Monthly Archives: August 2011

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1QdkqTUfFg

Designer and futurist Da Feng’s concept for a car with an adaptive ‘active aerodynamic’ shell looks like sci-fi, sounds like sci-fi but is, he insists, perfectly feasible.

 Partially inspired by the lateral movement of the Cars characters, the ash from his cigarettes and concepts like BMW’s Gina, Feng’s vehicle started nearly three years ago as his final project at Conventry University.

What you see here is the third iteration of the Flake, which uses 250 active body panels controlled by mini solenoids pulling on carbon nano-tube wires. The result is a body that can lay flat to decrease drag, hinge upward to slow the vehicle and collect solar power or open fully to aid cornering and increase downforce.

Just as trick are the “D-Wheels” which are made up of 12 individual legs that extend upwards and contract downwards to fit the driving surface. Both the wheels and the body structure act as part of the suspension, allowing the Flake to corner hard and even go off road. Theoretically.

But you know what they say about flakes.

The Flakey Story (Pretending Pretentious)

via

From Yahoo Sports blog, Dirty Tackle:

Robbie Keane has officially left Spurs (again) and joined the L.A. Galaxy for a transfer fee reportedly worth £3.5 million ($5.7 million) and the 31-year-old Republic of Ireland captain could not be happier to be playing with Davey Becks and company. From MLSsoccer.com:

“I am delighted, honored and very excited to be joining the LA Galaxy. I have always wanted to come and play in MLS so it’s the perfect combination for me and a dream come true.”

Yes, he’s always dreamed of playing in a league that’s only existed for half his life. Incidentally, this is what Robbie Keane said after joining Celtic on loan:

“I always wanted to play for Celtic. I’m happy to be here and I can’t wait to get the jersey on for real.”

And before that, this is what he said after joining Liverpool:

“I’ve been a massive Liverpool fan since I was a kid. This is a dream come true.”

And when he had chicken and carrots for dinner last night:

“I’ve always been a massive chicken and carrots fan. This is a dream come true.”

See kids? Dreams really do come true. But if you’re Robbie Keane, they come true every time you do anything.

The Many Dreams Come True (Dirty Tackle)

Spotted this afternoon.

Also:

People in Longford, however, are the least likely to have a go at speaking a foreign language, with 17 per cent of residents of that county saying they are unprepared to say even a simple hello, goodbye or thank you in an unfamiliar tongue.

Longford people are also among the least likely to eat local dishes, although they are not the worst when in comes to conservative dining habits.

That dubious honour falls to the people of Co Donegal, where one in three say they seldom, rarely or never eat local cuisine. Longford is not that far behind, however, and 30 per cent of people from the midlands county said they’d rather not eat unfamiliar food.

The Irish Holidaymaker Willing To Walk On The Wild Side (Conor Pope, Irish Times)