Gizmodo: world records

On Foot Watch Tells Time In World Records

Sean Fallon — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:20:00 EDT

If you are Usain Bolt, the On Foot watch would be a constant reminder of your accomplishments. If you are, well...you, the On Foot watch would be a constant reminder of your physical inferiority.

You see, the face of the watch features the world record times for running at various distances:

The outer arc shows records of less than 60 seconds: 100m, 200m and 400m. The two inner arcs align with the minute and hour hand respectively, for records of under and over one hour, showing distances from 800 metres all the way up to 100km.

Designed for Mr Jones Watches, the On Foot is intended to serve as an inspiration to the wearer—to "make and break records." Unfortunately, we are probably more about records of the "most bacon eaten in an hour" or "WOW endurance" variety. [Mr Jones via MocoLoco via DVICE]

Hobbyist Building World's Fastest Car Out of a Fighter Jet

Adam Frucci — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:40:00 EDT

Your hobby sucks compared to Ed Shadle's; in his free time, he's converting an old fighter jet into a land vehicle capable of going 800MPH.

Yep, 10 years ago he managed to buy a Lockheed F-104 Starfighter for $25,000, and he and his buddies have spent the years since turning it into the world's fastest hot rod.

The goal is to break the land speed record last year, shooing for 800MPH. He's got competition from more professional and better-funded groups, but come on. We've got to pull for the most extreme garage tinkerer in the country. Kick some ass, Ed! [NY Times

World's Longest Ringtone Clocks In at Over an Hour

Elaine Chow — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 23:45:53 EDT

For those of you who love to let your cellphones ring incessantly, never bothering to pick it up or let it go to voicemail, here's the world's longest mobile phone ringtone. The ringtone, supplied by Japanese company Dwango, lasts 61 minutes and 40 seconds and will be submitted for inclusion in the Guinness Book of Records. [PlusD via Textually]

High-Flying Solar Power Zephyr Glider Breaks Own World Record With 3.5 Day Flight

Jack Loftus — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:00:00 EDT

Last we heard from the U.K.'s high altitude Zephyr glider, it was unofficially breaking the record for longest unmanned flight. That was back in 2007, when the record was a paltry 30 hours, and the Zephyr was able to manage a 54 hour flight, thanks to its solar powered batteries. On Friday, the Zephyr flew that and them some when it completed an 84-hour flight without issue. Military types are no doubt licking their lips at the news, as the plane was designed to support troops in the field with continuous surveillance and communication support from its perch on high at 60,000 ft. [Telegraph]

Firefox Claims World Download Record (No One Disputes It)

Benny Goldman — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:30:00 EDT

Mazel tov, Mozilla, for claiming the Guinness world record for most downloaded software in a 24-hour period after 8 million of your minions snagged Firefox 3 on launch day. It's not that big of a feat considering you took the record from absolutely no one, but you sure set the bar pretty high for anyone planning on breaking it. [Firefox via Reuters]

Guru Disciples Build Giant Pencil, Call It 'World's Largest'

Charlie White — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 12:45:00 EDT

Now that pencils are finding their way into obscurity, here's a divinely inspired team of craftsmen who decided to construct a gigantic memorial to the obsolete writing utensil, calling it "the world's largest pencil." But wait a minute here. Suspiciously missing are the dimensions of this construction project, but you can see and hear a guy calling out a number, "76, 2 and three-quarters." We got even more curious when we saw that it's commemorating the 76th birthday of Sri Chinmoy, the religious space cadet who claimed to have lifted 7000 pounds with one arm.

So if that's the "world's largest" pencil, it must beat this 65-foot whopper made by Faber-Castell, ensconced at the company's headquarters in Malaysia. Rather than a tree painted yellow, this one has polymer lead running inside the full length of the pencil and took 7,000 man-hours to build. It's actually listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest. Maybe it's time to change the record books...?

We're wondering why the Guru Chinmoy didn't go ahead and lift that "world's largest pencil" with one arm. [Tech E Blog and Faber-Castell]