Obviously, that would streamline a process that currently requires a second aircraft to take the plane up to the supersonic speeds necessary to engage a CVC "scramjet" engine. Like all of DARPAs projects, the Vulcan engine is definitely an ambitious undertaking—and the 2012 date they set to have a working prototype doesn't help matters. Check out Aviation Week for more technical details on Vulcan. [Aviationweek via Crave via DVICE]

RGB liquid crystal shutter protection system
LCD Panel: 1.3 inch x 3, Aspect Ratio 4:3
Pixel Count: 786,432 (1024 x 768) x 3 ; Total pixels 2,359,296
Color Control Device
Light source: 330 W NSHA Lamp
Screen Size: 31 to 400 inches (projection distance differs by lens)
Full color (1.07 billion colors) *when in using with video
Brightness: 7,000 ANSI lumens
Contrast Ratio: 2200:1
Scanning Frequency
Horizontal: 15-100KHz, Vertical: 48-100Hz, Dot Clock: 180 MHz or less
Displayable Resolution
RGB Signal
1024 x 768 dots (1920 x 1080 resizing display possible)
Video Signal
800 TV
Computer Input/Output
Digital DVI-I x 1 (HDCP Compatible)
Analog RGB input x 2; Mini D-sub 15-pin, BNC input 5-pin
Video Input
Video input x 3;
BNC terminal (Y/Video-Pb/Cb-Pr/Cr)
RCA terminal (Y/Video-Pb/Cb-Pr/Cr)
S-video
Video Output
Analog RGB x 1; Mini D-sub 15-pin*3
Audio Input/Output
Input: Stereo mini-jack x 2
Output: Stereo mini-jack
Control Ports, etc.
Control port: D-sub 9 pin; USB type B*4
Wired remote control connection
PJ Net Organizer connector
Operating Temperature
5 ~ 40
Power Source: AC 100V(±10％), 50/60 Hz
Power Consumption: 484W (Standby:28W)
Dimensions: 370.0 (w) x 187.0 (t) x 439.9 (d) (including protruding parts)
Weight: 11.4kg (without lens)
Main Accessories
Wireless remote control (AAA battery x 2)
Removable power cord
Back-up power adapter
USB cable
Mini D-sub 15-pin connecting cable
Operating manual
Customer service contact list
Warranty
PIN code label
Lens mounting hardware
Light-shade plate x 2
Spacer x 3

One piece of "meh"ness about the LP-XP200L, though: you'll have to buy the projection lens separately. [Sanyo]

Laurie's obsession with motors is not confined to the burnout though. His exhibition entitled "Art of the Motor" also features devices that "replicate" the sound of muscle cars— like the Boom tube (basically a lawnmower engine with an exhaust attached) and "Wild Thing," which gives the same treatment to a chainsaw. [Station Gallery via Hack a Day]

Best of all, though there's no hints on pricing and the car is still in prototype stage, it may be available in a limited run as soon as Fall this year. [Gas2.org via New Launches]

Robert's engines run on kerosene, and he apparently builds the largest pulse jets in the world. Strapping even a small one of these roaring monsters to a bicycle sounds like madness, or at least an early start on an application for a Darwin award. At least he gets to be one of the few people in the world who could sing "Bicycle, Bicycle... I want to ride my (jet-engined) bicycle" and mean it. [Autoblog Green via Gizmo Watch]

Difference Engine No. 2, designed in 1847, was designed to calculate and tabulate values run through polynomial functions up to the seventh order. It, along with the other Babbage Engines, is considered to be the first automatic computing machine.

For those who slept through all their math classes, think of an equation like y=x^3+4x+4, where you're given a list of integers and asked to solve for y in each instance. Babbage was tired of repeatedly doing this by hand and wanted an automated way to solve polynomial functions. He thought there was too much room for human error, so he put together the Difference Engine, which acts like a super-powered calculator.

The machine is powered by a hand crank, which gets the various gears, levers and springs moving, and uses giant mechanical rods representing number values around to push around a bunch of numbers until—presto, change-o—you have your answers printed on a piece of paper (technical, I know).

The Difference Engine No. 1 design, created in 1821, is one of the earliest concepts for a computer. It was able to handle 16-digit numbers run through polynomials up to the 6th order and print them out in tabulated form. It required 25,000 parts, would have stood eight feet tall and weighed 15 tons.

Difference Engine No.2, finished in 1849, was a sleeker, more powerful beast (similar to the difference between Iron Man's Mark 1 and Mark 2 suits). It was designed to handle numbers 31 digits long, only required 8000 parts, and in addition to printing paper results, could imprint tables into a plaster mold for future reproduction. The specs called for it to stand 11 feet long and weigh 5 tons.

The machine design even features built-in error detection, where the machine jams if it comes across a non-whole number at any point in the process. I'll avoid getting into the nitty-gritty of the forumlas and equations, because frankly, its neither as interesting or impressive as the mere fact that Babbage concocted this in the 1800s. But you can read up on the full computational breakdown here. [Computer History Museum]

24mm ultra optical wide 3.6x zoom lens
1280x720p supported at 30fps
Samsung's DRIM Engine II for image speed and clarity
HD-level stereo video recording
Full HD images via upgraded HDMI
Face Detection function for portrait shots
Automatic shooting function for smiling face recognition
Red-eye fix

No guidelines to price or availability so far, but hey, that's an Asian Orlando Bloom, so who cares? [AVING]

According to Henrik Fisker, head of the company, by fake engine sounds it means real, gruff, user-selectable engine sounds. One will apparently sound ''like something between a Formula One car and a jet plane," which should certainly be enough to keep unwary pedestrians leaping for the sidewalk as you roar toward them.

Let's hope there's a silent option and that not many morons buy it. [Jalopnik]

Interestingly enough, during a recent visit to their HQ in Taiwan, MSI told TweakTown that they "would probably end up adding the world's first powerless air cooler to an Nvidia motherboard." Nvidia? No wonder MSI boards suck. [TweakTown via Boing Boing Gadgets]

Not only could it be used to harvest waste heat from humans, it can be used to harvest heat from regular engines or combustion turbines, and has no moving parts at all. The National Science Foundation has granted Mr. Super Soaker funding, which means that we could soon have stuff attached to siphon off our waste heat. Or be connected to the Matrix by robots. Either/or. [Popular Mechanics via Treehugger]

When you search for the same keywords again, you'll continue to see those changes. If you later want to revert your changes, you can undo any modifications you've made.

The system only works within browser...for now...meaning that your opinions will not affect other users. Of course, if such a system were deployed in a widespread fashion, we're guessing Google would aggregate data trends to alter search results over time for better relevance.

And would such a system be better? What do we trust more, man or machine? Or sweatshops full of children adding "Nike.com" to every query result? [google via theregister]

It's claimed that the truck now houses the largest turbine motor of any land vehicle in the world, with the ability to blow over a full-sized SUV behind it. Note to self: never, under any circumstance, park your car behind a firetruck that can likely fly into space under its own power...unless I can sneak some sweet free leftover minutes from a public meter...then it may be worth the risk. [lifeontop via crave]

Sure, it sounds cool, but with cellphones it seems more like a novelty than anything else. The last thing I need is some dude going apeshit next to me in the subway while navigating on his phone. Fortunately, I probably won't have to worry about this problem for quite some time because GestureTek is currently seeing limited use in Japan, with no plans to expand to the rest of the world anytime soon. [Cnet]

Running for up to an hour on a boiling cup of coffee, the engine is said to work even better over cold surfaces, like ice. For $30, you get both a small piece of history and to make the world of paper your bitch. Not a bad deal at all. [product via boingboing]

From the initial concept drawing, it took designer maicoX nine grueling months to complete this bad boy. In the gallery, you can see some selected shots of the acrylic work he had to do in order to get everything working and it is really quite amazing. It features some ingenious little quirks, too, like a key ignition instead of a power button. There are real Harley Davidson motorcycle pieces built in, most notably the chromed out exhaust pipes. The blue-and-red LEDs are probably overkill, but it would be a crime to sequester a work of art like this in a dark room anyway.

Oh, there is a computer inside, too. It won't set any speed records, but it'll still get you where you need to go.

• Motherboard: Abit AW9D-MAX
• HDD: 2x Seagate Barracuda ES 750
• Memory: Corsair DOMINATOR 2 x 1Gig
• Video Card: 2 x XFX7900GT
• Power Supply: Be quiet! Dark Power Pro BQT P6 PRO-600W
• Processor : Intel® Core™2 Duo 2800 E

[Projekt V2 (German) via HardForum]

The researchers behind the electric motor, known as the E-Flight Team, used 80 Lithium Polymer batteries and packed them into 10 safe boxes, each with a blowhole to safely direct fire or explosion out via an exhaust.

Current flying time is around 45 minutes, but Sonex, which declined to talk about prices and potential launch dates, is hoping to get this up to about an hour. [Sonex via Aero-News Network]

New 80GB PS3 eliminates "emotion engine" chip [Gamesindustry]

Not only is it a three-port USB hub, it actually makes engine noises and vibrates up and down. It's very unlikely that you'd want to keep this motorcycle-esque racket going the entire time you're using the hub, but revving up the engine once in a while seems like lots of fun. Your cube mates probably won't agree.

Head over to Akihabara News for a video demonstration.

Product Page (sell starting tomorrow) [GeekStuff4U via Akihabara News]

Patent [via Unwired View]

Also, it's pretty sweet looking, so there's that. –Adam Frucci

Private space firm tests futuristic rocket engine [New Scientist via Neatorama]

Costing $20,000, Ferrari says, "It's a statement." And I think that statement is something like, "My nether regions are so tiny that even my Ferrari couldn't offer me a value of self-worth, so I'm gonna give their speakers a shot." That being said, I would take one had I the net worth. – Mark Wilson

Ferrari Audio System [via coolestgadgets]

Hit the jump for a video of the world's biggest Super Soaker in action.

– Louis Ramirez
Jet Turbine Fire Extinguisher [via High T3ch]

Bionic Dolphin [via CNN]

Ms. Dewey [via The Raw Feed]

The nano-projector engine is powered by a "laser-based diffractive diffractive optical technology" and can project an image size from 7 to 35 inches. Even though the current system is small as it is, Explay expects to release an even smaller version in 2007, raising the question, how small is too small?

Still no word regarding price or release date. – Nicholas Deleon

Press Release [Yahoo! Finance via TechEBlog]

Explay

"The MYT (Massive Yet Tiny) Engine, is a breakthrough of immense proportions that will spawn the next industrial revolution and will rocket the internal combustion engine into the next milenium. Please spread the word."

Amazingly enough, this machine is able to solve mathematical problems known as second- and third-order polynomials, and is able to calculate those to three or four digits.

Difference Engine mechanical computer made from legos [Boing Boing]

Mars Flag: Gizmodo

People don't want to spend time figuring out what a business does, so our home page will highlight the most important features of both our business and our web site. We'll think of the home page as a kind of portal, giving customers the information they want at a glance, and offering lots of links to draw them in to the rest of the site.

That is specifically stated on the V8 snow blowing website. Much to our disappointment there is no information about it. After many hours of deducing by looking at pictures and video I have finally made a realization about this product. This is a snow blower being powered by a V8 engine! Hot diggity, that ll clear some snow in a hurry! For more information (a.k.a. pictures and a video) check out their site.

The Original V8 Snow Blower