Category Archives: ThinkMachine

Like a gymnasium for your mind ThinkMachine will keep your brain fit, or run it down with a machine.

Automotive, Featured Article

Nissan GT-R50: Godzilla in an Italian Suit…

To celebrate the GT-R’s 50th birthday Nissan and Italdesign have spared no expense in producing an extreme GT-R, this is the GT-R50, Godzilla adorned in a spectacular Italian suit. With only 50 of the GT-R50’s to be produced and starting at $1.4 million dollars this is the fantasy GT-R brought to life.

The birth of the GT-R legend began in 1969 with the first Skyline GT-R, a car that quickly became a racing legend. Not only was the GT-R a legend on the track but it was a supercar that you could live with, a daily driver that combined Japanese reliability, comfort and affordability with levels of performance that could take on any challenger.

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Machine

Russian Nuclear Ice Break Coming Through…

Imagine the surprise on the faces of researches as they worked away in the middle of northern Russia’s frozen wilderness when a giant Ice Breaker cruises by, only meters away. Getting this up close and personal with a 490-foot-long ship while on seemingly solid ice was not on the researcher’s schedule that’s for sure.

Travelling along the Yenisei River in minus 50-degree Celsius temperatures you might not expect to see another living soul, but for this team of adventurers a very large surprise was on the cards. The Taymyr nuclear powered ice breaker is one of the largest in the world with the shallow draft vessel designed to open up frozen rivers exactly as it was on the day. Driver Evgeny Shatalov even got close enough to touch the vessel as it cruised by. Let’s just hope they were on the right side of the ice breaker as there was now a very long, cold and wet hole in the ice behind it.

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Machine, Military

China Steals the March on Rail Gun Technology…

Rail guns are the next generation of military weapon that promise to fire further and faster with zero gunpowder. Using electricity alone these cutting-edge weapons can fire a 17 pound projectile at Mach 7 to strike targets hundreds of miles away. Allowing them to sink battleships, shoot down aircraft and missiles while being virtually unstoppable.

Until recently the US Navy was the only game in town when it came to Rail Gun technology but this weekend pictures emerged of a Chinese naval vessel with what appears to be a kick ass rail gun mounted on the bow. With one picture leaked to the internet the Chinese government has signified that they are a military force not to be trifled with. Has the Chinese navy now stolen the technological lead from the US?

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Machine

Ripsaw EV3-F1, the Unstoppable Sports Utility Tank…

For many years sports utility vehicles hung onto the title of the most obnoxious vehicles on the road but now extreme vehicle manufacturer Howe & Howe have a new contender for the title. Their Ripsaw EV3-F1 sports utility tank is this contender and it has a real shot at becoming the most obnoxious vehicle in the world, and possibly one of the most fun.

With a 1500bhp Hemi under the hood and over a foot of suspension travel this sports utility tank is almost unstoppable. Able to fly through the air and pop a mono on demand this is the type of tank you will take out just to test it on the most extreme terrain, and the Ripsaw will win more often than not.

Presented for your viewing pleasure is the video that will make petrol heads around the world giddy with excitement, and tempted to slam down the half a million dollars just to take the controls. Sit back relax and prepare to be amazed by insane Ripsaw EV3-F1.

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Machine

Heavy Lift Delivery Drones, Taxi Drones, Micro-Drone Swarms and Building a Flying Bathtub…

Drones have created a minor revolution in our skies for photographers and enthusiasts alike, and the revolution has only just begun. With the technology that enables these flying platforms becoming more refined every day the applications are now multiplying.

Delivery drones, taxi drones and swarms of micro drones are fast approaching and then there is the flying bathtub. The creation of a one small band of inventive men who decided to show us all just what is possible with the technology. All of these innovations share the same basic technology that has been perfected on the little camera drones that we all love so much. Stabilisation, control and power advancements have all made small, stable and nimble camera platforms possible and now this technology is being applied to larger platforms. This is the process of scale in action. Presented for your viewing pleasure are some of the more interesting applications for drone technology that are fast approaching.

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Science

Fire in a Bottle, Nitromethane Filmed in Slow Motion.

Fire is one of nature’s most spectacular chemical reactions, a reaction that demonstrates one of the ways that matter can be converted to energy. Containing this reaction within a glass bottle and filming it in slow motion allows this fascinating process to become plainly visible, and it just looks stunning. Humanity has maintained a fascination with fire since we learned to control its properties as cavemen, turning it into a tool that has changed who we are, and created an obsession for many.

The purveyors of slow motion over at Warped Perception share this fascination for fire in their latest video ‘Nitromethane Jet Bottle’, perfectly capturing this hypnotic reaction. As always WP aren’t happy to simply fire off everyday alcohol in a little bottle, no they crank things up to 11 with a massive glass jug and a healthy dose of nitromethane, and it is spectacular. Site back relax and prepare to enjoy a pyromaniac with a slow motion camera capturing the almost alive chemical reaction that is fire.

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Machine

Landing a Boeing 777 in New York, 4K Footage from the Cockpit…

Modern jet airliners have made travel around the world fast and affordable, and at the same time made the world a much smaller place. Seated at the very front of these aircraft the pilots do their jobs without the passengers ever seeing what it takes to safely land one of these carbon fibre and aluminium birds.

Presented for your viewing pleasure is the view from the cockpit as a Boeing 777 is brought in to land at New York’s JFK airport. If you have ever wondered what is happening up front while you are coming in to land this video should be of interest. Sit back, relax and remember to fasten your seat belt and put your seat in the upright position.

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Automotive, Science

Norway’s Auto Dimming Street Lights, Street Lights Just Got a Little Smarter…

Highway 155 in Norway is the site of a very interesting experiment being conducted by the Norwegian government. 220 light poles have been fitting with technology that will allow them to automatically dim at night when no cars are on the nearby road. This 9.5 km stretch of highway is now one of the first smart highways in the world.

Bjørn Nyland was so fascinated by the project that he ventured down to this little stretch of highway near the Norwegian town of Hole to shoot a video of the street lights in action, and it turns out to be fascinating.

Each of the auto dimming light poles is fitted with radar and LED lights. When they sense that there is no traffic around they dim to 20%. When traffic is present they switch back to 100% brightness, they’re even smart enough to communicate with each other allowing them to switch up well in advance of the oncoming traffic. This one small change is estimated to save 2,100 kWH of power a week, enough to pay for the extra technology in 4.5 years.

Presented for your viewing pleasure is Bjørn’s video documenting the lights in action. An interesting perspective of the smart street lights of the future in action today. Sit back relax and prepare to drive down the highway of the future today.

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Science

SpaceX Falcon Heavy Drone Fly By…

Elon Musk’s rocket company SpaceX has released a spectacular video of their brand-new rocket the Falcon Heavy on the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center. Scheduled for launch on the 31st of January 2018 this is the first time the Falcon Heavy has been fired up and should prove the technology has what it takes to take payloads all the way to Mars.

The most powerful launch vehicle since America went to the moon on the Saturn V Apollo rockets the Falcon Heavy first stage rockets produce over 5 million pounds of thrust and can carry 63,800 kilograms of payload into low earth orbit, or 16,800 kilograms to Mars. While the Space Shuttle did technically produce more thrust with the 3 liquid engines producing over 3.54 million pounds of thrust and the two solid boosters providing 5.6 million pounds of thrust the payload that it could lift into orbit was only 27,500 kilograms.

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Automotive, Funny

Mechanical Problems Mega Mix…

The automobile is without a doubt one of the most influential inventions of the modern era. Enabling travel and transportation of goods it has mobilised the entire world but these complex machines need to be maintained otherwise mechanical problems may ensue.

The men and women that we entrust with maintaining our wheels are witness to these mechanical problems, and from time to time they are asked to fix problems so extreme that they are left shaking their heads and reaching for their phone to record the situation. Treat your car badly and it may just end up being part of the mechanical problem mega mix.

Presented for your viewing pleasure are some of the most extreme mechanical issues encountered by the mechanics entrusted with fixing our cars. Problems so extreme that they needed to be recorded for posterity. Sit back relax and prepare to be amazed by the worst mechanical problems captured during 2017.

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Amazing Footage, Science

Lightning from Above, Spectacular Sights at 40,000 Feet…

From our normal vantage point on the ground thunderstorms put on an amazing show but change your angle of perspective by 40,000 feet and these electrical discharges become spectacular. Filmed from the relative safety of a commercial airplane these thunder clouds can be seen to light up with lightning spreading throughout the cloud. Remember most of these cumulus congestus clouds are over 10 kilometres high and these flashes are spreading from the top to bottom in the blink of an eye.

Presented for your viewing pleasure are the best videos capturing thunderstorms from above, as the pilots of these aircraft skirt around the edges of these unstable areas of the atmosphere. Sit back relax and from the safety of your lounge room chair enjoy these electrifying natural displays.

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Amazing Footage, Science

Watching Soap Bubbles Freeze, Fascinating…

Blowing bubbles is a childhood pastime that almost everyone has enjoyed but it is a pastime that becomes truly stunning when enjoyed in freezing temperatures. Once the temperature outside dips below freezing the bubbles will lose their ability to be carried away on a breeze and instead slowly convert to a spherical icicle.

The process of this conversion is visually stunning as you watch ice crystals forming and growing with the soapy bubble becoming frozen. Ice crystals are usually elusive creatures and typically the process of their formation and growth is hidden from our eyes but through the magic of bubbles you can easily see this process in action.

Presented for your viewing pleasure are the videos capturing this process in action. Having endured freezing temperatures these videographers captured one of nature’s incredible moments as liquid is transformed into a solid. Sit back relax and prepare to be amazed by bubbles.

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Science

China’s New Solar Expressway…

With over 64 million kilometres of roads and highways in the world these ribbons of black seem like a logical place to start when converting the world to renewable energy. But while it may sound like a simple idea there are many engineering challenges to tackle before cars and trucks can roll down solar highways.

Engineers in China have decided that a good idea is a good idea and have begun construction of the world’s first solar expressway by converting 2 kilometres of the Jinan South Ring Expressway into a PV electricity generating expressway. Smaller solar roads have already been tested in France and within Jian South city centre itself but this is the first expressway or highway.

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Automotive, Gadgets, Shocking

Keyless Unlawful Entry, Stealing Cars using a Key Relay Device…

Law enforcement officials around the world are constantly facing new challenges when it comes to unscrupulous individuals taking other people’s stuff. The latest challenge for police is the Key Relay Deice that can be used to steal your car by transmitting its fob signal to open and start the car with almost no effort.

Security experts have been aware of the Key Relay Devices since 2011 but in recent years their use has become more wide spread. As you will see from the video below thieves using a key relay device are able to simply stand within the transmission range of your key fob and using a relay transmitter send the signal to another relay device held near your car and hey presto your car is opened. This isn’t a security flaw but a natural by-product of cars using a proximity sensor to unlock the car, if you must press an open the doors button on your fob your car isn’t susceptible to this attack.

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Military, Mystery, Science

Diplomatic Warfare: The Mysterious Beam Weapon Attacks on the US Embassy in Cuba…

There is a high-tech case of cloak and dagger unfolding just off the shores of the US. A mysterious attack is being executed against the American Embassy in Cuba and for the past year no-one has been unable to explain who, how or why this is occurring.

This tale of highly strange diplomatic warfare begins in late 2016 with US intelligence operatives based in Havana reporting hearing bizarre buzzing noises that are quickly followed by nausea, dizziness, memory loss and head-aches. Medical tests conducted by doctors at the University of Miami and the University of Pennsylvania found the attacks have left brain tissue damaged in many victims.

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Science

Asteroid 1I/2017 U1 Oumuamau: Asteroid or Kick Ass Alien Space Ship?

Space, the final frontier may seem to be a vast empty void but that may just be a perception driven but how little we know. In October the modern world had its first encounter with an object from interstellar space and it was not what we expected.

Discovered by the Robert Weryk using the Pan-STARRS observatory (University of Hawaii) Asteroid 1I/2017 U1 is one very interesting interstellar visitor and it attracted so much attention that it was given another name ‘Oumuamau’, pronounced oʊˈmuːəˈmuːə which is a Hawaiian term meaning ‘scout or messenger sent from afar’.

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Cool, Funny, Machine

Atlas Does Robotic Back-flips…

Boston Dynamics have been beavering away feverishly in their labs to produce their very own Terminator replicant, and they have definitely made progress over the last year. Atlas is the designated title for this mechanised humanoid and in the last month they have taught this autonotom to do back-flips. Soon their terminator will be taking over the world with its impressive gymnastic skills.

Presented for your viewing pleasure is Atlas leaping, jumping and performing a back flip. Here at Highpants we just love his little ‘arms in the air’ celebratory gesture. Sit back relax and prepare to be amazed, and a little creeped out, by the future of robotics.

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Cloud, Science

Blockchains Explained: Information Storage for the Digital Age…

In this digital internet connected age being able securely store information has never been more important and it has never been more difficult with hacking, digital copies and high-tech crime being rampant. Being able to hold and securely maintain trusted information is a major concern and one that can no longer be addressed through the old techniques which are all descended from writing an entry in a book and blindly trusting third parties.

As the Bitcoin revolution rolls on Blockchain technology that allows this virtual currency to operate securely is the answer to these issues. Blockchain is transforming the traditional ways of storing trusted information and knowledge, removing the requirement to trust institutions and replacing the middle man with a secure and unchangeable system. This is information storage for the digital age, this is the blockchain.

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