Oooooh, don’t tell me you haven’t eaten worse looking “food” at your local Burger King.
This canned cheeseburger is available in Germany (I’d like to imagine it sitting on the shelf of every delicatessen and grocery store), and you know the Germans always make good stuff. Made of 100% gypsy meat.
I’m stickin’ to you, cuz I’m made out of STEEL mothafuckin’ VELCRO! NO, I did not change the words at all, I SWEAR. Look at this face? How can you not trust me? *pout* The Germans have gone and invented something that might change the way we look at Velcro sneakers. Their “Metaklett” is pretty much Velcro on steroids, a hook and loop material made of steal for optimal strength.
The steel Velcro could be used for holding together really big objects, including buildings and car parts. Not to mention, a new pair of steel Velcro shoes to match my helmet. No more tying, but still hardcore. Rock on.
Germany took some serious damage in WWII. Just because they were kicking some ass for a few years doesn’t mean they didn’t get what was coming to them. To this day, many German buildings show the damage they sustained during the war.
Jan (pronounced “Yahn,” I suppose) Vormann’s project Dispatchwork has been showing itself, piece by piece, throughout Berlin, in the form of repaired war damage. But these repairs aren’t the traditional spit-and-spackle. The bullet holes and bomb blast craters are now filled with layers of LEGO bricks.
These guys from Germany do time-lapse photography and use light sticks and such to create beautiful images. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen light art as good as LAPP’s. Sprint-Nextel’s commercials last summer were decent but I think the Germans have us Americans beat on the light art. If you want to try your own light art out, grab a digital camera and a glowstick or download an iPhone app.
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Feeling under the weather? Snap up one of these handmade Hot Water Bottle bags. They’re part messenger bag, part water bottle left over from Germany’s Federal Defense Force from the 1960s. Though a bit expensive at $160, you’ve got to remember that this is handmade and made from quality materials. I’d prefer if it were made from the skin of a fresh bratwurst but hey, beggars can’t be choosers.
Love to drive fast? Break the law? Good! Audi is aiming to get you into one of its cars in the next few years with a feature that should keep you seated. The Travolution system will communicate with traffic lights to let the driver know what the current state of the light is and when it’s changing colors. While most drivers will use it to roll through red lights with ease, Audi claims it’ll “streamline traffic flow, increase gas mileage, and reduce emissions.” Fair enough.
Unfortunately for us, the system is being tested in Ingostadt, Germany. No word if it’ll ever make its way over to the US but one can dream.
Audi is known for making some quick fucking cars. Between the R8, RS4 and S4 Cabriolet, the German auto manufacturer is looking to up the ante with it’s 2009 RS6. Giving the RS4 treatment to the A6, the RS6 will feature a powerful 580 hp V10 engine that’s funneled air from twin flamethrowers turbochargers. Zero to sixty will only take 4.5 seconds and the top speed is electronically limited to 155 MPH. Add in 19-inch wheels and a ceramic brake system and you’ve got one of the most powerful cars on the road. Ferrari who?
Volkswagen owners are really passionate about their cars. My buddy Raymond owns a GTI and puts like $10,000 into it each year. That’s a lot of money, so why not go for something a little more affordable? For $120, you can score this 1626 piece VW Beetle LEGO kit.
Based on a 1960 ‘Charlotte’ model, the VW is 16″ long and features moving parts and doors that open and close. I think that for $120, it’s a steal. You and your pals will have fun getting drunk and building it. That is, until you lose that one piece.
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Thanks to a team of German scientists, robotically-enabled laziness may soon be a reality. The good people at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA in Stuttgart have revealed what they’re calling the prototype of a new generation of service robots,” the Care-O-bot 3. This one-armed robot can serve drinks and carry items from one room to another. It moves on a platform with “four separately steered and driven wheels” that allow it to travel in any direction. The Care-O-bot can identify objects thanks to color cameras, laser scanners, and a 3D range camera. The camera allow it to be directed with hand gestures as well as spoken commands. It can also learn to recognize unfamiliar items like cups and bottles.
The Fraunhofer folks say their robot is all about helping the handicapped, but it’s clearly also ideal for drunks. These Germans have their priorities straight. First they brought us Oktoberfest and now they’ve made this robot that basically can do nothing but serve booze. Care-O-bot 3 seems to be a long way off from being able to mop or wash dishes, but with its flexible highly articulated arm it can clean up small messes and carry items on command. Get this thing and one of those Roomba vacuums and you should be well on your way to living the dream of completely automated errands.
How this device isn’t an April Fool’s joke is beyond me. Yeah, it’s that awesome. Created by Julius von Bismarck, the Image Fulgurator can remotely insert images into other people’s photographs. Through a complex setup involving a 35mm camera and light, you can aim the device at the scenery someone is photographing and a light sensor will insert your image when their flash goes off.
When the victim goes to develop the film or check the image on a display, they’ll be disappointed to find another photo overlaying their magnificent shot of the Times Square. You can make your own but it won’t be easy. You should watch the informative video above if you haven’t already. The soundtrack and style of it is amusing to say the least.
