Ultralight Airplane, $TBA
Engineering heroes Patrick Green, Tyler Sandelin, and Michael Conway are fourth-year Mechanical Engineering students at the University of the Pacific. We featured them on the site last March after they created one of the most… unique (read: awesome) projects in E-school history, the beer pong table with automatic ball washer. Now they're back with another invention—the Ultralight Airplane.
The Ultralight is a simple, single-passenger, and lightweight recreational aircraft that they promise will at least get in the air. The trio has already built the wings, but they need additional funds before they go any futher. If you give some cash, who knows? You might be first in line if they decide to take this bad boy into mass production.
(One more thing: Every week, we'd like to feature one of your Kickstarters/products. If you'd like yours to be on the list in the future, drop us a tip.)
StormFly, $59
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/750308586/stormfly-like-a-pc-on-your-wristIt's funny how some tech products immediately become synonymous with illicit activity and things their creators almost certainly didn't initially have in mind. Think Snapchat and sexting. Dell and marijuana. Stormfly is kind of in that same category. A 16-GB flashdrive that allows you to override a computer's software while still using its hardware, Stormfly allows you to safely view… anyone, anyone?
Basically, Stormfly is a 16GB flash drive with three parts: A 4GB shared folder that stores your data, 4GB for the user’s home base, and 8GB for the operating system. Essentially, you plug it into a computer, turn the computer on, follow a few prompts and enter a few passwords, and you’re using the hardware of the computer, but your own software.
If this sounds familiar, you’ve probably installed Ubuntu: It is similar to installing Linux off a USB stick. The difference is that your apps and your data don’t vanish when you shut down. It’s also got 128-bit encryption, and doesn’t leave any data on the host computer, so, if you want to, say, look up stuff at work and not get caught? This would be the perfect solution.
(Porn. They're talking about porn.)
Cheeseburger Wine, $13
I'm not only getting a strong Steve Brule vibe from this vino, I'm thinking it might be the perfect way to impress that lovely lady this Feb. 14. A candle-lit table, some nice silverware, a little Boyz-2-Men, a little Five Guys, a little Cheeseburger Wine—sparks will fly. Hey, Paul Giamatti did it in “Sideways.”
Cube 3D Printer, $1600
Because this is where we're ultimately going, bros. The Cube 3D printer is the FIRST STEP.
50-Foot Snowball Launcher, $29.95
Boston might get two feet of snow this weekend. Elsewhere in the Northeast, people are looking at a foot, foot-and-a-half accumulation. This means you need some sort of leg-up in the 80-person snowbrawl that's bound to happen.
Introducing the 50-foot snowball launcher, an instrument of white death that will reign Frosty's Wrath over your 12-year-old neighbor should you choose to wield it. Look at its sleek contours. Gaze at its intimidating muzzle. Notice how Hammacher Schlemmer says that it “allows rapid, long-range assaults” like it's a fucking AR-15. What a thing of beauty.
Air Jordan 3 Retro '88 White, $200
Fact: The 1988 Slam Dunk contest is the best in history.
Fact: The Air Jordan III, worn by Mike during the event, is the best Air Jordan ever.
Fact: Every III re-release that came out this week will be sold out by, uh, last Wednesday.
Mirrorcase, $49.95
The Mirrorcase's stated purpose is to capture pictures in a more “natural” motion, because I guess it's difficult to hold a camera up to your face to take a picture nowadays.
Its true purpose, though? Stealth shots of celebrities. Want to prove to your buddy that Lori Beth Denberg is eating at the table next to yours, but don't feel that just a text message will suffice? Boom. Mirrorcase. This is going to change the candid-picture/bragging-about-celebs-you've-seen game.
Vanilla Ice Lighting, $His Rent Payment
Ohhhh man. Longtime fans of the Iceman—”Ice Ice Baby” wordsmith Vanilla Ice—are in for a treat here. Ice now has his own collection of chandeliers called Vanilla Ice Lighting, and they are elegant as shiiiit. Check 'em out in the commercial above. DO NOT EXIT THIS POST WITHOUT WATCHING THE COMMERCIAL ABOVE. Ice manages to fit in about 40-50 puns for the word “light” and it's fantastic.
Spin N' Shot Roulette, $19.95
Not a ton of description is necessary for this. Could be a fun drinking game. Could be a dumb drinking game. Could cause you to reach the levels of poor judgment previously only seen by the English guy who bet his life savings on red.
2014 Corvette Singray, $Around 50,000
Back in my redneck days, I would often pick up the free Autotrader rags, flip past the shitty “barely used” 1992 Honda Civics and 1991 Dodge Spirits, and pause to gaze in envy at the awesome late-70s Corvettes that were always inevitably for sale. The C3s—also known as the Stingrays—came in bright yellow, burnt red, and metallic silver. Many were pictured beside a trailer. Some were on blocks. All looked like they belonged to a mid-30s man who wore a gold chain, sold commercial real estate, and hung out in college bars. They were beautiful.
Corvette's classed it up since then… Presenting the 2014 Corvette Stingray:
The challenge was daunting, the charge great: Develop a seventh-generation Chevrolet Corvette that would not merely exceed expectations of the faithful but could reaffirm it as the greatest performance car for the dollar on the planet. And make sure the Vette's halo shines bright enough to prove this “new” General Motors competes globally with technology, ingenuity and passion not seen for generations.
That's the 2014 Corvette you see here–worthy of being christened Stingray for the first time in more than 25 years–the name was last used on the 1976 Corvette. It was unveiled Sunday night, on the eve of press preview days for the Detroit auto show. It goes on sale in the fall.
[It features] a new aluminum 6.2-liter V8, with direct fuel injection and cylinder cutoff technology, cranks out 450 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque. It mates to either a six-speed automatic or seven-speed manual transmission with active rev matching. The new Corvette Stingray will rocket from 0 to 60 mph in less than 4 seconds — and deliver up to 30 mpg on the highway.
Yeah, we want it. (And an old Autotrader, too.)
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