In the instant just before executing my turn, something in the road punctured my front tire. In two places. 130 psi of traction and control were gone in an instant. I immediately went into an uncontrolled fall at 25 mph. Since I had already started my turn, the vertical stability of my bike gave way to momentum and gravity. I hit the pavement hard, sliding about 20 feet before friction brought me to a stop. Suddenly the pavement didn’t feel so good beneath me. I had a nasty abrasion on the outside of my right leg and right forearm, and a very sore right ‘cheek’, which took the brunt of my fall. I stood up as quickly as I could to take inventory of my faculties to see if I suffered any broken bones. Luckily, I hadn’t.

Once I gathered myself and my bike to the side of the road, I reexamined my injuries. I was somewhat pleased the abrasion on my arm was not as bad as it could have been, saved by the leather-palmed gloves I was wearing for such an occasion (which were now ruined, but a small price to pay for the protection they provided). And my leg could have been worse, too, had it not been saved by my…my iPhone. “Oh no!”, I yelled.

Panic raced through me. Retrieving the iPhone from my pocket immediately revealed the screen had not suffered breakage, so I pressed the ‘Home’ button and the iPhone sprang to life. I was still about a mile from home, so I unlocked the display and immediately pressed the Phone icon so I could call home for assistance. The ringing sound at the other end was music to my ears; the phone still worked!

Sure, any phone could have protected him just as easily I'm sure, but could that phone then help you look up the surgery you're avoiding due to its protection? I think not. [Gantos]

On the other hand, owning a Roadscan could easily backfire if you are the one to blame—so if you are an accident prone driver it is probably best to steer clear of a device like this. Roadscan is currently available for $299, which is a reasonable price to pay for something that could potentially save you thousands in an accident. [Autocamcorder]

This software will look for nervous face touching, profuse sweating and various other ticks that passengers do all the time. A guy from UCSD built a similar system, but says it only identifies people correctly 70% of the time and only under optimal conditions, which don't exist in airplanes. Sounds foolproof! [Newscientist via Boing Boing]

When the system detects an accident, it deploys the bridge bar in 70 milliseconds using a high-power spring, which is being held by a coil. The coil is made of an special alloy that recovers its original shape instantly when it receives an electric impulse, releasing the spring just before the impact. The resulting structure decreases the penetration of the incoming object by as much as 3 inches, as well as reducing the speed and violence of the crash.

Side impacts are almost impossible to avoid even at very low speeds, like 20-30 mph. They are also very dangerous, not only because they can kill you straight away, but also because it's very easy to suffer permanent brain damage from the lateral forces involved. The system may avoid this, transferring these energies through the car structure. [New Scientist]

"Your car could know a heck of a lot about you," says Clifford Nass, things like where you go, what speed you drive, what music you listen to. And, of course, companies will pay for that info, but Nass is also wondering if your car could speak back to you, would it result in you driving more safely, or even cheer you up if you were depressed?

Nass' research is interesting to insurers, of course, because if your car could detect that you consistently drove too fast or were often angrily swearing at the traffic while you wrenched at the wheel, they might be tempted to up your premiums. But Nass also sees our future cars being like dumber versions of KITT, behaving more like a co-pilot and actually speaking back to us. Perhaps pointing out that there's a pedestrian in the road ahead, or warning you that you're driving too aggressively.

Some of Nass' results are fascinating:
•Depressed drivers drive better when their car reacts as if it too is depressed
•Cars that speak in complex sentences tend to make you pay attention, rather than zoning out
•Older drivers prefer younger voices
•The car's voice is important: BMW had to recall Series 5 cars because male German drivers didn't listen to its female voice
•Drivers feel closer to the computer if they believe it's embedded in the car, rather than a remote device.

That last one seems like an extension of our personification of cars: I've named every one of my cars, and I bet you guys do too. And while a talking, monitoring, advice-giving car may be some people's idea of a nightmare, you can see that the idea has potential for improving safety: "You can imagine how much it costs for anti-lock brakes. But what if you could simply change the voice in the car?" points out Nass. What do you think, guys? Talking cars FTW? ... or KITT-like cars as nightmare? [Physorg]

Silver has long been known to have antimicrobial powers, and with nanotech (and better hygiene) being all the rage, companies have added nanoparticle silver to everything from children's toys to washing machines. But as elements get smaller, the way they react to their environments change—and nobody's sure that itty bitty silver pieces aren't going to kill us all.

Studies have already shown that nano-silver is screwing with fishes and destroying benign bacteria at wastewater facilities. The legal petition asks the EPA to regulate nano-silver as a pesticide, insist on product labels, and analyze the potential human health effects (especially on children) before allowing nano-silver goods to be sold.

So unless you absolutely have no other way of keeping things clean and smell-free, lay off the nano-silver for now, mmkay? [ICTA via NY Times]

In the end, the 98 ft. condom rope managed to hold him, which is actually not all that surprising when you consider that standards for condom tensile strength usually require that it be able able to stretch to at least 650% of its original length. So, it appears that Dionisio will live to devise yet another stupid method of putting his life on the line (how about a second attempt with lubricated condoms?). The only question I have is what brand did he use? That would make for one hell of a commercial. [Metro]

WILLWARN: Uses wireless communication to warn the driver about potential hazards that lie ahead.
MAPS&ADAS: Alerts drivers to terrain hazards using sat-nav maps.

SASPENCE: Analyzes safe driving distances and speed.

LATERALSAFE: Keeps an eye on your blind spot.

APALACI and COMPOSE: Analyzes the speed and trajectories of other vehicles and pedestrians in real time.

The systems developed by Prevent are already being tested in the Volvo FH12, BMW 545i, Fiat Stilo, Alfa Romeo 156 and Mercedes E350, but they acknowledged that it would be "a while" before on-board vehicle computers are sophisticated enough to take advantage of this technology. [Science Daily via Jalopnik]

Not content to stop with home protection, Molavizadeh has expanded his unique and painful approach to crime fighting to the automotive realm. In fact, he has already constructed a system that can deliver a non-lethal electric shock to a car thief via his cellphone. Despite interest from private individuals and local news sources, the Afghan government isn't taking his work seriously—which shows you just how bad the situation is in Afghanistan. This is the kind of dude you keep your eye on. [NPR via Gizmag]

"We want to make the radio itself a WiFi port," whatever the hell a WiFi port is. We're guessing the spokesperson meant WiFi connectivity will be coming using a modified internal radio. Whether Chrysler will trick out their own navigation systems with an internet browser to make use of the functionality is not clear, but using WiFi instead of EDGE on your iPhone whilst driving has got to be a help, even if it isn't great for general road safety. [Washington Post]

Even if you never get to use it on a real assailant, it feels good to click an e-commerce button that says "Add to Cart and Choose Voltage"—that is, assuming you don't live in New York, Massachusetts, Michigan, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Illinois, New Jersey or the cities of Baltimore, Philadelphia or Washington, DC. [TBO Tech via BBGadgets]

Loading with the placement on your head, GPS tracks your position while a 3G transponder waits in the ready. If the accelerometers sense an impact, the helmet will beep for a minute. If the beeping is not stopped, it calls for help. Currently going through the patent process, let's hope to see this on shelves sooner rather than later. [UM via textually]

This sort of destruction should not make us feel good, but the pictures are awesome and we can constantly hear Edward Norton's cold, monotone voice saying, "I felt like destroying something beautiful," as a slim justification. We should really speak to someone about Edward Norton's psychotic comments repeating themselves autonomously in our insane membrane regions. [Tesla via Valleywag]

If you are one of the few cyclists out there who is courteous enough to use hand signals on the road, the Safe Turn may be a useful device—although it looks as though the guy in the picture may have waited a little too long. Available for $18. [Product Page via Gizmag via Gearfuse]

[Boinkology]

It's actually a public safety film commissioned by the Dutch government to remind people of the dangers of fireworks. However, the viral has been slammed as insensitive and as insulting to Muslims by the boss of a marketing agency.

"What is the campaign hoping to achieve by depicting a negative stereotype of the Muslim community in a fireworks advert?" said Saad Saraf, the chief executive of Media Reach Advertising. "Are the producers aware that the actors in the advert are speaking in an Iraqi accent; with the current state of affairs in Iraq, I question, what were the creatives thinking?" said Saraf. Er, what creatives usually think: namely, what is the most efficient and eye-catching way of getting this message through, I reckon. Happy Winterval, people. [MediaGuardian]

Now then, I'm all for snazzy features that may prevent you running down the kids when you return from the Mall's Xmas Meet-n-Greet but, as someone whose last car was an ancient Mercedes 280 SLC bought for $1500, these kind of features leave me a bit cold. [AutoSpies]

The front and rear signal indicators each run on two AA batteries, but we're thinking it's too bad those batteries can't be charged up with a generator from your bicycle's wheel. Anyway, sure, simple forward and rear-facing lights might do the trick, anything that increases visibility couldn't hurt, and if Bicygnals save your life, they might prove themselves well worth their $83 price. [Bicygnals , via The Uber Review and Sci Fi Tech]

Forget inflatable sumo, how about inflatable football?
If you ever wanted to go as the headless giant to a Halloween party, now's the time.
Standard issue for shorter-than-normal club doormen.
Fashion, darling.

The Lifebag costs $1,100 and won't be available in the US until December 2008. [Snowpulse via Cool Hunting]

For an extra £10 ($20.42) a month, you can go to a website that shows you every single place that coat has been. Now available in the UK, it must be targeted at those who place a hefty premium on total safety, control and tracking of their youngsters, because this garment costs £250.00 ($510). Or you could just relax, be a good parent and take care of your kids for free. [Bladerunner, via Ubergizmo]

Examples include a skirt that transforms the wearer into a nondescript vending machine (yes, seriously) and the unfortunately titled Manhole Bag, which converts a lady's handbag into what appears to be a sewer cover with the contents kept safe inside. We think it is a bit ridiculous, but we just can't help thinking that Frucci is cruising the streets as a big red vending machine. Classic Frucci. [Age via Textually]

Joeseph McPhatter of Baltimore, MD, recently was cruising along when he was abruptly cut off and wrecked his motorcycle. Upon crashing, McPhatter was launched over 100 feet at a rate of 140MPH and instantly became the Impact Jacket's first "real world" motorcycle crash test. Medics claim that if McPhatter hadn't been wearing the Impact Jacket, his injuries, which amounted to a few sore ribs, would have been severely worse—if not fatal. Thanks, Impact Jacket! [Baltimore Sun via Core77]

Teen Safe Driver is a camera provided by insurance companies that attaches to the windshield and points right at the driver. Since it can be used to keep people safe by ensuring kids stay off their damned cellphones and keep their illegally purchased beers closed and away until they get to Steve's parents' house, it's free if you live in a number of states, even giving you a healthy 15% discount on your premiums if you use it. It's a win-win for the insurance companies, who save money by not having to pay for car repairs/funerals all while looking like saints who just want to keep the roads safer. And really, who doesn't? I know it sucks, teenagers, but if you could drive without crashing this wouldn't be necessary. You have only yourselves and your still-developing brains to blame. [Yahoo News via Uber Review]

There's a custom-designed lens system for optimal beam quality and seven top-grade LED lights. Its three modes include a low power-consuming emergency mode, which gives you up to two weeks' light using just 0.25W. Using its strongest battery, it will last all night for a month. But is that worth $1,185? Depends how safe you want to be. [Lupine via Book of Joe]

The cost of this limited-edition helmet is $378 ( 189) and it's available in the UK. There, I managed to use the words wood, helmet and head without even the tiniest bit of innuendo. Are you proud of me, or just very disappointed? [Treehugger]

It's suggested that they could be used as shields, but this will only work if you are faster than a moving bullet—there's only one man who is, and he doesn't need to worry about being shot. Perhaps the only way to be truly safe is for kids to climb totally into the bags. The range start from $175, and should calm even the most paranoid parents, if they can get their kids to carry the fugly things, that is. [Popgadget]