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

[MIKA27]

Asteroid Impact With Earth In 2036 ‘Can’t Be Ruled Out’

We’ve had big asteroid hits in places like Siberia that showed up without warning but fortunately did not do apocalyptic damage. We’ve had other surprise hits that were detected only after they splashed in the ocean. A few close calls occurred with a day or two warning from the sky watchers who say we need to be better prepared for the ‘big one’ but have nothing to offer today other than a day or two warning to hide somewhere … but they can’t say where. Now we finally have a bona fide long-range notice of an asteroid that will come extremely close to Earth in 2029 and again in 2036 … so close that the prognosticators say an impact can’t be ruled out. Should we start planning for a mission to the asteroid, a nuclear missile deflection or an end-of-the-world party?

How about all three? The asteroid is Apophis, discovered in 2004 by Roy A. Tucker, David J. Tholen, and Fabrizio Bernardi at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. At that time, astronomers calculated that the 40-million-ton, 370 meters (1214 feet) wide rock had a 2.7 percent chance of hitting the Earth on Friday the 13th in April, 2029, when it will pass within 18,600 miles of the planet. The chances are good that it will be a near-hit, but they’re also good that the close pass will disrupt Apophis’ path and mess with the calculations on how close it will get when it swings by again on April 13, 2036. In a recent interview with Astrowatch.net, Alberto Cellino of the Observatory of Turin in Italy gave this dire warning:

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“We can rule out a collision at the next closest approach with the Earth, but then the orbit will change in a way that is not fully predictable just now, so we cannot predict the behavior on a longer timescale.”

Forty million tons slamming into the planet could cause a crater 1.25 miles wide and 1,700 feet deep. If you’re not directly underneath it, you’ll still be affected by a blast the equivalent of 880 million tons of TNT or 65,000 times the power of the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

Worried yet? Students at MIT aren’t. Twenty of them currently enrolled in Space Systems Engineering class are designing a robotic space mission to meet Apophis, take measurements and determine if defensive actions will need to be taken in 2036. Being typical college students – albeit really smart ones – they’re treating it like a kick-starter project, says their professor, David Miller.

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“There have been plenty of missions to comets and asteroids, so why is this unique? Apophis is coming so close that Earth’s gravity is going to tug and redirect its path. The Earth is going to give it a big thunk.”

Miller is a former chief technologist for NASA. so “big thunk” is obviously a technical term for “cause of the end of the planet as we know it.” And yet, it doesn’t seem that NASA is too concerned about Apophis or the effects of the “big thunk.” On the other hand, Russia and China are. In 2011, researchers at China’s Tsinghua University proposed launching a spacecraft to knock Apophis onto a non-impact course and in 2016, Russian scientists announced plans to strike small near-Earth objects with ICBMs and one of the NEOs on the list was Apophis.

Do Russia and China know something about Apophis that we don’t? Are we willing to put our asteroid safety net in the hands of college students who are following an ex-NASA scientist who couldn’t come up with a better name than the ‘big thunk’?

Would he be upset if we thunk about listening to China and Russia instead?

[MIKA27]

Robbe & Berking Martelé 62-Piece Bar in a Trunk

If you’re a three-martini lunch sort of guy with a ton of disposable income, we just found your new home bar. The Robbe & Berking Martelé 62-Piece Bar Set With Trunk is a handcrafted piece of imbibing excellence. What’s included? Better question would be What’s not included? Hand-finished silver glassware for every imaginable drink. A 12-bottle wine rack. Bottle coasters. Champagne tongs and ice tongs. A nutcracker. A jigger, bar spoon, and all your cocktail making tools. The list goes on. And all of it is stored handsomely inside a stunning leather and wood trunk with plenty of storage. All the barware is dishwasher safe, but if you’re the type of person who can afford this booze trunk, you probably have a service staff cleaning your empties anyway. $22,334

 

 

[MIKA27]

Turn Your Favorite Songs into Wall Art

The whole point of hanging stuff on your walls is to personalize your space and show off the kind of stuff you’re into. There’s no way to showcase single favorite songs. The closest you can get is band posters and album art. But with Vibrato, showcasing single songs is exactly what you can do. When you upload an mp3 file, Vibrato will translate the music file into a printed piece of wall art. The way they do it is genius too. They dilute and drop ink onto a piece of clear plastic held above a speaker. They then play the song through the speaker, which vibrates the sheet and spreads the ink out in a unique ripple pattern. They scan, enlarge, and print the pattern, delivering to you a one of a kind impression of whatever song you sent them. Though don’t think you’re limited to songs. If it makes a sound, you can get it printed.

[MIKA27]

CASCADE BREWING MANHATTAN NW BEER

Cascade Brewing in Portland, Oregon was one of the pioneers of the sour craft beer movement that has taken off in the past few years. One of their best sour offerings is the Manhattan NW. It's a blend of sour quad and blond ales aged in bourbon barrels with sour cherries and apricot noyaux. This unique sour beer is a tribute to the classic Manhattan cocktail, and the 2015 version was just released in 750ml bottles at 10.3% ABV, corked and caged with a brand new label design.

[MIKA27]

DRY AGER DRY AGING FRIDGE

That delicious cut you had last time you visited your favorite steakhouse? It was most likely dry aged. Now you can get the same delectable results at home with the Dry Ager Dry Aging Fridge. It combines precise temperature, humidity, and airflow control to ensure proper aging, while an active carbon filter and ventilated disinfection system sterilize the air every minute and keep germs and bacteria at bay. Built entirely in Germany, it comes in two sizes to handle up to 44 or 220 pounds of meat at a time.

[MIKA27]

ENDANGERED SPECIES PRIVATE JET SAFARI

Plenty of safaris give you a chance to see amazing animals in their natural environments. The Endangered Species Private Jet Safari does them one better by connecting you with experts who help you get a better grasp on what's being done to protect the most vulnerable species. The trip begins in Nairobi, then heads to the Masai Mara National Game Reserve where you'll meet with both a cheetah and lion expert during a two-night stay. You'll then head to the famous Samburu Elephant Watch Camp for another two nights; other stops include Laikipia and Lewa to see and learn more about wild dogs, rhinos, crocodiles, and hippos. Between each stop your plane will fly low, giving you a unique birds-eye view of the Savannah, before heading back to Nairobi for your trip home.

[MIKA27]

The Best Part Of Netflix's First Death Note Trailer Is Willem Dafoe's Creepy Death God

There are three kinds of Death Note fans in the world: 1. Those who are miffed that Netflix's adaptation is set in Seattle rather than Japan and feel as if the movie is whitewashed. 2. Those who think the first group is operating. 3. Folks who are apathetic about the whole shebang.

Regardless of what camp you fall into, the first full trailer for the upcoming film is almost certain to give you something to talk about which, you know, is what a trailer is supposed to do. From the looks of it, Death Note is going to hit a number of recognisable beats from the manga and anime series that it's based on. Light finds the Death Note. Light uses the Death Note. People freak out. You know the story.

Of all the things that Netflix's Death Note pulls from its source material and recreates in an interesting way, the one that stands out the most from the trailer is Willem Dafoe's take on Ryuk, the Shinigami. The death god is supposed to be eerie and difficult to look at (and he is), but there's something about Dafoe's delivery that gives Ryuk a dark edge fitting for the film's foreboding tone.

Death Note hits Netflix August 25.

 

[MIKA27]

British Badass Gets Thrown 20 Feet By A Runaway Bus, Brushes Himself Off And Walks Away

We'd say this video is another good example of why it's important to look both ways before crossing the street, but this out-of-control bus in Reading, England, comes around the corner so quickly that local badass Simon Smith wouldn't have been able to avoid, even if he saw it coming.

Remarkably, and probably all thanks to the sweet vest he was wearing, Smith stood up, dusted himself off, and walked away after being thrown at least 6.10m. While he walked into a pub immediately after, he tells the Sun that he wasn't there for a drink — he was merely looking for a "place of refuge." Despite shattering the bus' windshield, Smith ended up with some bruising, no major injuries, and quite a tale to tell at the pub.

[MIKA27]

Square Enix's Next JRPG Aims To Fix I Am Setsuna's Flaws

Lost Sphear, the next game from Square Enix's Tokyo RPG Factory, looks to improve upon its predecessor in several ways. The combat system is more complicated. The enemies are more challenging. And — hope you're sitting down for this one — there are inns.
This is the second role-playing game in a series that Square is calling "Project Setsuna", following last year's successful I Am Setsuna. The people behind Lost Sphear say they're aiming for an early 2018 release on PS4, PC and Switch. And they say there's a legitimate reason the name is spelled that way — it's just a big spoiler, so they can't talk about it yet.

Earlier this month at E3 in Los Angeles, I watched a brief demo of Lost Sphear alongside the game's director, Atsushi Hashimoto (who also directed the last game). Lost Sphear resembles I Am Setsuna, if the soundtrack added more instruments and all of the snow melted. The premise of the game is that every object in the game's world has its own set of memories. Someone or something in Lost Sphear is removing those memories, causing those objects to disappear. These objects can be as small as rocks or as big as the hero's hometown, which vanishes at the beginning of the game, sending him on his adventure.

"The story focuses around the protagonist and his friends," said Hashimoto, speaking through a translator. "They awaken a power within themselves to fight against this phenomena."

Like its predecessor, Lost Sphear is a turn-based role-playing game that uses the Active Time Battle (ATB) combat system popularised in the 16-bit era. There will be towns, dungeons, items, and all of the other accoutrements you'd expect from a traditional JRPG. It isn't a direct sequel to I Am Setsuna, but it is part of the same series, Hashimoto says. "What we're trying to do is basically use the base of the Japanese RPGs from the '90s, the Golden Age of RPGs," he said, "and use modern game technology and development methodology to enhance new JRPGs with that core."

[MIKA27]

How to Make Cocktails from Famous Movies

Binging with Babish does a great job feeding us movie meals, but until now, we haven’t had anything to drink with them. If we’re going just by his channel that is. In this video, we get a whole bunch of cocktail recipes, all different and all delicious. The first one is the White Russian, as made famous by the Dude. Then we get the sweet vermouth cocktail from Groundhog Day. It has two ingredients and is easily the simplest recipe in the video. We then have Ryan Gosling’s interpretation of the Old Fashioned, which is complicated enough to make women think you’re working hard, but simple enough that you’re not going to be sitting at your home bar dumbfounded.  After that is the mint julep, as told by Robert Duvall in Thank You For Smoking (an underrated movie). The most complicated part of that is the cup. If you feel like drinking like a spy, you have James Bond’s martini. There’s a lot of mixing to do there, but if you’re willing to put in the work, you end up with a drink with four or five servings of alcohol in it. The last cocktail is a French 75 and you’ll have to spring for some champagne. He closes the video with a hangover cure too, so you can be with him every step of the way.

[MIKA27]

OLIVER SWEENEY X TALISKER BOOTS

Sticking a flask down in your boot is a time-honored tradition. Oliver Sweeney x Talisker Boots do it one better, by integrating a pocket on the ankle for the included 2 oz. flask. Handcrafted in the Italian village of Le Marche, they also feature a vintage-inspired St. Moritz outsole and a functional compass embedded in the collar, plus a section of Talisker oak cask embedded in the boot sole. They arrive with a classic bottle of Talisker 10-year scotch in the box.

[GrouchoMarx]

On 2017-6-29 at 1:07 AM, MIKA27 said:

Robbe & Berking Martelé 62-Piece Bar in a Trunk

If you’re a three-martini lunch sort of guy with a ton of disposable income, we just found your new home bar. The Robbe & Berking Martelé 62-Piece Bar Set With Trunk is a handcrafted piece of imbibing excellence. What’s included? Better question would be What’s not included? Hand-finished silver glassware for every imaginable drink. A 12-bottle wine rack. Bottle coasters. Champagne tongs and ice tongs. A nutcracker. A jigger, bar spoon, and all your cocktail making tools. The list goes on. And all of it is stored handsomely inside a stunning leather and wood trunk with plenty of storage. All the barware is dishwasher safe, but if you’re the type of person who can afford this booze trunk, you probably have a service staff cleaning your empties anyway. $22,334

 

 

What? No humidor? Forget it.

[MIKA27]

Can You Identify Every Character In These Special 30th Anniversary Star Trek: The Next Generation Posters?

Last year, Star Trek turned 50. This September, The Next Generation will turn 30. To commemorate that event, artist Dusty Abell has created two posters filled with packed full of ships, characters, and even a few favourites from the Holodeck.

Abell's two posters are divided into heroes and villains — so one has our intrepid crew at the centre of it:

And the other is packed full of Romulans, Borg and Klingons:

Now that you've had some time with these, how many people and things were you able to identify?

If something stumped you, be thankful that the two poster set comes with a key that will tell you exactly what you're looking at. Which is great because it's going to be the one you don't know that will keep you up all night.

The limited edition poster set — and the key — is available for $US99 ($129) at Roddenberry.com

[MIKA27]

Texas' Best PitMaster Shares His Tips for the Perfect Barbecued Meat

Aaron Franklin wasn't always the most recognizable face in Texas barbecue. The pitmaster and owner of Austin's Franklin Barbecue got his start on a backyard cooker just like yours. "I bought a really cheap, offset cooker from a sporting goods store and fell in love with it," he says. "I could only cook two briskets on it at a time. So we got a second small one, and then before I knew it I was borrowing little backyard cookers from friends and was running three or four at once."

Franklin realized he wanted to cook barbecue professionally and upgraded his rig to a 500-gallon cooker, which he modified extensively to make it more efficient and help the meat cook more evenly. "As you learn how to cook, your needs and wants change," he says. "The more you work with a smoker, the more you'll understand it. That's when you might get the hankering to modify one you've bought."

But not everyone is ready to commit to a 500-gallon backyard behemoth—or has the welding skills to build one from scratch. So Franklin shared with Esquire his simple tricks for modifying a cheap, store-bought smoker at home, which he outlines in more detail in his book, Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto.

Buy any cooker you want to get started:

Franklin doesn't recommend any specific brand of off-the-shelf cookers. "There aren't a whole lot of things out there that have what I consider a good design," he says. "Everybody has their personal preferences. I might be a little more opinionated than some. If you want something done a certain way, you have to build it yourself." That's why Franklin, who describes himself as a "tinkerer by nature," is currently designing his own retail-line of barbecue cookers, which will go on sale next year.

Get the fire going outside the smoker:

Light your fire using a chimney charcoal starter filled with all-natural charcoal. Then start throwing wood chunks on. But first, cut your firewood into small pieces and give them a jumpstart burning on another grill or in an open fire-pit. "Big pieces of wood take forever to catch, and this helps the temperature not fluctuate as much," Franklin says. "You'll lessen the peaks and valleys, heat-wise. Get the logs burning, pick them up with some tongs, and then add them to the back of the firebox."

Make sure the thermometer is doing its job:

Many store-bought smokers have cheap thermometers built-in at the top. But heat rises, so they are useless in measuring the heat down by the grate, where the meat sits. "Knowing your cooking temperature and keeping it consistent are two of the most important factors in barbecue," Franklin says.

Buy a quality temperature gauge and install it on the lid near meat-level. (See "A" on the diagram.) Look for a stainless steel one with a long stem and shatter-proof glass. Franklin recommends the Tel-Tru Barbecue Thermometer BQ300, which costs about $45. Measure the size of your thermometer and then drill a properly sized hole, with a hole-saw attachment, for the gauge to fit snugly.

Upgrade the smokestack for better airflow:

When cooking, smoke should billow out of your chimney quickly and forcefully. "Extend the smokestack upward, which will increase the draw," Franklin says. "You may be able to create enough draw that you could actually pull that heat straight across the meat and make your cooker a whole lot more efficient."

Depending on your model—where the heat is coming from and where you want it to go—you'll need to either make the smokestack longer or cut it off and make it wider. To make it longer, you can wrap a rigid A/C duct around the outside of the stack and affix it with screws. Franklin is known to cut the bottoms off empty soup cans and pinch them to the smokestack for a short-term solution. You will also want to extend the smokestack downward, inside the cooker, to grate-level. (See "B" on the diagram.) "I like to position the smokestack to leave from the midpoint of the back of the cook chamber, not the top, because it pulls the heat more evenly across the surface of the meat," Franklin says.

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"I MIGHT BE A LITTLE MORE OPINIONATED THAN SOME. IF YOU WANT SOMETHING DONE A CERTAIN WAY, YOU HAVE TO BUILD IT YOURSELF."

Add a buffer so the meat cooks evenly:

Getting heat evenly from the firebox to the other side of the cooker is a challenge, especially when meat is in there, blocking airflow. This leads to uneven cook times. "One solution to this problem is to install a baffle or buffer plate above the opening to the firebox, extending at a downward angle into the cooking chamber," Franklin says. (See "C" on the diagram.) You can buy a small piece of tin for this job or, if your cooker is large enough, use an old license plate.

Keep humidity in mind:

Add a small steam pan, filled with water, to the inside of the cooker. Keep it on the grate near the firebox and constantly add water to it while cooking. (See "D" on the diagram.) "It adds humidity, which is constantly being whisked out by convection, to the cooking environment," Franklin says. "It helps hasten the cooking process while slowing the drying process of the meat."

And finally, clean up:

Keep your cooker clean so it lasts longer. Scrub the grates with a wire brush and shovel out the ashes after each use.

So whatever happened to all those little cookers—relics in Texas barbecue history—Franklin used at home? He gave them all away on Craigslist. "The guy who has my first one, I gave him to him on one condition: that he can't get rid of it unless he gives it back to me," Franklin says. "Although it's probably got a hole rusted through the bottom of it by now."

[MIKA27]

NINTENDO SWITCH JOY CON CLASSIC BY COLORWARE

It took longer than we would’ve liked, but it looks like Nintendo’s latest console – the Switch – is a big hit. And that’s something the brand and fans alike can be very happy about. That being said, there are still some things we miss about their older consoles – like their style. Well, now, you can infuse your newest gaming machine with a bit of retro nostalgia, thanks to Colorware’s Joy Con Classic controllers.

Though they function just like the normal Switch controllers – with onboard accelerometers, gyro sensors, and super responsive buttons – these limited edition ones come in the classic black, gray, and red NES colorway first introduced to us in 1985. And, to up the enticement even more, only the first 25 sets will be individually numbered and authenticated. In any case, the point is this: if you don’t act soon, these retro Nintendo Switch controllers will be gone before you can say, “Now you’re playing with power!” They retail for $199.

[MIKA27]

TAG HEUER CONNECTED MODULAR 45 KINGSMAN EDITION

Kingsman: The Secret Service was the most slept on movie of 2014. Unlike the sullen and gritty post-Borne spy movies of our moment, it was delightfully fun, vibrant, and brimming with cool gadgets. Now, thanks to Tag Heuer, you can own one of the most prominently featured pieces of tech from the upcoming sequel; the Tag Heuer Connected Modular 45 Kingsman Edition watch.

The watch, a special edition of the Connected Modular 45, features a large face with a navy and rose gold bezel as well as 30 pre-programmed digital faces that the wearer can choose from. At least one of those screens features a Kingsman logo on the subdial, while a larger logo appears at 10:10 for 10 seconds as the watch vibrates. In addition to these features, the watch comes with rose-gold lugs and two straps, one a brown leather and the other an orange velvet. Both use a clasp closure and feature the word ‘Kingsman’ embossed on the interior. These will start retailing on Mr. Porter, with which the Kingsman producers already have a line of clothing, on the 6th of July.

 

[MIKA27]

HENDRICK’S COCKTAIL GARNISHER

Occasionally in our search to find the coolest gear on the internet, we will come across something that is both completely impractical and really well made. The Hendrick’s Cocktail Garnisher is one of those few.

Developed by Hendrick’s Gin as a part of their World Cucumber Day celebration (what, you don’t celebrate WCD?), this tabletop garnisher is engineered to slice cucumbers into perfect 1/8-inch pieces in just minutes. All you have to do is slice a cucumber in half, put the cut ends down into each receptacle, and crank the wheel on the garnisher. Doing so moves the cucumbers across perfectly positioned blades that slice the cucumber into the ideal size for throwing in your drink. Whether you’re throwing it in a gin and tonic, cucumber basil smash, or a cucumber 75, we’re sure that using such a fancy device will make it taste that much better. Pre-order is open now with delivery to your home bar anticipated for August. $200

[MIKA27]

VIVA XXXII TEQUILA

As you're rounding out your bar this summer, or just refueling, have a look at Viva XXXII Tequila. It's a sipping tequila made from estate grown, 100% blue agave blended with a 3-year-old extra anejo tequila. In addition to the agave goodness you'd expect, Viva XXXII also provides notes of vanilla, lemon peel, and yerba buena. A Silver medalist at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, they also donate 10% of net proceeds to animal abuse prevention.

[MIKA27]

HERB & LOU'S INFUSED ICE CUBES

Make yourself a drink and chill it at the same time with Herb & Lou's Infused Ice Cubes. These pre-mixed ice cubes contain all the ingredients you need to make a tasty cocktail. Just freeze them, and when it's time for a drink, add one cube for every shot of liquor you're having. Our favorite is the Cooper, a blood orange and ginger old-fashioned meant for use with bourbon. There are also two mixes that go great with vodka or tequila — the Clyde, which blends peach flavors with herbs and bitters, and Cecile, ideal for sunny days with its mix of cucumber, watermelon, clover, honey, and thyme. Available in packs of 12 individually wrapped cubes.

[MIKA27]

NIKKA COFFEY GIN

For over 80 years, the Nikka brand has been known as one of the finest makers of Japanese whisky. And now, for the first time, Nikka is entering the world of white spirits with Nikka Coffey Gin. Using the same continuous style stills developed by Aeneas Coffey in 1830, the Gin is produced using 11 botanicals including sansho pepper, yuzu, kabosu, amanatsu, and shequasar from Japan. A unique Gin from a trusted source that spirits fans will want to seek out.

[MIKA27]

REVO TWO-SEAT URBAN BICYCLE

Designed with the urban commuter in mind, the Revo Two-Seat Urban Bicycle not only looks different than most bikes but is comprised of some unique materials as well. The brainchild of Tamás Túri, the bike has different size wheels along with a long, flat saddle that is designed to carry two passengers comfortably. The Revo arrives in a box, and you put it together yourself using the mixed 3D printed plastic, wood, and steel materials. Ideal for your city commute, the wood and steel keep the Revo light and durable, providing a more comfortable ride through the unpredictable concrete terrain.

[MIKA27]

Here's How Interior Plastic Trim Panels Can Be Used As Loudspeakers

Lots of cars these days come with dozens of speakers to pump music into passengers' ears. But those speakers are heavy, and take up lots of space. That's why Continental just devised a speaker-less audio system that actually uses your car's interior trim panels to make sound. Here's how it works.

A conventional speaker works rather simply: A stereo sends an electrical current through a coil of wire, inducing a magnetic field. This coil of wire, called a voice coil, sits in front of a permanent magnet, and is connected to the center of a paper, plastic or fabric conical diaphragm.

As a stereo sends an alternating current through the voice coil, the coil is attracted and repelled from the permanent magnet, dragging the diaphragm along with it as it moves back and forth. This motion of the diaphragm creates pressure waves, whose amplitudes represent volume, and whose frequencies correspond to the radio's pitch.

To save space and weight, German auto supplier Continental has done away with such conventional speakers, instead using cars' interior trim panels as diaphragms to create those pressure waves that tickle our eardrums. The company calls their setup "Ac2ated Sound."

Dimitrios Patsouras, Continental's engineering director in charge of Noise, Vibration and Harshness, thinks the current method of using separate diaphragms isn't needed, saying "...it is not necessary to integrate speakers with oscillating membranes when you have all the surfaces you need to do the job in the car already."

He went on, describing which surfaces are best used to create which sounds, saying this in a Continental press release:

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The A-pillar is suited for high frequencies, while the door panels, for instance, have the right properties for generating medium frequencies. Similar to speaker technology, we use large components such as the roof lining or rear shelf to generate low frequencies.

OK, so Continental isn't strictly replacing loudspeakers with interior trim panels: they're really only replacing the diaphragms and diaphragm frames. What they have done is placed transducers — which are basically the same thing as the voice coils you'd see in a standard speaker, and whose job it is to turn electrical signals into motion — onto some sort of bonding pad that sticks to the door panel.

The transducer sends vibrations through the bonding pad, then through the panels, which then create pressure waves that vibrate our eardrums. It's cool, though it's not exactly the newest idea, as Johnson Controls and Bongiovi Acoustics showed off a similar concept a number of years ago:

The benefits, at least according to Continental, are massive reductions in vehicle weight and audio system packaging requirements. The company describes the advantages, saying in the press release:

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To achieve a good 3D sound, conventional high-end car audio systems can easily require between ten and 20 or more speakers. Owing to a conventional speaker design this gives the system a weight of up to 15 kilograms and a total box volume of 10 to 30 litres. Continental's speaker-less audio system can weigh as little as 1 kilogram and requires as little as 1 litre of total box volume. 

To achieve a good 3D sound, conventional high-end car audio systems can easily require between ten and 20 or more speakers. Owing to a conventional speaker design this gives the system a weight of up to 15 kilograms and a total box volume of 10 to 30 litres. Continental's speaker-less audio system can weigh as little as 1 kilogram and requires as little as 1 litre of total box volume. 

[MIKA27]

Michael Nyqvist: 1960-2017

Some very sad news to report as Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist has died at the age of 56. He had been battling lung cancer and passed away far too soon from the disease in Stockholm on Tuesday (June 27). He is survived by his wife and his two children, whom our thoughts are very much with at this difficult time.

Nyqvist began his film and TV career in the early 1980s and scored his first big success with the 2000 comedy Together. He sprang to international fame, however, with his work in the original Swedish film version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and its two subsequent sequels, playing the role of journalist Mikael Blomqvist. From there, Hollywood came calling and he appeared in films such as John Wick, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and Europa Report.

Nyqvist, who was adopted from an orphanage as a baby, wrote a book called Just After Dreaming about his search for his biological parents.

There’s a lot of quality Michael Nyqvist work that’s been left with us on the screen, both as a leading man and a quintessential character actor, and we thank him for it.

[MIKA27]

The Mountain Between Us Trailer: Idris Elba and Kate Winslet Face a Wintry Wilderness

The Mountain Between Us, a romance-tinted survival epic, thrusts the always-game Idris Elba into a chilly survival situation opposite an actress who knows a thing or two about those in Titanic star Kate Winslet. However, as the newly released trailer proves, this situation is attributed to much more than an unwillingness to scoot over on a makeshift raft, since it occurs after a plane crash over snowy Northeastern Utah mountains.

The Mountain Between Us trailer shows the happenstance meeting of Dr. Ben Bass (Elba) and journalist Alex Martin (Winslet), who, after, the cancellation of their flight out of Salt Lake City, share a charter plane. Unfortunately, the plane ends up crashing into the High Uintas Wilderness, leaving Ben and an injured Alex stranded (with the late pilot’s dog,) without phone service or radio reception. While an essential maxim in survival says to stay where you are and wait for rescue, the duo decide that their chances are better braving the snow-capped mountains. As the journey progresses, the wayward duo of Ben and (the very much engaged) Alex form an unlikely romance, born out of shared trauma; something that might be a relief to those thinking this film might make a twist à la Alive. – The film also co-stars Dermot Mulroney, Beau Bridges and Lucia Walters.

In the director's chair for The Mountain Between Us is Palestinian-Israeli helmer Hany Abu-Assad, whose recent work includes Palestinian dramas in 2015’s The Idol, 2013’s Omar and the 2012 direct-to-video actioner The Courier, which starred Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Mickey Rourke. Here, Abu-Assad works off a script by Chris Weitz and J. Mills Goodloe, adapting the 2011 novel of the same name by Charles Martin.

The film project was greenlit rather quickly after the literary source material’s release and underwent quite the casting evolution over the years. Michael Fassbender was originally tapped as the lead in early 2012 before the project eventually corralled the duo of Charlie Hunnam and Margot Robbie in 2014, with the latter subsequently (and briefly) replaced by Rosamund Pike, before things were finalized with Elba and Winslet.

The Mountain Between Us will have Idris Elba tapping into his own innate badassery to survive cold, hunger and mountain lions alongside an injured Kate Winslet when the film is released on October 20.

 

[MIKA27]

Japanese Train Station Looks Like Something Out Of Fallout

Forty metres underground, this dystopian station might looks like a bunker in the Fallout games, but at least the trains aren't late. After all, it's in Japan.

This is Tsutsuishi Station in Niigata. It's unlike any station you'll see in the country. Lee Chapman at Tokyo Times explains:

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First built in 1912, it was originally above ground, but all that changed when the new station opened in 1969. Now it's 40 metres deep, and the only way to access the 2 platforms is by navigating several damp tunnels and their 290 steps. A trek Tsutsuishi's 25 or so daily passengers have to make without any aid whatsoever, as there are no lifts or escalators.

Below are photos of the station via Tokyo Times.

The outside of the station looks normal enough. But once you go inside...

Leaving the station is equally dreary.