Oishi neh? Not content with conquering the world's stomachs with their sushi and ramen, the Japanese have now looked to outer space. And proving the sky's the limit, Nissin Food founder Momofuku Ando has developed instant noodle that can be eaten while in orbit. Having that first slurp recently was Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi onboard the American shuttle Discovery, digging into a special zero-gravity, ball-shaped version of Space Ram. Apparently, the soup can be heated with water at just 70 degrees Celsius, which means pretty lukewarm noodles. The mix is thick enough not to spill and comes in four familiar flavors: Soy sauce, miso, curry and pork broth. Unfortunately for the earthbound, there are no plans to ship these astro ramen down to terra firma.
More blink blink than bling bling, this is one handset our mobile thieves would love to get their mitts on. Motorola's excessive V600 is encrusted with more Brilliant Russian Cut diamonds (VS Clarity/F Color) than you can wear, set in an 18-carat white gold bezel crafted by Italian jeweler Anucci. In short, this is the real deal, daarling. No faux zircons winking between the hinges. At 11.73 carats, Motorola has also upped the stakes from its 0.4-carat diamond-accented Baby Phat i833, rolled out last year for Bloomingdale's by wild child fashionista Kimora Lee Simmons for US$699.99. Now all that's needed to add more glitter to this latest shiny new toy is a default ringtone like Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
Price: A steal at US$49,500 excluding headset Availability: First unveiled in Houston in January 2004 for the NFL Experience at Super Bowl XXXVIII Device: Mobile phone Basic specs: GSM
Just what every busy executive living off cup noodles needs. Yet another offbeat contraption from Osama No Idea, this ramen timer will provide a lid for your cup noodles as well as ensure it's cooked to el dente perfection without you keeping an eye on the clock. Just set the alarm and it will ring to alert you when your cuppa's done. Ramen not included.
Also from our current fav online store: Soda Keeper
Price: 1,050 yen (US$9.40) Availability:osamanoidea.com Device: Cup noodle timer Basic specs: Main body washable, detachable timer, 90 x 22mm, battery attachment 75g, CR2032 battery, button for 3, 4, 5 mins with 20 sec adjustments
More strange contraptions for your bottled drink. The idea for this one's not terribly new, but it takes the fizz for being an oddball looker. Love the company name, too: Osama No Idea.
Price: 1,890 yen (US$16.90) for set of three Availability:osamanoidea.com Device: Air pump for your drink Basic specs: Up to 60 degrees Celcius heatproof, 30g, choice of three colors (white, blue, yellow)
Repetitive stress disorder? What's that? Just too bad the cursor-looking Mus, designed with only one button, is clearly aimed at Mac users. When there's another button and wheel thrown in for Win users, sign us up.