the image is, nor how much light is required to make this projection.

Best of all, you don’t have to just stick with one picture. The ring has the option of switching out slides, but they must be pretty tiny slides.

Sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it? It also sounds like the perfect wedding gift. Too bad designers Luke Jerram and jeweler Tamrakar always say the same thing when they get a request for a second ring:

Congratulations on your engagement! I’m afraid this ring was a one off, made for my wife. I’m afraid you’ll have to make your own unique ring for your own unique partner!

By the way, this ring was designed for Luke Jerram, one of the makers. Too bad it is a one-time-only, as I could easily see these being mass produced.

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