Canadian Lego Man in Spaaaaaaaace!!!!

via Jalopnik

The two Toronto teens, Matthew Ho and Asad Muhammad, purchased a weather balloon and outfitted it with cameras, a GPS-equipped cellphone, and a Lego minifig holding a tiny Canadian flag in a custom-designed Styrofoam box.

As soon as the winds shifted to keep the balloon inside the Canadian border they launched it and waited, hoping their amateur spacecraft would get a few pics. Roughly two hours after letting the balloon go they were notified by the cellphone of the craft’s successful return. It travled approximately 15 miles up into the stratosphere and roughly 75 miles laterally, capturing some stunning images along the way.

Mad Max going sideways

Gotta love a good drift video.

via Battlestance

Pingu meets The Thing

Gotta love claymation guts.

via Spout

Sideways on the back lot

Lunacy in Hollywood from Ken Block.

You can do Gymkhana style driving in the latest game from the Dirt series.

All Hail Danny MacAskill

Dear Channel 4,

You commissioned this piece of awesome, kindly create a show about cycling where Danny MacAskill can be the cycling Stig, taking on a different set of obstacles every week and testing bikes to see how easy they are to bunny hop. There would have to be more sensible stuff as well, but you know this would be brilliant.

Metropolis II

Something to take your mind off it all

Neodymium magnets are cool!

via Geeks are Sexy

Hot Wheels

Tanner Foust jumping a car 332 feet to set a new World Record.

XCOM

I have fond memories of the original XCom games and I’d love to see a modern version of them. This looks more like a first person shooter than squad level, turn based tactics, but I’m fond of FPS too.

Triple backflip

Castaway Tunes

So the BBC is asking members of the public to nominate their own 8 choices for Desert Island Discs, no doubt so they can see how the tastes of we plebs differ from those of the celebrity guests. It seems like the perfect excuse to list my choices here as well. In no particular order beyond as I think of them, here are mine-

1. Echobelly – I Can’t Imagine The World Without Me

1994 belonged to Oasis but, though I do have a soft spot for the mono-browed brothers, it should have been Echobelly’s year. Better songs, more interesting sound and vastly more attractive and interesting singer. I Can’t Imagine The World Without Me is a perfect piece of ego and joy, it can’t fail to make me happy.

2. Inspiral Carpets – Saturn 5

I could have chosen the raw blast of Joe, my introduction to the band, or Sackville, which has the added interest of being about the street I used to study on. But there’s a power to this one. And apart from Sleeping Satellite, how many other pop songs have been about the lapsed glories of the space race?

Bonus Sackville and Joe videos-

3. Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine – Say It With Flowers

I used to have After The Watershed as my Carter song because I pulled to it once and there’s something so wrong about the juxtaposition of the song’s subject and memories of getting laid. And Only Living Boy In New Cross was one of the songs which kept me going in 2001. But Say It With Flowers gave me the title to Sounds of Soldiers, and every radio show needs a plug.

Bonus videos-

4. James – Sit Down

James made many damn fine records. But, really, there was only ever going to be one choice from them wasn’t there? It’s an anthem and it’s beautiful.

5. Camper Van Beethoven – Life Is Grand

Because it is. If I ever make a film I want this song over the closing credits.

6. 10cc – I’m Not In Love

It gives you shivers. Glorious.

7. The Wonder Stuff – Ruby Horse

Another song that gave me a book title (Ruby Red, I’m not mercenary, it really is an excellent song.

8. Frank Sinatra – New York, New York

Many many great nights have wound down to Ol’ Blue Eyes’ anthem. It seems appropriate for it to be the last song on the list.

Tools for the zombie apocalypse- machete firing slingshot/crossbow

via wired

Trying to get up that great big hill of hope

25 years of my life and still
I’m trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination
I realized quickly when I knew I should
That the world was made up of this
Brotherhood of man
For whatever that means
So I cry somethimes when I’m lying in bed
To get it all out what’s in my head
Then I start feeling a little peculiar
So I wake in the morning and I step
Outside I take deep breath
I get real high
Then I scream from the top of my lungs
What’s goin’ on
And I say hey…
And I say hey what’s goin’ on
And I say hey…
I said hey what’s goin’ on
And I try, oh my God do I try
I try all the time
In this institution
And I pray, oh my God do I pray
I pray every single day
For a revolution
So I cry sometimes when I’m lying in my bed
To get it all out what’s in my head
Then I start feeling a little peculiar
So I wake in the morning and I step outside
I take a deep breaththen I get real high
Then I scream from the top of my lungs
What’s goin’ on
And I say hey…
And I say hey what’s goin’ on
And I say hey…
I said hey what’s goin’ on
And I say hey…
And I say hey what’s goin’ on
And I say hey…
I said hey what’s goin’ on
25 years of my life and still
I’m trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination

What’s Up? – 4 Non Blondes

Tronify!

How to Tronify your outfit. I have a few spare bikes, maybe I could create my own lightcycle. More instructions here.

via BoingBoing

Please ReTweet Me

A little late to the party on this one, but isn’t it sweet.

via BigDaveSB and The Ragabonds Daily