odd look at news on the web
Launch mishap may knock Russia out of astronaut launches for years
1 December 2025 @ 1:25 am
Russia has suffered a major setback after the launch of its Soyuz MS-28 mission ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) caused severe damage to the country's only pad capable of handling crewed boosters.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, ScienceTags: Roscosmos, NASA, Soyuz, Sub-30-lb rooftop tent slashes price & boosts car camping convenience
30 November 2025 @ 10:04 pm
So many rooftop tents on the market weigh well over 100 lb (45 kg), with the heaviest pushing 300 lb (135 kg). The all-new Weekend from Danish camping goods company Groenberg shatters that mold and weighs in at a fraction of those figures. And for a limited time, it also prices in at a fraction of the competition, running closer to traditional ground tent pricing. Could this be the attainable, easy-to-use rooftop tent the market has been begging for?Continue ReadingCategory: Solar-powered floating airports: The missing link for air taxis?
30 November 2025 @ 8:03 pm
Air taxis might be the next big thing but they can't get very big if there's no place for them to land. AutoFlight Aviation Technology is developing a vertiport that's essentially a solar-powered barge that can go where it's needed – water permitting.Continue ReadingCategory: Aircraft, TransportTags: eVTOL, Autoflight, Tuneable perovskite: A breakthrough in low-cost solar and laser materials
30 November 2025 @ 6:03 pm
Perovskites may sound like perogies or piroshkis, but no high-carb-cheese-and-potato-flavor-pocket can do what they do. They’re minerals that can do the same party trick as many of your favorite childhood toys and models (such as the classic AMT Interplanetary UFO Mystery Ship; oh, how I miss you) and teenage trinkets such as glowsticks and “neon” rave necklaces: that is, they absorb and emit light.Continue ReadingCategory: Energy, DragonFire laser weapon takes down high-speed drones
30 November 2025 @ 4:03 pm
Britain's DragonFire laser weapon upped the ante on November 20 at the Ministry of Defence's Hebrides Range in Scotland when the high-powered, solid-state laser for the Royal Navy shot down drones flying at 351 knots (404 mph, 650 km/h).Continue ReadingCategory: Military, TechnologyTags: Royal Navy, Laser weaponTiny house sauna lets you get your sweat on wherever you can park it
30 November 2025 @ 1:03 pm
The tiny house movement has never just been about, well, houses, and it has produced all kinds of weird and wonderful structures on wheels – everything from a pub to a wedding chapel, an office and more. This example provides a hot and steamy take on small living with a sauna that seats up to six people.Continue ReadingCategory: Tiny Houses, OutdoorsTags: Fluoride and the brain: Largest US study ever unearths surprise new link
30 November 2025 @ 12:03 pm
In the first US study looking at whether the recommended fluoride levels in drinking water affects brain function, researchers have found that the hot-button mineral has no negative impacts on cognition – and may actually be giving it a boost.Continue ReadingCategory: Wellness and Healthy Living, Body and MindTags: UniverNew tech pulls lithium from dead batteries cheaper than you can buy it
30 November 2025 @ 9:03 am
While lithium extraction technologies generally focus on ways to get the essential metal out of the ground, there's another source to mine: existing batteries that no longer work. A new technique could now make that process economically viable.Continue ReadingCategory: Energy, TechnologyTags: Lithium-ion, Best multitools of 2025: Revamped Leathermans to Swiss Army skeletons
30 November 2025 @ 2:04 am
After a rather slow year in multitools that saw us bring knives into the mix in 2024, 2025 saw more multitool debuts than we could keep up with. Many of them were rather underwhelming – limited utility, weird forms, copycats and other subpar debuts – but a few stood tall above the pack.Continue ReadingCategory: Knives and Multitools, Gear, OutdoorsTags: This clever sticker printer for kids is AI hardware I can get behind
30 November 2025 @ 12:03 am
I've been skeptical about a lot of AI-first gadgets over the last couple of years – the Rabbit R1 and the Humane Pin come to mind – mostly because they promise too much and either underdeliver or fail spectacularly. There's a lot AI can do well, and maybe at this point what we need are more singularly focused products... Like this tiny device aimed at helping kids explore their creativity.Continue Reading