You may remember Japan’s high-tech Acure vending machine that we covered earlier this year, with its intelligent marketing strategy and massive 47-inch touchscreen display. Well just when we though vending machines couldn’t get any more advanced, Japan’s vending machine manufacturer Sanden has surprised us again with its next-generation vending machine.
Working closely with Okaya Electronics and Intel, Sanden has created a futuristic vending machine concept with intelligent marketing and a glorious 65-inch high definition transparent display. Equipped with a Sandy Bridge processor and Intel’s Audience Impression Metric (AIM), this may be the smartest vending machine yet.
With Intel’s AIM Suite, the vending machine is capable of recognizing and analyzing the customer’s gender and age, while appropriately advertising products that are relevant to the customer’s demographic. When there aren’t any customers in front of it, the vending machine displays beautiful HD animations along with a large digital clock to attract the attention of potential customers.
Sanden hopes to separate this machine from other vending machines by introducing products and functions that aren’t typically found in conventional vending machines. One possibility that the company hopes to explore is the sale of luxury products such as cosmetics and wines. In that case, let’s hope the machine comes with an equally impressive security system.
Another function the company hopes to explore is the machine’s use as an emergency guide, displaying important emergency information such as evacuation routes and emergency exits. Unfortunately no information was given on when and where the machine would be launched, but we’ll definitely keep our eyes out for giant see-through vending machines in the future.
The game of Monopoly has gained many a fanfare across the world, simply for the intriguing journey to one’s riches, artificially though it may be. Hence, like most games, this one made its presence felt in the life of the really rich folks by rearing itself in luxurious options such as we saw in the Zontik games edition and Sidney Mobell set. Now Pemberton & Milner, where Ms. Elisabeth Moore is one of the top brass, has managed to create the most expensive Monopoly gaming set, with a price tag of £100,000 ($156,714). Crafted out of exotic leather and silver, this game set shall put some already rich folks into the dream world of gaining wealth.
Partnering with distinguished jewelers like Garrad, this special edition of the Monopoly game will see some customized changes to its set up. The main of course being, the change in names of different destinations, to that of what one would normally associate with the British Military and security forces such as the Royal Navy. Though rules largely remain similar, using real life military based names will certainly seem to add a touch of change, other than the novelty used in the accessories set. Equipment used will be more in the shape of military based specialties, and destination such as the military mess and associated fines come into the picture should a player falter. Even the station heads are now military unit heads!
Talking of the other novelty features of the board game, the equipment shall be available in 2 main versions; Deluxe and ultra-luxe versions. While the deluxe uses hand printed leather and silver equipment, put together partly by machine, the ultra-luxe version will have been created entirely out of hand. Also, this project will have a charitable cause associated with the sale of the game set. Once sold off, the proceeds go to 3 army charities, namely the Royal Marines Charity, ABF soldiers’ charity, and the RAF Benevolent charity. The reason being cited, is the long indirect association of Ms. Moore with the British security forces, in form of her long term boyfriend, her father, and her brother. Well, as for us, we are just waiting for the truly rich guys to get their hands on this and start fantasy playing one of the most popular money board games ever. Probably, Larry Ellison would buy one considering he has a habit of buying properties in true monopoly style.
Who needs Google to look for a company website address when you have 30-year-old Pat Vaillancourt from Quebec, Canada that can provide the information with his bare skin? Ok, perhaps that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but what’s not exaggerated is the number of URLs tattooed across the length of his back and shoulders: more than 10,000!
According to Oddity Central, Vaillancourt currently holds the world’s record for the most web addresses tattooed on his body, and we believe it. He got the notion to set the world’s record back in 2010 because he wasn’t an athlete and he couldn’t do extreme stunts. What better way to leave his mark in the world by actually marking URLs all over his skin?
“I want to break a Guinness World Record, but more importantly, I want to help others. And this is my way of doing so,” he said back then. He’s helping others by requiring interested businesses to fork over $35 if they want their URL inked between the freckles, moles and numerous tattooed logos. As specified on his website, half the proceeds are being donated to help the people of Haiti and Somalia while the other half pays for the tattoos and promoting his efforts.
As for the number of tattooed URLs, Vaillancourt is hoping to reach a grand total of 100,000. He wants the first 50,000 web addresses to be inked in black, and the next layer of 50,000 in blue. Presently he’s nearing the 15,000 tattooed URL mark, and an additional 16,000 or more companies have already reserved a space on his body. Tom’s Hardware is not among them.
Vaillancourt says that his friend actually does the tattooing, and takes between sixty and ninety minutes to ink 100 URLs. He says that he’s also accepting Facebook and Twitter profile URLs for the same amount he’s charging businesses: $35 USD.
Next we’ll see someone with QR codes tattooed all over his/her body…
Among other things, Guy Laramee makes sculptures from books. They are amazing; from the level of detail and the textures to the way he presents them. Some of them have a magical aura, like this one, titled Book People. Go to Laramee’s site to get a complete view of his work.
The world’s most popular computer game will become live attractions for children next year when the first Angry Birds playgrounds appear in Finland.
The developer of the Angry Birds app, found on mobile devices such as iPhones and Tablet computers, said that two Finnish towns will get the first playgrounds kitted out with equipment inspired by the game’s characters as it signed a global deal with playground equipment manufacturer Lappset.
Mobile gaming firm Rovio, which plans to go public within a few years, said last month its hit game had reached a record 500 million downloads less than two years after its launch.
Unlike most mobile game crazes,Angry Birds , in which players use a slingshot to attack pigs who steal the birds’ eggs, has stayed atop the charts since it was launched for Apple’s iPhone in 2009.
Rovio is expanding the brand across traditional merchandising, to items such as toys and baby products, and is taking the birds to the big screen with film studios.
Lappset will manufacture play and activity equipment and ready-made playgrounds or activity parks inspired by the Angry Birds characters.
“The playgrounds fit perfectly into the Angry Birds world and our way of thinking,” Rovio marketing chief Peter Vesterbacka said in a statement.
The Angry Birds playground product range features animal spring riders, swings, sandpits and a range of climbing towers with slides, and a unique Angry Birds arcade game.
There are plenty of automotive phenomena we don’t entirely understand. Take sound system competitions, for example. We just never saw the practical use for a stereo worth more than your vehicle, especially when the largest fraction of that investment gets channeled into bowel-wobbling subwoofers. That is, until now. The owner of this particular Pontiac Grand Prix has found a unique way to shed snow from his car in the winter. Instead of standing in the cold with a brush and scraper, he simply cranks the volume on his Rockford Fosgate P3 subwoofers and lets physics take over.
Thanks to a little pounding bass, the vehicle’s windows are clear of snow in no time flat. Of course, the gentleman’s neighbors might have a word or two to say about his turning the community’s winter wonderland into a pounding dance floor. Hit the jump to check out the clip for yourself, just be sure to nix the volume.
Surely you’re hip to the Diet Coke and Mentos phenomenon of a few years ago. When an enterprising duo realized that the hard-coated candies interacted with the soda in an explosive way, an internet meme was instantly born. Over the last couple of years, though, interest in the parlor trick seemed to wane. Until now.
Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz, the two men who helped kick off the fun in the first place, are back, claiming a new record for the longest distance traveled in a car powered by Diet Coke and Mentos: 239 feet.
No, that doesn’t seem very far to us, either, though Mark II of their machine is a marked improvement over Mark I. The Mark II vehicle is more aerodynamic and seems to have less mass than its predecessor, which positioned the rider way out in front over a bicycle-like contraption. That said, we think Grobe and Voltz do even better… especially since they used just half the fuel this time ’round.
After dissecting the video, we believe there’s a lot more power in the Diet Coke and Mentos recipe to be had, and there must be a better way to stop so much of the fuel from leaking out instead of providing forward thrust. Duct tape, perhaps?
Until they try again with Mark III, feel free to check out the latest Diet Coke and Mentos-powered car in the video after the break. Read more…
That there’s a Santa Claus and an “elf” riding some sort of contraption behind a miniature big rig is intriguing enough. In reality, the downsized big rig is the story. Built by model maker Luca Bordin, the 1/4-scale Peterbilt 359 isn’t a kit, it’s made from scratch.
As best we can tell from Google Translate, Bordin found detailed plans of the 359, then fabricated the body out of fiberglass, including the cabin, and attached it via springs to a twin-rail frame made of iron. The differential steering mechanism was lifted from go-karts, the diesel tanks are plumbing pipe, a nightclub smoke machine blows white clouds from chrome stacks, a 12v compressor powers two truck-sounding horns, and the engine is from an electric jack “with lots of torque.”
What’s more: when Santa’s not riding out back, Bordin fabricated a fiberglass trailer to go with the tractor. It’s impressive, and we’re hoping Santa drives it straight under our tree. There’s video of it after the jump.
This is just a sneak peak of a longer fan film that creators Airsoft GI are planning to release soon, spotted on RPS. It’s been a great year for classy fan films, from the Fallout 3 film, Nuka Break, to Beyond Black Mesa and Infectious Designer’s recent Half-Life inspired short, Origins. From the looks of the trailer, this Left 4 Dead film could top them all. Look, Zoey’s even clutching Bill’s discarded beret.
Alfa Romeo test driver Terry Grant has picked up a few records in his day. The hot shoe has picked up a total of 19 world records during his time behind the wheel, and now he can add one more: Grant has taken to the Alfa Romeo Mito to become the man to pop the most water balloons using a vehicle. The Italian automaker crafted a massive version of its iconic logo from a staggering 2,500 balloons and then unleashed Grant on the finished product in a Mito Quadrifoglio Verde. Fortunately Alfa fans, the company trained more than a few lenses on the stunt for some excellent slow-motion action.
Pointless? Probably, but we’re never ones to shun a video of an attractive European hatchback sliding around on a skid pad in slow motion. Of course, seeing all those water balloons makes us miss summer in a powerful way. Hit the jump to check out the video for yourself.
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