odd look at news on the web
Triumph builds on small-bike success with Thruxton and Tracker 400
23 December 2025 @ 9:17 am
When Triumph released its first-ever 400cc motorcycles last year – the Speed 400 and Scram 400 – very few people would have foreseen the success that followed. Many at the time termed them as the most value-for-money motorcycles on the market, and it seems like the bikemaker has taken note of that success.Continue ReadingCategory: Motorcycles, TransportTags: US proposes return of the battleship with Trump-class warships
23 December 2025 @ 2:46 am
The end of the Age of the Battleship appears to have been called prematurely as the Trump administration, as part of its Golden Fleet US Navy reform, says it is reviving the giant battlewagons in the form of 35,000-tonne Trump-class battleships.Continue ReadingCategory: Military, TechnologyTags: Ships, US NavyOne-of-a-kind trimaran is set to be pedaled around the world
22 December 2025 @ 11:30 pm
Back in 2009, a friend bet British cyclist Paul Spencer that he couldn't ride his bike the length of the British Isles in less than a week. Spencer took up the challenge, and completed the route – from Land's End in England to John O’ Groats village in Scotland – in just four days.Continue ReadingCategory: Marine, TransportTags: Pedaling, Bike-towed nano teardrop camper loads up options like a full-size RV
22 December 2025 @ 10:05 pm
After several busy years of ebike and bicycle camper debuts, the segment really seemed to slow down in 2025. In fact, we only saw one new bicycle camper debut this year, in the form of the truly one-of-a-kind Spacecamper e-cargo-integrated nano-motorhome. Before the year officially twilights, though, one more bike camper has emerged and grabbed our attention. And it's the one that bears the closest resemblance to a full-on automobile teardrop. The Bike Camper from France's Nirvana Van can be left a basic empty shell or optioned up with kitchen equipment, solar-charged battery, windows and awning.161-sq-ft tiny house delivers small living at an affordable price
22 December 2025 @ 2:01 pm
Many of the tiny houses we see nowadays can actually be surprisingly expensive and quite spacious, with some even suitable for raising a family. However, the Ambra focuses on the basics and delivers a genuinely small, affordable home for up to two people.Continue ReadingCategory: Tiny Houses, OutdoorsTags: Building and Construction, Travel gadget promises to dry and iron your clothes – hands-free
22 December 2025 @ 8:47 am
I haven't tried this product, but even through a screen, it looks like a remarkable little travel accessory for busy businesspeople.Continue ReadingCategory: Consumer Tech, TechnologyTags: Gadgets, Travel, Long-term aspartame intake sabotages brain and heart function
22 December 2025 @ 6:02 am
In the first long-term and real-world reflective study of its kind, scientists have uncovered new detrimental health impacts of the artificial sweetener aspartame that echoes those found in shorter research.Continue ReadingCategory: Diet & Nutrition, Wellness and Healthy Living, Body and MindTags: ArtifI'm lazy, practical, and cheap – Smartwings automated blinds review
21 December 2025 @ 8:01 pm
I never once dreamed of having automated blinds until one day when Smartwings reached out for a review. I was hesitant at first because I live in a rental, but then I thought I'd for sure get my deposit back when we eventually move out after an upgrade like automatic shades, right?Continue ReadingCategory: Around The Home, LifestyleTags: Smart windows, 5,200 holes carved into a Peruvian mountain left by an ancient economy
21 December 2025 @ 5:03 pm
For nearly a century, a strange band of thousands of holes carved into a Peruvian hillside has defied explanation. Stretching for nearly a mile (1.5 km) along the edge of the Pisco Valley, Monte Sierpe – "serpent mountain" appears to be a deliberate, repetitive and almost mathematical feature – but its real purpose has so far eluded scientists.Continue ReadingCategory: Environment, ScienceTags: University of Sydney, Pilotless eVTOL soars the sky on its way to first-ever certification
21 December 2025 @ 2:03 pm
Boeing subsidiary Wisk Aero's Generation 6 eVTOL aircraft has completed its historic maiden flight. On December 16, 2025 at 12:26 pm PST, the autonomous passenger carrier lifted off from the Wisk flight test facility at Hollister, California.Continue ReadingCategory: Aircraft, TransportTags: Boeing, Wisk,