Zippos have always been the Cadillacs of the lighter world, and other than getting regular external fashion and color updates the basics have always been the same. Until now. Now we have Zippo BLU, which trades in the old fuel for a hot-burning butane based flame. Blue and stick straight (even in the wind) it’s got cool points coming out its ears. And along with the new fuel the Zippo BLU lighters have an updated external design to set them apart from their longstanding cousins, although they keep all the good stuff (one-hand operation, the trademark flint-wheel ignition system, and lifetime warranty). $30+

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If you’ve always wanted a unique Star Wars desk that is made to order, then check out this incredible Han Solo in Carbonite masterpiece. I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t mind one of these even though I’m not the biggest fan of Star Wars

“As painful as it is to look through all your receipts from the last year, it’s much worse to have all the cells in your body lowered to such a temperature that you make that face. You know the one”

Via Gizmodo

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Available in a variety of colors, these LEGO block-inspired MP3 players feature a microSD card slot and up to 6-hours of continuous playback. That’s not all, the company also offers an iPod dock, “which conceals its speakers under the bumpy block surface.”

“Homade’s LEGO-esque media players cleverly conceal their controls into the raised dots on the surface of each block. The players come in a variety of bold primary colors, and like their snap-together doppelgangers, are made primarily from plastic.”

Via Technabob

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Part of Gucci’s appropriately named iGucci series, these luxury LCD watches feature a cool round white-on-black display, set behind a sturdy sapphire crystal. The LCD combines a small dot-matrix display showing the current mode, and a pair of segmented displays which can show the time in two time zones simultaneously. I especially like the alternate display mode which shows the time using virtual analog hands. It’s all set into a substantial stainless steel body that’s water resistant to 3-atmospheres (appx. 100-feet).

List price for the watches is around $1300 each.

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Here are the first pictures that Alfa Romeo have released of its 8C Spider, due to be introduced at next months Geneva Motor Show.

Based on the hard-topped 8C Competizione, the two-seat Spider features a twin-layer fabric roof which can be raised at the press of a button and is expected to hit 60mph in 4.2 seconds with a top speed of around 180mph. The mechanics will be similar to that of the Competizione as it uses the same 4.7-litre V8 engine and six-speed semi-automatic gearbox. It is produced with a limited run of just 500 vehicles and has a £130,000 price tag. Click on the Images for a larger view.

“Finally, an MP4 player that suits our lifestyle. When we’re out on the street, feeling the hot rays of the sun, hustling to stay afloat, and generally just jamming, the Neux Corp. Ltd. NXMP324 is what we want. Sure, you can’t actually crack this puppy open and gulp it down like a real soda, but you can take a sip of the funky combination of 128MB to 4GB capacities, MP3, WMA, WMV, WAV and ASF file support, built-in USB 2.0 jack, and bonus FM radio. Seriously though, the can comes in red or blue, but there isn’t a color in the rainbow that would convince us to buy this thing.”

Via TechBlog

“(CNN) — Japan launched a rocket Saturday carrying a satellite that will test new technology that promises to deliver “super high-speed Internet” service to homes and businesses around the world.

The rocket carrying the WINDS satellite — a joint project of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries — lifted off its pad at 5:55 p.m. (0855 GMT).

If the technology proves successful, subscribers with small dishes will connect to the Internet at speeds many times faster than what is now available over residential cable or DSL services.

The Associated Press said the satellite would offer speeds of up to 1.2 gigabytes per second.

The service initially would focus on the Asia-Pacific region close to Japan, a JAXA news release said.

“Among other uses, this will make possible great advances in telemedicine, which will bring high-quality medical treatment to remote areas, and in distance education, connecting students and teachers separated by great distances,” JAXA said.

The rocket was launched from Japan’s Yoshinobu Launch Complex at the Tanegashima Space Center.” Click on the Images for a large view.

Via CNN

Aitor Throup is a London based designer. Click on the Images below for a larger view.

The Morgan LifeCar is a concept car due to be launched at the Geneva Show in March 2008.

The LifeCar’s purpose is to demonstrate the phenomena that a zero emission vehicle can also be fun to drive. The combination of performance, range and fuel economy will allow a sporting driver of the future to demonstrate a concern for the environment. Going far beyond the incremental adaptation of traditional car designs as seen in current hybrid vehicles, it will demonstrate that a new step in vehicle architecture is enabled by the use of a fuel cell hybrid power train. The approach is one of whole system design in which the architecture is generated from the characteristics of the fuel cell, in a light-weight vehicle coupled with a high hybridization level. This combination will minimise the fuel cell cost and provide the fuel economy for a 200 mile range. An objective of the project is to lower the entry barriers for a vehicle powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. Core to the success of the project will be collaboration between partners to achieve system-level innovation in the design. The collaborators are Oscar Automotive, Cranfield University, QinetiQ, Oxford University, Linde AG and Morgan Motor Company.

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Pentagram Architects has designed this home theater, taking inspiration from Radio City Music Hall and 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The theater has a series of round arches, which house 600 five-watt dimmer-controlled light bulbs that provide a light for when you need to find the remote control. And as in the Music Hall, the lights are positioned to glow away from the viewers. Pentagram has designed the theater to function like a TV room, but can also easily accommodate up to ten people. All of the surfaces in the room are covered in orange felt to help with the acoustics, and seating on the floor has been taken care of by Edelman Leather who custom made the beanbags. This house, which also boasts a large private outdoor space looking onto the Atlantic Ocean, recently won an American Architecture Award for distinguished buildings and a Citation for Design in the AIA New York State Design Awards.