Gym Car Concept Sounds Both Healthy and Extremely Dangerous [Concepts]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/EMgOXB-Z0uo/gym-car-concept-sounds-both-healthy-and-extremely-dangerous

Designer Da Feng created the Gym Car mockup that includes a near-complete home gym as well as a Batmobile-esque carbon fiber exterior. No word on the safety of doing bench-presses while driving.

The car's interior features a step machine, rowing machine, bench press, pull-up simulator and weights, and the energy outputted during a workout would go to powering its batteries. The exterior design of the car is supposedly inspired by World War II fighter planes, which sounds a lot more professional than "inspired by Batman."

Given the many laws prohibiting something as easy as talking on a phone while driving, we've got to believe the transit authority would frown upon any combination of exercise and driving, but I could see the benefit of a little stationary bike or something to help pass the time during a long commute. [Jalopnik, Wired]

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Self-Healing Paint Is Full of Magical Tiny Caulk Crystals [The Future Is Here]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/omL9_nNU6xY/self+healing-paint-is-full-of-magical-tiny-caulk-crystals

Autonomic Materials plans to bring self-healing paint to market in less than four months. The paint is designed to protect cars, bridges, and boats from corrosion, but don't get too excited just yet:

The paint is unfortunately too rough to be used to stop those darn kids from keying your car because you won't give them their frisbee back. It contains tons of tiny microcapsules of two types: one with polymer building blocks and the other with a catalyst. The capsules themselves are made of polyurethane to keep the chemicals isolated, and can be used in all kinds of paints, but each microcapsule is about 10 to 100 micrometers in diameter, which leaves the paint containing them rough to the touch and not suitable for locations where aesthetics are important.

When the paint is scratched, the microcapsules burst and spill out their chemical guts, which combine to form a material called siloxane, which the inventor describes as similar to bathroom caulk. This siloxane fills in the crack that created it, and thus we have self-healing paint. Its potential uses are widespread, from airplane wings (to stop fractures) to buildings and bridges. The paint is apparently ready to go commercial right now, and the inventors are just ironing out the financial details. They expect it to come to market in under four months. [Technology Review, photo credit: Paul Braun]

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Twelve-Strobe Camera Rig Smites the Sun, Shoots at 1/8000 Seconds [Photography]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/fYfgzYDJdHc/twelve+strobe-camera-rig-smites-the-sun-shoots-at-18000-seconds

Photographer Syl Arena created an impressive array of twelve strobes to help him take ultra-clear high speed shots, and possibly to incite God's wrath by one-upping the sun.

All twelve strobes are Canon 580 EX II, and all are controlled by RadioPopper wireless triggers. The intensity of the light allows him to reduce the shutter speed to 1/8000 seconds, in broad daylight no less, and still have plenty of light. But the real advantage here is high speed photography, and Arena claims to be able to see "the individual links on the motorcycle's chain" while that motorcycle flies 40 miles per hour through the air.

Plus, the rig's frame is made of classy oak. I guess if you want to build the brightest flash short of a supernova, you might as well go all the way. [MAKE]

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Tell Time, Snap Photos with Thanko MP4 Video Watch [Watches]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/86FN_dnYbok/tell-time-snap-photos-with-thanko-mp4-video-watch

The Thanko MP4 watch lets me tell time and take compromising photos or video of coworkers at the office Christmas party? SOLD!

And, does it all without the usual stigma that affects these kinds of devices—utter butt-ugliness. It's a bit bulky, to be sure, but thanks to some solid Japanese ingenuity it's finally something I feel confident bringing into public for another of my infamous "photos of things you can never take back" field assignments.

As for the specs, the MP4 sports a 1.8-inch color screen (160x128), supports MP3 and WPA, WMA audio, and can display JPG or text files. A video camera mode recordsin 352x288, while the photo mode is 640x480. [Akihabara]

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Asus Nettop Eee B203 PC Getting a Faster, Cheaper CPU [Eee Box]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/qSv97csrrAk/asus-nettop-eee-b203-pc-getting-a-faster-cheaper-cpu

We only just learned about the HDMI upgrade to the Asus Eee Box line with the B204 and B206 models, but there's another update coming in the B203: A Celeron instead of Atom.

Liliputing is reporting via an Italian Eee PC site that the Intel C220 Celeron upgrade is pretty much the only difference between the B203 and the original Eee Box B202. The chip replaces the Intel Atom chip that currently dominates the line.

The rest is pretty standard stuff. It runs Windows XP (Asus "recommends" Vista, cha-ching!), and comes with an 80, 120 or 160GB hard drive. There's also 4 USB ports, a flash card reader, DVI out, Ethernet port and wifi. Pricing wasn't available, but Liliputing expects it to check in slightly lower than the Atom version.

Note: Image is of the original Eee Box. [Asus via EeePC.it via Liliputing]

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