Tesla’s next electric car is the Model S, a sedan.
It sounds like the initial public offering of electric-car maker Tesla is already being greeted with skepticism, but some of the fine print about its plans may give potential investors even greater cause for concern.
 

After hitting a stiff economic head wind in 2009, business air travel appears to be reviving.  The heads of major airlines, including United, American and Delta, said they’re seeing the early indications of a resurgence as corporations get reacquainted with the idea of spending money on travel.
 

Urban bike lane
Kolelinia is a design concept for urban bicycle lanes in the sky. Created by Bulgarian architect Martin Angelov, the innovative design, although not for those with any fear of heights, offers steel wire bicycle lanes, plus safety harnesses, located high above the traffic. (Pics)
 

Michigan’s economy, and its self-image, could get a big boost from a $10 million competition this summer to build a super fuel-efficient car.
 

If only I could wipe this swarmy look off my face…

The YikeBike is an electric, folding “mini-farthing” (think “penny-farthing”) bike — €3,500 gets you a 10kg electric scooter that folds up to the size of a cymbal set and travels 10-20km on a single charge at 20km/h. Ideal for short-hop commuters who are too lazy [...]

Futurist Thomas Frey reaches up to touch the AR.Drone Quadricopter
AR.Drone will soon become the world’s first available quadricopter that can be controlled by iPhone and iPod touch and Thomas & Deb Frey got a first-hand look at this innovative technology. (Pics & Video)

Going Green Under The Sea

A pedal-powered submarine capable of diving up to 30 metres has been developed by a Russian company. The craft can be powered by two people with no specialist training and moves at about walking pace.
The pedallers sit side by side in the craft, most of which is made from a special [...]

The owner of a north Georgia funeral home has quite a deal if you plan to drink and drive on New Year’s Eve. Sign an agreement, and you can qualify for a free burial.
It’s a freebie that no one has signed up to accept.
“In today’s society, you have to go to the extreme sometimes to [...]

Fancy Flying Makes For Better Honey?

Ever wondered how bees always manage to land on a picnic table, underneath a flower petal, or on a wall of a hive, without crashing or tumbling? Well, scientists have, for the first time, figured out how these insects touch down on all sorts of surfaces, from right side up [...]

Yup. She can fly thanks to her fancy footwork.

Jessica Cox was born without arms, but that hasn’t prevented her from becoming the first licensed pilot to fly with only her feet:
With one foot manning the controls and the other delicately guiding the steering column, Cox, 25, soared to achieve a Sport Pilot certificate. Her certificate [...]

Vespa’s stretch scooter
“Honey, I stretched the Vespa.” This unique, four-seater “family” version of the iconic Italian scooter allows you to take friends along for the ride.

Travellers board a high-speed train which heads to Guangzhou in Wuhan
In the week that Britain’s high speed rail link closed down because the wrong sort of snow interfered with the engine’s electronics, China unveiled the world’s fastest train service on one of the coldest days of the year. (Pics)
 

Chariot Skates
Chop a gladiator’s chariot in half and attach one side to each foot. On a much smaller scale that’s what Chariot Skates’ version of an inline skate looks like. (Video)

Curious Rollings

Airtrax’s omnidirectional wheels for industrial vehicles can roll forward, back, sideways, diagonally… Like something out of a Neal Stephenson novel. I want an electric car with these things (though who know how they wear on road conditions?).

Office 24/7
With this year’s Art Basel/Design Miami in the can, you’d think Miami would quietly sink into the shadows, away from the international design spotlight. Not so fast. A new architecture competition recently announced its winners, bringing global attention to the city’s built environment for the third year. The annual contest, named DawnTown focused this [...]

Good news, everyone! The target date for Toyota’s Prius plug-in hybrid (PHEV) is slightly less out of reach than the 2012 window we heard prior: according to Autoblog, it’s now set for late 2011 and the price is deemed “affordable.” Back to the present, as a tease to the world at large, the company’s planning [...]

This is quite an unusual device! Corbin Dunn, a computer programmer and mountain unicyclist, built this two-person unicycle. Alas, he lost a blog post about the construction of it, but his site filled with interesting pictures of his many unusual hobbies….

Airbags have evolved from being in cars to on cars, so it’s only natural that airbags in aircraft should be making the trip outside. NASA’s Subsonic Rotary Wing Project is attempting to make autorotation landings a little bit softer by slapping a pair of expandable kevlar cushions between the skids, and the first test was [...]

SpaceShipTwo being carried up to a high altitude by WhiteKinightTwo
A spacecraft designed to rocket wealthy tourists into space as early as 2011 was unveiled Monday in what backers of the venture hope will signal a new era in aviation history. The long-awaited glimpse of SpaceShipTwo marks the first public appearance of a commercial passenger spacecraft. [...]

General Motors Co, battling for survival for much of the past year, has cut loose designers to sketch out a vision of the ultimate youth car of the future — a virtual one-wheeled wonder that would match wits with its driver. (Pics)
 

Amatoya
Amatoya is a concept reconnaissance and suppression vehicle that gives us a new approach to fire-fighting. This highly advanced and specialized light tanker functions primarily as a reconnaissance vehicle and offers unmatched vehicle and crew safety/survivability. It promises to be the best front line defense during the scene of an emergency. Read on to know [...]

In cities across the world, traffic is getting out of control; some people now routinely spend upwards of two hours of every day, just in transit. What’s to be done? (Pics)

SkyPark
The Italian SkySpark plane is totally electric, eerily quiet and has just broken the world record for emission free flight speed, humming through the air at 250 km/h using some Lithium Polymer batteries and a 75–kW engine. The team’s goal is to build a plane which will fly for over 500 kms at an average speed of 300 [...]

And you thought bike commuting was dangerous? Hah! Mere child’s play. (Pics and videos)
 

Bloodhound SSC
British engineers have started building what they hope will be the world’s fastest car – capable of reaching 1,000mph.  The Bloodhound SSC (Supersonic car) will be powered by a jet engine from Eurofighter Typhoon being positioned above a hybrid rocket. This combination should produce 135,000 horsepower — equivalent to the power of 180 Formula [...]