Care to ride this homemade rollercoaster loop?

Crazy is as crazy does. Or should that be stupid is as stupid does? They're probably interchangeable here considering the creator of this homemade rollercoaster that loops 360 degrees is either tired of living or living dangerously. But if you take John Ivers' word that his homemade contraption is perfectly safe, there's one good thing coming out of this crazy endeavor: You don't have to get in line for the 30-second ride. Speaking of time, it'll be soon enough before this gets its 15 seconds of fame on Ridley's Believe It or Not or Guiness World Records Prime Time. Though what category this falls under should be interesting to see.

More pictures at Offbeat Earth

More details on Toyota's solar-powered Prius

We applaud any carmaker that harnesses the power of technology, particularly if it helps fuel economy, makes driving fun, or makes us look cool.

So our ears perked up when we heard Toyota was upgrading its Prius. Not only will it feature a hybrid electric-gasoline engine and automatic self-parking (see its robot skills in action here), but it will soon get solar panels on the roof to power its air-conditioning system.

That last bit might not sound too exciting, but it has potential. Automotive air-conditioning systems are usually powered by your car's engine, which has to work harder to keep the car moving and its occupants cool. By using a combination of a solar panel and an electric motor, Toyota is able to use the power of the sun against itself, save gas, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

It's a shame these particular solar panels can't be used to power the entire vehicle, but there is hope: A US company called SEV has already demonstrated a modified, solar-powered Prius that improves fuel economy by about 29 percent. According to SEV, this gives you a daily electric-only range of 20 miles.

We'll have to wait until 2009 to see whether Toyota's implementation makes a real difference, but in the meantime, you can watch our video review of the current Prius here.

Via Crave UK

Tattoo on your day's To-Do list

Why write when you can tattoo on your day's To-Do list, particularly where it's, ahem, handy, so to speak? This one clearly draws its idea from scribbling quick notes on your palm and combines it with tattoo stickons. Fortunately, it's not permanent and doesn't have to be confined to just your palm. This can, in fact, get to be lots of party fun. Think reprising Leonard Shelby's body of art in Memento, with his tattooed clues pieces of a puzzle he is trying to solve. Or even the memorably inked and creepy Max Cady in Cape Fear. Retails at US$3.99 a pack of 12, with a skin-safe, washable ink gel pen to get creative with.

Via Uncrate

Panasonic's electric bicycle with regenerative braking

Panasonic's Lithium Vivi RX-10S is no ordinary electric bicycle. Sure, it has a battery that helps to power the onboard electric motor for assisted peddling. But what really sets it apart from the competition is its regenerative braking system.

A regenerative brake, as defined in Wikipedia, is a mechanism that reduces vehicle speed by converting some of its kinetic energy into another useful form of energy. In the case of the Panasonic Vivi RX-10S, the regenerative braking system stores the energy in the bicycle's 2.5kg secondary Lithium-ion battery. This energy can then be used to extend the assisted travel range from 90km (without regenerative system) to approximately 125km (with the system).
Read more »

Muck-Truck mini dumper for the big boys

The Muck-Truck mini dumper is every big boy's dream. The four-wheel-drive mini dumper is thrice the size of a normal wheelbarrow. And thanks to an onboard Honda GXV 160 engine, it can drive up a steep slope (up to 30 degrees) laden with stuff weighing up to 250kg. To add ruggedness, it's made of thicker gauge metal for durability and strength, but do restrain yourself from crashing it.

There's a little bit of the Transformer in the Muck-Truck mini dumper. It can even morph into a mini digger or cement mixer in a matter of seconds, which really justifies this as a big boy's toy.

However, you will have to part with US$2,500 to own this "toy". Enquiries are to be made online or via phone call before any purchase.
Read more »

Crave is...

The name says it all. Crave is our blog about cool gadgets and other crushworthy stuff.

Drop us an email if you have tips or suggestions.

Crave for...

» Mobile Phones (2232)

» Digital Cameras (986)

» Notebooks (1234)

» PC & Peripherals (1312)

» Handhelds (585)

» Printers (82)

» Home AV (1146)

» Music & Play (893)

» Gadgets (1485)

» Future Tech (395)

» Green Tech (172)

» Lifestyle (157)

» Luxury (22)

» Home Appliances (57)

» Cars (99)

» Games and Gear (248)

» Software (95)

» Web (118)

Previously...

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

Hot Topics

Subscribe to
Crave

What's Hot

apple apple inc. apple iphone apple ipod asia battery camera game google inc. iphone microsoft corp. microsoft windows mobile phone photograph singapore smart phone software sony corp. video

Today on CNET |  Reviews |  Crave |  Blogs |  CNET TV |  Digital Living |  Downloads