The team recovered the hard drives from their battered casings, and unfortunately they didn't boot when inserted into another, less smashed ThnkPad. The data was able to be recovered, and once it was it booted up the laptop fine.

Update: Jeffery let me know that the smashed laptops themselves didn't boot, but as soon as the drives were removed and inserted into another system, they booted up fine. No fancy data recovery required. Not too bad considering they fell hundreds of feet to the ground. [Thanks, Jeffery!]

The Brave New World Lamp, as it has been dubbed, stands at nearly 6-feet tall using a combination of oak and cast iron balancing weights. However, the lamp does not share the same sturdiness as its Far East and medieval counterparts. According to the description, two hands are needed to operate the hinges to ensure stability. You won't have to worry about busting one up anytime soon though—the lamp appears to be a design piece for now. [Moooi via Dezeen via DVICE]

Apparently this design would allow the user to adjust the angle and force in order to precisely hit the plate from a distance. Sure, you would probably waste an entire loaf of bread before you got it right (unless you subscribe to the five second rule), but mixing medieval weaponry and slices of golden brown wheat is always a winner in my book. Besides, we already know that toast can be hurled through the air at a tremendous velocity.[Ivo Vos via Gizmodo UK]

He's modded it to shoot rubber-tipped railway sleepers at criminals. And in spite of the police's stance, the 70-year-old is standing firm. "I'm not out to kill anyone or even hurt them," he says. "I just want to keep yobs off my land."
Signs up at the entrance to Watson-Webb's flooring business warn of the fate that will befall anyone who attempts to get onto the Nottinghamshire property. SmartPoo, it seems, is no laughing matter. "This is a serious issue. People all over Britain are sick and tired of feeling like prisoners in their own homes and seeing yobs get away with it."
After trying just about every security product on the market—fencing, motion-sensor lights and CCTV cameras—the 70-year-old is unrepentant, and has pooh-poohed the attitude of the law. "Maybe the police think I'm joking, but the only people laughing are the criminals. That's why I fully intend to take the law into my own hands." [Daily Mail]

At 1/20th scale, this historic replica trebuchet is built (by you) from about 140 pieces and stands 18 inches tall with an arm that reaches 32 inches at peak. Launching packaged projectiles 40 to 60 feet, we realize that maybe a real trebuchet would have been overkill for our purposes. And this Warwolf may provide just enough kill. We'll keep you apprised on the ensuing war. [product via gizmowatch]

Product Page [Via nerdapproved]

The Office supplies trebuchet [Instructables via ScreenHead]

One of our favorite episodes of Junkyard Wars was the pumpkin-flinging catapult competition so when we saw these functional mini catapult and trebuchet kits we briefly but immediately wished we lived somewhere with a yard big enough to use them—the catapult can hurl things ten feet and the trebuchet twenty, so they wouldn't be much fun in a New York apartment unless you live in an industrial loft or don't mind potentially breaking all your stuff.

The catapult will set you back $19.99 and the trebuchet costs ten bucks more; if you get one or both, send us photos of the mayhem, we like to live vicariously through our readers. In the meantime maybe we'll just get a Monty Python Cow Catapult for fun around Gizmodo HQ.

Catapult and Trebuchet Kits [ThinkGeek, via Uncrate]