If you are into the whole snail mail thing – then the Map Envelope website is definitely worth a look. It prints out an envelope outline with a Google satellite map on the inside. You pick the location, and a short message… and it does the rest in no time at all.
Lamborghini has just pushed out the first teaser image for the new car that it will debut at the Paris Motor Show in a few weeks. The new sports car which is expected to badged as the Jota will replace the Murcielago that debuted in 2001. Not much detail is known about the Jota, but the rumors floating around the net indicate that it will be powered by an all-new V12 engine with direct injection and over 700 horsepower. The V12 in the Murcielago is an evolution of the unit that first appeared in the 3500 GT in the mid-1960s and subsequently powered the Countach, Diablo and Reventon as well.
Care to soar to the skies on a MIG and experience one of the top 10 world’s adventure for holiday? If flying to altitudes boosts your adrenaline rush then the Edge of Space program is tailored just for you. Russian MiG-31 or MiG-29 military jets are employed to take you to 65000 feet that not all have been too. Flying at Mach 2.35 (about one mile every two seconds), being a part of such an exclusive flight mission is the closest most people can get to of being an astronaut. Lasting for about 40-45 minutes and costing about $25,000, you can experience the hypersonic speed of 2400-2500 km per hour. Also while descending you can enjoy some high aerobatic maneuvers with your flight instructor, a certified first class pilot of Russian Sokol Airbase. Keen fliers will also be allowed to steer the high-powered marvel machine but of course under the pilot’s control and at the pilot’s discretion. The package includes MIG flight, luxury accommodation, private excursions and transfers.
With automotive manufacturers trying to outdo each other with green vehicles, Hyundai is trying to get one over its rivals by announcing that its hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (FCEV) will be shipping in 2012, and the company already has plans to sell 1,000 units in 2013, and 10,000 units by 2015. The exact technology that Hyundai will be using wasn’t mentioned, but you can bet that it will have rivals sweating slightly.
Danish audio innovator Libratone has been showing off its first consumer product at this year’s IFA Consumer Electronics Show in Berlin. The Beat is a high-end wireless speaker that promises listeners an audio sweet spot wherever they may be in a room. An iPod, iPhone or iPad is connected to a wireless transmitter which sends an audio signal to the speaker, then FullRoom technology reflects the sound off the room’s walls to provide 360 degrees of sonic enjoyment. The system comes with a 30-pin transmitter that attaches to an iPod, iPhone or iPad and wirelessly streams audio to a Beat speaker up to 32.8 feet (10m) away. The proprietary lossless wireless transfer system packs the signal at the audio device end and then unpacks it again at the Beat. The wireless range of the system can be extended to 98.4 feet (30m) if the user opts to connect the wireless USB transmitter to a PC or Mac. It is, of course, a given that users of the system will want to get the most out of the experience by sending only high quality audio from the originating device.
The company’s Jes Mosgaard says that the Beat works “like an acoustic instrument filling the entire room with sound. The speaker disperses sound in different directions, reflecting it off the walls, providing 360 degree sound. This means you are always in the so-called sweet spot. We call it FullRoom sound.”
Said to use high-end components and advanced signal processing of the kind normally reserved for systems found in studios, the Libratone Beat aims to provide “the freedom that comes with portable devices – their mobility and their potential for vast media libraries, without settling for mediocre sound or clumsy design,” according to the company’s CEO Fritz Andersen.
Initial availability of the Libratone Beat will be limited when it appears at selected retail outlets in Germany, the UK and Scandinavia in October. From January next year however, the Beat should be available worldwide for a suggested retail price of US$655.
A photo of a train making a stop. Standard version on top, HDR version on bottom.
A software update for Apple’s mobile operating system is due for release next week, and Wired.com has had hands-on time with a major new feature of the OS: high-dynamic range photography.
HDR, an automated processing feature aiming to deliver a “dummy-proof” photography method, will be included with the camera app on all iPhones running iOS 4.1 when it ships next week. When you take a picture, HDR processes three versions of the image: an underexposed version, a normally exposed version, and an overexposed version. Then it combines these three images into one to increase the dynamic range (the intensity of the light) to give you a more accurate representation of the scene you’re shooting.
In iOS 4.1, when you launch your camera there will be an option to toggle HDR on or off. When toggled on, the iPhone will take a few seconds to process a photo in HDR after snapping it. By default, your iPhone will save both a normal, unedited version of your photograph along with an HDR-processed version. (You can tweak the save mode in your settings.)
Joe Sylvester wants to set the record for longest jump made by a monster truck. Doing so will require beating the 202-foot jump Dan Runte made at the wheel of Bigfoot in 1999.
Clearly he has more work to do, as a practice attempt on Tuesday in his truck Bad Habit did not go well. Sylvester was not hurt, and he plans to make a run for the record at Sunday at the Cornfield 500. Watch how he gets angry! Lol
If you are on the hunt for luxurious watch winder to protect your ultimate collection of expensive automatic watches and happen to be a Bugatti fan at the same time, you really need to check out the BIG BLOCK WINDER by ORIGINTIMES. Based on a Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron engine block, this amazing watch winder stores your 16 valuable timepieces. A small touch panel integrated into the architecture of the engine block helps control the complete watch winding system. Each watch winder inside can be individually programmed as per the requirement of the respective watch. All modules can be handled simultaneously as per the user’s liking.
The stiletto-shod, couture-clad masses are about to desend on New York City for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week September 9-16 and local hotels are ready with a variety of hotel packages that promise cocktails, tote bags and other amenities in addition to a soft place to sleep after a day of waiting and watching at the shows.
The Royalton Hotel is offering a special iPad Amenity for Fashion Week. During Fashion Week, guests of Royalton Hotel will receive custom iPads during their stay for one touch access to hotel amenities, concierge services and real time updates on events, shows and gossip during NY Fashion Week.
St Giles - The Court Hotel’s all new package, Suite, Fashion, Spirits is priced at $399 per night and includes two tickets to one of Style 360 Metropolitan Pavilion amazing designer runway shows such as Gudnitz Couture, Walter, Malan Breton, Rajvi Mohan, SACHIKA and bobi/Boy Meets Girl/Caravan. Style 360 runs September 11 - 14, 2010. Other extras include VIP access to the Gerber Group new hotspot, LexBar along with complimentary drinks. An added bonus is priority access to celebrity stylist, Sarah Perpich. Consultation with Perpich is additional. A minimum stay of two nights is required.
The Plaza Hotel offers a package that includes accommodations in a guestroom or suite, a $500 credit redeemable at The Palm Court, The Rose Club, The Champagne Bar, The Food Hall by Todd English, Caudalie Vinothérapie Spa, Warren-Tricomi Salon, The Plaza Boutique and Eloise Shop. Fall Fashion Week Package guests staying at The Plaza on September 10 will receive VIP access to Grammy award nominee Corrine Bailey Rae’s much anticipated performance at The Plaza. Rates start at $995 per night with a five night minimum stay.
Designer Marc Newson has designed a new speedboat for Italian brand Riva as a new innovative reinterpretation of the Aquariva speedboat. The Riva Aquariva has been designed carefully to incorporate anodized aluminium while featuring a textile based laminate with a strong appearance of wood. The durable wood enables the covering deck area to have a more traditional mahogany and a classic look while keeping the Riva signature style. A laminated glass windshield separates the driver and passenger seat and the handles and hooks disappear when they are not in use making the Riva Aquariva a truly luxurious phenomenon. There will be twenty two models exclusively available through private order.