Gadgeteer Weekly- The Week in Gadgets!
The highlight from this week in gadgets and technology for us here at Gadget Freaks would have to be seeing the footage of Fusion Man flying his jet pack. We have posted here about the Gryphon Flying Wing and seen all manner of this type of gadget but at last someone actually flyng one. On May 14th 2008, Yves Rossy became the first man to fly a winged jetpack strapped to his back. Rossy, a Swiss pilot, has spent $285,000 on his creation and jumped out of a plane at 7,550 feet. After unfolding the wings he fired the 4 jet engines and flew for 6 minutes high above the Swiss Alps performing 360 degree turns and figure eights. Although the first flight with the prototype was a huge success there is no word on a production model at this time. I want one!!!!!
Regular readers to Gadget Freaks will already know how much we love motorsports. So not surprising that when we saw this Race Simulator we had this sudden feeling that our lives were not complete. If you have a spare $20,000 you might want to buy the Virtual GT model but hey, why fanny about when you are shelling out this much cash! You might be better off with the Motion Pro 2 at a cool $25,995. Then there are the upgrades which include a panoramic display ($12,995), a six-speed gated shifter and progressive clutch ($1,049) and even enhanced on site set/training ($2995). I can just picture one in the Gadget Freaks office!
Another slightly less expensive gadget spotted this week are these neat Spy Camera Sunglasses. The glasses have 2 in-built cameras on the side arms and transmit video to a wireless receiver. The receiver has a 2.4″ screen with an internal memory of 128MB and supports an SD card up to 2 GB.
Here’s one that will surely qualify for the Darwin Awards! This Pulse Jet powered bicycle looks rather lethal in our book. It is the creation of Robert Maddox, a 47 year old American who designs and builds the largest pulsejet engines in the world. This contraption runs on kerosene and can thrust power between 14-1000 lbs. Time to start chlorinating the gene pool we think!
Tristram Cary, the composer of the Dr Who theme tune and a pioneer of electronic music, has died
Sad news indeed here at Gadget Freaks. Tristram Cary, the composer of the Doctor Who theme and electronic music pioneer has died in Adelaide, Australia. Of course the long running sci-fi series has a special place in the hearts of all gadgeteers so it’s only fitting to remember the creator of what is one of the most memorable and unique TV themes of all time.
Cary came upon the idea of tape and electronic music whilst serving in the British Navy as a radar officer during the Second World War. He later went on to become one of the principal pioneers of electronic music founding an electronic music studio at London’s Royal College of Music in 1967. Moving to Australia in the 1970’s, he established a similar studio at the world renowned University of Adelaide’s Elder Conservatorium of Music.
The son of Irish born Novelist, Joyce Cary, he was said to have had a unique childhood. Family friends, T.S. Elliot and James Joyce would often call at the family home for tea.
Many regard Cary as the father of modern electronic music. His theme to the long running BBC series is said to have inspired the likes of Pink Floyd, Brian Eno, Portishead and many others. Not only a composer, he co-designed a synthesiser used by such legends of music as Roxy Music, The Who and the previously mentioned Pink Floyd.
In 1991 he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia ( OAM ) for services to Australian music. During his distinguished if not seminal career he also composed music for Hollywood feature films, television theatre and concerts.
He died in The Royal Adelaide Hospital ( Australia ) aged 82.
Gold Edition Widescreen Multimedia Watch.
Wow, just the name of this gadget is eye catching let alone the actual unit itself. Packed with features this multi-functional watch brings some ‘Bling Factor’ to the world of MP4.
With a 1.8 inch screen and a built-in rechargeable lithium battery this multimedia watch even has an e-book reader. Inbuilt technology allows you to connect to bluetooth compatible mobile phones, PDAs and computers.
Available in 1,2 and 4 GB capacities and with all these features packed in it wont be long until we start seeing a few of these on the wrists of the more stylish and suave of us here at Gadgetfreaks.
