Cool Stuff Archive

I love these maps by Christoph Niemann on the New York Times site. Especially this one:

Here's the artists bio from the site:

Christoph Niemann's illustrations have appeared on the covers of The New Yorker, Newsweek, Wired, The New York Times Magazine and American Illustration. His work has won numerous awards from the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the Art Directors Club and American Illustration. He is the author of "The Pet Dragon," which teaches Chinese characters to young readers. The Abstract City chapter "I LEGO N.Y." has been released as a board book. After 11 years in New York, he moved to Berlin with his wife, Lisa, and their three sons. His Web site is christophniemann.com.

It's often a problem finding a place to fill up the tires with air. On my mountain bike with uses Schrader valves, I can go to any gas station, but with my road bike, the stem is different. It's a Presta valve, so the standard gas station air hoses don't fit.

Enter Dutch designers Jeroen Bruls & Krijn Christiaansen who invented the "Heklucht, type ", a bike stand with an integrated pump. What a brilliant idea.

WHAT is it?? a bikestand with airpump (Heklucht), type Ypenburg The product has been conceived for an art project in Ypenburg (a newly build neighbourhood in the Netherlands). Eight products will be placed in front of eight houses. The goal of the project is to stimulate an interaction between neighbours, while pumping up the tyres of their bicycles. The hurdle is made out of polished stainless steel. Because of this, it shines like a jewel on the grey pavement. Available in every color.

I just discovered the "Terrain" button on Google Maps. I don't know if this is new or not, but it's new to me. It delivers exquisite looking topographic maps which, of course, are interactive.

Compressed-Air Powered cars could take you over 800 miles on a single fill-up, at speeds of up to 96 mph. They should refuel in less than 3 minutes, and at speeds over 35 mph emit about half the CO2 of a Toyota Prius. Best part? You could see them in the US at the end of next year.

Sounds good, but will they make an All Wheel Drive version for us powder hounds?

At least petrodollars are being put to good use somewhere. Check out the video of the building.

Came across this image while surfing the web this afternoon. Pretty fucking cool! Particularly relevant considering what day it is today.