Submarine Home Theater May Require Captain Nemo's Underpants

What would you do if you had $100,000 to spend in anything you wanted? Make a home theater room that looks like a rotten Nautilus, complete with working periscope, plutonium torpedoes that glow in the dark, and sound effects? More »

Does the S in iPhone 3GS Stand for Submarine?

Sure, this video must be fake, but the sound is so clear I find hard to believe that it is inside a case. Then again, I find even harder to believe that any iPhone can survive this. More »

Floating Cranes Are Unnatural, Physics-Defying Monstrosities

Those coolhunters over at Oobject have uncovered another gem of engineering: the floating crane. Because the cranes require a massive superstructure and a relatively shallow hull, designers have to approach them pretty much the opposite way they approach typical ship design. They weigh many thousands of tons, and yet somehow manage to lift thousands of tons, too—engineering that truly borders on magic. There are two more insane crane shots below; feel free to hit up Oobject for all the crane porn you'll ever need. [Oobject] More »

Remote Controlled USS Seawolf Brings Cold War Fun to Your Hot Bath

If bath time's gotten boring for you recently, why not try reenacting the Cold War in your tub? Here's a submersible radio-controlled replica of the USS Seawolf SSN-21 submarine, with a funny little periscope themed remote thrown in for good measure. The real Seawolf was commissioned in 1989 as a response to the Soviet Akula class of submarines. No word on whether RC-versions of those are out there somewhere. Available at Brando for $55. [Brando via Geek Alerts]

Autonomous Submarine Runs Off Ocean Water

Researchers just finished a successful field test with a robotic submarine that can autonomously study the ocean for up to 6 months at a time. While it uses battery reserves for its more fundamental navigation and communication systems, the torpedo-like glider by Webb Research Corporation and WHOi can propel itself using the temperature differences within the ocean. More »

Homemade Cocaine-Smuggling Sub: Party Time on Das Boot

When it comes to the millions of dollars involved in smuggling drugs, even coked out dealers can tackle a big, complicated project. Recently, Colombian marines seized a homemade fiberglass submarine big enough to hold 4 crew members and 12 metric tons of cocaine —making it one of the largest such crafts found. Since the sub never saw action on the Pacific, there is no telling whether or not it would have actually worked. Still, if you had to die a slow death at the bottom of the sea, this would be the vessel to do it in. [Reuters]

Zombie U-Boat 33 Still Trying to Sink Ships in English Channel

A German submarine from World War I is threatening to surface again after it sank 89 years ago. Unterseeboot 33 is lying in shallow waters directly below the world's busiest shipping lane, and it is feared that, unless a salvage operation is launched, passing tankers, cargo and passenger ships could have an unwelcome run-in with the ghostly sub. More »

Microsoft's Paul Allen's $12 Million Yellow Submarine

It appears Microsoft's co-founder is a big fan of things that sink. Obviously an avid Beatles fan, Allen's latest toy is a fully functional 40-foot yellow submarine (not to be confused with a 40-foot Yello Sub, which would be an even worse investment). He's now a member of a small, exclusive clique of ultra-rich underwater explorers; about 100 personal submarines are floating around our oceans. Hopefully it came with better drivers than Vista (zing!). [Paul Allen's New Sub via Valleywag]

Astute Submarine Looks like a Whale, Never Needs Refuelling

This is the British Royal Navy's newest class of submarine, the Astute. And this is what the nuclear-powered behemoth can do: generate its own air and water; sit in the English Channel and fire cruise missiles at North Africa; but perhaps the most extraordinary feature of the British-built sub is that it will never need to be refuelled throughout its 25-year lifespan, meaning it can sail round the world 40 times without surfacing—if your seamen don't need feeding, that is. More »

Exomos Personal Submersible - Doing It Dr. No Style-ee

This being the holidays and all, we thought it would be nice to offer a few products that no one in their right mind would buy. Note: we said "right mind." This does not apply to the leaders of global terrorist organizations like SMERSH or MAD. If your name is Dr. Claw, then you should rush right out and get your minions a few of these to hunt down those pesky counter-spies and gadget-infused detectives. More »