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Friday, May 09, 2008

Parkour, First Person View



Link
Scroll down for today's pictures & links.

Parkour, First Person View

Fluid moves, wall-running, crane-jumping - all in the first person parkour game "Mirror's Edge" (more info)



url

Here is your jumping playground -


(image credit: Kotaku)


Today's pictures & links:
Click to enlarge images.

Henk Hofstra "Art–Eggcident".

A bunch of 30-metre wide fried eggs grace Zaailand - one of the Netherland’s largest open squares, in the city of Leeuwarden. This is a creation of (hungry for breakfast) Henk Hofstra (more info)





Henk also created a Blue Road last year:



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Don't spook me, man -



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Beautiful Calligraphy Art

Joris Hoefnagel, "Mira calligraphiae monumenta", 16th century:



See more on this page (scroll down)

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Light Fixtures made from PC hard drives

Aaron Ristau makes them, and a whole wonderful collection of other sculptures from "found objects":





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Chair Appeal


(design by Vladimir Tsesler & Sergei Voichenko)

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Mixed fresh links for today:

Origins of the Exercise Equipment - [fascinating] - via
Sub-Prime Mortgage Crisis Explained - [great comic]
Pink Floyd PC Case Mod - [tech]
Lightning Bolts Strike Erupting Volcano - [super nature]
Outrageously Cool Office Interiors - [architecture]
Goldfish taught to perform tricks - [wow video]
Infrared gallery of PC hardware, camera - [pictures]
Extreme Bike Riding - [cool video]
Unreal Ping Pong Cup Shots, also: Tim Nolan - [wow videos]

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Tricky Balance

Based in San Franscisco, Bill Dan is a master at balancing rocks. See more at this site





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Weird-shaped Japanese Watermelons & Cucumbers - via

It all started with the square watermelons (for more efficient packing and storage) and developed into this:





See more at this page

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Fort Peck Dam Construction & Tunnel Machinery

This site has many vintage photographs of the construction of, what was then, the largest earthen dam in the world in the 1930's at Ft. Peck, MT. Look at some impressive tunnel machinery:





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Be fruitful -


(original unknown)

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Even stranger (smaller) tanks

In addition to this tank, discussed in our recent article:


This is Renault FT-17

There were even stranger and more compact (so small in fact, as to be hardly useful in battle - mostly for training) in German Army in WWII:



We'd like to get more info about the "tank" shown above - and also about these bizarre machines:



Update: "This is the little triple-tracked Killen-Strait tractor, an American derivation. I believe it was supposed to be a wire cutter... but ended up being used mostly for demonstration purposes..." (thanks Bob)




Update: This is a Land-Wasser-Schlepper.... a boat on tank tracks. An amphibious APC designed by the Wehrmacht in 1936, briefly considered for Operation Sealion, then abandoned with the invasion of Russia. It could carry 20 troops and could tow a floating trailer that could accommodate a half-track. The only examples built (about seven) were sent to the Ostfront to be used as transport vehicles, and some of these wound up in Britain where they were tested.





The tracked vehicle with the motorcycle front is NSU Kettenkraftrad from WWII, used for towing ammunition carts, small anti-aircraft guns and cable drums for the engineers. The motorcycle steering is not very effective, so it also features track brakes like a tank.

Kettenkrad on the off-road-course at Beltring 2001. Pictures courtesy of Raimondo Torelli, Naples, Italy. See more here:





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...Internets!!
...Best Evar!



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COMMENTS:

10 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

The tracked vehicle with the motorcycle front is just a WW2 german 'Kleinen ketten kraftrad' or small tracked tractor, used for towing ammunition carts, small anti-aircraft guns and cable drums for the engineers. The motorcycle steering is not very effective, so it also features track brakes like a tank.

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Anonymous LittleInsect said...

The motorcycle with the tracks is an NSU Kettenkraftrad from WWII.

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Anonymous Julians said...

Interesting that the Germans actually pioneered the first "mini" vehicle in the world at that time - did someone say environmentally-conscious Nazis?

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Anonymous Kaisertroll said...

I wouldn't say environmentally conscious seeing how fuel efficient military vehicles are.

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

There are still a few Kettenkrads running... see:
http://www.kettenkrad.de/belt2001e.htm

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

Especially when they tend to DESTROY the environment they are in?

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

The thing in the second picture is a Land-wasser-schlepper, an amphibious APC designed by the Wehrmacht in 1936, briefly considered for Operation Sealion, then abandoned with the invasion of Russia. It could carry 20 troops and could tow a floating trailer that could accomodate a half-track. The only examples built (about seven) were sent to the Ostfront to be used as transport vehicles, and some of these wound up in Britain where they were tested.

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Blogger Avi Abrams said...

Great info... post updated

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Anonymous * Miss Universe said...

That dog just melted our hearts :-)

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Anonymous Andrew Smith said...

I believe the 2nd vehicle is a Belgian Utility Tractor, captured by the Germans in the 1940 campaign and impressed into service.

More here:
http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/bel/Belgium.htm

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Guidelines




  • The one after the Fiat 600 Multipla is not a Fiat 500, but a Fiat 600.
    Fiat 500 had a twin inline engine of 499cm3, 18 bhp.
    600 had a more modern 633 cm3 straight 4 cyl, 21 bhp. The same engine has been produced by Fiat and put in the Fiat Cinquecento (1991-1998) produced by FSM in Poland. It had a different displacement (899 cm3) and EFI for a wow power of 39 bhp.
    The same engine has been used by Autobianchi in the car pictured in the first image of the post, the model A/112. It had a 903 cm3 engine with 45 bhp.
    The same engine in Abarth models used to reach over 110 bhp, for very small and fast machines (Please see models OTR1000 and OTR1000 Radiale)
    Read more

  • These are awesome.

    But you had better not even think of driving them on the Audubon or the LA freeway during peak hours
    Read more

  • The CityEl looks very much like the "Ellert" which was an electric car produced in Denmark in the late 80's

    http://www.ellert.info/ (only link i could find with Ellerts)
    Read more

  • Some of these cars are wonderful! I particularly like the Goggomobil Dart. If they only made 700 of them 40-50 years ago, they must go for a mint, now.

    I swear I saw someone driving an Avion the other day, or something very much like it (and how many types of three-wheel mini-sportscar can there be?). There are enough old people with more money than sense, around here, for it to be possible.
    Read more

  • The Goggomobil in the picture is an Australian bodied Dart made by Buckle Motors, Sydney.

    The Davis Divan isn't a micro car. Being 15' long, 6' wide and about 2400lbs it is about the size of most modern family sedans.
    Read more

  • @ Miss Universe

    why? I don't think they drive pretty fast in rush hours in those places.. And in U.S. of A. the speed limit is 55 mph anyway (correct me if I'm wrong) and e.g. the Fiat 500 could run at 65 mph (I had one that could touch easily 140 Km/h - 87mph, please check it here --> http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2221353/4)
    Read more

  • Does anyone know what the green pickup with the crate in the bed is?
    Read more

  • We had some small cars made in Brazil by Gurgel and Dacon (regional companies) in the 70's and 80's.
    Gurgel XEF
    Gurgel
    Dacon
    Read more

  • Hi, just skimmed through, my toddlers love this site..
    Anyway, you might have missed the Thundersly Invacar, it was a three-wheeler vehicle which was quite common on the UK's road at one time.

    http://www.3wheelers.com/invacar.html
    Read more

  • The CityEl is indeed (pretty much) identical to the original Danish Ellert (correct name: Mini-el), and the German website also acknowledges this.
    Read more

  • How could you miss the Peel P50 the smallest car in the world? 49ccs one door one light (not headlight light period), and no reverse gear.

    Instead of a reverse gear it featured a handle for the driver to drag the car backwards.

    Also in regard to the "Mutt". Mutt was a nickname for the M151. Featuring a short narrow wheelbase and fully independent suspension it was one of the most dangerous vehicles ever built. It would flip over going around a 35mph corner.
    Read more

  • Rayceeya - Peel car is discussed at length in Part 1. Thank you for other info :)
    Read more

  • FYI, Fiat 600 and Zaporozhets are not the same design at all. Only common thing between them is the design principle, but the ZAZ has no common parts with the Fiat. Fiat 600 has a water-cooled inline 4-cylinder engine whereas ZAZ has air-cooled V4 arrangement. There are basically no interchangeable parts between them.

    Oh, and the three-weeled Goliath thing stayed in production in India until 2000 as the Bajaj Hanseat.

    Hope this information is of any use.
    Read more

  • 55mph speed limit in the US? Not since the 70's. It's 70mph on most interstate highways and in Texas we have a few that are 80mph. Up north in Montana there are highways with no speed limit.
    Read more

  • probably, but in any country in peak/rush hour you are parked in a middle of a motorway, you'll never touch those speed.
    Read more

  • @lamberto - anonymous is correct that many rural areas have higher speed limits on the interstates, but most urban interstates and highways have a 55 or lower MPH limit.

    And yeah - in rush hour, there's not too many days when we could even *dream* of hitting that speed :)
    Read more

  • The last one is called L'Oeuf Electrique (French for "The Electric Egg"). I think it was designed by Paul Arzens.

    Anyway, if i were to get one this would be it!!!..

    BTW LOVE this site!!!^_^
    Read more

  • I seem to remember that "The Bond Bug" has been used as a car in the legendary Mr Bean tv-series.

    It has always been used as the car that got ridden off the streets by Mr Beam himself with his little bigger Morris manoeuvring a bit clumsy...

    Anyone remembers? Or was it another three-wheeler?
    Read more

  • anonymous, thank you for solving this. Post updated.
    Read more

  • beautiful, i like it !!!
    Read more

  • Great site, i like this
    Read more

  • For Eric...
    The car that Mr Bean repeatedly shunts is a Reliant Regal Supervan. Here's a link

    http://search.live.com/images/results.aspx?q=mr+bean+reliant&go=&form=QBIR#focal=195c278cccffbfbde6782d7f5dda1704&furl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.imcdb.org%2Fimages%2F007%2F718.jpg

    Cheers
    Read more

  • I used to have a Bond Bug. It was the most exciting car to drive that I've ever had. It would exceed an indicated 85mph if given enough (flat) road.
    Read more

  • Your mystery photo is Johan Lorbeers.

    More info http://damncoolpics.blogspot.com/2008/04/johan-lorbeers-still-life-performance.html
    Read more

  • you can post photos like the strange frog or glamorous insect?? i like it!

    www.ilrolla.blogspot.com
    Read more

  • Heh, that Bruce Willis pic cracked me up. What is the source on that?
    Read more

  • not quite sure... came from email")
    Read more

  • LHC = large hadron collider. LHC collider = PIN number = stupid mistake.
    Read more

  • The Pope's background looks vaguely like cannabis leaves. < <
    Read more

  • real men don´t drink and drive
    Read more

  • ah, the not so distant future.
    Wait, we don't even have flying cars yet. drats.
    Read more