odd look at news on the web
KTM’s flagship electric dual sport is finally street-legal
21 April 2026 @ 4:50 am
It’s been 12 years since KTM first introduced the Freeride E as a proper off-road electric. Come to think of it, KTM can actually be considered one of the pioneers in the electric revolution.Continue ReadingCategory: Motorcycles, TransportTags: KTM, Single-celled blob proves you don't need a brain to learn stuff
21 April 2026 @ 2:02 am
For decades, scientists believed that associative learning – understanding that two events are linked to each other, like a stimulus and a response – required at least some form of neural machinery. But now, a tiny unicellular creature without a trace of gray matter and living at the bottom of ponds may upend this long-held assumption.Continue ReadingCategory: Biology, ScienceTags: 3/4-ounce tiny pod pump airs you up in just over 1 minute
20 April 2026 @ 11:03 pm
A flat single ounce is about as light as electric inflators for camping, backpacking and all-around outdoor fun get at this point in 2026. But that's for a model built to hold its own battery. If you're willing to forego onboard battery capability for an external power source, you can dip well below an ounce into double- or even single-digit gram territory. With its all-new AP01 Nitecore bests itself with a weight of just 0.77-oz (22-g) for a micro-inflator that can fill up a sleeping pad in just over a minute.Continue ReadingEnclosed ebike uses retractable outriggers to keep riders on the upright
20 April 2026 @ 5:00 pm
Fully-enclosed velomobiles may offer weather protection and an aerodynamic advantage over bicycles, but their three wheels do add weight and rolling resistance. The outrigger-equipped Manta ebike, however, takes a unique alternative approach.Continue ReadingCategory: Bicycles, TransportTags: Chainless recumbent ICE trike scraps the links for pedal-by-wire tech
20 April 2026 @ 3:27 pm
For more than 140 years, the bicycle chain has barely changed. Inspired Cycle Engineering (ICE), a UK-based recumbent trike maker founded in 1999, thinks it's finally time. ICE has launched PERS Chainless, a fully electric drivetrain that eliminates the chain, the gear shifter, and essentially every component that can stretch, snap, or get caked in grease. It's a world first for the industry, the company says.Continue ReadingCategory: Is Finland's new car-free bridge the longest of its kind in the world?
20 April 2026 @ 10:57 am
Finland's just inaugurated its longest bridge, and not a single a car or motorcycle will ever be allowed on it.Continue ReadingCategory: Architecture, EngineeringTags: Japanese air-powered pillow has surprising impact on your day
20 April 2026 @ 8:35 am
A one-button self-adjusting pillow that gently shifts your sleep position throughout the night – without waking you – aims to eliminate the health and well-being issues we face as we become increasingly sedentary in bed as we age.Continue ReadingCategory: Consumer Tech, TechnologyTags: Kickstarter, Sleep, Robot smashes human record in half-marathon – as another self-destructed
20 April 2026 @ 4:16 am
The era of us laughing at humanoids playing sport may now be behind us – for the most part – as a field of robots competing in a half marathon in Beijing demonstrated how frighteningly fast the technology has developed in just 12 months. Even if one model had a day to forget, smashing into pieces after tripping at the starting line, the record-setting winner is a sign of things to come.Continue ReadingCategory: AI and Humanoids, Self-improving AI model has people talking – for good reason
20 April 2026 @ 2:03 am
If it feels like AI is developing too fast to keep up with, a group of Chinese researchers have some bad news – because they've developed a model that "evolves" on its own, creating better versions of itself with each self-analytical loop.Continue ReadingCategory: AI and Humanoids, TechnologyTags: Artificial Intelligence, Smart bike helmet buckle wirelessly shares rider info in emergencies
20 April 2026 @ 1:03 am
While there are already bike helmets that provide vital wearer info in the event of a crash, they typically use electronics that must be built into the helmet. A new high-tech buckle, however, can simply be added to any existing helmet.Continue ReadingCategory: Bicycles, TransportTags: