Ralf Vandebergh likes to take pictures of what he can spot with his 10-inch telescope, and has sighted the International Space Station as it drifted over Europe several times. Back in March, however, he was treated to something new: a spacewalk.

Vandebergh compared his pictures to live recordings from NASA and was able to confirm that astronauts were indeed working on the earth-side of the ISS to deploy the UCCAS, or unpressurized cargo carrier attachment system. He details his finds in the gallery below.

Ralf Vandebergh, via Wired

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Volkswagen has announced that the documentary “Racing Under Green”—detailing the trials and tribulations of the Jetta TDI Cup, the U.S.’ only professional green racing series—will premiere the week of January 18 on the various channels of Discovery Networks, including Planet Green, Discovery Channel, and The Science Channel.

In addition to following the stories of last season’s 25 drivers, the hour long documentary will examine some of the “green” aspects of the Jetta TDI Cup, including the use of biodiesel blends and the support of carbonfund.org.

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I’ve never found myself surfing the web in a swimming pool or in the shower, but you know what, maybe my computing habits aren’t the norm. Maybe everyone else is frustrated about the non-waterproof keyboards they’re stuck with, and I’m the weirdo. Maybe.

If that’s the case, these WetKeys keyboards should be huge sellers. If not, well, my god that’s a stupid idea.

WetKeys via ChipChick

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With a stroller like this, nobody’s going to complain about your baby crying in the restaurant or wherever else you go. Hit the link below for more images. It’s worth it. Link
By: fungus amungus

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It’s been a busy Fall for the making-fuel-out-of-pollution-using-nothing-but-the-power-of-the-sun crowd. First we heard about a company that says it has succeeded in creating a system that uses engineered microbes in reactors out in the desert to eat carbon dioxide and poop out diesel and ethanol. Next we heard about a crazy mirror-ring contraption that reaches amazingly high temperatures to force carbon dioxide to give up one oxygen to make a precursor to fuel. And now…

Researchers at UCLA have engineered a bacteria that can eat carbon dioxide and burp out butanol—a liquid fuel that can be substituted into our existing fuel infrastructure without modification. Yep, that’s right, even your old jalopy can burn butanol without any side effects.

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It’s a dinosaur bed! Sure to eat up all those bad dreams, right? Link
By: fungus amungus

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It’s so convenient to have a charging cradle for your iPhone or iPod, letting you park it for rejuvenation in no time flat. But Apple must be annoyed by all the adapters and various shapes necessary to accommodate its line of music players and phones, so it’s filed for a patent for this universal dock that conforms to the shape of whatever you place into it.

The strange substance that cradles that gadget is made out of elastic spongy stuff, and it somehow retains that shape after you remove the device. If you want to place a different device into it, you push the reset button on the front and that previous shape is forgotten, ready to accommodate a new one. Until Apple can build in wireless charging, this’ll do for a while.

Via Apple Insider

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The standard mouse has worked for a lot of people for a long time. But that certainly isn’t stopping companies from trying to improve upon it. The latest new mouse design is the Jelfin Gel-Covered Mouse, which is basically the product of a normal mouse mating with a stress ball. OK!

The whole mouse is covered with gel material, making it soft and squeezable. That way, when you get an email from your boss that infuriates you, you can simply squeeze your mouse rather than punching your desk. Which is healthier, really.

Jelfin via SlipperyBrick

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If you want to peg your roommate with a paintball square in the forehead but don’t want to be anywhere nearby when it happens, this is for you. It’s a little remote-controlled truck with a paintball gun mounted on top. It’s got a camera mounted on board with night vision, allowing you to see what it sees from afar. Including the rage of someone looking for a perpetrator to punch, and finding nobody. But be warned: you can’t hide forever.

InspectorBots via Gizmodo

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Here’s the lock of the future. This Chinavision facial recognition door lock is packing a couple of night vision cameras, using accurate 3D tech to recognize your face in a fraction of a second. It’s designed to store up to 500 faces, functioning as an electronic time clock for businesses. But we think it’s like something out of a James Bond movie, and want to put one of these $456 devices in our abode, letting us eschew house keys from now on.

If you are a business owner, this techno-tattletale could come in handy, recording exactly who’s coming and going and at what hours. But we’d rather use it at home, gazing into its twin cameras for less than a second as it pops open the door. Couple this with keyless entry for cars, and the humble key will be a thing of the past. Maybe computers could be routinely equipped with this tech, too, so we would no longer need passwords.

Chinavision, via Gizmodo

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We could use a good portable keyboard, and designers Yoonsang Kim & Eunsung Park might have a solution with Keystick. It’s a full-size keyboard in its unfurled form, but then it collapses like an accordion into a nice compact package when it’s time to hit the road. If this were small enough, it might be even better than that excellent Microsoft Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard we reviewed.

The designers envisioned this Keystick as a personal keyboard you take with you everywhere, never needing to touch any object that’s been touched by others, awkwardly naming their idea the “None Bacteria Project.” Never mind that — if they can give this keyboard deep enough key travel, they might have a hit on their hands.

Via Yanko Design

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Another holiday gift-giving frenzy is almost upon us. It’s that special time, when all of your careful planning and shopping coverts — with seasonal alchemy — into smiles, squeals of joy and piles of discarded wrapping paper and boxes.

But did you remember to buy something for your mother? No, not the one that makes the best mac-’n'-cheese in the world. We’re talking Mother Earth.

Click Continue to check out 5 gifts that give back to Gaia this holiday season.

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Electrolux, purveyors of household appliances to, er, a lot of people, have come up with a very clever marketing idea/concept. (Don’t tell me that this is honestly going into production, because I just don’t see it happening.) The Silence Amplified is a vacuum cleaner with a built-in iPod dock that will, claim the Swedish neat freaks, revolutionize your cleaning routine.

After some serious research, which you can find in the video below, the boffins discovered that listening to heavy rock gets the job done quickest, while jazz cleans more thoroughly. “Our laboratory tests show that if you listen to music while cleaning, it will improve the cleaning performance, reduce the stress levels and give a general feeling of well-being,” said Electrolux’s product line manager.

I, however, am firmly in the Quentin Crisp camp when it comes to cleaning. According to Britain’s Stately Homo, “after four years, you don’t notice the dust.”

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Honda took the wraps off its latest concept car this week debuting the new, hilariously named, P-NUT (Personal-Neo Urban Transport). The compact car is designed to accommodate a hybrid system or an electric engine for transport within major metropolitan areas.

Aside from the vehicle’s rather odd, arrow-like design the car’s other stand-out feature is a windshield that will act as a heads up display. While the concept car is indeed futuristic and would probably have its share of takers, Honda has no plans to release the vehicle commercially.

Via Design Boom

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If you’re looking for a “Spit the Dog” lookalike, then Herbie may be the dog for you! He’s a lovely natured Patterdale Terrier cross and he needs a quiet home where he’ll be the only dog.

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Paddy is a rather handsome tri-colour Collie boy who is looking for a comfy retirement home. He’s only 7 years old, so still quite young for an “oldie”! He’s good with other dogs and would be happy living with children.

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11 year old Billy-Jack wants a quiet retirement home with lots of TLC. He’s still quite fit for his age so would enjoy getting out for some regular walks. He’s good with other dogs and could live with older children.

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A scaffolding structure built around NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, allows engineers to freeze its hydrogen coolant. The WISE infrared instrument is kept extremely cold by a bottle-like tank filled with frozen hydrogen, called the cryostat. The cryostat can be seen at the top of the spacecraft. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Dynamics Lab

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You may remember MAD Architects from their equally mad designs, such as this star-shaped floating city. Now they’ve got the wobbly-looking, 1,250-foot-high Urban Forest for Chongqing, China that does away with the traditional walled skyscraper for one that’s a series of terraces.

From MAD:

…The Urban Forest no longer emphasizes on vertical force, instead it concentrates on the multidimensional relationships within complex anthropomorphic spaces: multilayer sky gardens, floating patios and minimal and yet well lit nesting spaces, the architectural form dissolves into the fluid spatial movements between air, wind, and light. In this environment, people encounter nature filled with unexpected surprises.

Check out more in the gallery below.

Via Dezeen

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