Gizmodo: jump

Lightning Review: Duracell Powerpack 450 Talking Portable Power Unit

Sean Fallon — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:00:00 EST

The Gadget: Duracell's Powerpack 450 is a portable power source for AC, DC and USB-powered electronics. It also features a vehicle jump starter, air compressor, flashlight and a voice feature.

The Price:$120-150

The Verdict: As a portable power source, the Powerpack 450 is outstanding. It cranks out 340W continuous (450W peak) of AC juice, which is enough to power laptops, lamps, radios, cellphones and other small appliances. It would be an ideal supplement to a generator in the event of a power outage.

As far as a vehicles are concerned, the 150 psi air compressor works, but don't expect to be back up an running in a short amount of time. I actually have a slow leak on my front passenger side, and it can take over 10 minutes to pump up a flat (depending on the situation). I never ran into a situation where a jump start was necessary, but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work. Duracell even supplies the cables with the battery. The 5W flashlight is fairly standard, but given the fact that the entire battery weighs around 20 pounds, its no substitute for even a cheap handheld version. However, if you are stuck on the side of the road in the dark, it could come in handy.

On the downside, the Powerpack 450 takes nearly 40 hours to charge completely and the voice feature can be extremely annoying at times. I can tell you that my laptop maintained a full charge for nearly 8 hours while plugged into the device, but I couldn't tell you precisely how long it would have lasted because the constant battery status updates towards the end proved too much to bear. Still, voice directions that notify you of battery status and guide you through a jump start / tire inflation can still be useful—although not particularly necessary.

In the end, if you live in an area prone to power outages, you have a beater car, you enjoy camping or you work in remote areas, spending $120 or so on the Powerpack 450 is worth the money. If you need more juice, you can always step up to the 600 model. [Duracell]

Jet Pack Crosses 1,500-Foot Long Colorado Canyon, Breaks World Record

Jesus Diaz — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:15:00 EST

Stuntman, jet pack pilot, and Evel Knievel-wannabe without the Elvis suit Eric Scott has broke a world record by flying 1,500 feet in 21 seconds over the Royal Gorge in Colorado, 1,025 feet over the Arkansas River. Pardon my French, but it has to take some balls to do this jump. Some balls and a hydrogen peroxide-powered jet pack with a carbon fiber design.

The jet pack debuted last year, but this has been the first time that it has been used in such a risky stunt, with no safety measures whatsoever for the pilot. It's based on a military design made by Bell Aerosystems back in the sixties. That model wasn't good because it was too heavy, so the people at Jet Pack International—where Eric works—redesigned it using carbon fiber technology.

The result is a jet pack that weights a lot less and, therefore, has more range although not that much: About 33 seconds vs 20 seconds of the old model. I don't know about you, but making a jump over a gorge like this with just 12 seconds of overhead doesn't seem like a lot of fun to me. [Jetpack International via Denver Post and Sky NEws]

The Running-Powered Bike is Pure Ludicrousness

Adam Frucci — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:30:00 EDT

Oh… oh my. This is a running-powered bicycle (although technically, it's a tricycle, which gives it even less dignity). There are no pedals; instead, you run with the seat jammed up in your crotch and hop on the foot holds when you get enough speed going to coast. It is amazingly ridiculous, and it only gets funnier when you see the video of some dude running on it with, as I said, the seat jammed up in his crotch.

[DesignBoom]

Cat Jumps Off a Plane, Lands on Its Legs

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:15:05 EDT

We gonna die. We gonna die. We gonna die. We gonna die. DIE. I can has wings? Moar vodka? I hates Crazy Russians and crazy parachutes! (Editor's note: really, what's the deal with this? No kitty cam? The cat should have a cam to see his point of view, especially for when he rips his owner's face to pieces after touching down.) [English Russia]

Synth Glitch Creates On-Stage Disaster for Van Halen

Charlie White — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:46:15 EDT

And now for a Friday musical interlude, we bring you Van Halen caught on its comeback tour, except there was one big problem and it involved gadgets. What happens when you play back a prerecorded synthesizer track at 48K instead of the intended 44.1K? The whole track plays back a little bit faster and at a slightly higher pitch, that's what. A dissonant musical mess ensues, trapping the guitarist and bassist in an on-stage musical hell with nowhere to go.

See Eddie Van Halen launch into his famous solo on "Jump," trying in vain to somehow transpose to this otherworldly key that is nowhere to be found. This travesty of a performance happened earlier this month (in my hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina), and the funny thing is, the crowd was delighted with it. I shutter to think that no one realized something was terribly amiss, but those hometown folks always were overly polite. [RW370, via BoingBoing] (Thanks, Joel Johnson!)