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

[Fuzz]

1 hour ago, MIKA27 said:

Dolph Lundgren Hunts Demons in the Bloody Trailer for Don't Kill It

Once you hear the words “Dolph Lundgren hunts demons” you’re either in or out. Because either you’re a person who thinks this idea sounds absurd and stupid, or you think it sounds like an over the top, completely fantastic B-movie idea. If you’re the latter, you’ve gotta check out this blood-soaked trailer for Don’t Kill It.

Don’t Kill It, directed by Mike Mendez (Big Ass Spider) is premiering this weekend at Fantastic Fest.

I think it is both an absurd and stupid idea, and an over the top, completely fantastic B-movie.... I'm in!

[MIKA27]

Watch A Terrible Delivery Driver Make His Entire Truck Magically Disappear

We’ve all fibbed a little when it comes to our resumes or during a job interview. But apparently “knowing how to expertly back a truck full of metal pipes onto a floating barge” isn’t something you’re going to want to just try and fake on your first day of work.

There’s a really good chance that this truck driver isn’t going to have a job tomorrow morning, but as a backup they would certainly make for one heck of a magician. In just minutes they manage to make a multi-tonne semitrailer, with a ton of cargo in tow, completely disappear. Impressive!

[MIKA27]

Satellite Images Show The Extent Of Puerto Rico's Huge Blackout

Earlier this week, a fire at a power plant in Puerto Rico set off a series of failures across the island’s ageing electrical grid. These before-and-after pics from space show what it looks like when 1.5 million customers suddenly lose power.

These nighttime satellite images were captured by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite. The “before” pic was taken the day before the blackout, on September 21 at 2:50AM, and the “after” pic was taken on September 22 at 2:31AM. The ocean surface looks brighter in the second image due to different angles of moonlight on the water.

The Puerto Rico night on September 21

Puerto Rico during the first night of blackouts on September 22.

The fire at the Aguirre power plant occurred after a power switch overheated, causing a 8000L mineral oil tank to explode. This triggered a fire across a three-acre area. The resulting blackout caused widespread losses of water and air conditioning, as well as school closures.

A state of emergency has been declared in Puerto Rico, and the island’s 3.5 million inhabitants just faced their second night of darkness. As of yesterday, only about 20 per cent of the 1.5 million homes and business had gotten power back. A pair of 230,000-volt transmission lines failed for reasons unknown, which further complicates the situation.

It’s not clear when full power will be restored, or how much damage the fire caused. It’s also unclear as to where the Electric Power Authority will acquire the funds needed to repair and buy new equipment. Puerto Rico is currently in the midst of a decade-long economic slump, and its power company is dealing with $US9 billion ($11.8 billion) worth of debt and an onslaught of corruption allegations.

This is not a good situation.

[MIKA27]

Arnold Palmer Dead at 87

Legendary golfer Arnold Palmer passed away Sunday in Pittsburgh at the age of 87.

Alastair Johnson, CEO of Arnold Palmer Enterprises, confirmed that the golfer, businessman, and philanthropist died during the afternoon of complications from heart problems, several days after being admitted to the hospital for a cardiovascular procedure. “We are deeply saddened by the death of Arnold Palmer, golf's greatest ambassador,” the U.S.

Golf Association said in a statement. “Arnold Palmer will always be a champion, in every sense of the word. He inspired generations to love golf by sharing his competitive spirit, displaying sportsmanship, caring for golfers and golf fans, and serving as a lifelong ambassador for the sport.” Palmer’s accessible public persona and dominance of the sport led to him being known as the “King” of golf.

[MIKA27]

8 Vodka Drinks for Grown Men

Vodka’s something we drink more out of resignation than enjoyment. We’d like to have a drink, but we’d much rather have that drink be a whiskey cocktail or a good local beer than some bastardization of a mixed drink our host shook together with vodka and whatever was in their candy drawer.

But if you ever find yourself in a situation where vodka is the only thing in the cabinet, or if you feel like you may be missing out on something, know that you have options. 

Apple Cider Cocktail

We don’t have eyes for apple cider until mid-September, but come mid-September, you better believe we’re all over it. And if we can throw some alcohol in the mix, we’re not exactly going to say no to that. This apple cider cocktail combines cider, ginger beer, cinnamon, and a healthy dose of vodka in a drink that’s a symbol of all we love about the changing seasons. This is a drink perfect for sitting around a bonfire while the sun goes down and the leaves ditch their chlorophyll. It has some fruit in it, yeah, but as hard cider starts to regain its masculine edge, there’s no reason to think not-hard cider shouldn’t benefit from that. Plus, barring fruit allergies, don’t trust people who say they don’t like apple cider.

Italian Mojitos

The hate for mojitos was never something we understood. But that reputation seems to be slowly reversing, thanks in part to proponents of the mojito getting vocal. People are also getting comfortable experimenting with it too, judging from the Italian Mojito. It keeps the lime and sugar, but uses basil instead of mint and vodka instead of rum, two substitutions that, while surprising, are far from crazy. Basil has been popping up in a lot of places recently, especially drinks, so maybe it’s not actually all that surprising that it makes an appearance here. Whatever the reason, we’re happy to see it. Plus this gives you something to pair with your pasta that isn’t wine.

The Iguana

The reason for this drink’s name is a bit puzzling. There isn’t anything particularly lizard-like about the drink. The only connection we can think of is Mexico.  Iguanas are found in Mexico and tequila is the most stereotypically Mexican liquor we can think of, so there’s a connection, but we would have thought to find some other Mexican symbol to name the drink after. As far as we know, Emiliano Zapata doesn’t have any drinks named after him. We could be overthinking this though, since drink names rarely make sense. For example, there wasn’t any time an old fashioned was a new fashioned or even just a regular fashioned. If we are overthinking it, that could mean we’re keeping ourselves from enjoying a perfectly good patio sipper, so we’re going to dial that back a bit

Dill Pickle Vodka Martini

We’ve all heard the rumors that pickle juice is a great chaser. Maybe some of us have even tried it. But we still think it’s safe to say that dill pickles and alcohol aren’t natural bedfellows. Some people, it would seem, disagree, and their counterpoint is the unique dill pickle vodka martini. We’ll admit that it’s a decent argument, mostly because it doesn’t have the fruity, sugary, immediate-headache-inducing syrups of other vodka pitfalls. It also packs a pretty hefty alcoholic punch, with each martini coming in at three and a half shots. This isn’t your standard college bar vodka drink and we applaud the creativity of whoever invented it. It might not become your specialty, but this is a great drink to surprise someone with.

Headless Horseman

The best part of this vodka drink might be the name and the way the recipe treats it.  They don’t even try to relate the drink to Washington Irving’s story.  There’s a plot synopsis and a recipe, making this the biggest missed opportunity in “you’ll lose your head” cheesy pun history.  And it’s weird they missed it because this is one of those drinks that could do some serious damage, as anyone who drinks whiskey and ginger ale together knows.  There are only four ingredients here and only two of them are liquids: vodka, ginger ale, bitters, and an orange slice.  This is the kind of cocktail that sneaks up on you, so make sure it’s not the only thing you’re drinking.

Canadian Caesar Cocktail

This probably isn’t a groundbreaking observation, but Canadians get hangovers too.  And like the rest of the world, they decided the hair of the dog is going to be what cures them.  Well, if not cures them, at least take the edge off.  Maybe not even that.  Look, these kind of drinks don’t actually serve a purpose beyond helping you make the same mistake that got you into this mess, just in the morning now.  The main difference between a Bloody Mary and a Canadian Caesar is the base juice.  Bloody Marys use tomato juice, while Canadian Caesar’s use Clamato juice, which is a mix of tomato juice and clam broth.  It sounds like a decently welcome difference too, because sometimes tomato juice needs something besides vodka to cut it.  Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, celery, and lime are all present here too, so don’t think the Canadians skipped out on putting weird shit in their breakfast buzz.

Holiday Iced Coffee

I have a favour to ask of you. If you follow the link (which you should, it’s where the recipe is), don’t jump to hasty conclusions about the drink because of the site it’s on. Yes, the site is Pretty Plain Janes, and yes, some of the fonts aren’t exactly in line with what my tastes usually are. But look past those things and you’ll find a vodka drink that could easily end up a guilty pleasure. If you have to drink it alone to rationalize or hide what you’re doing, that’s fine. All I'm saying is a creamy drink like one of these every once in a while can do a person good. And besides, it couldn’t hurt to have at least one vodka drink you and your girlfriend both enjoy.

Russian

It’s easy to overlook the fact that vodka can be drunk like whiskey, straight up or neat, in a glass, trying to discern the nuanced flavors of the spirit. Because let’s not forget the origins of vodka here. The Russian originators didn’t have tomato juice or coffee or bacon infusions to mask their potato water. Their mixer was more vodka. And if we’re on a quest to be “manly,” Siberian vodka fiends are pretty high up on the list of masculine archetypes. Vodka’s gotten a pretty heavy collegiate reputation lately and we’d like to see a bit of that original Russian prestige restored. Just because vodka’s the cheapest alcohol format at the liquor store doesn’t mean its only contribution to drinking is underage experimentation.

[MIKA27]

Sinroja R3 Cafe Racer

We still weren´t aware of the amazing work by Sinroja Motorcycles of Leicester, England, but from now on, we will definitely keep an eye on these guys. This is only their third customization, but judging by the final result, no one would say. Dubbed R3, this beautiful machine has the engine of a BMW R100-R, and a double exhaust positioned just below the seat, something unusual but undoubtedly an excellent detail impossible to go unnoticed. A new frame was built with minimal triangulation to maintain the flowing, clean aesthetic, and we love what they have done with the minimal LED lights on the bike. A Motogadget RFID keyless ignition makes for a super clean dash. We’re guessing the R4 follow-up will be even more spectacular.

[MIKA27]

BUFFALO TRACE O.F.C. BOURBON

It should be no surprise that one of the rarest bourbons ever released will come from the fine folks at Buffalo Trace. Buffalo Trace O.F.C. Bourbon is coming in November and will be offered exclusively to non-profit organizations at no charge to help raise money for their causes. The first release is a total of 200 bottles; 100 from 1980, 50 from 1982, and 50 more from 1983. This ultra-aged bourbon is not only special juice, but also gets special packaging. Each lead free crystal bottle is a replica of an O.F.C. decanter dating back to the early 1900s and features detailed fluting engraved into the mold. Then shoulder facets are cut by glass artisans and then the bottle is manually polished before in-laying cut copper lettering. Every bottle is expected to raise $10,000 or more for the charities that receive them.

[MIKA27]

Voyager Space Probe Lands Back on Earth, But Only One Person Is Left to Hear Its Message

After meeting with misadventure, a space probe from the Voyager mission crashes back to Earth, centuries after it left. But Earth is a very different place now, and there’s only one person around to witness the Golden Record’s message.

Loïc Magar and Roman Veiga wrote and directed Voyager, which combines stop-motion with computer-generated animation, making Voyager look even more like an appealing relic of the past in this decaying future.

This won’t be the narrative of the real voyager probes, which are currently on the Voyager Interstellar Mission, but this film provides an interesting idea: that the Golden Record’s message might be received by someone who isn’t separated from modern humanity by space, but by time.

 

[MIKA27]

It's Man Vs. Corporation in the New Trailer for Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's Syfy Show 

Incorporated, executive produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, is set 60 years in the future, a time when big corporations have taken over completely. One man decides to take on the business world—or, more specifically, the business that runs the world. Take a look at the new trailer.

Incorporated comes to Syfy starting November 30.

[Ethernut]

7 hours ago, MIKA27 said:

BUFFALO TRACE O.F.C. BOURBON

It should be no surprise that one of the rarest bourbons ever released will come from the fine folks at Buffalo Trace. Buffalo Trace O.F.C. Bourbon is coming in November and will be offered exclusively to non-profit organizations at no charge to help raise money for their causes. The first release is a total of 200 bottles; 100 from 1980, 50 from 1982, and 50 more from 1983. This ultra-aged bourbon is not only special juice, but also gets special packaging. Each lead free crystal bottle is a replica of an O.F.C. decanter dating back to the early 1900s and features detailed fluting engraved into the mold. Then shoulder facets are cut by glass artisans and then the bottle is manually polished before in-laying cut copper lettering. Every bottle is expected to raise $10,000 or more for the charities that receive them.

Funny, I live 30 minutes from Buffalo Trace. Having sampled nearly all of their line (including all of the Pappy's) I can say with confidence that while this will be a good whiskey, and people will rave about it due to its rarity, it will at best be a $100-$150/bottle whiskey inside of that sweet sekzy crystal bottle. Buffalo Trace is the king of creating demand. 

Also want to say, thanks for posting! ;-) Also funny that I live so close but just heard about this!

[MIKA27]

SpaceX Just Passed A Major Milestone On Its Mission To Mars

SpaceX has been talking up its Martian travel plans for a while now, but we still don’t know how it intends to get (or survive) there. As of yesterday, however, it’s cleared a major hurdle: The rocket engine it will use to get to the Red Planet just fired-up for the first time.

Company founder Elon Musk announced that his company’s Raptor engine had its first successful firing test and included a few pictures of the mysterious engine in action:

SpaceX propulsion just achieved first firing of the Raptor interplanetary transport engine

Musk also revealed a few specs for the rocket engine, including its thrust capabilities of over 300 metric tonnes, a specific impulse of 382 seconds and chamber pressure of almost three times greater than that of the Merlin engine in SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. In other words, the Raptor engine is really big and really powerful. These details may also hint at some of the private spaceflight company’s upcoming plans.

The Raptor engine’s firing test is a good sign, but a successfully-firing rocket engine is still a long way away from a fully operational spacecraft and launch system. Musk is due to give a speech at the International Astronautical Congress, where he’s expected to reveal details about his plan to get people to Mars and the spaceship — part of his Interplanetary Transport System — he wants to use to get them (and the supplies to keep them alive) to the Red Planet.

Two weeks ago, the Interplanetary Transport System had a different name, though: The Mars Colonial Transporter. Then — after tweeting, “Turns out MCT can go well beyond Mars, so will need a new name…” and bandying a few name suggestions — Musk switched up the name to the Interplanetary Transport System. The key word in the new name, of course, is “interplanetary”. Musk might just be hinting that we could soon hear about travel plans that go not only to Mars but also even further in our solar system.

[MIKA27]

UPLAND BREWING DARKEN SOUR ALE

When it comes to American sour ales, Upland Brewing in Indianapolis is at the head of the class. Upland Brewing Darken Sour Ale is a standout amongst their line of sours and is a take on a Flanders Brown Ale. Spices were added to the brew to provide a more complex flavor and it was then aged in oak barrels. Packaged in these 500ml bottles, it's tart, but approachable with a dry, spicy finish.

[MIKA27]

'Stranger Things' Is Based On This Government Conspiracy Theory

Stranger Things has captured the imaginations of millions of fans, but few of them know that the Netflix hit is actually based on a real-life government conspiracy theory.

Although the Duffer brothers, who created the show, won’t confirm this theory, they also won’t deny it. Given that the original title for Stranger Things included the name of the project at the center of the conspiracy theory, chances are high that this isn’t just a fan-contrived association.

There are so many things to talk about when it comes to Stranger Things. The story itself and the characters make it a great show, but add all of the references to classic ’80s movies and stories and you have a truly fascinating show. But there is one more thing about Stranger Things that you may not be aware of and that will make you even more hooked. It’s based on a real-life government conspiracy theory about experiments on humans that took place in the early ’80s. Now before you roll your eyes and click off this page, let me tell you this. The experiments at the center of the conspiracy theory were called The Montauk Project, and the original name of Stranger Things was Montauk.

But wait, there’s more. So much more.

Back in April of 2015, Entertainment Weekly and others reported that Netflix would be releasing a series in 2016 that would be titled Montauk. The report from EW described the series like this.

“The show will take place in 1980 Montauk — Long Island’s most eastern point, known for its wineries and beach homes — and chronicle the search for a young boy who has mysteriously gone missing. The case involves ‘top secret government experiments, terrifying supernatural forces, and one very strange little girl.'”

The title was eventually changed to Stranger Things, much to the chagrin of creators and brothers Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer. So what was the Montauk Project? There are many websites with information on what supposedly went on in this experiment. One, Crystal Links, includes this statement.

“Mind control experiments were conducted and runaway and kidnapped boys were abducted and brought out to the base where they underwent excruciating periods of both physical and mental torture in order to break their minds, then their minds were re-programmed. Many were supposedly killed during the process and buried on the site. Others were released with programming as mind-slaves with alternate personalities to be sleeper cells who could be activated to perform missions.”

Sound familiar? Does Stranger Things include mind control experiments? Yes. Eleven has flashbacks that are clearly efforts at mind control. Runaway and kidnapped boys? Yes. Stranger Things hasn’t yet revealed how Eleven became involved in the activities taking place at the Hawkins Laboratory, but it’s pretty clear that Will was kidnapped so he could serve as a participant in the experiments.

Stranger Things includes so many scenes of Eleven being submitted to torture by “the bad people.” It’s what she is trying to flee and the reason she knew it was crucial for Will to be saved.

Then there’s the scene in Season 1 of Stranger Things where she kills a monster just before seeming to die herself. There’s a story that goes with the Montauk Project theory that one of the subjects was able to conjure up a small monster with his mind. He and the others who were part of the experiments were being trained to use their minds for telekinesis, a talent that Eleven has also exhibited multiple times on Stranger Things.

It’s hard to deny the similarities between Stranger Things and the Montauk Project. What we don’t know, though, is how far the Duffer brothers will take it. Some of the participants in the Montauk Project were killed. Some were released into the population and are part of another group that’s the center of conspiracy theories — the Illuminati.

Will Eleven or Will follow either of these paths? Maybe we’ll see in Season 2 of Stranger Things.

If you want to take a little deeper dive into the Stranger Things/Montauk Project theory, check out the video below.

 

[Fuzz]

1 hour ago, MIKA27 said:

SpaceX Just Passed A Major Milestone On Its Mission To Mars

SpaceX has been talking up its Martian travel plans for a while now, but we still don’t know how it intends to get (or survive) there. As of yesterday, however, it’s cleared a major hurdle: The rocket engine it will use to get to the Red Planet just fired-up for the first time.

Company founder Elon Musk announced that his company’s Raptor engine had its first successful firing test and included a few pictures of the mysterious engine in action:

SpaceX propulsion just achieved first firing of the Raptor interplanetary transport engine

Musk also revealed a few specs for the rocket engine, including its thrust capabilities of over 300 metric tonnes, a specific impulse of 382 seconds and chamber pressure of almost three times greater than that of the Merlin engine in SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. In other words, the Raptor engine is really big and really powerful. These details may also hint at some of the private spaceflight company’s upcoming plans.

The Raptor engine’s firing test is a good sign, but a successfully-firing rocket engine is still a long way away from a fully operational spacecraft and launch system. Musk is due to give a speech at the International Astronautical Congress, where he’s expected to reveal details about his plan to get people to Mars and the spaceship — part of his Interplanetary Transport System — he wants to use to get them (and the supplies to keep them alive) to the Red Planet.

Two weeks ago, the Interplanetary Transport System had a different name, though: The Mars Colonial Transporter. Then — after tweeting, “Turns out MCT can go well beyond Mars, so will need a new name…” and bandying a few name suggestions — Musk switched up the name to the Interplanetary Transport System. The key word in the new name, of course, is “interplanetary”. Musk might just be hinting that we could soon hear about travel plans that go not only to Mars but also even further in our solar system.

Yes, but can it successfully launch without blowing up?

[MIKA27]

Movie Review: M. Night Shyamalan's 'Split' Is A Genuinely Good Film With A Truly Shocking Twist

There are a few reasons why Split is the perfect title for the new M. Night Shyamalan movie. The most obvious one is the fact it’s about a man with multiple split personalities who kidnaps three young girls. The other is that the movie itself is split: 98 per cent of the movie is a good Shyamalan film, which is its own pleasant surprise. But the final 2 per cent is “Oh my God. OH MY GOD.”

Split just had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest 2016 in Austin and doesn’t officially open until January in the US. That’s a long time to protect a secret ending that will have movie fans (this one included) cheering in delight. Happily, the rest of the movie completely stands on its own, and shows Shyamalan doing what he does best: Taking an original idea and twisting it in a new way to keep you guessing and riveted until the very end.

Split stars James McAvoy as Dennis, a man who kidnaps three teenage girls (The Witch‘s Anya Taylor-Joy, plus Jessica Sula and Haley Lu Richardson) for reasons we aren’t quite sure of. What we are sure of, though, is that Dennis isn’t this person’s real identity. He’s also Patricia, Hedwig, Barry, and 19 other identities, not including his real one, Kevin. Kevin has multiple personality disorder and, very quickly, the girls realise that not all the personalities are cool with what Dennis has done.

This sets the stage for an absolute acting tour-de-force for McAvoy, who gets to play multiple sexualities, genders and ages in a single movie with only a few wardrobe changes. And he’s absolutely incredible in each role, completely believable and able to flip between the characters with a twist of his face or gleam in his eye.

As they’re captured, the girls (mainly Casey, played by Taylor-Joy) try to pit the personalities against each other. When confused, Kevin goes to see Dr. Fletcher (Betty Buckley), a woman who studies people with multiple personalities and think they could be a kind of higher being, an example of the true nature and potential of the brain. It’s a seemingly ancillary, but absolutely crucial throughline as the film moves on.

This may sound like a lot of complex moving parts, but it really isn’t. Shyamalan’s script is very focused, and on moving the story along. It even weaves in some flashbacks to give Casey a bit more context. The result is Split never gets quite that scary or tense, but it operates more as a puzzle that needs to be solved. How will all of these things come together? And, of course, they do that quite well. Despite its haunting music and masterful camera moves, the greatest pleasure in Split isn’t that classic Shyamalan creep factor. It’s watching how just three actors (McAvoy, Taylor-Joy, and Buckley) can make a story work in so many different ways.

And then there’s that ending. Calling it a “twist” isn’t exactly right; unlike The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable or The Village, it doesn’t exactly change your perception of the story of the film. It more… enhances the film. Honestly, it’s impossible to explain well without giving too much away, and it’s much, much too great to spoil. So whenever you read about Split in the future, be careful — because we expect to be it to be talked about a lot before it opens next year 2017.

 

[MIKA27]

The United Nations Will Send Its First Mission To Space In 2021

The UN intends to send Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser spacecraft, which is currently still in its testing-phase, into a two-week, low-Earth orbit flight in 2021. Sierra Nevada signed on to partner with the UN in June, but the target date for launch was announced yesterday during a session of the International Astronautical Congress — where Elon Musk also detailed his long-game for sending a whole bunch of humans to Mars.

Exactly what the mission will accomplish remains vague. The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs says that any member nation can submit a proposal for a possible payload for the flight, although it’s primarily geared towards countries with no space program of their own.

Before we get too excited about another spacecraft heading up, however, there’s still the big question of where the money to launch would come from. The countries whose payloads were selected would pay something for the flight. But UNOOSA also says it’s still looking for “major sponsors” who would be responsible for much of the overall mission cost, with no assurance that it will find them. If that money does come through, though, the first UN space mission will launch just five years from now.

[MIKA27]

Magical Creatures And Cultural Differences Abound In The New Fantastic Beasts Trailer

Turns out, an Englishman in New York (Or Perth @OZCUBAN  ) can be just as dangerous as a horde of magical creatures on the loose.

The new trailer for Fantastic Beasts is here, and we finally actually get to see what’s going on in this movie beyond “Eddie Redmayne doing his best Matt Smith impression, oh also there are monsters.” First we get a taste of Newt Scamander’s… eccentricities as an Englishman in a foreign land, but then we get the real meat: The threat of a deadly war breaking out between the Wizards in hiding and the muggles (err, sorry, No-Majes) of New York.

There are still plenty of fantastic beasts, of course, and some incredibly lavish moments of wizardry, but it’s nice to actually see something more substantial about this step into the wider Wizarding World.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them hits theatres November 17.

 

[MIKA27]

For @Ken Gargett Forget Mars, Qantas Has New First Class Pyjamas

Shut it down, Elon. There’s no point. I’ve already forgotten about Mars: Ken's new mission in life is to get a pair of these comfy-looking First Class pyjamas from Qantas.

The new pyjamas, stitched up by Paris-based Aussie designer Martin Grant, are only the third redesign since Qantas got PJs back in early 2007 — and they look bloody comfy. Of course, you’ll have to be flying internationally up in First Class on a Qantas A380 to actually get a pair, and that’s a trip that’ll cost you well into five figures in each direction.

The navy PJs are joined by a new amenity kit with Aussie goodies from ASPAR and a specially-designed face mask, also by Grant, that looks way better than your standard flimsy bit of cotton and plastic at blocking out ambient light. Matching navy and black slippers complete the ensemble, which I’m sure you’ll see down at the supermarket in a few weeks or months after they roll out across Qantas’ international A380 flights in late October.

A new partnership with Sheridan also means the sheets up in the pointy end will be plusher than ever, with everything from a mattress pad to sheets to a bespoke pillow forming the “ultimate luxury sleep experience” onboard our national carrier’s A380s. 

[MIKA27]

This Is Elon Musk's Plan To Colonise Mars

Have a spare $200,000 and a need to leave this planet? SpaceX founder Elon Musk says he has you covered. Today he revealed his plan for establishing a colony on Mars — using the spaceship it gets there in.

That’s right, if this plan works, it will be cheaper to move to Mars than buy a house in Melbourne and Sydney. What a time to be alive.

Musk said at the International Astronautical Congress meeting he saw two paths for humanity. “One path is to stay on Earth forever, and there will be some extinction event. The alternative is to become a multi-planetary species, which I hope you will agree is the right way to go.”

The video above gives us a good outline of how Musk’s plan will work.

The rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral’s Launchpad 39a with 13031 tonnes of thrust behind it. After stage separation, the spaceships parks in orbit while the booster returns to Earth — where it lands. A propellant tanker is loaded onto the booster to refuel the spaceship in orbit for its trip to Mars. The tanker returns to Earth and the spaceships heads for Mars. The solar arrays deploy and the ships coasts out on its to finally enter Mars’ orbit. The ship lands on the Martian surface and then we get a glimpse of the astronauts looking out onto the Martian plains.

Then the colonising begins. The plan involves 1,000 ships, with 200 people per ship. Musk says it would take 40 to 100 years for a “self-sustaining city” to establish itself on Mars. So when can we book a flight and exit this Earth? 2023. Maybe. Musk floated the date, but didn’t make any promises.

According to Musk, it would normally cost $10 billion per person to get to Mars. He’s gotten the price down to $200,000 (Musk aims to eventually get them down to $100,000) by making meeting four key criteria: reusable spacecraft, re-fuelling in orbit, producing propellant on Mars and choosing the right fuel. That fuel? Methane, which is available on Mars.

Musk says being on the spaceship itself will be “like, really fun to go — you’ll have a great time.” The plan is to make the 80 day (eventually being reduced to 30 day) trip as comfortable as possible.

But when you get there, how will you, well, live? There wasn’t a whole lot of detail revealed, other than the spaceship being used for building materials — including who would build an maintain the colony. “The goal of SpaceX is really to build the transport system,” Musk reiterated.

Funding for the project was also discussed at length, which Musk admitted would be “a challenge”.

“I know there’s a lot of people in the private sector interested in funding a trip to Mars,” he said, “hopefully there will be interest in the government side as well.”

So after Mars, what’s next? “If we have a propellent depot, you can go from Mars to Jupiter, no problem,” Musk said. “It means full access to the entire greater solar system.”

You can watch the full presentation below (Musk takes the stage at 21:55)

 

[MIKA27]

Pilot Calmly Lands Plane After Propeller Falls Off

Forget Captain Sully — if you’re ever unfortunate enough to have something go wrong with your plane mid-flight, you might want Mark Penell in the cockpit instead.

When the propeller fell off his Rans S-10 kit plane — apparently propellers can do that — Penell did not freak out. Instead, the pilot calmly brought the craft in for a near-perfect landing. Makes you wonder what it’s like to have ice water running through your veins.

 

[MIKA27]

The Vuhl 05 Is Mexico’s First Supercar

Lotus, KTM and Caterham aren’t the only ones making open cockpit rides you can slide into anymore. Mexico is getting in on the game with their first supercar, the Vuhl 05. The brainchild of two industrial designer brothers with a father who spent over three decades in the racing scene, Vuhl—the name stands for “vehicles of ultra-lightweight and high performance”—is producing one hell of a road-legal lightweight supercar in the Vuhl 05. 152 mph. 285 bhp. 310 lb/ft of torque. All that is packed into a car that weighs just over 1,500 pounds and involves parts and designs from Mexico, America, Britain, Canada and Italy. We can’t wait to see what they come up with next.

[MIKA27]

Chicago Factory Wall Clock

If you were a Chicagoan looking for a job in the 1940s, the war provided many, as defense factories popped up all over the city seemingly overnight. While toiling away, you would have looked up at a clock just like this to see when it was time for lunch. This Chicago Factory Wall Clock was built to mimic the large timepieces that adorned the walls of factories in the Windy City in the ’40s. The Chicago Factory Wall Clock features a bi-level dial, visible brass gears, a steel case, solid brass knobs, and a hinged front, which opens outward. It’s a clock with more character than any you’d find at your local big box store.

[MIKA27]

Orphan Barrel Whoop & Holler Whisky

Orphan Barrel Whisky Company is adding to their line of rare, delicious and almost legendary whisky with their latest release, Orphan Barrel Whoop & Holler Whisky. The ninth whisky to be released by Orphan Barrel is a charcoal-mellowed variant distilled at the George Dickel distillery in Tennessee. The 28-year-old whisky is bottled at 42% with a complex and layered taste filled with notes of oak, spicy peppercorn, clove, dark chocolate and peanut shells.

 

[MIKA27]

Autocamp

Autocamp takes glamping to a whole new level, it offers guests a chance to stay in one of their many custom Airstream trailers, or in a luxurious canvas tent with plush, modern interiors. Recently opened, the new campsite is located in a native Redwood forest, an hour and a half away from San Francisco and very close to the banks of the Russian River. The Airstreams have their own spa-inspired bathrooms with walk in showers and big tubs, whilst the guests staying at a tent can turn to the private showers in the Mid-Century clubhouse for a hot-water scrubbing with Malin + Goetz bath products. All accommodations feature queen-size beds, electricity, fire pit and grill, towels, and comfortable linens.    

 

[MIKA27]

British Man May Be The First Person Cured Of HIV

A 44-year-old man in England is possibly the first person in history to be cured of HIV. Scientists working on an experimental new therapy say that the virus is now completely undetectable in his blood.

A team gathered from five UK universities is currently conducting trials on 50 people. Mark Samuels, managing director of the National Institute for Health Research Office for Clinical Research Infrastructure, told The Sunday Times, “We are exploring the real possibility of curing HIV. This is a huge challenge and it’s still early days but the progress has been remarkable.”

Currently, antiretroviral therapies can target active T-cells which are infected with HIV but they cannot treat dormant T-cells. This means that patients bodies continue to reproduce the virus.

“This therapy is specifically designed to clear the body of all HIV viruses, including dormant ones,” Professor Sarah Fidler, a consultant physician at Imperial College London, told the Times.

Working in two stages, the new treatment consists of a vaccine to help the body recognise any HIV-infected cells and a drug called Vorinostat activates the dormant T-cells. This method could give a patient’s immune system the tools it so desperately needs.

The patient has not been identified but we know he’s a social care worker in London. He is cautiously thrilled about the results saying, “It would be great if a cure has happened. My last blood test was a couple of weeks ago and there is no detectable virus.”

Fidler says that the researchers are still a long way from a finished therapy, “We will continue with medical tests for the next five years and at the moment we are not recommending stopping Art but in the future, depending on the test results we may explore this.”