The Geek Church

I don’t know if this is a sign of our sick society, but I think we need daredevils. There is something about people who throw caution to the wind that I believe genuinely inspires us and might be worth the risk of possible loss of life.

All right, this is getting a little too philosophical, but when I heard about this stunt, I was impressed. So far, the record for a skydive is 103,000 from Air Force pilot Joe Kittinger back in 1960. An Austrian extreme athlete named Felix Baumgartner could change that by jumping 120,000 feet above ground.

In case you are curious, that height is at the edge of space. Baumgartner plans to ride up the distance via custom-built pressurized capsule tethered to a 600-foot-wide balloon. He will wear a specialized pressure suit, and then jump from there.

After 35 minutes, Baumgartner will break the sound barrier. After that, it’s five more minutes of falling before pulling his parachute chord one mile before hitting the ground.

Baumgartner will attempt this record-breaking highdive in August. I really hope that nothing goes wrong and he lands on the ground safely.

Anyone familiar with Morse Code? I don’t know it either. It’s kind of a dead medium in an age of typing, e-mailing, texting, and tweeting. Fortunately, you can have the best of both worlds with the Tworse Code, designed for you to Tweet in Morse Code.

So if you actually want to tweet about that thing that is really important to you, now you can make it an interesting intellectual challenge. Just be careful what you type. I heard of this one case where this lady was trying to type “SOS” but ended up entering in “OSO”. Apparently, OSO is bear in Spanish, so people thought she was being attacked by a bear. Yeah, I have no idea if that story is true either, and it probably isn’t.

In a related story, Peek just axed its e-mail/Twitter service. You remember Peek, right? That tiny keyboard that you can use to do e-mail and tweets? The one that you paid $299 plus $79 for the cost of “lifelong service”? Yeah, they sort of called it, and don’t appear to be offering any kind of restitution.

Just imagine if you had to use one of these options for tweeting!

One of the problems that I have with helmets is: they take up a lot of space. I recently took a road trip and some new helmets that were recently bought for my kids took up a lot of trunk room.

Fortunately, Patrick Jouffret and engineer Philippe Arrouart are working on the “Overade” helm which is full of lots of fold-able parts so you can keep your helmet…well, not in the back of your pocket, but at least in some smaller form.

Apparently, these designers have been working on this helmet for a while (since 2010), and there is no word on when it will be finished or available.

As a blogger, I tried to speed things along by writing about it and hopefully see it become a reality.

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Ever since I saw ZAGG many years ago, I have been trying to keep up with them. The Invisible Shield, a film that covers both the front and back of a mobile device, offers the ultimate in protection.

The company has been doing a lot more since then, as ZAGG puts out headphones with their smartbuds, not to mention the aquabuds.

ZAGG also provides power for devices with a dual USB car charger, and the Sparq, which can charge up USB devices.

By the way, ZAGG also owns a company called iFrogz, which does some pretty incredible headphones. They also have HZO, which is working on water-proofing electronic devices.

I mentioned in the headline that ZAGG means something: I don’t know if it is official, but apparently ZAGG is an acronym for Zealous About Great Gadgets.

I’m not certain if you have ever heard of Wrapsol before, but you might have heard of similar products.

Products like Wrapsol put a mobile device in a protective film wrap, to protect it from drops and scratches. It does this while preserving the touchscreen integrity.

It covers both the front and back of the device itself, as you can see from the iPhone in the picture.

You should be able to purchase wrapsol at its official site. The one for the iPhone costs about $29.95, and the others that cover other mobile devices are similar in cost.

This is what Tyree Callahan called the Chromatic Typewriter, and it is an entry to the 2012 West Collects “West Prize Competition”. This is really where art meets writing.

This is assuming that you can paint your works the way you type a work. It is a simple 1937 Underwood Standard typewriter with a veritable palette on its keys. It looks like that Shift key comes in handy.

Of course, this really makes your color range white limited. Could someone create a software program of the same type?

The device is a prototype, but you should be able to get it for about $3,000-5,000 if it ever gets mass-produced. It is a lot to pay for this art.

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Well, for those of you who have seen this blog, I can see why you haven’t been impressed with it.

Yeah, all it has been for the last two years is links to the other blogs that I write for, which change like fashion.

However, since it is a new year, everyone is trying to turn over a new leaf, or turn a new leaf over, or something. This is all the times where we all claim that we are going to go on diets, or something.

In my case, it is really time to make this blog a blog, with more original footage!

So, starting tomorrow, we will be writing articles about stuff and no more sentences with links. Yeah-hah!

If you’ve ever been to a theme or amusement park, then you probably know that the roller coaster is a popular thrill ride. Just imagine the spine-tingling, pulse-pounding and heart-dropping sensation of being in a coaster cart screaming up and down over miles of steel rails in a matter of minutes. Some people exit such a ride afterward feeling like they just lost years of their life. You know what I’m talking about if you’ve ever been on this thrill ride and yes, I’ve been on several on my lifetime as well. However, most roller coasters are machines operated by people at the controls. But what if you actually rode on such a thrill ride by using pedals with your legs and feet instead of relying on a machine?

This thrill ride really does exist and it’s in Japan. It’s called the Sky Cycle Roller Coaster, which is found at a theme park named Washuzan Highland Park in the land of the rising sun. This thrill ride is equipped with seatbelts and even a small, pink bucket in each cart (probably for those with weak stomachs). One excellent tip for going on a roller coaster is not to do so right after eating any meal. Otherwise, you might see that food again in a less than appealing fashion.

The Sky Cycle Roller Coaster was discovered online three years ago. Click here to see a full gallery of images from this unique, thrill ride driven by the pedaling power of a customer rather than a large machine. Hey, maybe this roller coaster will be less scary since you’d be running it with your body instead of trusting a machine operated by a complete stranger.

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“It’s an elegant weapon for a more civilized age.” That’s what Obi-wan Kenobi said to Luke Skywalker in the first Star Wars movie, A New Hope when he described the legendary laser sword used by Jedi Knights. If you’re a fan of the Star Wars movie series, then you’ve probably imagined what it would be like to wield your own lightsaber. Well, this weapon of the Jedi is no longer a thing of science fiction, thanks to the creative minds at Wicked Lasers. They actually created a real-life lightsaber as the most powerful portable laser in existence.

They call it the Spyder III Pro Arctic. It was made with the blue-laser diode of a dismantled Casio projector. It’s capable of blinding you permanently, burning through your skin and any other material as well. The diodes that came from Casio’s new mercury-free Green Slim projectors actually make it possible to create a very powerful, portable laser. Furthermore, Wicked Lasers used these diodes for the Spyder III, comparing it to their greatest creation in portable laser technology, the Sonar, which costs $2000. According to the company, the Spyder III is 2000 times brighter to the human eye and it’s available for $200. That price is one-tenth the cost of the Sonar.

The Spyder III Pro Arctic also comes with a pair of safety glasses. Apparently, this portable super laser is intended mostly for welding. With that said, let it be clear that this device is not a toy but a very powerful tool and potential weapon. Like a lightsaber, “it’s not clumsy or random like a blaster pistol” or gun as Obi-wan would have said. It’s an elegant device that must be handled with care.

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Recently, Sony unveiled two new digital single-lens reflexive cameras called the A390 and A290. Both cameras are equipped with 14.2 MP sensors and they’re intended for the use of first-time photographers. Furthermore, these DSLRs also have a unique feature called the Quick AF Live View.

This feature is coupled with a 2.7-inch tilt LCD screen, which allows users to see their desired target from any angle before taking a photo. Such a camera option is meant to be useful for instances like dealing with heights, crouching on the ground and raising the camera over your head. Then the LCD enables you to clearly see your object or scene of interest as you’re taking pictures.

Other features of the new cameras include a mini-HDMI output, new grip design and button layout, which provide easier use for beginners. The A390 is slightly lighter with a weight 508 grams while the A290 is 549 grams (including the battery in both cameras). According to CNET.com, the A290 with an 18-55mm lens is priced at $500 while the A390 can be purchased for $600. However, consumers can find them on sale in July. Interestingly enough, the A290 has a bigger viewfinder, though. It has 0.83x magnification while only 0.74x is possible with the A390.

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