The Medallion was laser cut in separate layers and pieces, then glued together. Red LEDs were added behind the bird inset to illuminate the dvd drive and provide a nice backlit effect.

The specs

• EVGA nForce 590 SLI motherboard
• AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ CPU
• Two EVGA GeForce 8800 GTS graphics cards in SLI
• 4GB (2x2GB) Crucial Ballistix Tracer Red DDR2 800MHz
• Cooler Master 850W modular PSU
• Pioneer slimline slot loading DVD drive
• Logitech G15 keyboard and G9 mouse
• IZ3D 22" 3D monitor
• Western Digital RaptorX 150GB HD (x2)
• Swiftech pump, blocks
• Black Ice Stealth 360 radiator
• PC Ice clear fluid
• Primoflex red tubing
• 10" LCD
• 2.5" LCD (x3)

Yeah, it's really horrible, but I really miss Starbuck. Hit the link for a detailed report and gallery. [Bit-Tech]

This is a 20-foot-long Lego model of the HMS Hood, a Royal Navy battlecruiser built in 1920 and sunk by the German Kriegsmarine Battleship Bismarck in 1941. This stunning piece of brick engineering, built to minifig scale, has a robotized mast and is actually bigger than the 16.4-foot-long Lego U.S.S. Harry S. Truman. Check the gallery to really get get the idea of how gigantic this thing is. Updated: Lego builer Ed Diment wrote to tell us the impressive technical specs of his HMS Hood:

Time taken to build - 7 months
Bricks - just under 100,000
Weight - approximately 90kg (200lbs)
Length - just over 5.8m (approx 20ft)
Turrets are motorosied with Lego power functions so that each rotates independently and elevates its guns.

Just imagine how cool would it be to actually build the Bismarck to the same scale and film a battle in stop-motion for the Go Miniman Go contest. Fortunately, you don't need to go that far to participate and win one of the priceless classic vintage sets we are giving away. You only need to send your entry to us as soon as possible because the end of the month deadline is quickly approaching. If you want to participate, check the contest rules here and send your video now. [Flickr via Brothers Brick — Thanks Lindsay Joy]

Designed for Mazda by LIFESAVER® systems, the LIFESAVER® bottle citi™ is the world’s first ultra filtration water bottle to be installed in a car. It removes all waterborne pathogens and other pollutants creating safe sterile drinking water for the driver and passengers.

Taking advantage of rain as a natural resource, the roof of the Mazda Kiyora channels rainwater firstly through an activated carbon filter and then into a specially commissioned drinks bottle designed for Mazda by LIFESAVER® systems.

The LIFESAVER® bottle citi™ is located between the front seats for easy access, and uses state of the art ultra filtration hollow fibre membranes. With a pore size of 15 nano-meters these membranes remove all microbiological contamination including bacteria and viruses without using chemicals, delivering safe fresh drinking water to the driver and passengers any time. The bottle is removable so can be taken out of the car and used to gather water from other natural sources such as rivers, lakes and streams.

I wonder if car manufacturers couldn't do the same with hydrogen cars, minus the special purification system, condensing the vapor coming out of the car exhaust into a bottle. Or if they want to really make it fancy, include a espresso machine.

For a more detailed look at the Mazda Kiyora, check Jalopnik's coverage from the Paris Motor Show. [Lifesaver via Inhabitat]

The building features an iconic silhouette and a facade characterised by vertical slots with private balconies. A series of reflective fins generates a vertical dynamic and gives the building a constantly changing appearance. The fins track the sun, control the solar shading and dissolve the rationality of the plan into a continuously evolving building volume. The facade’s continuous surface enables curvature with a lot of repetition and the potential for standardisation in the building process. State-of-theart engineering and innovative materials will be used to achieve a fully sustainable performance.

[Deezeen]

At 96.73 feet (29.485 meters) this Lego tower built in the Rathaus Platz in Vienna has broken the world record for the tallest Lego construction in the world. It took nearly 460,000 bricks and it was built over four days. The views from the top are quite stunning.

The tower included 121 plates designed and built by 3,000 kids using 2 x 4 Lego bricks. The kids participated in the building process to celebrate 100 Years of the Friends of Children festival in Austria. The previous Guinness World Record was set at 96.13-feet (29.3 meters), last May in Legoland Windsor.

If you are working in a Go Miniman Go contest video, it doesn't need to be 96.73 feet high or take 3,000 kids to complete. It just needs to be whatever size and technique you want, as soon as it's funny and gets to us by the end of the month deadline. If you want to participate, check the contest rules here and send your video now. [Brothers Brick via Brickarms]

Samsonite, listen up: We want this. [Yanko Design]

While obviously the city is made of nonobtanium and/or kryptonite, the idea of a self-contained town, using each spike of the star for a different purpose is, interesting. At least, interesting enought for megalomaniac urban planners in planet Krypton and myself. [MAD via Dark Roasted Blend]

For this week's Photoshop Contest, I asked you to lampoon all things steampunk by creating ludicrous steampunk gadgets. We've got entries that run the gamut from the ridiculous to the, well, more ridiculous. Awesome! Hit the jump for your top three winners then check out the rest of the best in the Gallery of Champions.

First Place — Steve Cantu
Second Place — Dave Gregory
Third Place — GirlGadget
We didn't get as many entries as usual this week, possibly because steampunking something up isn't all that easy. But what we did get were great entries. So check 'em out! Thanks to everyone for entering!

Last week, I asked you to put your creative powers to good use by Photoshopping those Google Chrome comics for comedic effect. Remember Google Chrome? It wasn't released by Apple. How refreshing! In any case, hit the jump for your one very insane and head-scratching winner and the rest of the best in the Gallery of Champions.

Rather than three winners this week, there's just one, due to the size and sheer overwhelming insanity of one person's entry. OMG Ponies created a 10 page epic that, while I'm not sure I understand it, is certainly impressive. I knew that it was either a stroke of brilliance or a cry for help, and as I don't want blood on my hands, I gave the crazy bastard what he wanted. Enjoy!

Note: in the future, please do not send in ridiculous, multi-part entries, as I'm not going to select them as the winners again as it's just more work for me and I'm lazy. Thank you!

And now, the Gallery of Champions. Thanks to everyone who entered!

A very expensive one: The 330-knots single-engine jet won't come cheap at $1.35 million, so it's not the skycar we were all hoping for.

[Red Ferret]

• I like the fact that you can see the screen of the player at a glance.
• The controls are located on the handle, so you don't have to fiddle with any remote or touch the device.
• The earphones plug is also conveniently located in a position that won't interfere with your handling and cycling.
• And finally, the integrated locking mechanism is a good addition.

What do you think? Would you buy a bike with an integrated dock? [Tuvie]

The computer runs Windows XP SP3 on a Celeron 1.3GHz, Intel 852 chipset, 512MB of RAM, and 40GB hard drive, with wireless access, digital video output, three USB ports, and a fan that he stole out of a F-35 STOVL fighter yet. At least, it sounds like one:

[A9VG via Kotaku]

First Place — Randy Artz
Second Place — OMG Ponies!
Third Place — J.B.

[Matador Nights]

Check out video footage of the harness in action below, plus our exclusive interview, where Maru discusses the what it takes to win a robotic deathmatch.

Maru builds the bots; his sons Kenta and Ryoma operate them in the combat tournaments. For a prizefighter, King Kizer is only 16 inches tall but has a lightweight aluminum frame, very rapid servomotors and sensors that help it maintain its balance and detect its enemies. Kizer uses the latter to launch speedy, autonomous attacks on foes.

The harness creates a master-slave connection with Kenta. When the boy moves his upper body during combat, sensors with voltage potentiometers transmit the motions via a Bluetooth link to Kizer, which reproduces them. In the video, you can see that there's a bit of a delay, but apparently robot combat is still clumsy enough for this to not have too great an impact. The lower body is still controlled with a gamepad.

We recently visited the Maru dojo to discuss King Kizer and new fighting-robot technologies:

How does the "master-slave" control technology work? Where did you get the idea? Have you used it in Robo-One tournaments?
The master-slave control idea goes a long way back. The concept has a long history in robot anime, and it has been implemented in surgical devices. I've been using it since I first entered Robo-One.

The equipment affixed to the operator's body is known as a "master suit," and I concentrated on making this lightweight.

The strong point of the system is that it's great for adapting to the requirements of the moment. Other systems can only be operated through preprogrammed robot motions. For instance, in hand-to-hand combat, if you encounter a robot that is shorter than what you expected to go up against, your machine will be punching air instead of metal. But with a master-slave control system, that's not a problem you encounter.

The weak point of my current master-slave system is that it's limited to the upper half of the controller's body. But this is a problem that I believe I can solve. I'm also making improvements to use the system in non-combat applications. As you saw, it can also be used to handle eggs!

How do you build your robots?
When I decided to make my first bipedal robot from scratch, I had to study. The manufacturing process includes making the aluminum panels—cutting, bending and finishing—, plus vacuum form molding, resin casting and other techniques. The design is done in 2D CAD, and then I make a model, printing the frame on paper. Once I confirm the mechanical structure of the paper model, I start creating the actual aluminum panels. Since I don't do it in 3D CAD [just 2D CAD], this work process is really critical.

I already had computer programming skills, so making the robot's control system wasn't so difficult for me.

What is the role of your sons in your robot activity?
They're more than operators—our team is like the driver and mechanics in an F1 race car team. But their most important role is that they keep me motivated. I give it my all so that my sons can be victorious. I doubt I would have the power to keep winning at Robo-One if I had to create and operate the robots and compete in the tournaments all by myself!

Also, my sons sometimes provide me with unexpected inspiration. As children, their perspectives on robot making are invaluable.

In only three years of robot fighting, you have collected about $50,000 in prize money at Robo-One. Why is the Maru family team so successful?
I could not do this if I were not part of a family team. Most competitors in Robo-One are bachelors—there are few family teams. And I don't want to see my kids cry if they lose at the tournament!

Another reason for our success is not the technological power of our hardware and software, but how we manage our team. There isn't a great difference between competitors. in Robo-One. Fighting really hinges not on the actual winning or losing, but on seemingly trivial factors that are not obvious.

To give you some specific examples, one must consider things like safety parameters that are in your robot's design and how they'll affect performance, readiness for bugs that crop up during a fight, as well as strategies and practice based on your study of opponents. You can't count on having a winning streak if all you have done is create a robot with some cool abilities.

What is special about Japanese robots in general?
For Japanese people, a robot means a humanoid, bipedal robot. It seems Japanese are unique in the world in this way of thinking about robots. Many of the competitors in Robo-One watched robot anime when they were kids and that really influenced them. Robots are part of their childhood dreams, and that is reflected in their robot designs and fighting techniques.

Music for the second clip: "Prelude No. 1" by The Grift; no frikkin' clue what the song in the first clip is.

First Place — Roberto Alicea
Second Place — Phenostar
Third Place — Daniel Luna

Honestly, it never ceases to amaze me the amount of stuff these kind of general consumer-oriented companies make. [More IFA 2008 Coverage]

First Place — Stretta
Second Place — Jim Festante
Third Place — Mark FX
If your entry didn't make it into the following gallery, it's probably because you included a lightsaber in there somehow. I got about 30 entries of fencing with lightsabers, so don't feel bad that yours didn't make it in. Thanks to everyone who entered!

The museum, designed by architect Rafael Viñoly in NYC, will be completed by 2011, and will show off a collection of 5,000 paintings, 700 antiques, sculptures, metalwork and ceramics, a calligraphy section—not fancy party invitations, mind you, but elaborately ornate murals and manuscripts ranging from the early Qur'anic period to modern times—and other areas will include photography and applied arts. It may not surprise you to know that this collection is actually entirely owned by one dude, Sheikh Hassan Bin Mohammed Al-Thani, which he started amassing 10 short years ago.

If I'm reading this correctly, an engineering firm for the project reports that the building's surface will be a canvas-like material, and that the whole thing was a bitch to air condition, given the combination of new materials, desert climate and priceless humidity-sensitive artworks.

Speaking of "priceless," I can't find a dollar-figure for the project itself, but it suffices to say this will be the most expensive sand dune this side of Arrakis.

It may not be the most expensive modern arab art museum, however. A Dutch architect called Ben van Berkel is concocting a Star Trek-esque building for the Museum of Middle East Modern Art, to be built on the banks of the Dubai Creek. Me, I'll take the Frank Herbert over the Gene Roddenberry any day of the week. Check out more pics and discussion at the site source. [Dezeen]

The photos were found on a new iPhone shipped to the UK, and one of the pictures was even set as the home screen. Aaaaaaadorable! [MacRumors Forums]

Arriving in 275-pound crates, the pair of tables were unloaded off a truck before being pried open with a crowbar. Inside, it look like the unboxing of many other gadgets, just a lot bigger. This sucker is huge. I still kind of want one, as impractical as that would be. Maybe someday. [Amnesia Blog]

Absolutely crazy. [Thanks David!]

First Place — K. Bacon
Second Place — Jared Griffiths
Third Place — Jacky Radivoy
A smaller Gallery of Champions than usual this week for some reason. Don't worry, I'll bring back your precious Photoshop for next week's contest.

I took these photos from a bell helicopter last week on a trip to see this amazing building in Dubai with my son. They were taken on a 45 degree bank over the tower on a canon 1Ds mark 3 digital camera NO GOOD FOR THOSE AFRAID OF HIGHTS !! The interior shot however is not the Burge Dubai but the Arab Emirates Towers shot from the 10th floor bar looking up to the upper floors also took the attached shot looking out from the window across the street with the reflection of the interior in the window cool.

Here are more photos of the Arab Emirates Towers:

[Burj Dubai Skyscraper via Dark Roasted Blend]

First Place — Andy Graber
Second Place — Thanassi Karageorgiou
Third Place — Chip O'Toole

To death I say! Jason, I'm ready. [Flickr via Neatorama]

First Place — Nathan McAllister
Second Place — Kaiser-Machead
Third Place — Ryan Goff
Honorable Mention — Steven McGann
One thing of note about the entries this week: there were an absolutely insane number of Apple/Steve Jobs references. I mean, there are always iPhones and Apple logos and Steve Jobs in the Photoshop Contest entries, but this week it felt like 90% of them had that in there. I'm not saying don't reference Apple, but I will say the ones without an Apple reference got preference for inclusion in the Gallery of MS Paint Champions so the whole thing wasn't all focused around the same "Apple as Overlords" joke. Food for thought for future contests.

Anyhow, on to the gallery!

I was tired, exhausted, and about to fall asleep standing up (there were no seats in the pit). The week had been hell, and I was physically and emotionally destroyed. But then, the band and the Boss took the stage and night and blasted everything away. In a few seconds, as the adrenalin kicked in, the exhaustion disappeared. Then Radio Nowhere came. And Lonesome Day. And the Promised Land. From there, he and his band made every single one of the 60,000 souls in the stadium fly.

Three hours of pure rock, with the Boss giving it all until the end, when he sung a 10-minute version of Twist And Shout, mixed with—get this—La Bamba. Not a single pause. Just music, heart and soul. I just couldn't believe this guy is almost as old as my dad. Forget Mick Jagger. Forget bloody Bono. He is the greatest rock musician alive, a true force of nature.

And I'm not even—or was not, until this day—a fan. The whole thing was totally unexpected for me. At the beginning I thought "this is going to be amazing" and I realized I only had my iPhone, because like every other concert, cameras and camcorders are absolutely prohibited. Especially when you are in the front row and the security guy can shake your hand. Or get your camera away.

During the whole concert, the entire stadium was under his command, jumping, singing, waving, screaming, completely in ecstasy, electrified, everyone sweating under the hot Spanish summer night. He and the band were enjoying the whole thing to no end. You could see them laughing, looking at us with real surprise in their faces, as if they weren't believing that this huge stadium just couldn't stop singing and jumping through every single one of the songs they played.

They were giving all their life away right there, and the public was returning it right back. With interest. Each of us. Mass hysteria. Crowd orgasm. Total love and dedication from Bruce, the band, and the public.

At one point—one of many in which he came to sing even closer to us—the Boss walked to the central platform and took a girl up on the stage. I knew she was the daughter of one of the Spanish fans—who had been following him through the whole tour—because I met her before the concert started. She danced with him for a minute, smiling while the band played. It was just one of the many "I can't believe this is happening" moments of the night.

Right there, in the very first row, in the corner of the central platform, I could see all these moments perfectly, like I'm seeing the screen of my computer right now. We were able to actually shake his hand, as well as the hands of the band—who at the end all came to the center platform. I shouted at him at one point ("Yes! Take us up there!") and he replied looking straight into my eyes, with the biggest smile, pointing at me and saying "Yes, I'm going to take you there!" just before the band exploded with sound.

Another time, I could see him turning to Max Weinberg—at the end of Seven Nights to Rock—and whisper: "Born to Run!" And (boom!) Born to Run started to play a second later. At any time, I could turn around and see the 60,000 people in the Santiago Bernabéu—the name of the Real Madrid football stadium—singing, clapping, taken way by his power. Yes, it was absolutely breathtaking. All of it. From the very beginning I thought: "I have to share this with the people I love. I can't do this justice with my description. I have to take photos."

There was when I started hating the iPhone's camera.

Nothing, I wasn't able to take any of this magic with clarity. I'm not even talking about recording video (don't get me started on that). I'm just talking about making a decent photo with one of the most advanced pieces of technology ever developed. Only one single photo that didn't appear to be taken with a broken Lomo. By a drunk guy. Without a decent sleep in the last three days (OK, forget about the part about the drunk guy.)

Sure, there was some clear pics here and there, but whatever was OK'ish, it was also completely crazy and badly framed. Some of them look nice—as you can see here, in the gallery of untouched images—but most of them need cropping and heavy Photoshop treatment.

I know most cellphone cameras are exactly the same. They behave poorly under low light conditions, they are slow, and have bad interfaces. And yes, I have to admit I like the iPhone's camera blurriness and unwanted "special effects" sometimes. I even try to get similar effects with my DSLR. But that's optional. This time I only wanted one thing: to be able to frame a good photo. Without having to hold the iPhone in a weird position. Without trying to find the stupid software interface button and not miss the shot (which I did, plenty of times).

That's what I want. I don't want more resolution, and I don't want a stupid zoom. I would be happy (HAPPY) with good lenses and a better, speedier, more luminous sensor. And of course, the physical button. In fact, scrap the rest. Just give me the physical button. As much as I love virtual interfaces—because they open the door to multi-functional devices at a low cost, with great power and flexibility—I'm afraid that there are still times when the only way to go is a physical button. Photography is one of them.

And since we are at it, here's a note for the Nokias, Sony Ericssons, Samsungs, and LGs of this world: stop doing the silly marketdrone "More megapixels!" and "Bigger optical zooms!" race. Educate the users. Don't dazzle them with higher numbers. Give us all more quality, more light, and more speed. That's what really counts to catch the special, truly ephemeral, completely unexpected moments you want to save forever. Because when I think about it, even while I will always keep this concert in my—blurry as the iPhone's camera—memory, there would never be another one like it.

That's exactly what cellphone cameras are for. To capture the unexpected, to take decent pictures of the special moments in your life, because we can't go around life with a camera in our pocket at all times. That's what I want in an cellphone and, especially, in the iPhone. A camera to be able to take any moment we want, fast, and with good quality, under most circumstances. And Señor Jobs, no matter what, please give us the physical button on the iPhone 3G 2.0.

The Rocket Racing League® is an aerospace sports and entertainment organization that combines the competition of racing with the excitement of rocketry. The RRL was established by X-Prize founder Peter Diamandis and two-time Indianapolis 500 champion team partner Granger Whitelaw to advance the technology and increase public awareness of space travel. The NASCAR-style racing league features rocket-powered aircraft that will be flown by top pilots through a 'three-dimensional track way' at venues throughout the world. With millions of fans who enjoy racing and air shows, and an even wider audience enthralled with humanity's next step into space, rocket racing is destined to become the future of racing!

There are six teams already. If I were a test pilot, I would apply today. Head to Flight Global for an exclusive interview with Granger Whitelaw, CEO of Rocket Racing, explaining what the whole thing is about. If you are going to be at the show, go on Friday or Saturday, when they will fly it again. [Rocket Racing League and Flight Global]

First Place — Alex Gonzalez
Second Place — Rich Lim
Third Place — Xtina
And now, for the rest of the winners. Like I said, I had a hard time choosing the top three, and a whole bunch of these deserve top honors, so be sure to check them all out. If yours didn't make it in, it's probably because I got a ton of entries of very similar ideas. Thanks to everyone who entered! If the gallery doesn't appear below for you, click here to see it (and note there are two gallery pages).

[RaceChairs via Geekologie]

Clearly, this was designed by an architect. Head to Dezeen for the full report.

Features:
- Unrivalled space and innovation captured in a visionary design
- Four Genuine Decks
- Full beam owner’s cabin on main deck with forward facing windows leading to his and hers private balconies
- Four guest / VIP cabins below, aft two cabins convertible into one large family cabin
- Segregated crew access corridor between crew and guest cabins
- Accommodation for up to 8 crew
- Glass walled main saloon wth unrestricted 180 Degrees view
- Glass walled upper saloon with aft, side and forward views
- Extensive outer deck space, both forward and aft
- Expandable main deck aft
- Grand Staircase at transom
- Unrivalled open space, both inside and out, with unobstructed view
- Submergible beach deck
- Separate jet ski storage from tender
- Side launch of tender

If any of our readers have one of these (or similar) available for the summer, feel free to invite the Gizmodo crew to blog live from the deck. Or just me. [Dezeen]

The models include cross-sections showing the actual building structure and installations. The effect is particularly impressive in the Water Cube, full of minifigs like the Sport Village and the residence buildings. [KLUG via Brothers Brick]

Seriously, I love pearl G-strings, but that sex-less editing almost took my fetish away. How can anyone use the infinite power of this software to create this crap—then spend thousands of dollars publishing it in magazine covers, catalogs, product packaging, and online shops—is beyond me. Specially knowing that any of your Photobotch works have 100 times the quality of these commercial pieces. [Photoshop Disasters]

The Boba Fett re-design looks particularly good. Sillof decided to change the T visor in the helmet for rounded goggles, while keeping the rest almost intact:

While Fett’s “T” visor is iconic, this design keeps the look of the rounder goggles that have become a staple of the line, while the red strip down the middle hints at the old “T” design. His forearm weapons feature a mini-crossbow and a working retractable blade. The Surcoat is reminiscent of Fett’s shoulder cape. His rocketpack is still there just in a larger more industrial model.

Head to Sillof's to see some of these in 360-degree rotating versions. The details are simply stunning. [Silof]

First Place — Flowbee by Tricky Wombat
Second Place — Wii by Phillip Stucker
Third Place — Ionic Breeze by Andy Graber

And now, the obligatory 80s reference you were all waiting for:

Love, exciting and new
Come Aboard. We're expecting you.
Love, life's sweetest reward.
Let it flow, it floats back to you.

Love Boat soon will be making another run
The Love Boat promises something for everyone
Set a course for adventure,
Your mind on a new romance.

Love won't hurt anymore
It's an open smile on a friendly shore.
Yes LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE! It's LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE! (hey-ah!)

Love Boat soon will be making another run
The Love Boat promises something for everyone
Set a course for adventure,
Your mind on a new romance.

Love won't hurt anymore
It's an open smile on a friendly shore.
It's LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE! It's LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE! It's
LOOOOOOOOOOOVE!
It's the Love Boat-ah! It's the Love Boat-ah!

Come on, sing it. You know you want to. Sing it! [stuff4restaurants—thanks Lola]