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Some historic aircraft seem like a barrel for holding superlatives. One of these, the H-4 Hercules, goes one better because it's also at the center of one of the strangest stories involving possibly the 20th century's strangest man – Howard Hughes.Continue ReadingCategory: Aircraft, TransportTags: History, Aircraft, World's Largest

The Himalayas are a bucket-list destination for riders (and non-riders) the world over, a pinnacle of the splendor of nature. Here, the scenery varies from high-altitude desert to abundant rhododendron forests, with spectacular forested gorges rising to skylines of snow-capped peaks.Continue ReadingCategory: Motorcycles, TransportTags: Travel, Himalayas, India, Tips, Travel and Tourism

Forget LEDs, researchers from the University of Michigan have developed a new type of incandescent light bulb. The device is capable of emitting elliptically polarized light, described as "twisted" light.Continue ReadingCategory: ScienceTags: incandescent, University of Michigan, Photonics, Light, Light Bulb

E Ink tablets are great for those who like to jot, scribble or doodle, and don't want to waste reams of paper. But even modern e-notes can be more sustainable. Supernote's 10-inch Manta model is modular, and can be upgraded or repaired as needed.Continue ReadingCategory: Mobile Technology, Consumer Tech, TechnologyTags: E Ink, Tablet, Modular, Repair, Upgrade

A new study turned up a surprising effect of having caffeine with a sweetener. For some java drinkers, it could be a way to get more out of the beverage. For others, though, it might be best to skip the sugar, especially at night.Continue ReadingCategory: Diet & Nutrition, Wellness & Healthy Living, Body & MindTags: Coffee, Caffeine, Sleep, University of Hiroshima, Circadian Rhythms

It seems to be an unwritten rule that when stuff breaks, there never seems to be a toolbox nearby. That's where everyday carry multitools can help, and the latest to blaze a Kickstarter trail is the titanium UltraFix Driver from TrekGear.Continue ReadingCategory: Outdoors, LifestyleTags: Everyday Carry, Multitools, Driver, Kickstarter

German eVTOL startup Lilium has ceased operations as of this week, sunsetting a decade-long effort funded with over US$1 billion to build electric air taxis, with nary a single aircraft delivered.Continue ReadingCategory: TransportTags: eVTOL, Lilium, Air Taxis

An innovative company has done away with the one-size-fits-all model of seating, with a chair that is more like a furniture Transformer, letting you adapt it to your needs, rather than you adapt to its static design. And it looks like a statement piece in the process.Continue ReadingCategory: Around The Home, LifestyleTags: Kickstarter, Chair, Furniture, Interior Design, adaptive

It's really happening: Honda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi are joining forces to operate together under a single holding company, in a bid to stave off fierce competition around the world.Continue ReadingCategory: Automotive, TransportTags: Honda, Nissan, Mitsubishi

After the FDA proposed pulling some over-the-counter cold and flu medications from shelves in the US, an Australian law firm has launched a class action suit against pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson, claiming that it has knowingly marketed and sold ineffective decongestants for years.Continue ReadingCategory: Wellness & Healthy Living, Body & MindTags: Big pharma, Decongestant, Methamphetamine, FDA, Class action

Since its debut in 2000, the Suzuki DR-Z400S has been a mainstay in the dual-sport motorcycle market. It has been a favorite among adventure and off-road enthusiasts for decades due to its reliability and adaptability.Continue ReadingCategory: Motorcycles, TransportTags: Suzuki, Enduro, Off-grid, Dirt Bikes

In order for a VR environment to seem real, it definitely helps if you can experience the sensation of touch within that virtual world. A special sleeve could soon allow people to better do so, using air instead of electric motors.Continue ReadingCategory: Wearables, Consumer Tech, TechnologyTags: Stanford University, MIT, Virtual Reality, Haptics, Inflatable, Touch, Soft Robotics

Benda quickly made a name for itself in the Chinese motorcycle market, and of late has expanded into the West quite drastically. At this year’s EICMA, the company’s 250cc caught our attention – but it wasn’t the only bike on display.Continue ReadingCategory: Motorcycles, TransportTags: Benda, Naked bike, EICMA 2024, Honda, Yamaha, China

Although sunscreen does help protect our skin from the sun's harmful UV rays, it isn't designed to keep that skin cool. An experimental new sunscreen does that very thing, however, while maintaining an SPF rating of about 50.Continue ReadingCategory: Wellness & Healthy Living, Body & MindTags: Tsinghua University, American Chemical Society, Sunscreen, Sunlight, Titanium dioxide, Infrared, Heating, Cooling, Skin

An interesting smart projector has landed on Kickstarter that can serve as a projector for wall or ceiling, a mini smart display for work or play, and even a bedside clock. The A3 puts out 4K visuals at 3,000 lumens, and can tilt on its speaker-packing stand.Continue ReadingCategory: Home Entertainment, Consumer Tech, TechnologyTags: Kickstarter, Projectors, 4K UHD, Touchscreen, Productivity, Streaming, Android, Tilting-Vehicle

American EV startup Canoo has been in hot water for a while now, and it looks like the temperature's rising further still. Last Friday, Canoo put its team on a “mandatory unpaid break” through at least the end of the year.Continue ReadingCategory: Automotive, TransportTags: Electric Vehicles, canoo

We’ve been waiting a long time for the first million dollar motorcycle, and in a world heavyweight contest of sorts, three American-made motorcycles capable of breaking that barrier will all go to auction within a few minutes of each other (lots 684, 701& 727) on the same stage on the final day of Mecum's annual Las Vegas Motorcycle Sale.Continue ReadingCategory: Motorcycles, TransportTags: Auction, Collecting,...

From pet parrots perched on the arms of scooter riders in central Taipei, to wild red-breasted nuthatches hopping across douglas fir branches above hikers armed with binoculars in Oregon, birds are one of the most loved (and important) animals on the planet. And if yours is one of the almost six million US households that has a resident bird, this one is for you.Continue...

Showing how far AI engineering has come, a new aerospike engine burning oxygen and kerosene capable of 1,100 lb (5,000 N) of thrust has successfully been hot-fired for 11 seconds. It was designed from front to back using an advanced Large Computational Engineering Model.Continue ReadingCategory: TechnologyTags: Aerospike, Rocket, Artificial Intelligence

It was just a year ago that we first encountered a multitool which sported a tiny adjustable wrench. Well, the Orioners Z3 is the latest tool to also boast one of those, along with eight other handy features including a fold-out cutting blade.Continue ReadingCategory: Outdoors, LifestyleTags: Multitools, Wrench, Kickstarter

No, this isn't the return of Marvel's Iron Man; Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) has announced plans to build the world's first grid-scale fusion power plant near Richmond, Virginia.Continue ReadingCategory: Energy, TechnologyTags: Nuclear Fusion, Nuclear, Electricity

As Saudi Arabia continues to reshape its desert landscape with an incredible number of ambitious construction projects, it has employed some high-tech robotic help to increase efficiency and speed things up.Continue ReadingCategory: Architecture, LifestyleTags: Neom, Saudi Arabia, Robotics, Building and Construction

It's easy to assume that the only thing a cute little squirrel poses a threat to is a nut, but it turns out they could have more of a murderous streak than we realized. After watching squirrels in California for 12 years, a team of scientists has seen them actively hunt down and kill small rodents this past summer.Continue ReadingCategory: Biology, ScienceTags: Animal science,...

Sanctuary AI's Phoenix robot is certainly an impressive beast, with hydraulically actuated hands that are incredibly dextrous. Well, those hands have recently become even more useful, as each one is now capable of simultaneously holding and manipulating an object.Continue ReadingCategory: Robotics, TechnologyTags: Sanctuary AI, Hand, Dexterity