Motorhead Messiah: Fast and Efficient Diesel
The excuse that an environmentally friendly car cannot perform well enough to replace the American thirst for horsepower is total BS. The Tesla Roadster is one example of using an electric engine to produce high speeds. Now meet Johnathan Goodwin who is doing things with a Hummer that GM thought was impossible.
The fact that GM thinks that high performance and fuel efficiency are mutually exclusive is not surprising. Such a large company with entrenched values is not a place for radical innovation. They are pushing more flex fuel vehicles and ethanol, but they certainly are not doing what John Goodwin does.
Goodwin’s car are mostly diesels which car run a variety of fuels. They can use regular diesel fuel, biodiesel or grease from your local KFC or Chinese restaurant. Brits have been doing this for a while with their diesels but government folks have been up in arms over the loss in gas tax revenue.
With Goodwins push for Diesel engines to cut down emissions while improving mileage and performance, there is a conundrum. NY State and other states have been banning the sales of diesel cars. The reason is to cut down emissions since a typical diesel lets out more emissions than a standard gas car even though they are much more fuel efficient and can run biodiesel fuel easily.
Ariel Atom 3
The Ariel Atom 3 does not have all of the typical accoutrements such as stereo, heated seats or glove compartment. It does not even have a body. The car is a throwback style with the driver fully exposed to the elements. This is done for one purpose, speed.
Top Gear’s test drive of the Ariel Atom
Regular Expressions: Is There Anything They Can’t Do?
Great cartoon from xkcd: http://xkcd.com/c208.html. I’m sorry, but I cheat at Regular Expressions. I use Regex Buddy. Like many of you I always thought that egular Expressions were simply made up. How could all of those random letters and clicks do anything? Regex Buddy helped me out. Now I recommend Regular expressions to everybody.
20 Things You Didn’t Know About Living In Space
Astrochimp know a thing or two about space… Anyway, When I was a kid I always wanted to be an Astronaut. But I have a lazy eye, so I don’t quite have the right stuff. Here is a list of things you did not know about living in space that Discover will gladly inform you on.
1 Nearly every astronaut experiences some space sickness, caused by the wildly confusing information reaching their inner ears. In addition to nausea, symptoms include headaches and trouble locating your own limbs. Just like college, really.
2 And those are the least of your worries. In weightlessness, fluids shift upward, causing nasal congestion and a puffy face; bones lose calcium, forming kidney stones; and muscles atrophy, slowing the bowels and shrinking the heart.
3 At least you’ll be puffy, constipated, and tall: The decreased pressure on the spine in zero-g causes most space travelers to grow about two inches.
Trent Reznor and Saul Williams
The New York Magazine’s Vulture section has an interview with Trent Reznow and Saul Williams where they discuss their new collaboration. Saul Williams has a very eclectic style:
How would you characterize the music?
Saul: Gosh, I don’t know, ghetto gothic? I guess I’d characterize it as hard-core dance. I don’t know if I’d include spoken word in it, actually. It’s so danceable. I have a lot to say, but I wanted to find a way to say it that didn’t get in the way of me dancing my ass off.
Saul is launching his new album and is following Radiohead’s lead by giving it away for free or any amount you wish to donate.
What inspired you to go the In Rainbows route with this album?
Saul: From the start, I remember Trent saying, “Let’s give it away for free.” At first, I was like, “This dude is out of his mind!” But then it really started making sense, and, of course, with Radiohead doing it, we were like, “What the fuck? The idea that we had was great, and we should really follow it through.”Trent: I think it’s just an awkward time right now to be a musician. The reality is that people think it’s okay to steal music. There’s a whole generation of people, that’s all they’ve known. I used to buy vinyl. Today, if you do put out a record on a label, traditionally, most people are going to hear it via a leak that happens two weeks — if not two months — before it comes out. There’s no real way around that. I’m truly saddened because I think music has been devalued, so that it’s just a file on your computer, and it’s usually free. But we can’t change that. What we can do is try to offer people the best experience that we can provide them. Will it work? I don’t know. But I think it’s a great way to get music out to people who are interested. At the end of the day, all I care about is the integrity of the music, and that the feeling of those who experience it is as untainted as possible. I’d rather it not be on an iPod commercial. I’d rather it not be a ringtone that you have to get with a free cell phone or any of that bullshit.
The best quote of the interview goes to Trent who gives his take on Apple’s iTunes Music Store:
iTunes kind of feels like Sam Goody to me. I don’t feel cool when I go there. I’m tired of seeing John Mayer’s face pop up. I feel like I’m being hustled when I visit there, and I don’t think their product is that great.
Saul Williams - List of Demands
Kurt Cobain: About A Son Trailer
Virb has the trailer for an upcoming movie about Kurt Cobain. Its been 13 years since his death and this movie takes a look at the musicians life through “his own words”.
Top Gun Analysis by Quentin Tarantino
Just like Quentin Tarantino broke down Madonna’s Like a Virgin in the Reservoir Dogs, he provides the same in depth analysis of Top Gun. Why would anyone think Top Gun is about a man’s struggle with being gay? What with all of the shirtless volleyball matches and numerous locker-room scenes, who would have thought?
via videosift.com
M65 Recoiless Nuclear Rifle
Nuclear Rifle….and its recoilless. Small problem with the rifle, how fast can you run after you shoot it?
