Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
Ramping up for its gala opening next month, developers this week gave domestic and foreign journos a heart-stopping over quarter-mile ride up, up, way up to the observation level of Japan’s latest entry into the ongoing “biggest and longest” competition among industrialized nations ~ the 634-meter-tall (2,080 feet) Tokyo SkyTree. White-knuckled reporters boarded the SkyTree’s high-speed elevators with nervous smiles and waited a minute and 20 seconds to be lifted to the imposing tower’s observation level 1,476-feet above the metropolis. Earthquake’s? The Skytree survived last March’s 9.0 with no damage. The SkyTree has a restaurant and two cafes on the observation decks, a vertigo-inducing glass floor that lets vomitous visitors look straight down and an emergency staircase with 2,523 steps just in case you’re in the mood for a workout. Yomiuri Shimbun has video of the high-level junket (in Japanese but the flyover footage really doesn’t need translating) and HuffPo has a writeup and a slideshow.
Continue reading
Happy Earth Day! Here’s an example of human ingenuity coming up with sustainable concepts for generating electrical power with the wind. No longer will we be limited by static windmill tech and wind-friendly terrain. High-altitude turbine blimps from Altaeros Energies are now being flight tested, and when these beautiful craft go on line, they could cut our energy costs by a whopping 65%. (Gizmodo – turbine blimps)
Continue reading
In Mongolia horse races happen all year long, even in the crazy cold winter. In the winter, young horses (mostly 4 year olds) gallop across snow covered flatlands with jockeys only a few years older than them (7-10 years old) for a day of races, for crowds that grow throughout the day. Like most things here, it’s not quite like what we’re used to in the West. For starters, races are run like endurance races, over rugged terrain (no real track to speak of), in extreme weather, and for 15-20 kilometers (about 10 miles). Spectators don’t just stand and watch the race, they ride along with the racers, either by horse or car. The winner’s circle is more like a winner’s mob, as everyone tries to touch the sweaty coat of the winning horse for good luck. The winning horse is celebrated far more than its jockey and ends up taking home a thick felt winner’s blanket, and a headpiece goes over its bridle that gets decorated with medals and prayer silks. The races are definitely a group activity, like most in Mongolia. Half the fun of going is moving from vantage point to vantage point and visiting with friends and relatives you run into along the way. After the races (which go on for a couple of hours with one race after another) it’s time for vodka and catching up. Horses that have been scraped clean of sweat, walked, and cooled down get loaded into the backs of Korean made mini-pick up trucks, and driven home to get back to their herd and run free on the steppes again. Of course, I prefer the weather of racing season at Santa Anita, (and I desperately miss my horse, Squid) but the thrill of speeding through the snow with horse and rider, hoping you don’t crash into other cars trying to do the same, can’t be beat. I put together a video of some of the racing action from the backseat of Tsogtoo’s car. You can see the video here… Winter also brought the Moto Cross to Darkhan, similar action but with Russian Jeeps instead of horses. A presentation of the drivers and their modified race cars takes place in the plaza of the theatre and then everyone drives to the “track”, a selected bit of steppe with enough dips and curves to create a satisfying chance of danger, spin outs and machines catching air. Like the horse races, it’s all about finding the best spot for watching the races, catching up with friends, and being close enough to get hands on and help get flipped over cars & drivers back on track. Literally. More photos on flickr.
Continue reading
The Bachelor is Racist? All they have to do is recruit a well known bachelor artist. He’d refuse. (Fox – Bachelor)
Continue reading
The eye in the sky are enabled at least in movie theaters in parts of Asia. Why? To nab offenders who are recording the screens themselves to make bootlegs. The article originates from Malaysia. They true reason doesn’t seem to be the hardcore pirates who are intending to make bootlegs for mass consumption. Those probably happen much higher up, as in the execs themselves. (The Star - Pirates)
Continue reading