X-prize founder Peter Diamandis is developing The Rocket Racing League, an aerospace and entertainment organization that will host Nascar-style rocket racing in three-dimensional tracks in the sky. [via TED blog]
I was up in San Francisco today for the Red Bull Air Race, and Blue Angels exhibition. Someday soon I hope to have the capability to post video on the site - I captured some good footage, but in the meantime here’s some YouTube footage of a prior Air Race.
The Red Bull Air Race is really an amazing experience to watch live, and an incredible and very innovative brand building effort. The Jumbo-Trons, soundtrack, and commentary really add to the experience. They also had booths where you could play flight simulators, so you can experience the thrill of piloting a high performance aircraft through a Red Bull race course.
Something I’ve been thinking about for quite some time is the potential to assist brands create innovative branded entertainment at live events. For example, at hockey or arena football games etc., they have the dance cam, a half-time show etc., and I think there’s a lot of untapped potential here. For example, imagine seeing this girl and other circus de soleil caliber performers at basketball game halftimes, as a show presented by [choose your brand]. Or, there could be a team of fans playing against a “professional” team (of women in bikinis) in bouncy bounce volleyball, as a competition presented by [choose your beer]! Remember closely following the Bud Bowl during Super Bowl game commercial breaks? Now imagine watching during halftime — instead of generic commercials — real live branded entertainment from the venue! It would be great for brands and fans and sports franchises.
In 2002, Beijing University developed a Bamboo material that can be used to make clothing, which is starting to gain traction in the marketplace, given its superior qualities, including softness, biodegradability, and antibacterial properties. A pioneering bamboo apparel company is Bamboo Clothing, which utilizes bamboo grown without pesticides or fertilizer.
[via Trend Hunter and Evan Orensten]
Hennessy Hammock has reinvented the conventional hammock and has four patents granted and three patents pending on its revolutionary design. The hammock has an entrance through the bottom that automatically shuts after you’re safely inside, and allows for easy entrances and exits without tipping. The hammock supports your lower back via its patented asymmetrical shape, a typical problem with conventional hammocks. In addition, the hammock has a shelter-cover to provide a wind-proof, bug-proof, and waterproof environment. The hammock is lightweight, and can also be used as a tent, or lounger. [thanks, jeremy lyon]
The 7 star, uber-luxurious Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai is known for going the extra mile to delight guests. The Hotel converted its heliport into the world’s highest tennis court for Andre Agassi and Roger Federer, who were in Dubai for the Dubai Duty Free Men’s Open.
Nike and Apple announced today a partnership to produce smart shoes that send data to an Apple iPod via a wireless system called Nike+iPod (appropriately). Expected to retail for about $29, the Nike+iPod Sports Kit will be able to give runners data about time, distance, pace and calories burned through the earphones of a nano version of the iPod via a sensor in the insole of special shoes that communicate with the digital music player.
A 2002 deal between Nike and the Netherlands’ Philips Electronics NV that resulted in an mp3 player that tracked time and distance fizzled, because of differences in the two companies’ target consumers, according to Nike VP Trevor Edwards.
[via Reuters]
Summertime is nearly here, so check out this awesome flying tube! Retail: $599.95 (ski boat not included).
For a video demonstration, click here.
[via]
Sensatex, a textile engineering company, is developing a smart shirt system, a wearable, and fully washable shirt with a seamlessly integrated biometric monitoring and physiological information aggregation and broadcast platform, which allows for remote monitoring of data, including heart rate, respiration and body temperature. The shirt has a number of applications, including monitoring athletic performance for athletic training, home health monitoring for the elderly, remote monitoring for first responders, hazard materials workers, and soldiers in the field, and watching professional truck drivers’ vital signs to alert them of fatigue. The company has funding from DARPA.
[thanks, Oliver Starr]
Ski Dubai, an awesome indoor ski mountain located in the scorching desert of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, opened in December 2005. The building is 25 stories high and has 22,500 square meters (about 3 football fields) consisting of two Alpine restaurants, five ski slopes, a snowboard run, and a children’s ice palace. Ski Dubai accommodates a limited 1,500 guests, so the lift lines aren’t too long!
Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas will be the largest cruise ship in the world, when it launches in May, 2006. The ship will serve a whopping 3,800 guests. In addition to a rock climbing wall, an ice skating rink, a spa, shops, and several restaurants, the ship will have the world’s first floating FlowRider, which is built by Wave Loch Inc. of La Jolla. The FlowRider, a recent innovation in water park technology, simulates a wave by passing 30,000 gallons of water over the ride surface. Check out Freedom’s website – it’s a fantastic example of Flash technology – the animated interface is extraordinarily compelling.
