ULTIMATE Lego Chaingun — not your parents’ rubberband gun – Engadget
Well, except, you know, my wedding, and related things. Be sure to watch the video of the gun in action. This gun combines everything that makes childhood great: Legos, destruction, the possiblity of injury and/or grounding . . .
Boing Boing: Have sex on a plane at 10,000 feet for under $300
This seems like cheating, though. I mean, isn’t most of the allure of sex on a plane the fact that you’re doing it more or less in public? Maybe not. Not sure the wife would be up for it in any event.
So, I’m getting married the day after tomorrow. As a result, I will be away from a computer until September 7th or so. Which means that you’ll have to look elsewhere for your complaining needs. But, rest assured that I will be thinking about each and every one of you, Loyal Readers, the whole time I’m on my honeymoon. Seriously.
And I’ll be back. But not until next month. Try not to miss me too much.
Yamaha RX-V2700 and RX-V1700 HDMI Receivers – Gizmodo
The higher-end member of this pair is the RX-V2700 . . ., bringing Ethernet connectivity to the feature list, where it’s able to hook up with PCs on your network and stream their music files, or it can let you listen to Internet radio stations right in your home theater.
This is what I want. Interconnectivity. Just because my music’s on my computer doesn’t mean I’ll never want to listen to it anywhere else. Plus, this thing is HDMI-capable, in case I ever get around to getting HD from the cable company, or buy a new DVD player.
I wonder what the ethernet streaming interface is like. They don’t say it’s PC-only, and the thing works with iPods, so that could be cool, especially if it will work with Ubuntu.
CNN.com – Lieberman concedes to Lamont, vows to run in November – Aug 9, 2006
Lamont wins, and now Lieberman is going to run as an independant. Screw you, two party system! First, Lamont shows that you don’t have to be the candidate that the national party likes. You can use the internet to get your name out and bypass the big party machine. And now, Lieberman shows us that the two party system is not enough, that sometimes you have to go outside the system. Let’s abolish Democrats and Republicans. They’ve had their time in the sun.
The danger for Connecticut Democrats, I suppose, is that Lamont and Lieberman split the liberal vote and hand the election to a Republican challenger. But since Connecticut voters have already made it quite clear that supporting President Bush and his war on civil rights and separation of power is not going to fly, perhaps they’ll get a nice, intelligent Republican who goes against the President because the President has, as a Republican, lost his way.
Being Greenish: Silverado, Sierra to be GM’s First Hybrid Trucks; Fall 2007 Launch – Jalopnik
I’m always quick to bash GM (Because they make shitty cars and embrace dead-end means for saving the planet like corn-based ethanol), but I will give credit where credit is due – GM will probably beat Toyota to market with the first hybrid pickup. This is exactly what the American auto industry needs – to fire back against the attacks that Toyota and Nissan (And, to a lesser extend with the ridiculous Ridgeline, Honda) have been mounting against American dominance in the large truck market.
Americans like to buy big trucks. For some, it’s a necessity. And the Toyota Tundra and Nissan Titan have finally given consumers a real alternative to Ford, GM, and Dodge. So it’s nice to see GM fighting back, and in exactly the direction I like to see. Sure, a V8 hybrid isn’t going to get 30 MPG. But if it gets improved mileage, doesn’t lose a significant amount of power, and runs a lot cleaner, then I’m willing to pat GM on the back for this one. Assuming this isn’t just a rumor.
Acura Integras Still Being Stolen – Jalopnik
Of course Integras are still being stolen while RSX’s aren’t. One, the Integra was awesome while the RSX is just an Integra with a new name. Two, the smart kids bought Integras to pimp out – a stock Integra blows the doors off a Civic with $10,000 of engine work.
My first car was a 1988 Integra RS. I loved that car. Then someone rear ended it, and Allstate determined it wasn’t worth the repairs. So my sister and I took the insurance money and a little out of pocket cash and bought a 1989 Integra LS. We had that until my brother drove it into the ground. They were great cars. My girlfriend in college bought a brand new 2000 Integra during our senior year. That was a fun car to drive, but not quite as much fun as the ’89.
Anyway, it’s too bad they’re discontinuing the RSX. Maybe if they brought back the Integra it would start selling again.
SI.com – NFL – Saban declines offer from Bush – Monday July 31, 2006 1:26PM
“It was really a tough decision,” Saban said. “I feel like my first responsibility is our team. That in no way disrespects the importance of the opportunity I would have loved to have had to spend dinner with the President.”
Apparently getting the Dolphins ready for the season takes up every minute of his time. I suspect that this is either exaggeration on the part of an AP reporter trying to drum up some controversy, or Saban is a Democrat and thinks his fame means we care about his snub of the President. Oh, wait, I just wrote about it, I guess I do care.
Nokia’s N73 Cellphone With 3.2-megapixel Camera Available Now in Europe – Gizmodo
A 3.2 megapixel cameraphone with built in Flickr support? That needs to be available here, now. With a glass Zeiss lens. Maybe a little zoom and image-stabilization. And at a reasonable price. You can keep the MP3 player built in, though.
Go Blue! Volkswagen’s Diesel-Sipping Polo Gets 72 mpg – Jalopnik
I don’t know. But I know I want my next car to run on biodiesel and need refueling once ever 4-6 weeks. It’s too bad the Polo has gotten away from the 1989 GTI “17 year old guys think this is cool” look and moved towards the “17 year old girls think this is cute” look. Maybe if I get one in black and put flames on the side . . .