Sports, Performance and Style

Neil Bailey has a vision: to build the perfect modern sport car. The inspired design has become the Bailey Blade, a great-looking concept car design.

The foam and computer modeling is done, now the car is taking shape for real. Originally, the car was to be a high-end, ultra-custom gasoline-powered speedster, but during development, Bailey started to realize the benefits of using different technologies.


The Bailey Blade is being developed in three configurations: the XTR, EVR, and HDR.

The XTR is a 750hp, 5.4L V8 with a 6-speed transmission and a top-notch motor from ROUSH. This was the original configuration of the Bailey Blade.

The EVR is a hybrid with both front and rear hi-torque electric motors, giving 300×2 foot pounds of torque to each axle. This 4WD system will give 600fp of torque up to 3,000 rpms and utilize lithium-iron phosophate batteries. A small gas-powered, 100hp 30kw generator on-board will provide recharge for longer distances.

The Blade HDR is the same ROUSH motor as the XTR, but with a Hydrogen on-demand injection system to save a projected 20% in fuel.

No hard numbers on the fuel economy of the gasoline or hydrogen versions is available, but the 100hp generator they’re utilizing is capable of 140mpg or better, depending on the size of the battery bank it’s to charge and how often it has to run. It’s likely that the gasoline motor will get 18-20mpg under standard driving conditions.

The Bailey Blade is a two-seater and is in a concept state at this point. If this concept never goes into production on a scale higher than the one this guy builds in his garage, it’s a totally hot car and the photos make a great computer desktop for your dream car salivations. So far, the cost on this super-car has reached nearly $200,000 in development, which Bailey has footed entirely from his own money. 

Scientists make brain tissue from stem cells

Japanese researchers have succeeded in creating a cerebral cortex, the part of the brain involved in thinking and motion, from embryonic stem cells, providing hope for future treatment of brain-related diseases., thus boosting the possibility of future treatment of brain-related diseases.

Yoshiki Sasai and Mototsugu Eiraku, of the government-backed Riken Centre for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan have managed to create the part of the brain involved in thinking and motion using stem cells, which have the ability to change into other types of cells. This is the first time researchers have been able to create brain tissue from other types of cells, reports The Mainichi Daily News.

 

"In regenerative therapy, only a limited number of diseases can be cured with simple cell transplants. Transplanting tissues could raise hopes for greater functional recovery," the institute said in official statement.

"Cultivated tissues are still insufficient and too small to be used to treat stroke patients. But study of in-vitro cultivation of more mature cortex tissues, such as those with six zones like in the adult human brain, will be stepped up," it said.

Findings from the research were published in the online edition of the U.S. journal Cell Stem Cell on Thursday.

Bulletproof Paper Is Stronger Than Kevlar

Bulletproof vests of the future may be constructed from an unlikely material: paper. a team of scientists announced in may a new “nanopaper”—made of tightly woven nanosize cellulose threads—proven in lab tests to be stronger and tougher than cast iron.

Cellulose fibers are hardy strands of sugar found in the cell walls of plants and algae; they are the most abundant polymer on the planet. Cellulose fibers give wood hardness and cotton toughness. Materials scientist Lars Berglund of the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, used enzymes and a blender to chew standard wood pulp into a stew of much finer particles—about one-thousandth their original size. Then they filtered the stew into a goopy gel and smashed it in a press, creating sheets of nanopaper. In this form, the cellulose fibers could intertwine in strong, tight networks, just as they do in nature.

The nanopaper’s structure is just like that of Kevlar, Berglund says. But unlike Kevlar, it can be manufactured from renewable materials at relatively low temperature and pressure. “It’s a beautiful fiber structure,” Berglund adds. “It’s really a fantastic illustration of how biology can do things much more elegantly than commercial processes.”

Creative Vado HD Camcorder

It seems like everyone is getting into the compact high definition video camera act. Creative has now stepped into the ring as they have recently unveiled the new Vado HD.

The Vado HD is meant to be an upgrade of Creative’s Vado, and it has a similar flexible USB arm. The screen is slightly larger, and the built-in memory has been doubled to that of 8GB. This is enough memory to shoot about 2 hours of footage in HD mode, which is shot with a 1280 x 720 CMOS sensor in H.264 AVI format at 30 fps. The user also has the option of shooting in VGA mode at 640 x 480 resolution for about 8 hours.

The video quality from this camera is phenomenal considering its price tag. No its not a Canon HV30 but its not supposed to be.There is very little motion blur and the colors are nicely saturated. Due to the higher quality video shakiness is more pronounced in the videos but its not terrible. The more still you can hold this camera the better. The sound is crisp and clear. I can easily say the quality of this camera trumps all other flash based camcorders in this price bracket. You can watch a full HD video sample on HD Youtube.


The Vado HD from Creative it's available at a price of about $229.

Radiation Neutralizer

Ok. I friend asked me to write something about this:

Every day, we’re swimming in a sea of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) produced by electrical appliances, wiring in buildings, power lines and cell phones. All this comes along with our modern life. From the dishwasher and microwave oven in the kitchen and the clock radio next to your bed, to the cellular phone you hold to your ear—sometimes for hours each day—exposure to EMR is growing and becoming a serious health threat. I am finding myself in the same position right now. I am speaking on my cell phone 1-2 hours per day. So, after searching the internet for a solution for myself and others interested in self-health I found The Neutralizer.

What is The Neutralizer? It's a device that will neutralize hazardous cell phone radiation and electromagnetic pollution. 

Product Description from Amazon:
Thanks to modern technology and science you can now protect yourself from harmful EMF's from your cell phone, computer/T.V. screen, and microwave ovens. The Neutralizer prevents our DNA from breaking 100% of the time. Protect yourself and your loved ones!!!! No one knows the long term effect this may have on your health.

 A. Harsche wrote about this item:

MY DAUGHTER HAS GLIOBLASTOMA MULTIFORME WHICH IS A TYPE OF BRAIN CANCER. VERY AGGRESSIVE TYPE. GLIOMA TUMORS HAVE BEEN LINKED TO CELL PHONE AND APPLIANCE RADIATION WAVES. I HAVEN'T USED THEM YET, BUT THEY ARE THE CHEAPEST MOST EFFECTIVE PRODUCT I HAVE CAME ACROSS IN DOING MY RESEARCH.

Star Trek-style shields could become reality

Scientists believe they have found a way of shielding astronauts from a dangerous source of space radiation, thus lifting a major doubt clouding the dream to send humans to Mars.

Their breakthrough is reported this week in the journal Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion – it takes forward ideas born in the golden age of science fiction, including a proton shield used in the TV show Star Trek, say the researchers.

Read more here

HoneyComb Tire Design

Several of the many upgrades that Humvees are getting in Iraq to protect against ambush include thicker armor plating and new honeycomb tires which are bullet proof and will keep the humvee rolling when it’s been ambushed in a firefight or even an I.E.D. What’s the secret? These special tires doesn’t use air.

 

The Honeycombs are based on a polymeric web which will not only take bullet fire, but also explosions from an improvised explosive device and still let our boys in cammy get away at over 50 miles an hour. Most injuries and deaths occur, not because of the initial IED blast – armor can take most of that blunt force trauma – but because the tires have been blown out. And even though current tire design calls for a “run while flat” specification, there’s little a tire can do when the air has been ripped out of the tire by shrapnel. Seems run while flat tires still need small amounts of air still in them. But the Honeycomb’s don’t, according to their manufacturer, Resilient Technologies.


"The goal was to reduce the variation in the stiffness of the tire, to make it transmit loads uniformly and become more homogenous," said mechanical engineering professor Tim Osswald. "And the best design, as nature gives it to us, is really the honeycomb."

The question here is … how long before they find their way to the streets?

Yamaha Concept - The Wearable Motorcycle

This is a motorcycle concept that you will not see so often. It was designed by student Jake Loniak for Yamaha and by that means presented one idea that could be realized in the future as far as the single seaters go. Under brand ‘Deus Ex Machina’, Yamaha is representing us this electrical transport vehicle as a single-seater which can be parked vertically. In theory, this motorcycle of the future will be able to accelerate from 0 to 60 in just 3 seconds and will be controlled by 36 pneumatic muscles and 2 linear actuators.

Sculpture gone Couture

The fashion of sculptural forms is not new among "big" designers or upcoming ones. In the latest collections for spring-summer 2009 you can see their creations inspired from sculpture and art. They are creating new shapes, lines and angles that are rarely seen outside world of couture creations. I agree with that, because I don't really see every-day-girl wearing these. But in the future... only time will tell.


Shalom Harlow (IMG),Srping 2009 Ready to wear / Viktor & Rolf
photo: Peter Stigter / Courtesy of Victor & Rolf



Shalom Harlow (IMG),Srping 2009 Ready to wear / Viktor & Rolf
photo: Peter Stigter / Courtesy of Victor & Rolf



Karlie Kloss (NEXT) Srping 2009 Ready to wear / GARETH PUGH
photo: Marcio Madeira for style.com



Anja Rubik (NEXT) Srping 2009 Ready to wear / GARETH PUGH
photo: Marcio Madeira for style.com



Magdalena Frackowiak (ELITE), Srping 2009 Ready to wear / GARETH PUGH
photo: Marcio Madeira for style.com


Katia Kokoreva (ELITE) Srping 2009 Ready to wear / Maison Martin Margiela
photo: Marcio Madeira for style.com

Charon Cooijmans (MARILYN), Srping 2009 Ready to wear / Maison Martin Margiela
photo: Marcio Madeira for style.com

Microsoft Smartphones in 2009?

Will you be surprised if you see a Microsoft Smartphone competing with iPhone probably next year. Microsoft have a head start and some experience in the mobile business. Windows Mobile will go to version 6.5 and then 7.0 but what about the rest? If they can outplay Apple iPhone which I think possible since they are Microsoft they have been in business for long time, except for the line of Phone.

Considering the Zune,  Microsoft can just upgrad a Zune to be a phone, like what an iPod to iPhone. But I don't think will be a Zune; the Microsoft's smartphone will be built on NVIDIA’s SoC Tegra chip or system-on-a-chip platform. The Tegra APX 2500 is the chip for the phone and it has a 600 MHz MPCore Processor, up to a 12-megapixel camera support, GeForce ULV support for OpenGL ES 2.0 and up to 720p H.264 decoding. The NVIDIA nPower technology will get you over 10 hours of HD video playback and about 100 hours of audio.

Smartphone competitions are getting hotter since rivals are built in start of their line of businesses, Apple vs. MS. Do you think in 2009 Microsoft's first smartphone is ready to compete against Apple’s third generation iPhone? I am not so much into Apple, so if I have to choose I will go for Microsoft.

Russian Cake Art

These are some jaw-dropping cakes from a Russian Bakery called Zhanna in St. Petersburg. I am not really sure how these things taste, but their design is impressively surreal to be sure.  I  especially like the Dollars-Cake. It gives me inspiration.























































What do you think of these cakes?