STUFF: News, Technology, the cool and the plain weird

[MIKA27]

NATO Is Getting Ready to Defend Turkey From Russia

NATO said today it was prepared to deploy troops in Turkey to defend its ally after violations of Turkish airspace by Russian jets bombing Syria, and Britain scolded Moscow for escalating a civil war that has already killed 250,000 people.

"NATO is ready and able to defend all allies, including Turkey, against any threats," Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters as he arrived for the meeting of defense ministers in Brussels.

Meanwhile, the US State Department claimed that a huge percentage of Moscow's attacks were not striking Islamic State (IS) targets but hitting moderate rebel groups opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad instead.

"Greater than 90 percent of the strikes that we've seen them take to date have not been against ISIL [an alternative acronym for IS] or al Qaeda-affiliated terrorists," said state department spokesman John Kirby. "They've been largely against opposition groups that want a better future for Syria and don't want to see the Assad regime stay in power."

Syrian troops and allied militia backed by the Russian air strikes attacked rebels in the Ghab Plain in western Syria on Thursday, and the army chief said a major offensive was underway to recapture territory from insurgents.

The rebel advance into the Ghab region nearly two months ago had threatened the coastal region vital to Assad's control of western Syria and catalyzed Russia's intervention on his side last week.

Ground forces targeted insurgent-held areas with heavy barrages of surface-to-surface missiles as Russian jets bombed from above, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and a rebel fighting there said.

Syrian armed forces "have launched wide-ranging attacks to deal with the terrorist groups, and to liberate the areas which had suffered from the terrorist rule and crimes," Lt. Gen. Ali Abdullah Ayoub was quoted as saying by state media.

Officials at NATO are still smarting from Russia's weekend incursions into Turkey's airspace near northern Syria, however, and defense ministers are meeting in Brussels today with the agenda likely to be dominated by the Syria crisis.

"NATO has already responded by increasing our capacity, our ability, our preparedness to deploy forces including to the south, including in Turkey," said Stoltenberg, noting that Russia's air and cruise missile strikes were "reasons for concern".

As Russian and US planes fly combat missions over the same country for the first time since World War II, NATO is eager to avoid any international escalation of the Syrian conflict that has unexpectedly turned the alliance's attention away from Ukraine following Russia's annexation of Crimea last year.

The incursions of two Russian fighters in Turkish airspace on Saturday and Sunday has brought the Syria conflict right up to NATO's borders, testing the alliance's ability to deter a newly assertive Russia without seeking direct confrontation.

While the United States has ruled out military cooperation with Russia in Syria, NATO defense ministers will discuss how to encourage Russia to help resolve the crisis, betting that Moscow also wants to avoid being bogged down in a long conflict.

"There has to be a political solution, a transition," Stoltenberg said.

"Russia is making a very serious situation in Syria much more dangerous," Britain's defense minister, Michael Fallon said, calling on Moscow to use its influence on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to stop bombing civilians.

France and Britain, NATO's two main European powers, are understood to be willing to see the alliance use its new 5,000-strong rapid reaction force beyond NATO borders, potentially helping stabilize post-conflict governments in Libya or Syria.

"We need to agree a long-term approach to Russia. But NATO needs a strategy to its south," Britain's envoy to NATO, Adam Thomson, said on the eve of the meeting.

"The world is changing and NATO needs to develop the ability to react to many things at once," he said.

Other nations, including Poland and the Baltics, want a permanent NATO presence on their territory to act as a credible deterrent to any further effort by Russian President Vladimir Putin to gain influence in former Soviet states.

Fallon underscored the balancing act, saying that Britain would send some troops to Poland and the Baltics for training, as NATO opens small new command posts in eastern Europe.

"That is part of our policy of more persistent presence on the eastern side of NATO to respond to any further Russian provocation and aggression," he said.

[MIKA27]

BLACK OUT: 21 BEST ALL-BLACK WATCHES FOR MEN

Everyone from Johnny Cash to Jay-Z has embraced “all black everything” as a fashion credo, and that’s because you just can’t go wrong with black. It’s both formal and rock ‘n’ roll. Don’t know if the thing you’re going to is going to be dressy or casual? Throw on a pair of black jeans instead of your blue jeans and you’ll instantly look more put together.

I often get PM's where people reading this thread often state I post really expensive stuff for the 1%, so whether you’re looking for a $50 Timex or a multi-thousand classic like an Omega Speedmaster, I’ve got you covered.

TIMEX ANALOG WATCH

You can always count on Timex for good-looking watches at an affordable price, and this Analog Watch fits the bill. Featuring an analog chronograph with three subdials, and Indiglo light, and a rugged textured silicone strap, this is a watch that will look good and last for years. [Purchase $54.00]

KOMONO WINSTON HERITAGE DUOTONE WATCH

Komono is a brand that focuses on making small things great, and with their watches, they do exactly that. This sleek, minimalist watch features a black face with dark gray hands and numerals, and a black canvas wristband. [Purchase for $79.00]

MVMT BLACK LEATHER WATCH

MVMT started as an IndieGoGo campaign, and fortunately, they raised enough cash to start cranking out unique, affordable watches that are great for any occasion. This all-black (save for cherry red accents) watch is sleek and understated, boasting features like custom gunmetal stainless steel hands and markers, a brushed black stainless steel case, and a hardened crystal face. [Purchase for $89]

SKAGEN ANCHER STEEL MESH WATCH

Since 1989, Skagen—a company named for its Denmark roots—has been creating products that reflect everything that’s respected about modern Danish design. This easy-to read, minimalist Ancher Steel Mesh Watch has a black face, casing, and a unique textured black mesh strap (which you typically only see in gold or silver) with white markers and a second hand that’s been dipped in red. [Purchase for $175]

MIANSAI M24 NOIR WATCH

When Miansai introduced its collection of preppy rope bracelets in 2008, the brand became the darling of the fashion world. But since then, they’ve expanded to create additional wristwear in the form of watches. This M24 Noir Watch is one of their best, and features a unique one-handed Japanese quartz movement that breaks each hour into 15, 30, and 45 minute increments. [Purchase for $215]

TID NO. 1 BLACK WATCH

Founded in Stockholm in 2012, the brand’s name literally means “time” in Swedish, which is more than appropriate for a watch company. The brand’s No.1 Watch has a military edge to it, but rather than in army green, it’s all black. Crafted from stainless steel, the watch is coated in black ion that provides both durability and a pleasing matte finish. [Purchase for $224]

TSOVET JPT-CO36 WATCH

“Less is more” is personified in Tsovet’s JPT-C036 Watch—featuring a numberless face, blind-stitched black leather strap, and gunmetal casing, the watch is sleek and elegant, while still managing to look badass. [Purchase for $225]

VOID V03D WATCH

VOID is known for making uniquely shaped watches that look like something out of The Jetsons, but the V03D model boasts a more classic shape. Crafted out of stainless steel, the watch features barely-there numeral marks around the face and two watch hands highlighted with a shock of white. Complete it with a premium black leather band, and you’ve got the perfect watch to wear to your anniversary dinner. [Purchase for $230]

BRAUN CERAMIC ANALOG WATCH

You always hear about Swiss watches, but the Germans use their trademark efficiency to also make really great watches like this Ceramic Analog Display Watch from Braun. While everyone else has leather or stainless steel watchbands, you can stand out by being the guy that has a CERAMIC watch. The sleek black ceramic band and case pair well with the simple black face that features barely-there gray ticks in place of numerals, and white and yellow hands to keep track of the time. [Purchase for $255]

MINUS-8 EDGE WATCH

San Francisco-based Minus-8 wants to add depth to the watch market, and does it literally by employing its signature 3-D look across most of its offerings. The Edge features a sapphire crystal face deep-set into the stainless steel case, which boasts three subdials. Finish it with a virtually indestructible PVD coated stainless steel band and you’ve got a watch that’s guaranteed to earn you compliments. [Purchase for $298]

TRIWA SORT OF BLACK GLOW WATCH

Founded in 2007 by four friends in Stockholm, TRIWA has made a name for itself by crafting classic watches and accessories that employ modern sensibilities and technology. This Sort of Black Glow Watch is the third of a series of “Sort of Black” watches that was released in 2013. The all-black watch features white numeral accents (only the 3, 6, and 9 are present), and you can choose between a black mesh or black leather band. [Purchase for $340]

KITMEN KEUNG LONG DISTANCE BLACK

With roots in Hong Kong and Milan, Kitmen Keung knows a thing or two about high fashion and technology, seeking to marry them both in a sleek, elegant way. The Long Distance Black Watch does exactly that—projecting an air of mystery and intrigue, the all-black face features nothing but two small chronographs in grey. [Purchase for $390]

UNIFORM WARES M-37 WATCH

London-based Uniform Wares might be a relatively young brand, but its watches are nothing to scoff at. Their sleek, simple M-37 Watch has a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal face and the case is made with PVD coating, meaning it’s the handsomest tough-as-nails thing you’ll ever own. [Purchase for $400]

MONDAINE HELVETICA NO. 1 WATCH

While respected Swiss watchmaker’s all-black Helvetica No.1 Watch is a departure from its signature red, white, and black watches (modeled after clocks that were ubiquitous in the country’s railroad stations in the 1940s), it still embodies the simplicity that made the trains run on time. The design is simple, the face is easy to read, and the black nylon strap gives it a more rugged look. [Purchase for $495]

SHINOLA RUNWELL WATCH

With its series of Runwell watches, Detriot-based Shinola has resuscitated an American heritage brand, so if you’re into buying American, look no further than this watch. Featuring a stainless steel case, a double curve sapphire crystal face, easy-to-read numerals, and Super-LumiNova hands (so you can tell the time after dark), the Runwell sports a classic look that’s just as classic as its name. [Purchase for $550]

SHINOLA BREAKMAN WATCH

Another offering from Shinola, the Breakman Watch stands out from the pack with a unique-shaped case, which is made from stainless steel that’s been dipped in PVD matte gunmetal coating. The orange numerals are different than the ones you’ll find on other Shinola watches, and the Super-LumiNova hands and bright orange second hand will continue to help you differentiate yourself from the masses. [Purchase for $625]

HAMILTON KHAKI AVIATION TITANIUM WATCH

Hamilton is known for its high-quality field watches, so its no surprise that this Khaki Aviation watch looks like something Maverick from Top Gun would wear. With its titanium case, rugged black canvas strap, and tactical numbering, you’ll be ready to take off for anything, at a moment’s notice. [Purchase for $675]

BELL & ROSS PHANTOM AUTOMATIC BLACK WATCH

If you’ve got thousands to spend on a watch rather than hundreds, allow me to point you in the direction of Bell & Ross, a trusted Swiss watchmaker with an aviation bent. Featuring the brand’s signature square face (made out of black ceramic), the watch sports all-black numerals and hands, and you can choose between a rugged black rubber or canvas band. [Purchase for $2,575]

TUDOR FASTRIDER WATCH

You may never be able to afford a Rolex, but if you’re still feeling prosperous, you can invest in their sub-brand, Tudor, which offers [relatively] affordable, sportier watches than its brother brand. Tudor’s Fastrider Watch features an all-black ceramic casing, a fixed ceramic bezel, and a black face with three sub-dials. Cherry red accents appear around the face and in the hands (which are luminescent), and a rugged black rubber strap will make you look like you’re about to go on adventure (an expensive one). [Purchase for $4,432]

IWC AQUATIMER GALAPAGOS ISLANDS CHRONOGRAPH

Swiss watchmaker IWC has been crafting high-quality watches since the late 1800s, so it’s no surprise that their watches cost a pretty penny. Named for a place where wildlife runs free, IWC’s Aquatimer Galapagos Islands Chronograph is for anyone who leans towards the exotic. Crafted out of rubber-coated stainless steel, the watch features a rotating inner bezel, luminescent hands, and multiple subdials. With its textured rubber band and the ability to stay water-resistant for up to 1,000 feet, it’s a watch you can truly dive in with. [Purchase for $7,995]

OMEGA SPEEDMASTER DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

True fact: the astronauts who landed on the moon wore Omega watches, so it’s only fitting that the brand create the Speedmaster Moonwatch as a tribute to their place in history and as a nod to the “dark side of the moon.” Crafted out of black zirconium oxide ceramic and featuring high-end touches like 18K white gold hands (as well as multiple chronographs, chronometers, and a tachymeter), if you have the bankroll to fund the hefty $12,000 price tag, this is a watch that should be on your must-buy list. [Purchase for $12,000]

[MIKA27]

DIY GEOMETRIC HALLOWEEN MASKS BY WINTERCROFT

When it comes to picking a Halloween costume, the options can be overwhelming. Sure, you could go to one of those Halloween stores that pop up for a couple of months to pick out your costume, but just about everyone does that (and those costumes are all too common). If you’re looking for something different, check out these DIY Geometric Halloween Masks by Wintercroft.

There are over 50 designs, some of which have multiple components. Some of the designs include a dragon head, a fish, a panda, or a skull. They’re unlike anything we’ve seen before. Best of all, they can be printed on standard letter paper or A4 paper right from your home. The designs are available for purchase for $7 on Etsy. [Purchase]

[MIKA27]

LEGACY CLASSIC POWER WAGON

Back before the US entered World War II, Dodge supplied the military with a uniquely designed line of pickup trucks. In fact, the company built over a quarter million of them. After the war was over, soldiers returning home begged Dodge for a civilian version, to which Dodge responded with the Power Wagon in 1946. Now, the Power Wagon has circled back nearly 70 years later to influence the Legacy Classic Power Wagon.

Unlike its predecessor, the Legacy Classic can hit speeds over 100 mph (while Dodge’s original tops out around 50 mph). It hits 60 mph in just 6.2 seconds — undeniably impressive for a truck, especially one of this size. It includes LED-backlit classic instruments, a tilting Nardi steering wheel, carpet from a Mercedes-Benz, seats from a Cadillac Escalade and a microfiber headliner from Porsche. It has been upgraded with heating, air-conditioning and a defroster. The truck is available starting at $185,000. [Purchase]

[MIKA27]

JEEP TERRA CRAWLER BY RCH DESIGNS

This awesome conversion was built by RCH Designs in Huntington Beach, CA. Based on a Jeepster Commando, the spectacular Jeep Terra Crawler has been fitted with all the gear needed to tackle the world´s toughest and most adventurous environments, climb mountainous hills, cross rivers and lakes, or navigate in thick mud. We don´t have much more information of this build, so we´ll let the pictures speak for themselves...

[MIKA27]

MOVADO EDGE

Designed in collaboration with renowned industrial designer Yves Béhar, the new Movado Edge watch is a work of minimalist art. The timepiece features a unique dial with a beautiful concave sandblasted aluminum dial, a raised polished tonal dot, and a sculpted ray-textured edge, inspired by he sun´s rays. The Movado Edge watch collection features several models and is available now for pre-order with delivery by end of October.

[MIKA27]

DARWIN JELLYFISH TANK

Blurring the lines between life under the water and above sea level, the Darwin Jellyfish Tank is one of the most elegant ways to display and observe these curious creatures. Because they're such poor swimmers, the tank incorporates a custom StreamMaker pump that aspirates the water without harming the jellies. The curved glass dome acts like a magnifying glass to help you better see your aquatic pets, and the built-in LEDs let them make impressive shadows on the wall as they swim about.

[MIKA27]

TIPPLEMAN'S COCKTAIL SYRUPS

Created by a couple who owned a pre-prohibition ear bar, Tippleman's Cocktail Syrups were once only available on site in Charleston, but are now bottled and ready to purchase around the country. Each concoction is made with bartenders in mind to add new flavors to their current menu or create something brand new. Of course, it's just as effective when utilized in your bar or kitchen at home, especially with choices like Burnt Sugar, Ginger Honey, Barrel Smoked Maple Syrup, and more.

[MIKA27]

How Harry Houdini and Scientific American Fought the Fake Mediums of the 1920s

The 1920s are associated with illicit booze and unsustainable stock market returns, but the decade was marked by another craze, as well—a fad for Spiritualism.

As World War I raged, fascination with the idea of life after death grew into a full-on movement. This was not some frowned-upon fringe phenomenon, with such eminent adherents and promoters as scientist Sir Oliver Lodge and author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the relentlessly rational Sherlock Holmes.

But there were still skeptics. And so the Scientific American decided to tackle the issue, well, scientifically. Publisher Orson Munn and his editors James Malcolm Bird and Austin C. Lescarboura offered $5,000 to any psychic who could produce some sort of physical phenomenon in a setting rigorously controlled by the magazine. Getting the money required convincing several judges, including experienced investigators like Dr. Walter Prince, founder of the Boston Society for Psychical Research, and a famous enemy of fakers—none other than the great Harry Houdini. The story of the contest and Houdini’s very public battles with various Spiritualists are chronicled in David Jaher’s new book, The Witch of Lime Street. The title refers to Boston doctor’s wife and famous medium Mina Crandon, a polished, vivacious woman living in Back Bay, who impressed various seance sitters with her manifestations and gentility alike. (Except, of course, the ever-skeptical Houdini.)

This excerpt from Jaher’s book offers a peek at how the contest proceeded, with the story of a popular medium brought down by somebody else’s teeth.

Within two weeks the Cleveland seeress was forgotten. Now Mrs. Elizabeth Tomson of Chicago, the third aspirant for Munn’s prize, was the psychic in the spotlight, and she an old-time mystifier of the Anna Fay vaudeville variety.

The latest candidate produced from her cabinet myriad snowy white forms, all of which Houdini insisted were phony. Yet even he would admit that in her cunning way she was formidable. In London a decade earlier, the medium had been challenged by a skeptical inventor to manifest from a spirit cabinet in which he would restrain her. Sir Hiram Maxim was famous for inventing the prototype of the machine gun that would send thousands of bullet-riddled young men west. Was that not enough to break hearts, that he also had to deny the spiritist consolation of life after death? His draconian bonds had seemed more appropriate for one of Houdini’s escapes. He put the medium in a black body stocking to inhibit any access to fake ectoplasm. Then his people tied her, sewed her, taped her, chained her, and sat her within the inspected psychic cabinet. It took one hour before Mrs. Tomson cried that she was beaten. She had produced no apparitions and lost the competition. But when Sir Hiram parted the curtains to her booth, he received the fright of his life. Coiled above the medium was a large snake, poised as if to strike him.

Mrs. Tomson produced just the sort of dime-show spookery that attracted medium baiters. When she came to Manhattan in 1920 for a public test séance at the Morasco Theater, it was “all I could do to keep J. F. Rinn from breaking up the performance,” Houdini remembered. Before the days of the Scientific American contest, Joseph Rinn had been more of a nemesis to crooked mediums than the Great Houdini. And that evening the bellicose Rinn had an ugly exchange with the Broadway impresario Raymond Hitchcock, who defended the psychic after she claimed from the stage that Sir Oliver Lodge had endorsed her.

When later queried by Houdini, Sir Oliver said that Mrs. Tomson’s spook act had been rejected by his English SPR investigation. Undaunted, the Chicago psychic still sought the applause of scientists, and the highest stage for a publicity-seeking spook was now the Scientific American library. Mrs. Tomson had been the first medium to petition to be tested by Munn’s commission. She was reluctant, though, to return to the city where debunkers like Joseph Rinn had hounded her from the stage lights and attacked her in the newspapers. Aware of her dilemma, Bird tried to persuade her. Despite her detractors, Mrs. Tomson was the only notable psychic in the world willing to be tested by the jury, and as a materializing medium she would give them an opportunity to judge the most sensational of spiritistic effects—the fully formed apparition. This psychic produced visible forms—not raps, whistles, and vague messages from the departed.

What frustrated Bird was that the medium wanted publicity but feared judgment. She and her elusive husband, Dr. Tomson, kept themselves in the news by exploiting the public interest in the Scientific American challenge. There were features in Midwest papers that said she was off to conquer the committee in New York; one story even announced that she had already won the psychic honors. Bird suspected that the Tomsons were the source for these rumors. The medium told him that she couldn’t afford the trip to New York even though the Chicago Tribune, which supported the Scientific American investigation, offered to finance it. Months went by and still Mrs. Tomson wavered. Finally, around the time of Halloween, she came to New York and pronounced herself ready to be tested.

The Tomsons promptly invited the committee to a Sunday-evening séance at Raymond Hitchcock’s estate in Great Neck. Given such short notice, only Bird and Dr. Prince could make it. They arrived to find the sitting attended by about thirty individuals, mostly theatrical people. Despite that, Dr. Tomson wanted the demonstration to be an official Scientific American test; he was upset that the full commission was absent. Bird explained that he and Prince were there as guests, not judges. This wasn’t a sitting that would satisfy the rigors of their program, he protested. A respected surgeon searched Mrs. Tomson prior to the exhibition, but Bird remarked that he only inspected her ****** and not her rectum or esophagus—orifices that could conceal the gossamer material from which fake ghosts are fashioned.

Not long after the usual hymns and hand clasping, Mrs. Tomson manifested spirits in glowing robes that were recognized by some in the circle who were led to the cabinet. Hitchcock identified a white-bearded face as either his uncle or grandfather, Bird noted incredulously. Then “a woman was reduced to a condition of emotional crisis by her very positive recognition of her mother’s face and voice.” The sitter was kissed and embraced by the astral form of her dead mother. Yet when Bird and Prince had their respective turns to approach the cabinet—their hands clasped by Dr. Tomson to prevent them from touching the ectoplasm—and the curtains were dramatically parted, they thought their ghost looked suspiciously like the medium who was supposed to be sleeping inside it. One face that Bird saw hovering in front of the cabinet was so unformed that it might have been anyone a sitter imagined. Could it be that the medium provided the etheric clay, Bird wondered, with which the observer mentally molded a loved one?

Three days later Dr. Tomson showed up at the Scientific American offices to inspect the premises in which his wife was to perform that evening. He found the arrangements unsatisfactory, complaining that there was no place for the medium to disrobe and be examined. Bird took him to a room sequestered for that purpose, which had running water. Upon further discussion, it was clear that the library itself was the source of Dr. Tomson’s unease. A law library apparently lacked the psychic atmosphere. When Bird responded that it would be impossible to find another location at the last minute, “the doctor very kindly offered to take the load off my shoulders; Mme So-and So, a friend of his, he was sure would offer a room in her apartment.”

Resisting the urge to laugh in the occultist’s face, Bird insisted that the séance take place on Scientific American ground and according to its regulations. In reply, Dr. Tomson grumbled that both the journal’s conditions and its choice of judges were not to the liking of Mrs. Tomson’s spirit operators. “I finally reminded him,” Bird wrote, “that we weren’t submitting ourselves to his test, he was submitting to ours; that if he didn’t like our rules, he needn’t play the game at all.” Dr. Tomson took umbrage at Bird’s hard line. He issued an ultimatum: the sitting was to be where he determined, or not at all. Consequently, a few hours before her test séance, Bird called up the committeemen to inform them that Mrs. Tomson’s test sittings were canceled.

The next day the doctor reappeared at the Woolworth to see if Bird had changed his mind. As a compromise, the editor said that he would allow Mrs. Tomson to be tested at Orson Munn’s apartment in the Waldorf. The offer did not satisfy Dr. Tomson, however. Not only did he still want to choose the location, there would only be one demonstration, he stated, after which a verdict would be expected from the commission. Exasperated, Bird accused the Tomsons of wanting to avoid the apparatus concealed behind books and in the walls and floors of the library.

Dr. Tomson did not deny it. His wife, he said, was pretty tired of dubious scientific trials and uncouth physical examinations. Then why, Bird asked, had she entered the Scientific American contest? The doctor said they hadn’t. Then what was he doing in Bird’s office? He didn’t seem to know exactly. Moments later the angry spiritist walked out, accusing Munn & Co. of running a scheme, financed by the Catholic Church, to defame genuine mediums. The editor rose and followed him out into the hall. The Tomsons had never intended to face the committee! Bird shouted. He later reported that “aside from these minor items, we agreed perfectly upon all points.”

Soon Bird was thankful that the Tomsons had backed out and not tainted the psychic tests with their vaudeville apparitions. Two days after the confrontation he had with her husband, Mrs. Tomson was invited to give a séance at the Church of Spiritual Illumination. There she walked into a more severe trap than anything the Scientific American would have laid for her. The congregation were Brooklyn Spiritualists who suspected humbug. When one in their flock was led up to Mrs. Tomson’s cabinet, his arms securely clasped by the doctor, he proceeded to take a bite out of a ghost and came away with a mouth of white gauze rather than ectoplasm. A scuffle broke out between parishioners and the medium’s party. Mrs. Tomson fled in her bathrobe; she and the doctor departed the church without making a collection. The next day they beat it back to Chicago.

[MIKA27]

SUZUKI AIR TRISER MINIVAN CONCEPT

The Japanese are taking cues from the classic Volkswagen T1 Bus, as they gear up for the unveiling of the Suzuki Air Triser Minivan Concept.

Set to make its official debut at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show, this little minivan is powered by a 1,372cc inline 4-cylinder, dual-jet engine that’s aided by a hybrid system to help get you zip around town. Meanwhile an “Allgrip” five-speed transmission puts that power to the ground, but it’s the interior cabin that has really excited. The seats can be arranged in a variety of modes, letting you turn your cabin into a social space for family and friends. There’s even a a display that extends from one of the B-pillars to the ceiling, letting users connect any smart device, providing multimedia entertainment for the passengers. Although it’s reminiscent of the VW minibus, it’s actually quite small, measuring in at 13 x 6.4 x 5.9 feet.

[MIKA27]

This Month In Dashcams: Australians Love To Swear

I think for this edition of dashcam videos we’ll put the language warning right up front: there’s swearing in this video. Lots of it.

Stay safe out there, Australia.

[MIKA27]

McLaren vs Ferrari vs Porsche: The World's Greatest Hypercars Finally Went Head-To-Head At Silverstone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUPfLHPUelE

It has been so hard to figure out the fastest car between the McLaren P1, the LaFerrari and Porsche 918 Spyder, but this brave team has finally done it.

You’d think that it’d be simple to find out which of today’s hypercars is fastest, right? Simply get the LaFerrari, Porsche 918 Spyder and McLaren P1 onto the same racetrack on the same day and put them through their paces. But it isn’t that easy. The three companies don’t want to risk not coming in first. As Top Gear mentioned before they went off the air, they weren’t allowed to put all three on camera at the same time for a race around a track.

But that’s all changing now. An uber wealthy car fan who owns all three cars — the holy trinity of the McLaren P1, the Porsche 918 Spyder and the LaFerrari — decided to put them in the hands of a British Touring Car Champion to find out which one was fastest.

This is it.

All three cars and their respective laps were carefully managed so that the results could be accurately measured. The cars had been serviced a week before the race and they all packed a full tank of fuel, as well as Racelogic gear for accurate timekeeping.

Despite the fact that extreme care was taken to make sure the results are accurate, all three lap times are within a margin of error.

[MIKA27]

A Few Mutant Genes Can Turn A Stomach Bug Into The Black Death

Scientists have long known that one little microbe is responsible for the infamous Black Death plague that decimated Western Europe in the Middle Ages, wiping out roughly one-third of the population. Now they have learned more about where it comes from: it takes just a few small genetic changes to turn a mild stomach bug into a killer.

At the height of the plague years, the Black Death spread so fast, it could wipe out entire villages within weeks. Even doctors feared treating victims, believing the disease spread via “bad air.” (Hence those large beaked hats depicted in so many medieval illustrations: doctors would stuff the beak with strong herbs and spaces to “purify” the air — and possibly to mask the stench of rotting flesh in the bargain.)

The plague is actually caused by a bacillus called Yersinia pestis (Y. pestis for short), spread by rodents and their fleas to humans. It’s so virulent that injecting mice with a mere three bacilli was sufficient to kill them in experiments — and a single flea bite can transmit 24,000 of the deadly microbe. Really, it’s amazing anyone survived the Black Death at all.

Genetically, however, Y. pestis isn’t much different from a microbe that, at worst, will give you the runs. AsCarrie Arnold writes in Quanta:

Recent genetic work has traced the plague’s evolutionary precursor back to the relatively harmless gastrointestinal pathogen Y. pseudotuberculosis, which only causes mild diarrhoea. “Some people don’t even know they have it,” said Wyndham Lathem, a biologist at Northwestern University who has spent his career studying the plague bacterium. “Yersinia pestis can kill you in three days, and only a few changes were required to make this switch.”

Moreover, these changes did not occur very long ago. In several recent studies, researchers compared plague bacteria samples from two pandemics. The Y. pestis DNA recovered from London’s plague pits and from German graves dating from the plague of Justinian turned out to be largely the same. In addition, bacterial samples from modern plague victims around the world reveal very little variation. The findings indicate that Y. pestis hasn’t yet had time to accumulate lots of mutations. “Yersinia pestis is such a recent species that there’s not very much genetic diversity among plague strains, even the ones from historic graveyards,” said Joe Hinnebusch, a plague researcher at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The bacteria’s murderous adaptations are only a few thousand years old.

Those small mutations involve a protein called urease, found in the bacterium’s protective coat, as well as a gene that codes for a protein — unique to Y. pestis — that prevents the clotting of blood. Without that genetic mutation, blood clots would otherwise trap a plague bacterium, preventing it from multiplying and spreading throughout the host.

You can read more about the mutant genes behind the Black Death over at Quanta.

[MIKA27]

NASA Needs Your Help Testing Its New Space Suits

As Matt Damon has proved beyond doubt, wandering around on Mars takes one hell of a cool space suit. NASA’s current suits — and suit-testing protocols — aren’t up to snuff and it wants your help making something better.

In a dryly-worded press release, NASA has said that it “is seeking proposals for test methods or procedures to assess wear/damage to candidate space suit textile materials”. In other words: NASA needs cool (and scientific!) ways to destroy space suits. Now this is my kind of crowd-sourcing campaign.

The tests will need to simulate the wear and tear of extraterrestrial (read: Martian/lunar) dirt and dust, specifically abrasion resistance, and the mode of failure: does a failing fabric do so slowly, or all in one go?

NASA’s best current suggestion seems to be sticking scraps of material in a tumble-dryer with dirt, and seeing how long it takes to break. If you’ve got better suggestions, send ’em in: NASA is expecting to award $US5000 to the three best ideas.

[MIKA27]

The Amazingly Difficult Landings Of The U-2 Dragon Lady Spy Plane

The Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady is a beautiful spy plane that flies at high altitudes (70,000 feet in the air) to provide reconnaissance for the military. It’s also a pain in the arse to land too, requiring an actual chase car on the ground to tell the pilot how far the U-2 is from the ground. Here’s a video showcasing those delicate and difficult landings of the Dragon Lady.

[MIKA27]

BMW's New 7 Series Illuminates A Path To Your Car's Door At Night

Key fobs have all but eliminated the difficulties in finding the key hole on a car door at night, but what if finding your actual car is the problem? If you parked somewhere dark and sketchy, BMW’s new 7 Series will make it easier to find your vehicle with a glowing pathway that leads right to its doors.

The company’s Welcome Light Carpet seems like it would be an easy feature to implement, right? Just stick some LEDs under the car and turn them on at the push of a button. But the underside of a car is under constant bombardment from dirt and debris while it’s being driven that will quickly destroy any sensitive electronics.

To solve this problem, BMW worked with researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering to develop a special lighting system that stays safely tucked up under the sill of the car’s body under the driver and passenger doors. Using 150 microprojectors arranged in a honeycomb array, the beams of light are able to ‘bend’ out from under the vehicle using specially-developed microoptic lenses and project a path that covers about 43 square feet on either side of the sedan.

The lighting system is protected from projectiles kicked up by the vehicle’s front tires, but smaller particles like dust and dirt might still find their way in. Fraunhofer’s researchers aren’t worried about it, though, because the microprojector array they designed means that while some of the beams might get dirty and blocked resulting in some dimming of the Welcome Light Carpet, there’s no chance all of them will be obscured at the same time.

[MIKA27]

F-18s Against A Wall Of Fire Totally Look Like They're Escaping Explosions

Oh, nothing to see here. Just two F-18 fighter jets sitting there, looking cool… while a giant wall of fire blazes on behind them. The photo was taken at the 2015 Air Show at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, San Diego, California. It also looks like it could have been taken from explosions.

[MIKA27]

Iron Man, Frozen, And Star Wars Prosthetics Will Boost Kids' Confidence

A prosthetic hand is about more than just improving the wearer’s physical capabilities. It’s also about improving their self-confidence. So Open Bionics, makers of low-cost but highly capable prosthetic robotic hands, have teamed up with Disney to realise some very cool designs.

Kids can be bullied for something as innocuous as wearing the wrong shirt; imagine what life is like for a child missing a limb. So not only has Open Bionics designed what it’s claiming is the world’s smallest bionic hand, the company has also joined forces with Disney to create three versions featuring designs and glowing LED features inspired by Iron Man, Frozen, and Star Wars.

Led by Joel Gibbard, who’s best known for the open source 3D-printable Open Hand Project, Open Bionics is part of Techstars’ Disney Accelerator program. That means they have royalty-free access to these three properties, and worked with Lucasfilm’s ILMxLAB on the Star Wars hand.

The company’s goal is to produce a commercially viable prosthetic using the same 3D-printing production techniques as the open source version, keeping the cost highly affordable, but with more of a focus on aesthetics and design instead of functionality and precision. Performing brain surgery with it might not be an option, but how great must a kid with a disability feel with a glowing Iron Man hand on one arm?

[MIKA27]

The Next Generation Of Transformers Toys Harkens Back To The Classics -- With Transforming Heads

Play features were all the rage with the Transformers toys when they first released — anything and everything to gets kids begging to buy the new mini-Transformer that transforms into something for an even bigger Transformer. Now one of those beloved action features is making a comeback in the next wave of Transfomers!

Following the announcement of a comic book/cartoon/action figure event called “Titan’s Return”, at New York Comic Con Hasbro unveiled the Transformers Generations line’s contribution to the event, which will see Sentinel Prime return to do battle with some of the hugest robots in Transformers lore.

And that contribution is a great big throwback to the transforming heads of original toy line. The mini Titans Return Master line will feature four Transformers: Terribull, Nightbeat, Crashbash, and Loudmouth. Each can transform into a robot form as well as a head that can be used on any of the new Titans Return figures in the Voyager, Leader, Legends, and Deluxe classes — and come with a seperate vehicle or beast accessory that likewise can transform into a weapon for one of the new figures to use. Now even the accessories are transforming robots!

The figures they’re accessorising, however, look pretty good on their own. Hasbro unveiled a ton of additions to the Generations line: In the Leader Class there’s Blaster, while Galvatron joins the Voyager Class. Rewind and Stripes (in Jaguar Form) join the Legends series, while finally Headmaster Hardhead and Skullcruncher enter the Deluxe line. You can check out pictures of all six Transformers below:

Hasbro didn’t reveal any pricing or availability for the figures just yet, but anticipate them early next year as the company puts “Titan’s Return” as the focus of their Transformers output.

[MIKA27]

Disaster News Is Actually Making Us Less Scared To Live In Danger Zones

It’s a growing mystery: Why aren’t we more concerned about the increasing severity and frequency of natural disasters? A study published this week reveals all that disaster coverage is, paradoxically, increasing our “appetite for risk.” Uh oh.

The study was published this week in Nature: Climate Change, and was led by Ben Newell — a professor of psychology at the University of New South Wales who studies how humans make decisions. In this study, he and his co-authors set out to observe how news of a severe natural disaster affected peoples’ willingness to live in risky regions. How does reading about disasters like storms, earthquakes, and floods in the news change how you feel about living in a risk zone?

A common response is to assume that more information is better, and that providing summaries of risk levels will lead people to reduce their exposure to relevant risks,” Newell writes in a release about the work. “Data from field studies on non-climate-related disasters, however, point to the opposite effect.” So news and information about risks seems to actually makes people less likely to try to protect themselves.

To test that idea, they set up a board game-style simulation. Subjects had to choose to live in one of three regions, or “microworlds,” each with its own level of risk and reward. One was super safe but didn’t get subjects many “reward” points. One had good rewards, but a moderate disaster risk. A third had more rare catastrophes, but they were very bad. They played 400 rounds of this “game,” where they chose where to live based on one of three sources of information: personal experience (when their own house was hit by a disaster), local sources (their neighbours were hit), or the news (if one of the other towns was hit).

Miami Beach flooding

The odd thing was, when subjects learned about disasters across all the villages, they were actually more willing to live in risky villages. In the words of the authors, the news “increased participants’ appetite for risk.”

So what’s going on here? Do we just have a death wish? Is this an egregious case of FOMO? Or are our brains making a subconscious and flawed assumption that if it happened recently, it’s unlikely to happen again?

According to the authors it has more to do with the latter (after all, Newell does study the nuances of decision making). They say that the news reports of disasters in other locations has an important underlying message for many of us: ”most of the time, nothing ‘bad’ happens in the risky areas.” So by hearing about disasters across the world, from tsunamis to wildfires, we’re acclimated to the idea that catastrophes do happen, but rarely.

Victorville, California

This observation has big, big implications for the cities and governments trying to prepare for increasingly frequent and severe disasters. And the study ends by making a few suggestions: We need to stop talking about these severe events as single aberrations. That means describing them on a longer time spectrum, including other disasters, to reinforce that the trend is increasing. Stop using phrases like “one-100-year-storm,” they add, since it makes each storm or disaster seem like a discrete event, and start talking about long-term trends.

Plenty of people have expressed consternation about why the last few years’ widely-publicized fires, floods, hurricanes, and other weather events haven’t scared more people. But it seems that while the horror of the first-person accounts, the endless photo essays, and “look-back” essays about these disasters have an insidious effect: They subtly reinforce the idea that “most of the time,” we’re safe. That’s true — we are, these days — but the problem is how to express the downward slope of that trend over the next century, or ten.

[MIKA27]

Syria Is Becoming A Test Bed For High-Tech Weapons Of Electronic Warfare

The relationship between Russia and the West is becoming increasingly dangerous with potential flashpoints developing in both eastern Europe and Syria. After repeated incursions into Turkish airspace by Russian warplanes on bombing raids over Syria, NATO’s secretary general Jens Stoltenberg warned Moscow that it stands ready to “defend all allies”. Meanwhile Britain announced it would send troops to Baltic states to defend NATO’s eastern boundaries against possible Russian aggression beyond Ukraine.

Russia’s military presence in Syria has been steadily increasing over the past few months. Its warplanes are carrying out regular bombing raids against both Islamic State position and, reportedly, other rebel groups opposed to the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Its warships are launching cruise missiles against the same targets. But the latest reports are that Russia has also deployed its most modern electronic warfare system to Syria — the Krasukha-4 (or Belladonna) mobile electronic warfare (EW) unit.

The Krasukha-4 is a broad-band multifunctional jamming system designed to neutralise Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) spy satellites such as the US Lacrosse/Onyx series, airborne surveillance radars and radar-guided ordinance at ranges between 150km to 300km. The system is reported to be able to cause damage to the enemy’s EW systems and communications. The Krasukha-4 system works by creating powerful jamming at the fundamental radar frequencies and other radio-emitting sources.

Lt General Hodges, the commander of US Army Forces Europe, commented that Russia had demonstrated a high level of offensive EW proficiency against Ukrainian forces in Donbas using a first foreign deployment of the Krasukha-4 system.

Hi tech hostilities

Electronic warfare (EW) was first developed in World War II by the UK to defend against Axis bomber attacks and to defend Allied bombers from enemy surveillance systems. From that time there have been major technological breakthroughs and EW is now acknowledged to be a major fighting element of armed forces worldwide. The US, Russia and Europe invest billions of dollars each year in research and development in order to be the best at this essential military art, while Asian countries, led by China, also view EW as ta vital area for research and development.

EW is considered to include electronic attack/support, electronic intelligence and signals intelligence. In conflicts since World war II, EW has played an increasingly important role in major including Korea, Vietnam, Arab/Israeli, Balkans, Desert Storm/Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan, and Ukraine. EW is effectively employed before the hard fighting begins to deny an opponent intelligence and the use of weapon systems.

Since the beginning of the Arab Spring, NATO countries led by the US and directly supported by the UK have been actively gathering intelligence from countries employing EW assets including low-orbit surveillance satellites (Lacrosse/Onyx series), reconnaissance aircraft (NATO E3 Sentry (AWACS), USAF RC135-Rivet Joint, RAF’s Sentinel R1 and Reaper drones), and sharing intelligence information with the side being supported in the conflict.

Since the land grab by the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) in both Iraq and Syria, NATO’s EW assets have been targeting IS rebel fighting units, gathering intelligence to provide tactical target information and to actively engage IS by denying rebel units radio communication and surveillance information — thus electronically blinding them. Sanitised intelligence information is shared with friendly forces including the rebel forces opposed to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

Until September 2015, Russia has been supporting Assad by supplying arms and training to Syrian forces. Bolstered by what it sees as Western indecisiveness on a Syria solution and by the West’s inaction on Russia’s military intervention in the Ukraine, Russia has decided to provide direct military air support to Syria. However, Assad’s enemies comprise all rebel groups opposing his rule — not just IS.

Russia is aware that NATO surveillance assets are able to monitor all Syrian-based Russian military aircraft activity including the rebel groups it is targeting, locations and weapons used. Some of these rebel groups are directly supported by the US and its allies which may result in Russia becoming in direct political conflict with NATO. To avoid being spied on, Russia needs to blind the eyes and silence the ears of NATO reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering assets so its actions are not open to close scrutiny.

Cat and mouse conflict

So how can the Krasukha-4 be used to cloak Russia’s operations in Syria? In words — partially effectively. Its surveillance systems will not only be able to monitor NATO aircraft movement over Syria but also the types, and from its intelligence it will know the frequencies used and signal characteristics present — Lacrosse satellites and AWACS operate in S-band, Sentinel (and similar) in X-band, and drones in J-band. Lacrosse/Onyx satellite positions are continually tracked by Russia. With this intelligence detail the Krasukha-4 can be programmed to engage in order to deny or disrupt NATO intelligence gathering.

But it is not all one way — US and NATO intelligence gatherers will have “electronic counter counter measures” (ECCM) to combat Russian EW interference — and so the cat and mouse game of the Cold War is repeated. Intelligence gathering and radar-guided munitions will suffer some disruption and mistakes may be made but operations will continue.

ECCM may include being frequency agile and dodging the jamming signal or pointing the receive antenna away slightly from the jamming source. There are also many tricks that can be played with signal processing that will mitigate the effects of jamming. Of course, it would also be possible for NATO to jam the Russian surveillance radar, denying them of identification and positioning of NATO aircraft — but this would really ramp up the war of words with Vladimir Putin. We must also accept that the Krasukha-4 EW system is an essential part of the defence of Russian forces at the Latakia airfield in Syria and this must not be denied them.

Russian military has long appreciated that “radio-electronic combat” is integral to modern warfare and accordingly that it offers a set of relatively inexpensive weapons that can potentially cripple an opponent’s ability to sense, communicate and exercise command and control within a battlespace.

Russia will now be able to test its new EW systems in live combat but avoiding direct conflict with NATO — it will enhance overseas sales prospects of the Krasukha-4 system. NATO will be able test its ECCM against another EW system, presumably with similar ends in mind.

[MIKA27]

How Many People Have All The James Bond Killed In All The Movies?

A tuxedo, a martini, and a gun. Good looks, charm, and always so impossibly cool. That’s James Bond. Also James Bond: a dude who totally abuses his licence to kill and offs a lot of people in his movies. Auralnauts did their always fun kill count and showed all the deaths that all the James Bond have caused.

The final answer: 362 (with 29 killer puns). It’s fun to see the silly kills that have happened throughout the series.

[MIKA27]

The Xbox One Wireless Adapter For PC Is Finally Coming Out Later This Month

If you’ve been frustrated with the inability to use the Xbox One controller on PC without a long cable that inevitably starts falling apart after a few months, I have some good news. Microsoft is finally giving PC gamers the thing they’ve been screaming for — a wireless adapter.

It’s coming later this month. No, really.

It looks like a USB stick, but it’s basically your bog-standard adapter. Nothing special really — a black, Xbox-branded plug that’ll cost $30. You’ll need Windows 10 to use it, of course, although that shouldn’t come as a surprise.

The listing on the Australian Xbox store has the same release date as its American counterpart, although the pricing works out a lot better after the exchange rate kicks in.

It’s also much cheaper through Microsoft’s online stores than going to EB Games, which is selling the adapter for $40. The placeholder release date is still at the top of EB’s listing, although you’d imagine that will get updated in the next 24 to 48 hours.

The package also comes with a “USB extender cable” that’s designed to “enhance placement and accessibility to the Wireless adapter”, which is nice of Microsoft I guess. And there’s an interesting note in the listing that users may have to download “[a] significant firmware update”, but there’s no information on how large that download will be.

[MIKA27]

Like Kaiju Movies? Good, Because They're Making A New Gamera

And now, we get a first peek at the film with this short teaser. Godzilla is great and all, but I’ve always had a soft spot for Gamera. I really loved the 1990s remakes with Steven Seagal’s daughter, Ayako Fujitani.

We don’t get that good of a look at Gamera (you can see him a bit towards the end of the trailer).

This comes as the kaiju celebrates his 50th anniversary this month. Good to have you back, Gamera!

[MIKA27]

THIS GUY ACTUALLY MAKES A LIVING FROM BEING HITLER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=8&v=PrTG7abx5rg

Just imagine you happened to bear an unfortunately strong resemblance to Hitler. What would you do about it? Most normal people would probably avoid growing any kind of mustache, dye their hair, and just try to be a really nice person. But then again, professional Hitler impersonator Emin Gjinovci isn't really a "normal" person.

It all started when Gjinovci spent time in the Kosovo Liberation Army in the 1990s. Gjinovci's comrades noticed his resemblance to the infamous dictator and lovingly nick-named him "Hitler".

The turning point in Gjinovci's life came when he was wounded and forced to return home to Germany for medical attention. While in the hospital, all the staff began commenting on his uncanny resemblance and the idea was born. Gjinovci realised he could turn his curse into a blessing by charging people for photos and giving appearances at parties, weddings, and funerals.

As bizarre and potentially explosive as his impersonation routine is, Gjinovci claims that people love him and often try to kiss him while he's out strolling.

So what's the secret to business success as a Hitler impersonator? Be sure to always slick your hair over just right, carry lots of cool "Hitler trinkets" like a copy of Mein Kampf, and always wear plenty of swastika badges. Oh, and it also helps to have some personalized Nazi business cards made to hand out at networking events.