Sure, it looks like a silly box, but the 2010 Brabus Mercedes-Benz Viano Lounge hides a wonderland of crazy tech toys. It’s quite the list: a 32-inch “electrically deployed” LCD, Wi-Fi, an onboard network that connects computers to the TV and one another, a PlayStation 3, Dolby surround sound, Nespresso machine and external cameras that can be viewed on the main screen.

I’m sure this thing’s supposed to be used to ferry around important businessmen and all that, but to me it looks like what would happen if the guys from Entourage wanted to throw a LAN party. Pretty sweet, but I doubt I have enough arms and legs to chop off to every afford one.

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It’s hardly the first wireless subwoofer, but KEF’s HTB2SE-W is possibly the coolest-looking sub we’ve seen. While the oblong shape, similar to B&W’s PV1, is sure to stand out in your listening room (we’ll leave you to ponder whether that’s a good thing), the 10-inch driver, driven by a 250-watt Class D amplifier, will certainly make itself heard.

The wireless connection is said to transmit CD-quality sound via the 2.4GHz band with an 80-foot range, freeing you up to put it anywhere in the room you want (still gotta plug it in, though). It’s coming in October for $1,200. We like the wireless ability and love the look. Still, we have to wonder how much benefit will either really bestow given that you’ll just dump it in the corner anyway?

KEF, via Engadget

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Yep. You read that right: cyborg beetles. Remote controlled ones, no less. It’s the work of a team of puppet masters over at UC Berkley, who have successfully wired up beetles with electrodes that allow them to be controlled remotely.

“We demonstrated the remote control of insects in free flight via an implantable radioequipped miniature neural stimulating system,” the team reported in a paper titled Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience. “The pronotum mounted system consisted of neural stimulators, muscular stimulators, a radio transceiver-equipped microcontroller and a microbattery.”

The research is (of course) sponsored by DARPA, and the UC Berkley team isn’t the only group reporting success — researchers at the University of Michigan have their very own cyborg moth.

Tomorrow’s headline? “Cyber Beetle to Take Cyborg Moth This Sunday SUNDAY SUNDAY!“

Wired, via Geekologie

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Bravo Gustavo is the new iPhone App from the LA Philharmonic. Think of it like Guitar Hero, but for conductors, and using your phone. Yes, that means you flail your iPhone around like a conductor’s baton, hoping it doesn’t slip through your hands. Just like LA Philharmonic Music Director Gustavo Dudamel! He’s dreamy.

Bravo Gustavo via Boing Boing

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Don’t wear your heart on your sleeve, wear it on your wrist with the StressWatch. This attractive design concept gathers heart rate and body temperature data and then interprets them as levels of stress on its multicolored screen. It’s like wearing a lie detector on your wrist.

The black bar graph at the bottom of the watch is the stress line, and if the colors on the watch face are cool greens and blues, you’re pretty laid back. If they turn into hot pink, red or orange, look out.

Why would you want to publicly display stress levels? The idea is not to be a stress exhibitionist, but to remind you to slow down your breathing and use visual biofeedback to calm yourself down. Like most other stress-relieving potions, elixers and devices, this could be pure woo-woo hooey. Nice watch, though. More pics:

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Where is Microsoft going with Zune HD and its vaunted three-screen idea? Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer talked with TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington, where he supported most of our assertions in our latest SHIFT commentary. Thanks for that, Steve. Good timing.

He’s talking about computing from tiny, mid-sized and a very big screens — all of them integrated with online connectivity (the cloud) — and he’s calling Microsoft’s computing-everywhere strategy a “fundamental shift in the computing paradigm.”

Ballmer talks about a variety of ways to interact with these various devices, including touch, voice, cameras, and gestures, and says Microsoft’s goal is “one integrated computing infrastructure.” Surprisingly, he says that huge interconnected system doesn’t even have to all come from Microsoft. So much for the evil empire? We’ll see about that.

On the other hand, if Ballmer’s leveling with us, don’t expect a Microsoft-branded phone or our prediction about Microsoft’s “zPhone” interacting with all those screens to come true anytime soon. He denies Microsoft is in the midst of building its own phone. One thing’s for sure, though: The Zune HD is just the beginning.

Via TechCrunch

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Here’s a guy who wants to give you a look at exactly what’s going on inside his head. Literally. After he had his brain scanned to rule out a couple of conditions, Bill Moorier was relieved to find out nothing was wrong. But then, armed with a stack of MRI images, he figured he might as well do something interesting with them. How about an interactive MRI viewer?

The result is amazing. Go to his site, click/drag your mouse up and down or across his face, and wherever the crosshairs are located, that’s where you’re looking inside his head. It’s a brilliant Flash programming exercise, making us hope that maybe someday all MRIs will be presented this way, and accessible on the web.

Abstract Nonsense, via MedGadget

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The Piet is an indoor fireplace that burns ethanol instead of wood. Featuring brass reflectors, it fills the room with warmth and light while staying safe with a layer of rock wool fire insulation. This allows it to be placed near walls or furniture. Plus, it looks downright beautiful.

Cavallius Design via MoCo Loco

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Our friends at Sci Fi Wire managed to find 17 sci-fi themed cakes to celebrate the 17th birthday of Syfy. This AT-AT is incredible, but the sight of Borg Cubes, the Battlestar Galactica and — holy crap! — zombie Spider-Man, all created in baked glory really got us drooling. Follow the link below to satisfy your sci-fi sweet tooth.

Via Sci Fi Wire

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There are few things more relaxing than a hot tub. But most of them are just so stationary. What if you want to move it from the porch to the yard? Then you need a portable hot tub, such as the Spaberry.

The Spaberry just needs a 110V outlet and some water. Fill it up with 125 gallons, heat it up, and you and a friend are all set for a soak. It comes loaded with jets, lights and drink holders, allowing for the perfect romantic evening. Just remember to move it back when you’re done.

Spaberry, via Gizmodo

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Daisy Doodle is an absolute star! She loves people, children, other dogs and is currently sharing her foster home with a rabbit, a hamster and a tortoise.This adorable girl just wants to make her new family very happy – how can you resist her??

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A student engineering team from Ohio State University broke into the 300 mph club yesterday with their hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle. The Buckeye Bullet 2 averaged 300.992 MPH yesterday in the flying kilometer, with a top recorded speed of 304 MPH.

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Less than a week after switchable EV battery pioneer Better Place announced a newly expanded agreement with French car maker Renault, the company’s founder and CEO, Shai Agassi appeared as a guest on Comedy Central’s Colbert Report in hopes of getting that sought-after ‘Colbert Bump’.

The Colbert Bump, as it is known, is a phenomenon wherein people (places, companies, ideas) that appear on the Colbert Report receive a sudden boost in popularity for their cause.

The deal announced by Agassi in Frankfurt builds on an agreement reached between the two companies in August and will be to install the Better Place battery system (and build-out the charging network) for the Renault Fluence ZE for sale in Israel and Denmark. The Fluence ZE was one of four models in Renault’s new line of electric cars unveiled last week at the Frankfurt Auto Show.

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Japan’s leading cell phone giant NTT Docomo is joining the growing trend of ecology-as-cool with the introduction of the new TOUCH WOOD concept phones. Made from real surplus wood, the project was spearheaded by noted musician Ryuichi Sakamoto and uses an interface inspired by the photographer Mikiya Takimoto.

The effort was also assisted by the likes of Sharp and Olympus. These hyper-organic phones are due to go on view during the Telecom World 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland from October 5 to 9 and CEATEC JAPAN 2009 at Makuhari Messe, Chiba Prefecture, Japan from October 6 to 10.

Via IT Media

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The biggest limitation on electric cars, as we know, are the batteries. They take hours to charge, and cannot travel nearly as far as gas-powered engines. So while California may be the center of the “green movement,” traveling the almost 400 miles between Los Angeles and San Francisco is impossible on electric power. Until now.

SolarCity has announced an EV charging corridor spanning the 382 miles between LA and San Fran featuring four stations, with a fifth station opening in October.

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There comes a time in every writer’s life when he or she is faced with a conundrum: how to disarm an unwanted double entendre. And this, campers, is the problem I face with last night’s victor of the Electrolux Design Contest. The Cocoon cooker (okay so far) is a great example of forward-thinking tech (yuh, still good) — a food generator (uh-huh) that *cough* lets you grow your own meat.

See? There’s nothing I can do to make that last phrase sound acceptable. The brains behind this idea — nothing that Trekkies haven’t fantasized about yet — is a Swede of the non-boilable or mashable type who goes by the name of Rickard Hederstierna. He thinks that the Cocoon could make food shortages a thing of the past. “This will create 100 per cent pure meat without the need for animals to be killed and with no risk of contamination,” said the 27-year-old. “It will change everything.”

The design, described as “controversial” by one of the judges, is made of glass, and works by cooking pre-mixed packets of muscle cells, oxygen and nutrients. I know, it sounds just too oddball to be true — until you discover what future invention the Cocoon beat to win the contest: a fridge that teleports food from around the world. Now, teleport yourself below the jump to see a video.

Via Daily Mail

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“Premium … (adjective): finest, exceptional; premium quality.” So says Chambers Dictionary anyway. For me it usually translates to “bloody expensive”.

Come to think of it, that’s also a good description of the Lexus range: priced between $32,000 and $106,000, “cheap” is not the first word which springs to mind.

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NASA’s Moon Mineralogy Mapper, an instrument on the Indian Space Research Organization’s Chandrayaan-1 mission, took this image of Earth’s moon. It is a three-color composite of reflected near-infrared radiation from the sun, and illustrates the extent to which different materials are mapped across the side of the moon that faces Earth. Small amounts of water were detected on the surface of the moon at various locations. This image illustrates their distribution at high latitudes toward the poles. Blue shows the signature of water, green shows the brightness of the surface as measured by reflected infrared radiation from the sun and red shows an iron-bearing mineral called pyroxene. Image Credit: ISRO/NASA/JPL-Caltech/Brown Univ./USGS

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The Zune HD media player is about to hit the streets, but is it too little, too late? “With this release, you can see we’re still really focused on music and video. We’re still hyper-focused on that,” declared Microsoft Zune’s marketing manager, Brian Seitz. Notice he started out by saying “with this release,” not mentioning the grand convergence down the road for Microsoft. That’s what makes this Zune HD release the beginning of a revolution for Microsoft, and for computing and media.

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