Gizmodo: red bull

Video: Extreme Hang Gliding with the Nikon D300s

Danny Allen — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:25:00 EDT

This isn't the first time Nikon has teamed up with sports photographers to showcase the D300s' new 720p video capabilities, but this footage of the world's top hang glider surfing Australia's mysterious "Morning Glory" wave-cloud phenomenon, is just as spectacular.

The D300s was mounted to the front of the hang glider and fitted with a 10.5mm fisheye lens. A custom hardwired trigger and release mechanism was used to fire both video and stills.

Of course, the $1800 D300s now has some serious semi-pro competition from the $1900 Canon 7D. And the 7D is an 18-megapixel, 1080p video beast. Click through the links above for our in-depth primers. [YouTube via CrunchGear]

Also: Waking Up On Mars: Australia's Bizarre Dust Storm

Three Cups of Coffee Makes You Three Times More Likely to Hallucinate

Mark Wilson — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 11:20:00 EST

Maybe you aren't at work right now. Maybe you aren't wearing a suit. Maybe that giant polka dot bunny can't hear your thoughts. Maybe you just drank too much coffee.

Researchers from Durham University (queried, we believe) 200 non-smoking participants, taking into account their intake of tea, coffee, energy drinks, caffeine pills or coffee consumed on an average day as well as their propensity to see things that were not there, hear voices, and/or sense the presence of the dead.

It was found that 315 milligrams of caffeine (about what you'll find in three standard cups off coffee) increased hallucinations by three times, though it's unclear as to whether or not this data could be correlational with crazy people simply drinking more caffeine to begin with. [LiveScience and image]

Rhys Millen Trying to Backflip a Truck Again, Releases Video of Spine-Breaking Botched Attempt

Adam Frucci — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:20:00 EST

If you're a longtime Giz reader, you may remember that on last New Years Eve, Rhys Millen was supposed to perform a backflip in a truck on live TV. One problem: he broke a bunch of his vertebrae during a practice run and had to cancel. Well, he's gonna give it another go this year, and to get you all amped up for it, Red Bull has released the video of his crash. Want to see a dude do half a backflip in a pickup truck? Follow me, ye of strong stomachs.

Yep, about what you expected, eh? Here's hoping he's learned a thing or two during those painful months of rehabilitation.

Red Bull Gives Your DJ Table Wings (and Balls)

Sean Fallon — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 12:15:00 EDT

Red Bull has teamed up with Canadian design company Cocoon to develop a functional DJ table that represents "Red Bull's sponsorship of an actual nightlife experience." The table features a backlit logo panel, ventilation for laptops and slots for vinyl records and large CD booklets. As you will see in the image after the break, it also features a curious cutout on the undercarriage where you feed your cords. I am shocked and appalled that a wholesome product like Red Bull could be the catalyst for such immaturity.

[Cocoon via Designboom via Josh Spear]

The NES Was Never Designed for Flight

Mark Wilson — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 17:20:00 EDT

I was lucky enough to attend Red Bull's Flugtag event in Chicago last Saturday, but like most other attendees, I wasn't lucky enough to actually watch the event as these flying machines (not really intended for flight) launched off a 30-foot pad that was perpendicular to the shoreline, facing into the water. Regardless, had I the pleasure to watch the event, I would have loved the Nintendudes who crafted a giant NES, Zapper and Duck Hunt duck for flight. To their dismay, vintage gaming gear does not scale to aircraft.

The Nintendudes did not place in the competition, though to be fair, the designer of their 250-pound plane had no experience designing planes. As he explained:

I didn't necessarily study the laws of aerodynamics when I designed it. It may fly, but it wasn't necessarily designed with that in mind.

We're sure the NES and Zapper would have floated just fine if they weren't weighed down by that useless bird. [Midstate News and Flugtag via Kotaku]

Truck-Backflipping Rhys Millen Breaks a Bunch of Vertebrae to the Surprise of No One

Adam Frucci — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 10:10:05 EST

Bad news: Rhys Millen, the crazyperson who's been prepping to do a backflip in a truck on New Year's Eve all week, had a little accident. OK, so not that little of an accident, but that's not going to keep him down!

After successfully landing the 360-degree backflip three times into the cardboard boxes in training, I am disappointed that our last jump ended in an accident. As I lay here in the hospital with three broken vertebrae in my neck and two compressed and broken vertebrae in my back, I am also disappointed that we cannot perform the 360-degree Red Bull Experiment on New Year's Eve, but I'm happy that I will be able to walk again.

Well, that's the most unsurprising injury ever. We're also glad that you'll be able to walk again, Rhys. We're assuming your broken back won't stop you from attempting more insane stunts, and we hope that you're luckier/safer in the future. [Red Bull Experiment]

The Specially-Made Jump That'll Throw a Truck Into a Backflip

Adam Frucci — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 13:30:00 EST

Last week I told you about how Rhys Millen plans to do a backflip in a truck on New Years Eve. Clearly, such a feat requires a specially-built jump, as you can't just lean back in a truck and have it do a flip. So here's a look at the jump they've build which includes a "flipper" near the top to help launch the truck into a rotation right at takeoff, presumable keeping the truck and giant-balled man inside safe to land right-side-up. The jump will be broadcast live on ESPN on New Years Eve and, presumably, will be all over YouTube the following day. [Red Bull Experiment]

Red Bull London HQ Has Slides Instead of Stairs

Brian Lam — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 13:57:21 EDT

I wouldn't mind having a 9-5 job if my office had a type slide instead of boring old stairs. Red Bull London's HQ, designed by Jump Studios, is just this EXTREME.

Q: How much $3, sugarized caffeine water does one have to sell to afford something like this?

They've even got a conference table that looks like a ping pong set...

–Brian Lam

Red Bull London HQ [Mocoloco]