How Cool Is This?

I found this quite by accident earlier today, but it looks completely cool. It's called the env bike and it was designed by a company called Intelligent Energy. Apparently they're looking for manufacturers to put it into production, so anyone with the capacity to crank these babies out, get in touch and let's get these built in time for me to get one for next Xmas!

This Looks Like Tons of Fun!

Let me introduce you to the cool-looking Gaus Wheel from Hungary. I might be too old to be doing big Ollies on a skateboard, but I might be tempted to take one of these for a blast in a park or a parking lot. Check out the videos on their website, they're very cool.

The low center of gravity should make it a lot more stable than a unicycle, which would make it easier to ride for most of us. I'm not sure how you go about stopping it, but I'm sure you'd figure it out before you lost too much skin. Wasn't that half the fun of riding a bike as a kid, finding your limits? I don't know if anyone is importing these into the US yet, but I'm sure you could find a way to get one if you really want it.

Our Troops

OK people, our Troops overseas are serving our country, so they are essentially serving us, so whether you support the War on Terror or not, every soldier deserves our respect and appreciation. If you want to do something to show your appreciation for their service, there's something simple you can do that will mean a lot to them.
David M. Fortier of Shotgun News wrote a series of articles about the time he spent embedded with Bonecrusher Troop from the 3/7 Cavalry in Iraq. It made for some interesting reading, but the best part of the third article was a little box with info on how we can do something for the people who do so much for us. Send your gun, car or computer magazines, a local newspaper or just drop them a line of appreciation. Or if you are so inclined, they can always use gun cleaning supplies; patches, bore mops and solvent/protectant.
The address is:

Any Cavalry Trooper
C/O SFC Lugo
2nd Platoon, BTrp 3/7 Cav
Unit 5972
APO AE 09378

A New Toy For Your Wishlist

While surfing the 3% of the internet not devoted to porn, I happened across this little beauty. If these are half as good as they say, I'll start saving for one today! I don't really need a new TV because our 60" HDTV is only 2 years old, but my wife won't let me hook my game consoles up to it. So by the time my game TV packs it in, I'll have the moolah for a new Hi-Def gaming TV. How awesome is that?

Something More Serious Than My Usual Posts

Yeah, it's time to address something a bit more pressing. If you have a blog and vigorously exercise your freedom of speech like I do on my other blog, you need to be aware of the Bills going through Congress right now. Specifically the "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 (H.R. 1955), and its Senate companion, S. 1959" - the government's newest attack against its own people's rights. Linda Milazzo has written an excellent article in the Huffington Post about them. There is a similar article from the John Birch Society, as well as others I'm sure, but these are the two I've read. There is a very nicely detailed factsheet from the Center for Constitutional Rights posted on their site as well.

I will search for more information, and if I find anything relevant I'll post it ASAP.
Please, don't just read the articles, do something about it. Our representatives still work for us. Write them. It doesn't have to be much, just voice your concern, and let them know how important it is that this Bill not deteriorate our rights to free speech. This is seriously scary stuff, people, and the time has come to deal with it.

This is the letter I wrote to my reps:

Dear Senator ____________,

I am writing to voice my concern over Resolution 1959, the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007. This is as frightening a piece of legislature as anything I've ever seen, including policy papers from Nazi Germany and the U.S.S.R. under Stalin. It sounds suspiciously similar to the sedition laws enacted by the British prior to the Revolutionary War.

This is a totally unwarranted attack on our Constitutional rights, specifically the First Amendment as I understand it. Correct me if I'm wrong, Sir, but isn't voicing a dissenting opinion the very definition of freedom of speech? I personally put a very high value on our freedoms, and those who protect them for us.

Please do everything in your power to persuade others that supporting this resolution is utterly wrong and counter to the Constitution they (and you, Sir,) swore to defend.

I have the utmost confidence in your ability to shone the light of rationality on this corrosive issue.

Thank you for your time,

Dear Santa, Part 2

Man! This is what I'm talking about! A bonafide, James Bond-in-the-real-world rocket pack!

Who hasn't wanted to blast around in one of these babies? I know, it's as much as a house, but hey, I already have a house! Besides, you could recoup the cost doing promotional stunts! Yeah, it might take 10 years, but you were going to work all that time anyway, so you may as well have fun, right?

Another Great Find

In my last post, I told you about the Olive Opus series of digital audiophile player/recorders. Well I've found the perfect way to create a stand-alone system with a minimalist touch. Just add a pair of these beauties from Audioengine. That way, you can fill your home with sound instead of sound equipment.

The technical specs on them raised my eyebrows a bit, but the price almost floored me. If they're half as good in reality as they are on paper, they will blow you away. They also represent an excellent value in a field where the concept of value is subjective at best.
So if you have a pair of these little gems, please tell me how they rate, because there's always room in my entertainment center for more outstanding goodies.

And if all you want is a better pair of speakers for you computer and you don't want the full-throttle A5 series above, you can opt for the slightly tamer A2 series for about 40% less money. They aren't as powerful, because you aren't trying to fill a whole room with sound, but you still get stellar quality.

When an MP3 player Just Won't Do

Among my other amazingly expensive pursuits is my love of music, and the electronic reproduction thereof. This means I am always looking at really cool electronics and when I find something new and promising I will try to post it here. I want to do this for two reasons. First, I think good music deserves to be played on good equipment, and you should buy the best equipment you can readily afford. Second, if enough people buy the things I post on here, demand for those items will rise, making them increase production, which will in turn lower their cost, hopefully to a point that I can buy one for myself. So I'm not really sharing with you, I'm just another selfish, manipulative so-and-so.

Anyway, I have Stumbled Upon this little gem from an audio electronics company named Olive. It's like a gigantic hard drive so you don't have to convert your music to MP3 files. In my somewhat-less-than humble opinion, this conversion sucks a lot of the fidelity out of music, which is fine if you're only listening to your music with tiny earphones. But on a home system, playing through high-end equipment, these shortcomings become obvious, sometimes painfully so. They will actually pre-load music on your unit when you purchase it, for a small fee of course, but it's still s really cool feature.

These units will also load your MP3 player for you, play internet radio stations, or stream music through your house wirelessly. It also looks totally cool, so it should fit seamlessly into your existing system.

A Loophole for Motorcyclists

Have you ever heard or used the following statement? "I wish my wife wasn't so dead-set against me getting a motorcycle." Well, help has arrived in the form of the Campagna T-Rex. It's a really cool, totally modern trike. Actually, some call it a reverse trike, because unlike most trikes people are familiar with, the T-Rex has two wheels up front. This makes it much more stable when cornering compared to a traditional motorcycle-based trike with two rear wheels. It also means it can be much lower, because the engine and transmission are placed behind, not under the driver.

Manufactured in Quebec since 1994, they are just amazingly cool. I first saw one at a CART race at Homestead Miami Speedway back in 1996 and I've wanted one ever since. Power used to come from various motorcycle powerplants (including a V-twin from HD), but for 2007 they've upped the ante with Kawasaki's 1400cc, 187 hp beast. This gets you from 0-60 in under 4 seconds and your speed will top 160 mph, which is fast enough for almost anyone. Because it has a full tube chassis and is very light, overall performance should easily put a smile on your face.

For a grin-inducing video of the T-Rex being put through its paces on the show 5th Gear, follow the link to The Kneeslider, one of my favorite motorcycle websites.

An Interesting Find

Man, I love tools and other useful gadgets, especially when they use a novel approach to perform a mundane task. One such tool is the Ratcheting Hex Wrench from ProTool Manufacturing. If you do your own vehicle maintenance, then you've come across Allen head bolts that were a total pain to get out with the standard "L" hex wrench. Well, for those of you who like to keep your tool box as simple as possible, this neat little tool could help a lot. Since it's the Holiday Shopping Season, this would make a great gift to an aspiring tinkerer or your favorite hobbyist. Be sure to watch the video on their site, it's very cool.

The coolest flashlights around

When you absolutely, positively need the coolest gear for your adventures, it's my pleasure to show you the way. When I find something that is just above and beyond as far as coolness, utility or durability I will post it here for you.

Today's entry in the cool arena is this Lumencraft Flashlight.

They are currently the coolest and most high-tech flashlights I have seen. The build specs alone make me want one quite badly.

A Need for Real Speed

Behold! The Koenigsegg CCX! A true Supercar! It's made in Sweden in very small numbers and it'll run you a fat chunk of change, over $600k! And just what do you get for your money? A stunning carbon-fiber body, 806 HP from a twin-supercharged 4.7 litre V8 ( in the CCXR, which runs on Biofuel, this jumps 25% to a staggering 1018 hp!!), a 6-speed manual of course, 0-60 in 3.2 seconds and a top speed of over 245 mph!!

How's this for ultimate bragging rights? A Koenigsegg CC owner got the world's fastest speeding ticket. He was clocked at 242 mph on a Texas highway during the 2003 Gumball 3000 rally. The story on Wikipedia is just mind-boggling.

As if that weren't enough, Koenigsegg have actually made a car called the CCGT, which is a standard CCX homologized for competition in the International Sports Car series. They actually
detuned the car to 600 hp to comply with the rules!

So if you want to live in the rarified air of the world of supercars, start saving your money, because the price of admission ain't cheap, but it's worth every penny.