Full-Size Cardboard Aston Martin for Papier-Mâché Bonds [Glued, Not Cello-taped]
Aug 1, 2008 Blogs, Technology
This Ashton Martin DB5 is a full-sized, almost-perfect reproduction of the original Bond car—down to the front-blinkers machine guns and Ben-Hurish wheels’ blades—built using only cardboard and glue. It has no supporting structure, neither metal nor wood. Her Majesty’s cardboard spy car was built by Chris Gilmour, who has a tendency to convert everything in 1:1 scale cardboard models, from bikes to giant strong boxes to dragsters to dentist chairs, grand pianos, and portable typewriters:
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Gilmour has imposed a strict logic on his works he makes objects using only cardboard and glue. There is no supporting structure, no wooden or metal frame. His interpretations of everyday objects are created in adherence to the use of a pure and single material, but instead of the marble or bronze of classical statues, he has chosen one of the most humble and commonly found of our industrial times.
It’s true: the detail and fidelity are amazing. Too bad cardboard is not rain proof, like marbel and bronze. On the positive side, knowing that Bond is a noted Dry Martini addict who crashes every single vehicle he gets his hands on, giving him a cardboard car to fight against a cardboard SPECTRE is not a bad thing at all.
[Chris Gilmour via Jalopnik]
Tags: gadgets, Technology
Wii-deprivation drives man to kidnap himself
Aug 1, 2008 Blogs, Technology
Filed under: Gaming
Sure, Wii is great and all, but we’re guessing a man in China who tried to extort $1,400 from his parents by “kidnapping” himself and demanding a ransom after they refused to buy him a “Nintendo computer” was probably a little too infatuated with Ninty’s white box. The man, (who we’re hoping is more of a “boy,”) apparently hired two men to kidnap him, and was arrested after he withdrew his own ransom from an ATM. Genius. Quick tip, kids: real tennis, bowling, golf, and boxing are almost as much fun as Wii Sports, believe it or not — and they involve just slightly less jail time.
[Via Wii Fanboy]
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Tags: computers, gadgets, Technology
Kid Arranges Own Kidnapping to Buy Wii With Ransom [Wii Drama]
Aug 1, 2008 Blogs, Technology
This honestly sounds more like the plot of a Cheech and Chong movie than a news story, but apparently it’s true. In China, a kid named Yang was so upset that his parents wouldn’t buy him a Wii that he got together with a couple shifty individuals and faked his own kidnapping. They then demand a ransom of about $1,400 USD and were caught trying to withdraw it from an ATM. We’re assuming Yang would have had enough from his cut of the would-be payoff that he could get his own Wii without his parents’ help. How he’d explain why the first thing he wanted to do after being rescued was a trip to Best Buy we don’t know. [Destructoid]
Tags: gadgets, Technology
Kid Arranges Own Abduction Because Parents Won’t Buy A Wii [Wii Drama]
Aug 1, 2008 Blogs, Technology
This honestly sounds more like the plot of a Cheech and Chong movie than a news story, but apparently it’s true. In China, a kid named Yang was so upset that his parents wouldn’t buy him a Wii that he got together with a couple shifty individuals and faked his own kidnapping. They then demand a ransom of about $1,4000USD and were caught trying to withdraw it from an ATM. We’re assuming Yang would have had enough from his cut of the would-be payoff that he could get his own Wii without his parents help. How he’d explain why the first thing he wanted to do after being rescued was a trip to Best Buy we don’t know. [Destructoid]
Tags: gadgets, Technology
New Terminator Salvation Still: Meet Marcus Wright [Terminator]
Aug 1, 2008 Blogs, Technology
This is the first look at Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), the major wild card character in the upcoming fourth installment in the Terminator series. Rumors abound about Marcus’ background - and humanness - but most of them are too spoilerific to post here, so let’s just go with what we know and see: he’s a major character, he’s not John Connor, he looks pretty serious and maybe, just maybe, there’s frayed a wire poking out from beneath his clavicle. I mean, it’s probably just his shirt, but it’s pretty suggestive. In other words, ladies and gentlemen, we might have ourselves a new Arnie. [Terminator Salvation on Giz]
If you missed this the first time around, here’s the teaser trailer:
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Tags: gadgets, Technology
We Dare You To Find A More Badass Tool Chest [Tool Chests]
Aug 1, 2008 Blogs, Technology
This isn’t the tool box you’d likely see at your local garage right now. No, this is straight out of a gearhead’s rock n’ roll fantasy: A huge tool chest that also comes with an integrated Pioneer sound system and beer fridge. Top that off with self-illumination and built-in power strip and you’ve got almost everything you’d need. Except tools. At $1600 it’s something you might actually start seeing in hobbyist garages soon. I know my stepdad’s going to want one. [Kobalt tools via Uncrate]
Tags: gadgets, Technology
Question of the Day: What’s Your Most Expensive, Dumbest Gadget Oops? [Question Of The Day]
Aug 1, 2008 Blogs, Technology
To many of us, our gadgets are like our babies: we bring them everywhere, they’re expensive, and we would go to great lengths to protect them. But just like babies, sometimes gadgets get dropped. The results are often tragic, and the guilt crippling. Maybe you haven’t drenched your new $1600 keyboard in coffee, but have you accidentally plunked your BlackBerry in a urinal? Put your iPod through the wash? Has your adorable puppy destroyed your new laptop in a territorial gesture? What’s your worst, your most embarrassing, your most expensive or just your most ridiculous “oh, shit” gadget moment?
Tags: gadgets, Technology
Windows Mobile And Symbian S60 Get Google Maps Upgrade With Transit Info [Google Maps]
Aug 1, 2008 Blogs, Technology
Windows Mobile and S60 users get an update to Google Maps this week that includes public transit stops as well as user star ratings for local businesses. The free upgrade shows not just where stops are for particular transit lines but also allows you to incorporate them into building your route. Blackberry users have had this functionality for a few weeks now and it’s likely a feature that will be updated for most other mobile operating systems in the next few weeks. [Google Mobile Blog]
Tags: gadgets, Technology
Amazon rumored to have sold 240,000 Kindles
Aug 1, 2008 Blogs, Technology
Filed under: Handhelds
Amazon’s been pretty cagey with Kindle sales numbers, except to say that it sold out the first batch in 5.5 hours and that more are finally arriving. Still, you can’t keep a secret forever, and TechCrunch says they have it on good authority that Bezos and Co. have sold some 240,000 Kindles since November. Adding it all up, that’s good enough for $100M in total revenue so far — which is about what Wall Street’s been predicting. Of course, that’s chump change compared to the $1B annual business some analysts think Kindle can be, but you gotta start somewhere — and a quarter-mil out the gate in the first year ain’t bad at all.
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Tags: computers, gadgets, Technology
Images: Dinosaur sightings: Old search engines
Aug 1, 2008 World News
Here’s a look back at some of the first home pages of search engines that are still around today, and some that have passed on.
Tags: international, national, world
iPhone Arm Frees Hand for Debauchery (or Douchery) [Humor]
Aug 1, 2008 Blogs, Technology
The iPhone Arm keeps one hand free while using you’re the iPhone, or any other mobile device, really. It’s compatible with Jason’s favorite iPhone web app, and compliments it perfectly. It also supports Apple’s recently announced iPhone 3G videoconferencing kit, which it should be launching soon after. [Break via digg]
Tags: gadgets, Technology
Yahoo, shareholders convene–at last
Aug 1, 2008 World News
At the annual shareholders meeting, Yahoo honchos continue to voice optimism about the company’s future. Some investors had hoped for more action.
Tags: international, national, world
Yahoo board wins solid shareholder backing in vote
Aug 1, 2008 Technology
SAN JOSE, California (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc’s board of directors won strong backing from shareholders at its annual meeting on Friday, with Jerry Yang, the company’s embattled CEO, receiving 85 percent of the vote in his favor.
Tags: internet, Technology
Put Your Game Face On And Plant Some Trees With SGN
Aug 1, 2008 Blogs, Technology
Social Gaming Network, a startup behind a number of popular social network games, has partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to create a Facebook game to raise money for, of all things, planting trees. SGN has created a game called “Space Movers: The Bloom Initiative”, and will donate up to $50,000 of the game’s advertising revenue to the cause. You can check out the app by going here.
The game itself plays almost exactly like Bejeweled, with a few goofy characters and icons that all fit under a vague “nature” theme. And while the gameplay may not be too original, the game has high production values, with a full soundtrack and animations.
The partnership is the latest in a string of unconventional promotions we’ve seen from developers on social networks, who are going to great lengths to increase exposure and help their games “go viral”. Last month Slide partnered with VH1 to to promote its application alongside a marathon of reality shows.
SGN focuses on games that include social interaction, and claims 1.1 million daily active users across Facebook, Bebo, MySpace, and hi5, with a reported 54 million application installs. The company has raised some serious cash, with over $20 million in funding and investors including Jeff Bezos. Zynga, its closest competitor, recently closed a $29 million Series B funding round led by Kleiner Perkins, and has raised a total of nearly $40 million.
Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
Tags: internet, Technology, web
How to Backup a Web Server
Aug 1, 2008 Technology
Your hard drive is backed up, your documents, family pictures, even your car keys. Now why isn’t your web server? Web servers aren’t infallible and you can lose your hard work in seconds. Have we struck the fear of apocalypse in you yet? We have a solution. We’ll help roll your HTML and CSS up with your database files and automatically generate backups.
Tags: computers, software, Technology