From the monthly archives:
The Cri-Cri is the worlds smallest twin engine airplane. It weighs just 170 kilos and can fly at a hefty 150mph which isn’t bad at all. The thrust is generated from 2 AMT Olympus Turbines. If one of the turbines is used it can still get up to 100mph. I cant say it looks like the safest plane on the planet, but that doesn’t matter to the French pilot Nicolas Charmont pictured.
The video below is of the regular prop version.
Lego has been around for donkeys years. Each month I come across something different built out of Lego. This month we have already had the Lego iPhone (completely bricked) and now we have the Lego Mindstorms NXT automatic toilet flusher. It is named RoboFlush and has one purpose. That purpose is to automatically flush so that you do not forget. It works by using an ultrasonic sensor that sits on the top of the toilet and when it detects movement away from it, it will then flush.
Via: TechChee
According to belt-buckles.net, the LED belt buckle is the hottest thing in that industry right now. To be honest, I never realised that LED belt buckles were all the rage. Ive never seen one in real life. Anyway, choosing one needs a lot of care and attention so that you get exactly what you need. Belt-buckles came up with a list of things to look out for.
* The ability to store multiple messages
* The length of the message in characters (good ones allow up to 256 characters or more)
* The number of speed levels (speed your message displays)
* The number of brightness levels
* An accessible ON/OFF button
* Is is easily programmable and can you switch between messages easily
* There should be an instruction manual
* Batteries should be included
With Google aiming for world domination they have now released a free 411 service. Dial 1-800-GOOG-411 from your cell phone, tell them where you are and what you are looking for and you will be connected free of charge. Not a bad deal at all if you ask me. For those who use regular paying services often you will be glad to know those charges will go away should you decide to use Googles service.
Via: GOOG411
TransPortmers are different from the regular transformers you know and love. Characters such as Optibus Prime, Megatren and Sembreaker can be found. Although they are just artists drawings/concept if you will, they are still interesting to take a look at as they are transformers made out of regular Filipino vehicles. Check the wall papers out over at DevientArt.
Via: Codamon
Michelin have created some self regenerating tires which can go even longer then your long life ones. These new tires named the XDA5 feature 2 layers of traction. When the first layer wares out it reveals the second layer of tire. By doing this the tire can travel 30% further then before. Not only has the extra rubber been added, but also a new pattern which allows for better wear and tear by minimising wear patterns. A mixture of all this adds to a safer, longer and more stable tire. These tires are not available for your car though as they are for Class 8 rigs only. It would be cool to see this kind of idea make it to regular cars and no doubt in the future we will see tires increase in performance.
Via: Inventorspot
A reverse engineered version of the 3.71 Sony firmware has been released by team M33. Rather then me try to summarise the changes made it would be worth you checking out Krizka who has a rundown of all the features and what it all does. Krizka also mentions that Dark_Alex is behind all this who some of you might be aware of him supposedly leaving the scene earlier this year. Homebrew just couldnt keep him away 
What you see above is a multi touch pad built from a plastic bag, dyed water and a camera. The camera looks up from below and the image it sees it converted in to three areas through threshold. Light blue represents the background with dark blue being the fingers which are seen as an overlay on the screen. Pressure points are seen as another colour and when the pressure points show up they are recognised and translated accordingly. More technical details can be found at 37Signals linked after the video demonstration below. On to the practical side of this… I doubt anyone would want to carry a plastic bag of blue dye around with them, but its still cool and well worth checking out.
Via: 37Signals
Biometrics are very handy as they allow secure access to places by fingerprint, eye scans and other various parts of your body. As long as you do not loose your fingers with this lock then you can get in and out when ever you want. It would seem a little weird swiping your finger over the sensor on your front door. With it being programmable you can deny access to who ever you want while permitting access to all of your family.
Via: ChilliTechnology
This is the UXV Combatant warship that is being developed by BAE systems. The future according to BAE will be filled with AI and robots which will fight against each other. It sounds rather terminatorish to me. It expected that this ship will go in to service after 2020 which isnt that far away to be honest. It is 8000 tonnes and will have a whole host of features such as a below deck hangar, smart munitions and twin flight decks to name a few.
Full integrated electrical propulsion with twin propeller shafts/motors supplied by gas turbine and diesel alternators. Alternatively, cruising power can be supplied by two shafts/motors and diesel alternators with boost power from one gas turbine driving two water jets.
Completly crazy 
Via: Gizmodo
If you cannot afford to fork out several hundred dollars for an iPhone and put it on contract then you could go for a 3D wireframe model. I know it doesnt have the same effect but still looks the same….. on screen. The iPhone is available for download in a lowpoly format in 3D Studio MAX format at Exchange3D.
Via: Exchange3D
Halo 3 was finally launched yesterday, but unfortunately a lot of end users ended up getting a scratched disc like the one above. Microsoft have been good about it and will obviously be replacing any damaged discs, but it will take about 2 weeks to get the new copy back. This is effecting the limited edition versions.
Via: Fosfor
The Kam Kam is a mobile phone holder shaped like a cat. When a call is received the cat will wag its tail to alert you to the call. It works by detecting the mobile phone signal similar to what you hear when the radio is on and a call arrives. When that is detected the tail wags away. The phone holder will wag its tail even when it is up to 5 feet away. I would imagine it would be kind of freaky for those not know what it does to suddenly see the tail go. It takes 2 AA batteries and costs $29.99.
Product Page Via: TechChee
The Elecom MR-C12 is a memory card case to put it basically. It also features a USB connection and card reader for most of the popular memory card formats. It is ideal for those who want to safely carry their memory cards around with out the fear of loosing them.
Via: TechTreak
The new Sony Vaio L series will be launched soon. The L series are wall mountable PCs with 3 models available. The smallest starts with a 15.4 inch screen moving up to a large 19 and 22 inch screen. The larger versions are equipped with the same wall mounting kit that is build for the Bravia screens. Two different processors are available which are the Intel Celeron M530 and the Core 2 Duo T7500 running at 2.2Ghz. They do look quite nice although if I was to mount it on a wall I think Id prefer even larger models such as 32 inch or larger for windows media centre. Prices start at $1900 for the smaller model.
Via: DeGadget
