3D has been around a lot longer than most of us realize. Anyone who was able to to produce 1.21 gigawatts of energy and force it into a flux capacitor knows that wearing 3D glasses was a style donned by more than just your average obnoxious bully sycophant from the year 1955. In fact the 1950s are known as the “Golden Era” of 3-D cinematography.

photo thanks wikipedia

The concept of 3D is simple, show 2 different images to each eye in way that makes the put together image look like it has more depth. Unfortunately, quality 3D is a bit more complicated.

For those of you who remember the 3D ground breaking video game “Time Traveler” (see article: Top 10 Video Games of All Time) you are probably too old to be playing video games. That being said, the game had a sort of “Help Me Obi-Wan Kenobi, Your My Only Hope” look to it. Which means if society had really wanted 3D TV, we could probably have it by now if we had only been prepared to pay the $2.00 per game the inventors of time traveler were asking. In fact, 3D has a way of coming in and out of style.

So just how close are we to 3D TV?

There have been a few attempts at different ways of creating the effect, and we can only assume that when we do get the technology there will be an HDDVD vs Blue Ray, Betamax VS VHS type war.

Some possible attempts at 3D Technology include:

Stereoscope 3D.

Stereoscopic 3-D imaging is created by presenting two offset images separately to each eye ball.

How can we use it?

The idea here is to use two tiny screens that fit snug over your eye sockets. It would be the same idea as stereo head phones, except these would be eyephones (pardon the pun).

Back in the 1840s, Sir Chearles Wheatstone invented the stereoscope by taking nearly identical photographs side by side that the viewer would see through a pair of binoculars

This idea was later for cool iconic geek toys like the view master

There was even a view master that played sound!

So why does StrereoScope 3D suck?

Up until now, it has been too expensive to put two lcd screens behind a pair of glasses. As well, it takes away from the group experience, and people don’t like to wear bulky mechanisms on their heads.

So is stereoscope 3-D Dead?

There was a submarine game the Sega brought out call “Sub-Roc” where you would look through a periscope, but like most things by Sega, it didn’t take off.

photo thanks: wikipedia

The Pulfrich Effect 3-D

According to German physicist Carl Pulfrich things move slower in the dark, at least as your eyes are concerned. Since this discovery in 1922 we have had a Rolling Stones concert, Shark documentaries, Power ranger movies, and special episodes of Doctor Who (dimensions in time) all shown in Pulfrich 3-D. The best thing about the technology is that all you have to do is get a tinted monocle and you are are watching 3D!
It works because when you watch things moving side to side while wearing a darkened lens, the object appears to move in depth, towards you or away.

Why does it suck?

For the Pulfrich Effect to work properly, the objects on the screen must be always moving sideways at the right speed. This unfortunately causes some viewers to vomit.

The good news is, you can get the effect any time if you watch things like football games, nature shows, or certain musical scenes from “singing in the rain”

Red-Geen Anaglyph

Edwin Porter had a vision. A vision of half naked belly dancers dancing for him in 3D when he was away from the Gentleman’s club. In fact his idea was demonstrated before the television was even invented. It wouldn’t be until 40 years later that the same technology he demonstrated in 1915 would be used for home 3D TV viewing.

So why does it suck?

Originally it sucked because most people in the 1950s didn’t have color TVs, as well, the red green glasses required gave them headaches. (Similar to those who watched the red green show)

“The Red Green Show – known to cause headaches.”

On top of that, the 3D image was red and green and not true color so nobody really cared when the technology went away.

Why it doesn’t suck

Colorcode (Amber Blue Anaglyph) is a take off on Red Green anaglyph. The difference being that it uses amber and dark blue. Colorcode has been used successfully in the 2009 Superbowl ad Monsters vs Aliens as well as during a special episode of the show Chuck.

In fact, Colorcode is probably the best thing going so far as far a 3D TV is concerned, so it shows how revisiting an epic fail can turn it into a win.

Anyone for the creation of “New Pepsi”

Polarized 3-D Lens.

These lenses let in light vibrating in only one direction. By projecting two different images on the same screen using polarized lenses at different angles, you could route a separate image to each eye allowing for full color images.

Why does it suck?

Because there is no known way to send polarized images through a tv screen, so its pretty much useless.

So what are we to do?  How are we going to get a decent 3D image at home on our television?   Yes were asking you Obi Wan,  Help us, you’re our only hope.

If you’re looking for that retro feel check out our 80s retro iPhone case available in our Gadget Shop

By now everyone knows about the honey badger, one of the most fearless, aggressive animals in the world. And of course there’s the wolverine who, aside from being one of Marvel Comics biggest cash cows, is also a crazy weasel like creature that will attack bears and wolves just for laughs. These are fearless little animals that routinely go up against overwhelming odds. But those are the exceptions, right? Rarely in nature do you see the whole David and Goliath setup working out in favor of the underdog. Normally the big animals eat or at least squash the smaller ones. Usually. But sometimes Mother Nature pulls for the little guy. There are teeny animals out there that simply do not know the meaning of fear or common sense. A few of these munchkins will stand up and throw themselves headlong against behemoths…and win.

1. Epomis Beetle

photo thanks: wired.com/wiredscience

“The bug in the frogs mouth there is winning.”

Frogs are vicious eating machines.  Yes…frogs. They regularly consume scorpions, tarantulas, snakes, birds, you name it.  They’re deadly, agile and hungry as a hippo…only shorter.  If it fits in their mouth they’ll attack and eat it. But if there is one area where frogs really excel at it’s eating bugs.  What with the long tongue, the pouncing and the huge mouths, frogs were tailor made to destroy insects.  But apparently no body told that to the Epomis Beetle.  This small ground beetle will attack and devour frogs, lizards and salamanders at will.  How do we know this? Because scientist set up Thunder Dome like encounters where the beetle won 100% of the time.  That’s right, 100%! This isn’t a bug that ‘sometimes’ pulls out an upset. It’s a super beetle that apparently cannot lose. Here’s a horrifying video of a little beetle brutalizing an amphibian several times it’s size:

Their strategy is to jump on the amphibian, which outweighs it by a factor of at least 10 and then they start biting it. Do they have some kind of poison? A paralyzing venom to subdue their hippity hoppity foes? No. They just bite him till he dies. That’s like leaping onto a bull and chewing on it till it stops kicking. And not only do the adult beetles eat frogs, but the larva do too. In fact the baby beetles dine almost exclusively on amphibians. And once again, they never lose. Scientists recorded one instance where a frog actually managed to swallow a larva for two hours…he still lost the fight and was consumed by the bug. How do you eat your opponent and still lose?!?

photo: Sciencenewsline.com

“How many lions has your newborn consumed?”

2. Kingbird

Groups of small birds have been known to mob larger predators. They’ll do this to chase them away from their nests. Seals do the same things to great white sharks. It’s a common practice in nature for a group of smaller animals to band together to harass a larger predator.  Kingbirds do something like that too, but with just a tad more “Hell Yeah!” mixed in.  A lone Kingbird will jump on the back of a hawk and peck the bird in the head mercilessly!  This little 2 oz menace will ride on the back of a friggin hawk! That’s like a human leaping onto a great shark and continuously bashing it in the skull with a pipe.

photo thanks: extras.mnginteractive.com

“Mommie!!!”

He’s not flitting around harassing it. He’s not posturing or making threats. The Kingbird is riding it bareback and stabbing it in the head. How aggressive and/or mentally unbalanced do you have be to pull this off? The Kingbird will peck the poor hawk relentlessly until it leaves the area. And there’s nothing the alpha predator can do but scream and run. They don’t try to fight back. They don’t hang around plotting their revenge. They get the hell out of Dodge. But the real kicker is that hawks don’t even prey on Kingbirds!  They’re way too small. That’s right, the Kingbird is the bully here. He’s beating up the hawk for no reason other than he can.

3. Cookiecutter Shark

Sharks are scary it’s true, but they don’t indiscriminately attack people.  Typically shark attacks happen because they mistake humans for seals or all that flailing around in the water makes them think you’re wounded.  It really doesn’t want to eat you.  It’s not hunting you.  Honestly you probably don’t even taste good. In fact, Great Whites have been known to spit people out.  Sure, the odds are you’ll still die from the wounds, but that’s not the point. Sharks do not see us as food. They aren’t just mindless eating machines that the movies portray. They won’t just attack you for no good reason…except the cookie cutter shark.  It will straight up eat you.

Photo Thanks: ehay.deviantart.com/art/

“Awww…look how cute!”

This two-foot monster will attack anything, people, dolphins, whales, submarines. It literally does not care who or what you are.  If you move you’re food.  And yes, it has actually been known to attack submarines. The navy has had to replace rubber seals and coatings after these vicious little monsters grubbed on them. It’s called a cookie cutter shark because it swims past at high speed ripping a chunk of flesh out with its melon baller like teeth. The only reason you don’t hear about more attacks on people is because they’re nocturnal hunters. So be careful if you go swimming in shark infested waters at night…although lets be honest, you probably deserve to be eaten anyway.

photo thanks: blogs.discovery.com

“Awww…look how cute!”

4-Jack Jumper Ants

No one is surprised that ants will attack creatures several times their own size if their hive is threatened or if they have a team to back them up.  They routinely throw away their lives just because. But then some ants take it to the next level, like the Jack Jumper Ant of Australia and Tasmania.

BANZAII!!!

This is the Jack Jumper of Australia and Tasmania.  He’s throwing himself at a huntsman spider who incidentally eats ants for breakfast.  The ant didn’t stumble upon the spider by accident. The spider didn’t come too close to the nest. This lone ant saw a spider and launched itself over a cliff to attack it. Why?  Because Jack Jumper Ants will attack anything on sight.  And unlike most ants they can see quite well and they can leap 20 cm into the air.  If you get within the range you’re food.  Period.  They are extremely aggressive and they will attack anything.  Also unlike most ants the Jack Jumper is very independent minded so they’re solo hunters.  This little insect can single handedly take down a bee or a wasp. It’s only one ant, but it’s wicked enough to capture and kill a friggin wasp on it’s own.

They’re also amongst the most poisonous creatures on earth.  They kill more humans in their native Tasmania annually than spiders, snakes, wasps, and sharks COMBINED.  Yes, this ant is the most deadly killer in an area renowned for its deadly killers. They sting their prey (or anything that’s pissing them off) repeatedly, releasing a venom that ignites the allergic reaction in most humans, leading to death if medical attention is not sought right away.  And don’t think thick clothing will protect you, they can sting right through it.

photo thanks: www.alexanderwild.com

5 – Common Krait

“He always hogs the covers.”

Most snakes are kind of skittish.  They don’t have legs. They aren’t very tall. They know better than to hang out around larger creatures that can crush them.  The math is pretty easy on this one. If you’re a small animal that crawls around on your belly then stay away from things that can smash you. Even very poisonous snakes are reluctant to bite people because they themselves might be hurt in the process. That’s why rattlesnakes make all that racket. They’re saying ‘hey, I’m over here don’t stomp on me because I will totally kill you, ok.’ But the common Krait of India is either the bravest or stupidest snake in the world. It will actually climb in bed with people.

And this isn’t a case where the snake accidentally blunders into an empty bed because he thinks it’s a good place to hide. They will slither beneath the sheets while people are there. No one is exactly sure why they do this.  Maybe they’re cold.  Maybe they just like to snuggle.  Maybe it’s the fabric softener you use. Whatever the reason it’s a recipe for disaster when you consider that it’s more poisonous than a cobra and it’s bite is almost painless.  It’s not uncommon for people to die in their sleep. Sleep tight!

For a good nights sleep try our Memory Foam Sleep Mask with Stereo Input

Sources:
http://kalachkrait.webs.com/
http://animal.discovery.com/videos/wild-recon-common-krait-venom.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/270254/jack_jumper_ants_two_times_worsethan_pg2.html?cat=5
http://news.discovery.com/animals/cookiecutter-shark-scooped-flesh-out-of-human-swimmer-110705.html
http://www.livescience.com/14882-human-cookiecutter-shark-bite.html
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/shark-attack-documented-cookiecutter-shark-attack-human-hawaii/story?id=14001710
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1216709/Pictured-The-plucky-little-kingbird-took-piggyback-predatory-hawk-lived-tell-tale.html
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_13452818
http://kathleen-airdrie.suite101.com/eastern-kingbird-a-flycatcher-a184444
http://www.livescience.com/14254-beetles-eating-amphibians-predator-prey.html
http://news.discovery.com/animals/frog-legs-on-beetles-menu-110524.html
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/09/epomis-beetle-amphibians/

WTF Toy #1. You Can Shave The Baby.

Yes, now you can shave the baby! The Baby’s pubic hair that is…
The Red Headed baby with armpit and genital hair can only be found in Japan (we wonder why?) We’ve heard of toy babies that fill up diapers, burp, and even breast feed, but even we are scratching our heads at this one. There is also some added hair at the sock line for some reason which only leads us to do one thing. Find the Japanese Bable bot translation for “What the hell were you guys thinking?”

WTF Toy #2. The Placenta Teddy Bear

Photo Thanks inhabitots.com

If you think Placentas are gross, you would probably be shock to know that some people (mostly women we think?) eat their placenta after birth. Possibly to be more like the animals in nature or possibly because of the tangy taste is has, were not sure. Either way, you don’t have to worry if cannibalism is not your thing, now there is a way you and your baby can cherish it for a life time.

The Placenta Teddy Bear by Alex Green.

To make one of these cuddly contraptions, you need to dry out the placenta and cure it with sea salt. Then, after it is dried out, you must add an emulsifying mixture of tannin and egg yolk to make is soft and pliable. Then, its just a matter of imagination and a sewing kit!

WTF Toy #3 Grade up to Elite Cow

photo thanks boardgamegeek.com

This game was put out by the British Beef Association as a way to desensitize kids to the screaming moos cows make in the slaughter house. A wonderful game to play while waiting for dinner, Grade up to Elite Cow will make everyone a little less hungry.

The board game teaches children how beef is processed and graded. Oh, and did we mention? The game starts out at a bull semen auction. Enjoy!

WTF Toy #4. The Nimbus 2000

Yes, Harry Potter was all the rage back in the day. However, “Rage” was the feeling some parents had when they realized their kids were playing with a lookalike broomstick from the Harry Potter movies.

Why you ask?

Because the broomstick came with a wonderful feature that allowed it to vibrate.

Yes, the Nimbus 2000 was a children’s toy that began to vibrate when it was wedged into the child’s crotch area. It was pulled from the shelves pretty fast. We’re not sure who at Mattel was responsible for letting this one out in the first place.

WTF Toy #5. The Peekaboo Stripper Pole…….for Kids!

Yes, it arrived in the U.K. Back in 2006. The peekaboo stripper pole was banned almost immediately. It came complete with a cd of music to strip to, a lacy garter, and a wad of play money, all to be used in conjunction with a collapsible stripper pole.

This one just speaks evil.

For Toys of a Less Evil Nature, See the Geek Toys and Gadgets Section of our Gadget Shop.

Every once in a while, a politician, leader, or dictator will surprise us. We expect them to lie to us, raise taxes, and waste lots of money, but on rare occasions they do something that no one expects. Sometimes we hear touching chicken soup type stories of how the teddy bear got its name after Teddy Roosevelt showed compassion by refusing to shoot a half dead beaten black bear in the face with his shot gun (we added the face part, but we assume the other hunters were asking him for a head shot).

Other times we hear stories of people like Turkmenbashi who ordered the construction of an Ice Zoo in the middle of the Dessert, or stories of Boris Yeltsin outside the white house drunk in his underwear trying to get a cab to take him out for pizza. Its the stories like these that leave us scratching our heads asking

“Is this leader kinda cool, or is he just Nuckin’ Futs?”

1. Francois Duvalier AKA Papa Doc.

photo wikipedia

Claiming to be Baron Samedi, the Voodoo spirit of death, Papa Doc makes the Daft Gadgets list of Crazy or Cool with ease. By no means are we saying that the Voodoo religion holds a monopoly on “Crazy,” in fact we are currently looking to hire an artist to make custom voodoo dolls of our customer’s ex lovers based upon the photographs then send in. We think that voodoo could be the next big thing for our Gadget Shop.
That aside, were pretty sure that Papa Doc was “Nuckin Futs”

His departure from the land of sanity probably occurred during a 9 hour coma he experienced that left him with massive brain damage. Upon awakening, he demanded his successor (Clement Barbot) be arrested.

So, What is so odd about that?

He told his people that they would have trouble finding him because he had transformed himself into a large black dog.

So what was the most logical thing to do?

Well round up all the black dogs and put them to death of course.

After ordering the death of all the black dogs in Haiti, Clement Barbot was found (obviously because there were no black dogs left for his spirit to hide in) It was at this point that Papa Doc had Clement’s head cut off and preserved for Voodoo uses at a later time.

On his death bed, Papa Doc let out one last final secret. He confessed that he was responsible for JFK’s Assassination…..by way of a Voodoo Curse. He also sent one of his people to the U.S.A to visit Kennedy’s grave and “steal the air” around it so that Papa Doc could control JFK’s soul in the afterlife with a spell.

Now as “Cool” as all this sounds, our vote for Papa Doc is on the “Crazy” side.

Jaime Nebot

photo wikipedia

Jaime Nebot serves as the Mayor of Ecuador’s Largest city, Guayaquil. He has made headlines in Ecuador with various antics. On August 31, 1990. Nebot was heard screaming hysterically during a public broadcast of a parliamentary session. Although screaming in parliament is a very common thing these days, it was Nebots choice of words that earned him fame.

His words were: “Come here so I can pee on you,” and then “I can’t just hit you. I have to pee on you.” The police came in and restrained Nebot who told them he was angry at the back room dealings of the socialist party.

Now as funny as this televised was for us to watch without understanding a word (okay, we could make out a few of the swears) this incident is not the reason he is on our list.

The real reason Nebot is on our Cool or Crazy list is this:

In October of 2003 during a press conference, Nebot decided that the criticism from the press was not only unwarranted, but that it got in the way of his duties as the Mayor, essentially costing the tax payers too much money. Nebot then hired an assistant specifically for the task of addressing the critics from the press.

What’s so crazy cool about that you ask? ………..

The person he hired was a parrot.

photo wikipedia

“I get paid in Crackers”

“Here is the parrot,” he explained, “that will be in charge to answer all the undesirable comments that I have no time to answer! Some people only approach me with nonsense talk, so the parrot will answer back in the same way because I need to use my time to work.”

We don’t know about you, but were putting Nebot in the “Cool” Category.

Francisco Macias Nguema

Some people believe that insanity is hereditary. Luckily for Macias Nguema, he didn’t believe in such ridiculous superstitions. Born the son of a witch doctor who killed his younger brother, Francisco became the first President of Equatorial Guinea.

The center of an extreme cult of personality. He was known for doing wonderful things like having entire families and villages executed, punishing critics to 30 year jail terms, making intellectuals illegal and lots of other fun stuff……. like his special Christmas in 1975. We guess he was in the festive mood when he march 150 of his opponents in to a football stadium in Malabo where he lined them all up and shot them dead to Mary Hopkin’s song “Those were the days”

Now, on the surface, it may appear that he was just “Evil” but we feel that two things allow him on to our list of Crazy or Cool.

The first, he banned lubrication in powerplants claiming that his magic powers would keep the place running (which they did until the power plant broke down shrouding the entire capital in darkness). The second, he would indulge in Bhang (buds from a female cannabis plant) and the Hallucinogenic plant known as Iboga, and then have an imaginary tea party with imaginary enemies who he would execute.

As funny as playing the Red Queen in wonderland sounds, we’re putting him in the crazy category

Other politicians and leaders who almost made the Cool or Crazy list include:

Hajnal Ban

photo wikipedia

Who was tired of being short at around 5 foot 1 and had her legs lengthened to make her 5 foot 4 (or perhaps 5 foot 6 in high heels) which we decided is probably more cool than crazy since she wasn’t that tall.

and of course, it was hard to leave out Gaddafi

who wasn’t just known for his Gaddawful clothing styles, but also for doing things like firing his body guards and replacing them all with female virgins. Which we think is kind of cool, even for a crazy person.

“The point of technology is to extend what we can do with our bodies, our senses, and most of all our minds”

-Scientific American

photo wikipedia

Its only a matter of time before the human search for the holy grail of immortality moves to the religion of science, and when it does, the new wars will be man vs machine, cloning vs robotics, stem cells vs artificial intelligence, and discrimination laws of mechanical and electromechanical robots.

If you think about it, the human body is an inferior biological animal housing unit that contains a superior functioning brain. Dogs and Cats hear and smell better than we do, hawks have better eyesight, and pretty much every animal or insect is faster or stronger than us pound for pound. To put it bluntly….We suck!

However, as we mentioned, the one advantage we do have is our brains. Our brains are both a dangerous servant and a fearful master, and most of us either accept them (because they are stuck in same body) or fight them by killing them with weapons like beer.

One of the biggest questions in this chicken egg universe is “will artificial intelligence be created before we transplant a brain into a computer or will that act create the first being of artificial intelligence?

Who knows really, but its safe to say that if we aren’t replacing body parts with cloning we will be replacing them with robotics since everyone knows the cost of using parts from drifters and hobos is on the rise.

We already have robotic automation in areas like water management, military aviation, and vacuuming, and the area cyborg technology is much more advanced than most people realize. In fact, we have already have the technology to create a Borg like being, It just hasn’t happened yet because nobody wants to scare the crap out of the general populace.

Peg legs, wooden arms, hooks, glass eyes, false teeth, hearing horns, eyeglasses, wheel chairs, canes, and other synthetic replacements are being replaced with new robotic technologies every day. Exoskeletons can be used to help disabled people move around or increase the strength of human soldiers so that they can carry bigger guns and kill people easier, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. You can also expect robotics to create intelligent implants in the brain, which will “improve” our rational thought, and release nanorobots into our blood to clean our arteries.

Imagine how great life will be when we are programed to like it! (insert sarcasm emoticon here)

Here are just a few of the advancements in cyborg technology over the last few years.

Robotic USB Finger

photo thanks gizmodo

For the Do it Yourselfer, you may want to take a page out of Jerry Jalava’s book. He lost his finger when some stupid biological Deer Like organism tried to commit suicide by running into his motorcycle. Years ago a loss of an index finger meant more than just a nose full of boogers and “issig letters wile tpig”, it also came with a feeling of permanent loss.

However in getting with the 21st century, Jerry probably remembered the words of his father who used to say “I have more knowledge in the tip of my finger than you do in your entire body” and with that, he decided to replace his missing finger with the usb flash drive seen below.

Unlike a primitive biological finger, Jerry’s usb finger isn’t integrated like some un-upgradeable computer from Dell. His usb finger can be removed and replaced with a new model or alternative tool should the need arise. However, the USB finger is more of an adaptation than a replacement since the function of the finger has changed from pointing blame to storing a collection of porn.

Bones

photo thanks national geographic

For a Borg like adaptation of a finger tip you need look no further than the U.S. Military who in 2008 claimed to have unlocked the secret to regrowing limbs with the use of Nano Scaffolding. (Sorry Jeremy, you were obsolete before you began)

How does it work?

Basically, a tiny scaffold of polymer fibers (100 times finer than a human hair) is attached to a patient in place of a missing organ or appendage. The scaffold then acts as a guide for human cells to rebuild themselves by weaving themselves through the tiny holes of the scaffold replacing the bone and tissue.

They have apparently already used the technology to replace a missing finger tip lost during a model airplane accident. (which seriously discredits Dr. Conners and his Gamma Radiation theories)

Dr Conners. Photo wikipedia

Look Like we wont be seeing Dr Lizard any time soon.

Eyeballs

photo thanks wikipedia

Rob Spence decided to fit his prosthetic eye with a video camera that includes a miniature lens and wireless transmitter. He is currently using it to create a documentary about the intersect of humanity and surveillance technology. Like the USB finger, the eyeborg is not a replacement, but more of an adaptation, since it has an entirely new function.

There is however, a prosthetic device that does allow a certain type of blindness to experience sight.

No it is not a visor.

photo thanks wikipedia

“Sorry Mr LaForge”

Achromatopsia is a form a color blindness where you can only see black and white, However thanks to a prosthetic device known as “Eye Borg” (yes this is called eyeborg as well) Color Blind people can now have the frequency of colors converted to sound.

Neil Harbisson, (an officially recognized cyborg) is a color blind painter who can now perceive three hundred and sixty color hues through varying frequencies and adjust them with volume to help measure color saturation. As a painter, this device has not only made his life richer and deeper, but it has also allowed him to express his artistic view to world in way that has never been previously possible.

Who would have thought that robots would bring advancements in the world of art?

Bionic Knee and Foot

photo wikipedia

For those of you who are familiar with the Movie “Black Hawk Down” you may also know that the film was loosely based upon real events.

Brad Halling, a now retired ex special forces operative, lost his leg in Somolia when a rocket propelled grenade collided with his Black Hawk Helicopter. Since then he has had a few different prosthetic limbs, but none of them have been a unique as his Binonic Knee.

How does it work? The Bionic Knee receives signals to an embedded microprocessor from a transmitter strapped to the functional leg. It then learns how the person walks and transmits this information to a powerful electric motor that mimics the persons walking muscles.

The Bionic Foot works in a similar way with the robotic ankle joint recalibrating its position at 1000 times per second, but it costs 1/5th the price at $20,000 (vs $100,000)

Both area available on the market.

Non Sentient Robot Brain – Or is it?

French Researchers have been working on a concept that allows a robot to control human limbs. Sure, you could replace a defective arm with a robotic one, or, you could just attach a bunch of electrodes to your human body and let a robot brain control you like a puppet master.

The goal of the French scientists is to help people afflicted with paralysis and other disabilities regain some of their motor skills. So its supposed to be more of a robotic physio therapist rather than a robotic Geppetto

Here is an example of how a robot and human can have peaceful coexistence within the same body.

For the latest Robot and Geek toys, check out the 3 in 1 all terrain robot from Daft Gadgets.

3 in 1 all terrain robot

Many of you may have heard the story of how a saloon owner named John Schrank was instructed by Ghosts (specifically the ghost of William Mckinley) to assassinate Teddy Roosevelt. He attempted to do this by shooting Roosevelt in the chest before his famous speech in 1912. Those of you who know the story, know that Teddy decided to deliver the 90 minute speech anyway, even though there was a bullet lodged in his chest.

This gives him a very honorable mention in the Daft Gadgets list of Nearly “unkillable” people. However some people took more than one measly bullet (Leon Trotsky got an Ice Axe plunged into the back or his skull before getting pissed off and spitting in his would be assassin’s face!).  And others, who exited in a blood bath left there bodies, not because they were dead.  But because, they didn’t want to hang around in their now mutilated bodies.

What can we say, we at Daft Gadgets really favor the stories of those who are bad ass enough to face certain death just to see how long they stand up against impossible odds.

Kind of like the final moments of this guy:

Which brings us to our first example…………………

1. Pablo Escobar

Photo Thanks Wikipedia

Head of the Medellin Drug Cartel back in the days of Miami Vice, Escobar quickly became public enemy number 1 in the United States, so much in fact that a special task force made up from U.S. Delta Force operatives, SEAL Team 6 and Centra Spike was commissioned to take him out with the help of the Colombian police task force known as “Search Bloc”.

Upon tracking him down, Escobar (who we can only assume had seen the 1983 movie “Scarface”), stayed true to his words: “I prefer to be in the grave in Colombia than in a jail cell in the United States” and began his final stand in Tony Montana like fashion.

Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Escobar took a hailstorm of bullet wounds to his legs and body, only to finally be taken out by a kill shot through his ear. Like the unsinkable Bismark under British Bombardment, it was unclear whether the fatal wound on the unkillable drug lord was self inflicted, or if it came from one of the members of the Search Bloc.

It took over 50 years to find the scientific evidence that the Germans sank their own unsinkable ship, and without cryogenic freezing or inception like technology, it is unlikely that we will every know for sure regarding Escobar.

2. Fidel Castro:

Photo Thanks Wikipedia

“Fight Against Impossible Odds and Win” – Poster Translation

The movie titled 638 ways to Kill Castro got its name for a reason. According to Fabian Escanlante (Castro’s official life protector), 638 is the number of times the CIA and other Castro haters have attempted to assassinate Castro. The documentary goes into detail about plots using exploding cigars, poison pills, La Femme de Nikita type hit women, fungal infected scuba suits, Mafia style shootings, a poison syringe in a fountain pen, and even a radio station rigged with noxious gas!

Yes Fidel Castro is probably the most notorious assassination escape artist in history, known from the world of politics to pop culture. Of course some assassination plans are better than others.

COTTON: Fine, you sissy girls, I’ll row to Cuba myself! Hell, I’ll swim to Cuba with this wrench between my teeth! Then I’ll pose as a beautiful female plumber, and when the toilet clogs at the Presidential palace, I’ll… I’ll… oh. I just wanted to kill Castro!
HANK: I know, Dad. I know.

– King of the Hill.

3. Rasputin.

Photo Thanks Wikipedia

He Doesn’t look so tough in the picture?

As the German disco group Boney M sang, Rasputin was a hard person to kill. With enemies all around from his drinking and lusting for power, Rasputin had more than one attempt on his life, on more than one occasion.

His Doctrine was to attain divine grace through sin, which basically means he started a religion that called for you to get drunk, have lots of sex, and take bribes. Generally the church would be able to do away with such a compelling competitive religion, but unfortunately for them, Rasputin was protected by the Russian Queen, who believed he mad mystic healing powers to treat her son.

This protection however, only went so far.

photo thanks wikipedia

At a certain point, it was decided that Rasputin needed to go.

On June 29th, 1914. After receiving a telegram (no not a singing telegram like in the movie clue) A former prostitute turned religious disciple (named Khionia Guseva) attempted to redeem herself with god by slicing open Rasputin’s abdomen, leaving his exposed entrails hanging out. Upon doing so she was heard to scream “I have killed the antichrist!”

Of course minor wounds like having your entrails pulled out was not enough to stop someone like Rasputin.

He would recover from this injury only to later be poisoned at a at Moika Palace with cyanide laced wine and cakes. After devouring them all and having the audacity to still live, Prince Yusupov shot him in the back with a revolver and left him for dead. Yusupov later returned for his coat only to see Rasputin spring back to life and begin strangling him. Luckily other murderers were around and were able to shoot him dead again with 3 gun shot wounds.

As they eerily stepped towards his fallen body, they noticed that he was still trying to get back up. It was at this point that they began clubbing him to death. Not taking any chances they wrapped and bound his body in a carpet and threw him in the freezing Neva River where he managed to break free from his bonds, but drowned before he got out.

Is it any wonder they called him the Mad Monk? Going through an ordeal like that would send the Dali Lama to Anger Management

Photo Wikipedia

“I’m only happy because I still have my entrails inside me”

4. Jim Bowie

photo wikipedia

Some of you may be familiar with the Bowie Knife. Its called that because Jim Bowie became one badass son of a bitch every time he had one in his hand. The most famous time occurring during a friendly “Duel” that would later become known as “The Sandbar Fight”

On September 19, 1827 Bowie attended a duel on a sandbar outside Natchez Mississippi. When neither duelist managed to hit one another with their gun shots, spectators Cuny and Crain (who were also at odds with each other) decided that it would be a good time to settle their score as well. After all, it would be a shame to get all dress up for a duel and not see any blood.

With that Crain fired a shot at Cuny, but accidentally hit Bowie in the hip, sending him to the ground. Bowie then arose to his feet, drew his knife, and charged at Crain. Unfortunately, Crain managed to smash his gun over Bowies face as it broke into pieces and sent Bowie to the Ground. It was then that Wright (one of Crain’s supporters) shot at Bowie while he was on the ground, and then plunged his sword into Bowie’s chest.

Of course this just pissed Bowie off…

As Wright was fumbling with ways to pull his sword from Bowie’s sternum, Bowie grabbed hold of him and pulled him down into his Bowie knife (as it would become later known). Wright died instantly, but Bowie still had the problem of an annoying sword in his chest to deal with, which unfortunately made him an easier target and as such was shot and stabbed again by another member of Crain’s group.

Clambering to his feet, two brothers (Alfred and Carey Blanchard) fired pistols at him, hitting him once in the arm. Bowie was then able to draw the sword out of his chest and cut off part of Alfred’s forearm while dodging another bullet from Carey.

The Brothers then fled like the cowards they were

5. Michael Malloy, a Fire Fighter and Drunkard.

photo wiki

Photo not the real Malloy

Michael Malloy aka “Mike the Durable” and “Iron Mike”, was a homeless drunken Irishman who lived in New York City. As a former fireman who was down on his luck, Malloy became acquainted with five men who pretended to be his friends.

Just when things seemed to be at their worst, Malloy received the friendship of these five men and an unlimited drinking tab at their pub, which probably seemed like a godsend at the time. Little did he know, the five men (who would later become known as “The Murder Trust”) had secretly taken out insurance policies on his life. The idea was that because Malloy was so addicted to alcohol, he would accidentally kill himself with alcohol poisoning. (Little did they know that Malloy most likely had a liver sized for a blue whale.)

With the plan backfiring and Malloy not cooperating with the plan by not dying, action had to be taken. The five then came up with the idea to put anitfreeze in the liquor, but Malloy just kept coming back for more. When anitfreeze didn’t work they used turpentine, followed by horse liniment. When Malloy still came back for more, they used Rat poison in desperation.

image wikipedia

Of course, by this time, Malloy had most likely built up a tolerance to poison and ingested the Rat poison with little problems other than a “bad hangover” which just required more booze to cure.

Realizing that if they didn’t collect on the insurance policy soon that Malloy was going to drink them out of their profits, The Murder Trust tried using raw oysters soaked in methanol and a sandwich of spoiled sardines mixed with poison and carpet tacks. All of which Malloy swallowed into his iron stomach.

Realizing that Malloy could probably ingest pretty much anything and still live, it was decided that the best way to kill him was to freeze him to death. This time, they waited until Malloy passed out from too much booze, carried him into a park in -26 degree weather, dumped him in snow and poured five gallons of water on his bare chest.

Of course, he showed up the next day for his free drinks. Pissed off, they drove over him with a taxi moving 45 mph, which finally at least sent him to the hospital . After being gone for 3 weeks, The Murder Trust assumed they had finally killed him. When he showed up for drinks again, they threw caution to the wind and put a hose in his mouth that was connected to a gas jet. He was finally pronounced dead of lobar pneumonia.

In contrast, 4 or the 5 men involved died in the electric chair known as “Old Sparky”. And it only took one try.

photo thank wikipedia of Old Sparky from Sing Sing.

Anyone who knows the story of the count of Monte Cristo, Papillon, or the Shawshank Redemption, knows that the story of someone escaping to freedom can help lift us out of depression and provide us the strength to face another 5 days of imprisonment in an office cubical. There are many thrilling stories of escape that range from royalty dressing up as the opposite sex (Like with Mary Queen of Scots and King Charles II), to war stories escapes like the Allied Prisoners of War at Stalag Luft III and Colditz or the East Berliners from 1961-1989 (which included a getaway in a hot air balloon) to of course “Prison Breaks”

Below are our 3 of our favorite well known stories of Prison Break Escapes that we feel qualify the “escapees” as “Artists”

The First Being……

1. Kalashnikov Pat – Pascal Payet

Photo Thanks wikipedia

Pat is one of the most notorious criminals in France

After being convicted of robing an armored truck and shooting  a guard 14 times, Pascal Payet was sentenced to a lengthy prison term.  At least, so the authorities thought.

On October 12 2001 a buddy flew into the compound with a rope ladder and pat escaped with a friend. (why didn’t I think of that?)

The guards got smart and put a net over top of the compound. But in may 2003 he decided to come back with another helicopter and cut a hole in the steel net to bust some friends out (3) He flew the helicopter to a nearby sports stadium and escaped in a car

He was recaptured in 2005.

He then again in June 2007. This time armed men hijack a helicopter, overpowered guards and went straight to his cell to

The chopper landed at a nearby helicopter and everyone escaped. Pat was found 2 months later and thrown back in prison. Of course the authorities aren’t saying which one.

2. Casanova

Photo Thanks Wikipedia

Famous for his philandering, Giacomo Casanova pissed off one too many husbands. In fact his powers of seduction were so impressive he was imprisoned for allegedly practicing witchcraft in 1755 when he was sent to Leads prison in Venice, notorious for its inescapability.

However Casanova found a piece of iron in the prison yard and kept it for tunnel digging purposes. He dug a tunnel in the floor beneath his cell, but got moved before its completion. Thats when he convinced “Balbi” (the prisoner in the end cell next to his) to dig two tunnels. One connecting the two cells, and the other leading to the outside the prison.

Both Prisoners escaped with the iron bar, which they used one last time to break through a set of gates on their way to freedom.

3. Frank Morris and the Anglin Brothers

Photo wikipedia

For those who saw the movie “The Rock” (which had nothing to do with the wrestler and everything to do with Sean Connery being a super cool ex MI6 agent) you may remember how hard it was to break in to the Prison Island of Alcatraz. Apparently, Alcatraz was even harder to break out of….unless you are a diabolical genius like Frank Morris.

In its time, Alcatraz was the most secure prison in the United States. It was fully equipped with hidden microphones, gun towers, and trigger happy guards who would like nothing better to do than to snipe some poor bastard who got too close to the electric fence. On top of that, even if a prisoner did manage to escape, they would have to find a way to cross the dangerous waters that completely surrounded the island.

In 1962, Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers, Clarence and John, decided that Alcatraz was a boring un-fun place to be and began planning their escape. Little by little with a set of nail clippers, some spoons and a drill made from a fan, they began to chip away at the concrete around a ventilation shaft. Each night, as the hole got bigger, they would fill it in with a jail made paper mache of newspapers and paste. Once the hole was big enough, they used their paper mache skills to create fake heads with barbershop hair to act as decoys for their escape.

photo wikipedia

With the help of 50 prison raincoats, they constructed an inflatable raft (that they blew up with an accordion) and took to the water.

They were never heard from again.

If you would like to conduct your own prison or wartime escape from home, all you need is an imagination, some army men, and one of the cool RC helicopters from DaftGadgets.com

We all want to smell like something other than armpits, sweat, and food remnants that get released through our pores. More importantly however, we want to smell like something the opposite sex is likely to want (which unlike us, is desirable).

Knowing this, fragrance designers around the world have spent millions of dollars they didn’t have through questionable research applications trying to find the perfect scent.  Why?  So that they may put it in a bottle and use it to disinfect humanity from its own stench.

From Political fragrances that smell like democrats, republicans, or independent voters, to colognes that make the wearer feel like a soon to be dead red shirt wearing extra in a low budget Star Trek episode, there is most likely now a cologne for literally any occasion.

Below are just a few of the geekiest colognes we could find while surfing the internet pretending to be working…..

The First is….

Play Doh Cologne

If you think that Play Doh cologne is meant for old men who expose themselves to children at Disneyland, you’d be wrong.

Play doh cologne is meant for `highly-creative people, who seek a whimsical scent reminiscent of their childhood.” according to the Play Doh cologne manufacturer.

As everyone knows, life always gets worse, which in turn makes our past and childhood seem happier than it really was. This is why we are always looking back on the “good old days” and why it is never the “good old days” right now. Companies know this and attempt to cash in on this imaginary happiness via means of nostalgia.

The hope here is that people will associate the Fragrance with bright colored crayons, finger painting, sculpting, (and all the other creative things we learned that that we can’t make a dime off in today’s modern world) and believe once again that someone like our boss will come down and say. “That’s an exceptionally artistic pie chart you made. Good Job.“

Bacon Cologne

Photo Thanks: Uncrate.com

For those of you who love the smell of bacon, there is now a way to attract love interests of the same nature. Although we believe that bacon would be a better scent to attract men to women (in perfume), bacon cologne could land you an obese wife or possibly a really good licking poodle.

On a darker side, if you’ve seen the movie deliverance, you may want to avoid wearing it on hunting trips.

Flame –Burger King Cologne

The legendary Burger King Cologne that lets you smell like what every woman wants. A juicy piece of meat!

Yes, its possible that if you don this cologne, you may offend a few vegetarian women, but look on the bright side….Just think of how well groomed you will be after licking yourself all day.

Star Trek Pon Far Perfume

What is a Pon Farr you ask?

If you’re not a Geek and are somehow reading this anyway, you may not know that “The Pon Farr” refers to the deep rooted repressed emotions that a Star Trek Vulcan experiences once every 7 years.  Because Vulcans repress all their emotions, all their rage, fear, love, lust and suffering gets buried deep inside them only to be let out orgastically when they are in “heat” during the mating time of “Pon Farr”

Pon Farr perfume could help you land anything from a Nelix to a Captain Kirk.

Kirk and Nelix. Photos from wikipedia

Warning!  Kirks at Comic Con may be geekier than they appear.

Other Sci Fi Geek Fragrances include: Slave Lei Perfume:

Which guy hasn’t fantasized about princess lea in a golden bikini? The Slave Lea perfume is so seducing, it even blocks out the hideous image of Jabba the Hut being in the room with you.

Of course, if your guy is a known gambler and scoundrel, there is the Eau d’ Lando cologne for men.

Money Cologne

Photo: LiquidMoney.com

Well, they say chicks digg money. But Liquid money comes in both perfume and cologne, so perhaps great minds think alike in this case.

Not exactly for geeks, The idea of the “Money” Cologne is that you can create your own personal scent of success.  Since, Geeks are slowing taking over the world, we think this cologne would be better off smelling like the fear of high school bullies now being chased by geek built killer robots, but money does bring back some nostalgic forms of success from the 1980s we haven’t felt since we began ranting about the blatant societal discrimination towards Generation X.

To get you in the mood for money, we’ve included Gordon Gekko’s famous speech on Greed below.

Wall Street Poster Wikipedia

“Greed is good.”

“Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures, the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge, has marked the upward surge of mankind and greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the U.S.A “

Quote: Gordon Gekko, Wallstreet.

You can find great Geek Gifts for Him and Her in the unusual gift ideas section of our Gadget Shop

If you were going to be a super hero and you could chose the powers of any one animal what would you pick? Pumas can jump 15 feet straight up in the air. Electric eels can generate more volts than the socket in your house. Golden eagles have a crushing grip of almost 500 pounds per square inch. There are lots and lots of incredible animals with super powers. Tigers, bears, elephants, chihuahuas…the list goes on and on. But what about rodents and their kin? The small vermin of the world who lurk in the shadows of the larger, more illustrious members of the league of super animals. Surely you wouldn’t discount the awesome might of the naked mole rat or the cunning of the least weasel. What villain wouldn’t run from the astounding abilities of the shrew? You might be surprised to learn that the bucktoothed, pocket-sized pests of the world are in possession of some awesome abilities. Beware evildoers, lest you incur the wrath of…the rodent!

1 – Naked Mole Rat

Photo Thanks to Naked-Mole-Rat.org

“Evil has a new enemy…and he’s pink.”

Behold the naked mole rat of Africa in all its pink, wrinkly glory. What kind of mad skills could this freakish fleshy bratwurst with teeth possibly have you ask? Well, besides it’s incredible ability to be naked and repulsive and disgusting, it was recently discovered that Naked Mole Rats don’t feel pain like the rest of us. Their skin lacks several key neurotransmitters so neither acid nor chili peppers affects them. Apparently they aren’t bothered by itches either, which is just a bonus. Because they live underground there is a lot of excess carbon dioxide that builds up in their burrows making their environment inherently more acidic. They evolved a to turn off the pain that every other animal on the face of the earth feels. So if a villain comes at you with the whole ‘vat of acid’ routine you’re covered.

Photo thanks Livescience.com.

“Pffft…acid? Really? You’ll have to do better than that fiend.”

Naked mole rats also have an incredible set of chompers. They can move their top two teeth apart or together like chopsticks. And because they’re burrowing animals twenty five percent of their muscles are found in their jaw alone. That’s like taking all the power of one of your legs and putting it in your face. These critters have been known to chew threw cement walls! And to round out their skills they can run just as fast backwards as they can forwards and it seems they’re completely immune to cancer.

Photo Thanks to animals.Nationalgeographic.com

“Yes, it is possibly the most hideous mammal on the face of the planet, but that’s a small price to pay for the unearthly gifts of the naked mole rat…but no you’ll never get a date.”

Mole Rat Video:

2 – Hero Shrew

Photo Thanks Wikipedia.org

“It’s also known as the ‘armored shrew’ but ‘hero shrew’ just has more flair.”

If you’re going to fight against the forces of tyranny, oppression and general unnicedness then you’ll need some invulnerability. Once again, you might turn too more noted animals when looking for toughness. Sure, bears are pretty rugged. Elephants look like they could take quite a beating. Even innocuous critters like turtles or armadillos would appear on the surface to be better choices then rodents. It’s pretty much a general rule that if you step on a mouse or a rat it’s going to die. Unless that fuzzy little toe biter is the hero shrew of central Africa.

For some inexplicable reason these pint sized fur balls have super reinforced skeletons. They have a unique interlocking backbone, which is about 4 times larger than other animals, its size. Science isn’t really sure why but it probably has something to do with gamma radiation and super science gone awry. The end result is that a 160 pound man can stand on a 4 ounce hero shrew without making gooey little rat pancakes. In fact, there’s a tribe in Africa that does exactly this. They believe that this shrew has powers, which of course it does. Go lay beneath Godzilla’s heel and see how well you fair. The toughest animals in the world couldn’t stand up to the crushing forces that the hero shrew just shrugs off. Mouse traps? He laughs at mousetraps.

Image thanks thelifyouandineverknew.blogspot.com

3 – Least Weasel

photo thanks wikipedia.org

“I hunger…for justice!”

The greatest power of all is often times just the will to fight on when things look bleakest. The courage to laugh in the face of fear and throw down no matter how over matched you might be. Sometimes outright scrappiness and an unyielding determination is all you need to carry the day. Does Batman have powers? Does Captain America need laser eyes? These mere mortals survive and overcome enemies much more powerful than themselves with skill alone. Well the least weasel is what you’d get if Batman and Captain America had a baby together that was somehow turned into an adorable ferret. These are some of the smallest mammalian carnivores on earth and yet they’re able to take down prey 5 to 10 times their size.

photo thanks wikipedia.org

“Holy hell!”

They’ve been known to subdue full-grown rabbits. That’s like a man stepping into the ring with a two thousand pound moose bare handed. These are fearless little beasts who apparently don’t have the good sense to know that attacking animals ten times your size is a bad idea. No disk shield painted up in patriotic colors. No utility belt full of batarangs. Just teeth, skill and an irrepressible urge to beat other animals senseless no matter how big and bad they are.

4 – Northern Short-Tailed Shrew

Photo thanks wildaboutnatureblog.com

“The furry shark of the insect world.”

All shrews are skilled hunters with voracious appetites. However, the most fearsome is the northern short-tailed shrew. First of all they have a supercharged metabolism. The human heart thumps out around 60 beats per minute at rest and maybe twice that when you’re excited or scared. The shrew’s heart fires at an incredible 1200 beats per minute, about double that of the average rodent. So basically take all the speed and hyperactivity of a common mouse and multiply it by 2. The shrew has ungodly speed and stamina but at a high cost. They’ve got to eat three times their weight in food daily or they will starve to death. They can die within hours.

Photo Thanks curiousnature.info

“Strength…fading…must…find…Starbucks…need…latte”

Super speed is just the beginning though. This shrew is also one of a select group of mammals to have mastered echolocation, kind of like dolphins and bats. Since it hunts mostly underground it uses its sonic senses to navigate. But the shrew is doubly unique because it is also one of the few mammals known to be venomous. Its toxicity has been compared to friggin Gila monsters and cobras. It uses this poison to paralyze prey and bring it back to its nest. Bugs and lizards can stay alive for days in the pantry of the shrew. It’s got super speed, paralyzing poison, and echo location all in one snuggly little package. Mother Nature was not pulling any punches when she designed this thing. They probably spit fire too, so don’t get to close.

5 – Rat

Photo Thanks nationalgeographicstock.com

“I am the darkness made flesh! Vengeance taken shape and substance!”

Ahhh the rat. Everyone knows that rats are one of the world’s premier survivors. They’re everywhere; in every city and town…you might have a rat or two in your house right now (maybe you’re married to one). But there are a few very good reasons why whiskers does so well. Besides being able to climb virtually anything and being extremely smart, rats have very flexible skeletons and can squeeze through a hole the size of a quarter. And they’re whiskers are nearly as sensitive as your hands. They can feel a speck on the wall in absolute darkness. With their skill and smarts they’re experts at breaking into just about anything.

But perhaps the rats greatest ability is the fact that they’re incredibly hard to kill…..

Rats can tread water for three days, fall 50 feet without injury and in laboratories rats have survived nearly twenty days straight without sleep. That means you can flush them down the toilet, throw them off a balcony or play really loud death-metal for a month and they won’t be fazed in the slightest. The rat’s greatest super power is the ability to cheat death. And if you think that’s a little far fetched then consider this: rats can survive electrocution. They have the ability to restart their own heart after chewing on electric wires. There are companies that build electric rat traps. These devices send out 8000 volts and they’ll do this ever few moments to make sure the vermin stays dead because otherwise it’ll just friggen get up and walk away. What mortal creature gets up after being hit by 8000 volts? That’s more than they use to kill prisoners!

Photo Thanks www.fischerenc.com

“Don’t make me angry. You won’t like me when I’m angry.”

Sources:

http://theophanes.hubpages.com/hub/Interesting-Facts-About-Rats

http://www.livescience.com/2325-amazingly-sensitive-rat-whiskers-explained.html

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/electronic-rat-trap.html

http://science.discovery.com/tv/weird-creatures/top-ten/rats-4.html

http://discovermagazine.com/2006/dec/20-things-rats

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/shrew-info.htm

http://www.wild-facts.com/tag/shrew-facts/

http://www.wild-facts.com/tag/armored-shrew/

http://britishwildlifeandnature.wikia.com/wiki/Weasel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Least_weasel

http://curiousnature.info/A1-Short-tailed%20Shrew.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Short-tailed_Shrew

http://www2.brevard.edu/jefrick/shrews.htm

Before you read this article you may want to see how to tune up your redcat vehicle part 1

Let’s take a look at the effects of tuning on the high speed needle and low speed needle on the redcat racing volcano which is using an SH .18 3.0cc 2 stroke nitro engine with rotary carburetor. Before seeing the rotary carburetor, the air filter must first be removed. The rotary carburetor opens and closes by rotating the drum inside make sure that the carburetor opening get is 1mm or so. Use an idle speed screw in doing so.

This is to ensure that your Redcat Racing Vehicle will not run away on you!

A properly tuned Redcat Racing engine should be able to handle full rpm on at full throttle.

If you purposely enrich (max fuel to air) the High Speed needle,  you will see that it cannot take on full throttle. (The high speed needle or HSN controls air and fuel mixture for partial and full throttle.) The mixture would be consisting of more fuel and less air. If your HSN setting is too lean (too much air to not enough fuel), the engine might bulk or quit when you try to go to full throttle. If it doesn’t quit, it might bulk on full throttle, which is a very dangerous thing for your engine because when an engine overheats it gets damaged.

Now, let’s look at the effects of the Low Speed Needle (LSN) settings on the Redcat Racing engine. Certain precautions must be noted and practiced so as to avoid damage to your Redcat vehicle.

When the LSN is leaned out, you will see that the idle will change. When the LSN is closed (clockwise), you can hear the engine starving for fuel and begging for it. If it speeds up, your truck or buggy might take off by itself even if the carburetor opening gap is set to 1mm! This will give your Redcat Vehicle the tendency to overheat, which is clearly not good for the engine of your race car.

If you enrich the LSN by opening the needle (counter clockwise) You will see that the engine won’t start or the engine would quit as soon as we take the ignitor out. This means the LSN setting on your Redcat Racing Vehicle is too rich.

The Pinch test is the best way to check if you have the LSN properly set on your Redcat Vehicle or not.

This is done by pinching the fuel line and the engine should raise its rpm or speed for around 3-5 seconds and then it quits. This means that the LSN is properly set. If it quits too quickly, the LSN is too lean or when it quits too slowly, the LSN setting is too rich. If your LSN is too rich 0 to partial throttle, the engine will stutter to go from 0 to partial throttle or when it’s too lean,0 to partial throttle will fail to take place and the engine would quit, resulting to it speeding up immediately.

For Redcat Racing Parts and Hop Ups see our online store at DaftGadgets.com

For more information on Redcat Racing Nitro Vehicle Set Up See Articles:

Setting Up Your Nitro Redcat Racing Vehicle

Redcat Racing Nitro Basics

How To Use a Redcat DSM Radio

How To Tune Up Your Redcat Nitro Engine

How To Tune Up Your Redcat Nitro Engine Part II