Google’s been hard at work over the past 18 months on something not many of us have been paying attention to lately: art. Specifically, the search giant has hooked up with 17 art museums around the world to offer tours of their internal galleries, using its familiar Street View tricycles, while also doing high-res images of 1,061 artworks that may be viewed on the newly launched Art Project web portal. Also there, you will find 17 special gigapixel images — 7,000-megapixel versions of each participating venue’s proudest possession. The resulting level of detail is nothing short of astounding.

Radial Engines

Radial engines are used in aircrafts having propeller connected to the shaft delivering power in order to produce thrust its basic mechanism is as follows

Steam engine Principle

Steam engine once used in locomotives was based on the reciprocating principle as shown below

Sewing Machine

Maltese Cross Mechanism

this type of mechanism is used in clocks to power the second hand movement.

Manual Transmission Mechanism

The mechanism also called as “stick shift” is used in cars to change gears mannually

Constant Velocity Joint

This mechanism is used in the front wheel drive cars

Torpedo-Boat destroyer System

This system is used to destroy fleet in naval military operations.

Rotary Engine

Also called as Wankel engine is a type of internal combustion engine has a unique design that converts pressure into rotating motion instead of reciprocating pistons

Parking your two-wheeler in a shady neighborhood, but left your secondary lock at home? No problem — to protect your wheels, just bend your bike around a nearby post and thread your U-lock through the whole kit at once. That’s the idea behind UK designer Kevin Scott’s folding bicycle, which is rigid enough to freely ride, but releases its flexible ratcheting mechanism when you push a lever on the side. The design won the 21-year-old student £500 at the New Designers exhibition in London this week. He’s presently looking for partners to help commercialize the concept, which looks more practical than some, so we expect it’ll be only a few years before you’ll see his creation zipping down the street. One question, though — why not go the whole nine yards and give it a built-in lock, too?

Judging by the fact that our lovely planet is home to the Libretto W100, the Kno, Onkyo DX and oodles of prototypes that utilize twin panels rather than a panel and a keyboard, Sharp’s newest microchip is likely to draw some serious industry attention. Improving on an idea that began in 2008, the company has recently shown off a new chip (dubbed LR388G9) that can control two mobile LCDs and can simultaneously display a pair of different 1,024 x 480 pixel clips on a pair of screens; moreover, it can output full 1080p to any source connected via HDMI. Since ‘08, Sharp has increased memory capacity from 16Mbits to 32Mbits while boosting the image processing speed, and the company now intends to hawk this new guy to outfits who manufacture smartphones, e-readers, digital photo frames and even netbooks. If all goes well, the chip will ship within a 261-pin WFBGA package this September, with volume pricing pegged at around ¥2,400 ($27).

So you got an iPad. Big deal, other one million of so people have one, nothing different about yours. That’s why it might be a good idea to make it stand out from others. One way is to get it laser etched, but this is like putting a signature on a book, not outstanding, plus if the message is stupid you won’t get to sell it later when you want to upgrade. So the best way to make your iPad look better is to get a cool iPad case, one that says something about you, not about Steve Jobs, if you catch my point.

This post will try and show you some of the interesting mass produced iPad cases that are cool, so don’t jump on me if you saw some home made or very limited edition case that didn’t make it in this top. Of course I’m open to suggestions so if you know of a nice out of ordinary iPad case let me know in the comments form below so I can check it out and put it here, where it belongs. Read on to see what Cool iPad cases I’ve found for you:

Marware Eco-Envy – 69.99$

This is one case that shocks when you get your iPad out of it. It’s not a Manila envelope but a stylish case in form of a letter. Now, don’t think that if the case is odd looking is not that good. Contrary, the Marware Eco-Envi is really a premium case made from eco-leather that’s friendly to the environment, with fleece interior and features also a clear screen protector. It’s the cool iPad case to buy, if you ask me.

Marware Eco-Envi

E-volve reversible neoprene sleeve case cover – 17.99$

This is more like socks for your iPad. This is what makes is even better, plus the custom design that makes it really stand out. Besides looks, it is suitable to absorb day to day wear and tear whilst in transit and is suitable also for up to 8.9 inch netbooks, so you get some flexibility. The E-volve reversible neoprene sleeve comes in five main colors: orange, red, blue, gray and pink, so you can get the one that appeals to you most. Price is really low, so what more can you ask for?

E-volve reversible neoprene sleeve case cover

KingCase iPad Hard Case – 24.99$

KingCase is not actually a case, but a series (that’s nice) so there are plenty of models to choose from:Zebra Skin, Plaid Pattern Pink, Plaid Patter Beige,  Plaid Pattern Blue, Sequin Sparkle and Alligator Skin. Design is not all about the KingCase iPad specially made Hard case, but also it does not interfere with any controls or functions, plus protects from scratches. Lifetime replacement guarantee is also something you might want to look into.

KingCase iPad Hard Case

Maple Wood Grain Pattern Skin – 33$

This is one hell of an iPad protective carrying skin: it emulates a wooden surface for your iPad, making it the exact opposite of its normal modern design. It might not be on everyone’s taste but the Maple Wood Grain Pattern skin is sure different. Don’t be fooled by the name, it’s not made from wodd, but fromhigh quality vinyl that also protects from scratches. The skin is made from two parts that are glued with not permanent adhesive and doesn’t cover the screen or ports, so you can rest assured your iPad will ’suffer’ only a makeover.

Maple Wood Grain Pattern Skin

Hard Candy Cases Bubble Sleeve – 49.95$

This is one odd looking carrying case/sleeve, as it feature a bubble design of the other shell that has an aesthetic role and also protective one, because the semi spheres are filled with gel and can absorb impacts with the floor pretty well. As with many cool iPad cases, this one can be bought in a few color variants: Green, Pink and Black. Due to the complex protective casing, the Hard Candy is pretty expensive, but is worth every penny.

Hard Candy Cases Bubble Sleeve

Those are some of the best cool iPad cases I could find, but I’m searching on, so expect this article to be updated more often. Below there’s a list with other recommended articles.

Taking advantage of the motorists stopping at traffic lights, a group of cyclists has spilled a few gallons of paint right in the middle of Rosenthaler Platz in Berlin, . The origins of action are still unknown, but the patterns are awesome here are some pictures …

1. The Iceberg Lettuce Safe

Via Bim Bam Banana: $99

“Thieves will never dream of looking in this head of Iceberg Lettuce for valuables! Place this realistic head of Iceberg Lettuce in your refrigerator in the vegetable compartment with your most valuable small items inside for safe-keeping. The bottom snaps off to reveal a secret hiding place.”

2. Fake Wall Outlet Safe

Via Amazon: $5.99-$12.99

“A truly ingenious idea! A hidden diversion safe that’s made out of a regular plug outlet. This wall socket safe looks just like the rest of the plugs that are already installed in your home. Except this one can hide money, jewelry, or other small valuables that you don’t want a thief to find. Very easy installation and anyone can do it. The wall socket safe comes with a template, saw, and a key.”

3. The Bread Safe

Via Bim Bam Banana: $79

“Place this realistic round bread on your table or in your bread box with your most valuable small items inside for safe-keeping… BREAD SAFE is made to look like the actual product, but it’s a container safe. Without so much as a seam. The bottom snaps off to reveal a secret hiding place.”

4. Candle Safe

Via Amazon: $34.99

“Our Candle safes work on a very simple concept, hide your possessions where nobody would think to look. Each Diversion safe is made of an authentic candle so the safe appears to be just that. The candle safes are made of 100% candle wax. Nobody would ever suspect the candle sitting on your table is actually holding your most prized possessions.”

5. Surge Protector Safe

Via Amazon: $19.75

“This unique “safe” allows you to hide your valuables discreetly inside what looks just like a surge protector… Although it is not a working surge protector, it does have an on/off switch which glows red just like a real one (requires two AA batteries that are included). Also, you can plug up to six cords into the surge protector and then plug it into a wall outlet (no danger – no electrical current will enter the unit) in order to add to the realism.”

6. Closet Light Safe

Via Amazon: $14.99

“With this product you can hide your valuables in what looks like an ordinary working closet light – the last place a thief would think to look. This safe has a unique twist lock that locks the top and bottom of the safe together. The closet light is 8 inches in diameter and 3 inches thick…The closet light is a real light and requires three AA batteries that are not included.”

7. The Dirty Underwear “Brief Safe”

Via Amazon: $12.99

“The “Brief Safe” is an innovative diversion safe that can secure your cash, documents, and other small valuables from inquisitive eyes and thieving hands, both at home and when you’re traveling… Leave the “Brief Safe” in plain view in your laundry basket or washing machine at home, or in your suitcase in a hotel room – even the most hardened burgler or most curious snoop will “skid” to a screeching halt as soon as they see them. (Wouldn’t you?)”

8. Hidden Pillow Safe

Via Amazon: $29.35

“This unique safe allows you to hide your valuables discreetly inside a couch pillow – one of the last places a thief would think to look… With the Hidden Safe Pillow you get a huge 5 inch x 4 inch diameter area for hiding jewelry cash passports and more. The 16 inch x 6.5 inch pillow has an attractive Damask cover that matches any decor.”

9. Wall Clock Hidden Safe

Via Amazon: $15.99

“Sleek silver clock matches any décor and although this may look like an ordinary clock it has a secret hidden compartment where you can hide your valuables. With a simple hinged design it is the perfect hiding place for jewelry, cash & more.”

10. Aqua Net Safe!!!

Via Amazon: $19.99

Okay, so you’ve probably seen this one before but I couldn’t including it – I use this EXACT hair spray! How do you think I get my ‘hawk up?

Microsoft releases Windows 7 Touch Pack to the general public –  free for download.

The Touch Pack includes:
Microsoft Blackboard, an intricate game of physics in which you solve a puzzle by creating a fanciful machine on a blackboard.

Microsoft Garden Pond, a tranquil game that takes place in serene Japanese water gardens.

Microsoft Rebound, a game in which you use your fingertips to control Tesla spheres with an electrical field between them to catapult a metal game ball into your opponent’s goal.

Microsoft Surface Globe, a program that you can use to explore the earth as a flat 2-D map or as an immersive 3-D experience.

Microsoft Surface Collage, a program that you can use to explore and interact with your photos and arrange them as a desktop background.

Microsoft Surface Lagoon, a screen saver and interactive water simulation, complete with a meditative rock arrangement and playful, shy fish.

If anything from the above sounds interesting and right for you touch enabled PC, follow the download link to Microsoft’s Windows 7 Touch Pack (size 239MB).

Here is something for the skiing fans out there. Nostalgic for those snow covered slopes? no fear – here is something that will keep you “cool” till the winter.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqu9NuINKbc

• Custom Winscape software with configurable screen parameters
• Two HD plasma displays for great contrast and wide viewing angles
• Video playback resolution of 1920x1080 with sound
• Still-image resolution of 4096x4096
• Fully embedded in the wall for aesthetics and silent operation
• Tracking of one person in the room for proper perspective presentation
• Scheduled on/off
• iPhone and web control of sleep/wake/scene selection

source -- rationalcraft.com

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQrvLkJWj4c

It’s a fantasy come true for the avid nerd / traveler, but unfortunately for us, it’s but a concept in its current form. Syracuse’s own Rahul Mahtani and Yofred Moik have dreamed up Google Envelopes, and if brought to production, this might just make the USPS as relevant as it was during the heyday known as 1985. Put simply, the solution would involve a new ‘Send Envelope’ method of passing along a note penned in Gmail; when pressed, you’d get a printout of the message along with a specially crafted envelope, the latter of which really makes this idea shine. The envelope itself would be a Google Maps representation of the quickest route to transfer said message from you to the recipient if roadways and kayaks were used in place of fiber and coax, giving the receiver a crucially awesome keepsake each time you dropped him or her a line. Oh, and having an ‘Avoid Tolls’ option would just totally put it over the top — even if were relegated to beta.

[Thanks, Yofred]

Those you you who’ve been following the CrunchPad project since we first announced it in the summer of 2008 weren’t too happy to hear about the recent…hiccups…that we continue to fight through.

But never fear, while we continue to clean up the mess that our Asian contractor left behind we’ve been hard at work on a new project that lets anyone create an iPad like device from any laptop screen. It’s called the CrunchPad Kit and it goes on sale now. Best of all, we’re selling this for just $49 as an introductory price. Once 800 have sold, or about $44,000 in revenue, we’ll be moving to a higher price.

The CrunchPad team has been working around the clock here at our Palo Alto headquarters to get the kit ready for full production in time for the delivery of the iPad on April 3.

We know you want an iPad, but you aren’t as excited about that $499+ price tag. With the CrunchPad Kit, you can turn any laptop screen into a device that’s just as good, for a fraction of the price.

Introducing The CrunchPad Kit

The kit contains everything you need to convert any laptop screen into a fully functional touch screen device. The key piece of technology is a transparent resizable modular touch screen overlap material that you add to the screen after removing it from the rest of the laptop. You then install the remaining electronics, as well as a power supply, and the device is ready to go. Also included in each kit is a 4G module that you can optionally activate and add to the device for always-on connectivity.

There’s real technology here, particularly in the touch module, that we’ve developed with our new partner. A number of patents have been filed around this new research, which we’re calling the F.U.J.J. With the F.U.J.J. you can convert any laptop screen of any size, up to 17 inches, into a CrunchPad.

There’s more information in the video above, including a complete walk through of the five minute installation process. Order your CrunchPad Kit now, we expect to be completely sold out within 48 hours.

Here’s one last picture of the Asian team we hired to help us build this product working on the F.U.J.J. from our office in Palo Alto after we sponsored their immigration visas to get them over here.

Literally laughed out loud. We’ve all seen our share of amusing CAPTCHA’s – if you haven’t, you simply haven’t seen enough of them in your life – but this one takes the cake. Way to depress people, Facebook.

Unless you can point us to funnier ones?

Google Earth lets you fly anywhere on the Earth to view satellite images, maps, terrain, 3D buildings, from galaxies in outer space to the canyons of the ocean. You can explore rich geographical content, save your toured places and share with others. This amazing software allows you to search the whole planet right from your comfortable rooms. Fans of Google Earth have been on a virtual searching chase looking for anything interesting and amazing. Here we have collected some of the mind blowing and spectacular sights to mesmerize you. Enjoy and feel free to share it with others.

Terrain Face in Google Maps

The terrain in Alberta, Canada accidentally forms what looks like a human face when viewed from the air or when viewing the satellite pic in Google Maps.

Osmington White Horse

The Osmington White Horse, outside Sutton Poyntz, UK. This prehistoric figure is carved into the white chalk of the hillside – such horse carved shapes are called “Leucippotomy”.

Google Escher Effect pic from Houston

Here’s another weird satellite pic from Google Maps of some downtown Houston skyscrapers. This effect has become known as the “Escher Effect”, or the “Google Escher Effect”.

Heart-shaped island highlighted by Google Earth becomes hit with lovers

The 130,000 square yard islet of Galesnjak came to prominence after its unusual shape was highlighted on Google Earth.

Land Art near Munich Airport

Land Art or “Earth Art” appearing in a field near the airport in Munich, Germany.

KFC space logo

Yum! Brands Inc created the logo near Rachel, Nevada, and claimed it’s the first ad that can be seen from space. If you recall, the same company had previously wanted to beam a laser ad up onto the moon for Pizza Hut, but had later scaled back to buying ad placement on the side of a Russian rocket.

Firefox Logo

Crop circle art made in the shape of the iconic Firefox Logo near Portland, Oregon,

Where’s Waldo in Google Maps?

Canadian artist Melanie Coles built a large image of the iconic “Waldo” onto a rooftop at an undisclosed location in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Will U Marry Me

Marriage proposal seen on a rooftop via Google Maps.

Lips

Bunny in Google Maps

Giant Pink Bunny created by a group of artists near Artesina, Italy as seen in Google Maps.

Coca Cola Logo in Google Maps

This Coca-Cola logo in Google Maps was apparently created out of coke bottles just outside of Arica in Chile.

Portrait of Ghenghis Khan in Google Maps

Out of some sort of fear that they might forget who he was, the people of Mongolia have carved the likeness of Ghenghis Khan onto a hillside outside of Ulaanbaatar. (See it in Google Maps.)

The Vitruvian Man by Da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man – one of the world’s most recognizable illustrations – is rendered here in crop art in Germany.

Man-Shaped Lake in Brazil

The Palm Islands of Dubai

The Palm Islands are artificial islands in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on which major commercial and residential infrastructure will be constructed. They are being constructed by Nakheel Properties, a property developer in the United Arab Emirates, who hired Belgian and Dutch dredging and marine contractor Jan De Nul and Van Oord, some of the world’s specialists in land reclamation. The islands are the Palm Jumeirah, the Palm Jebel Ali and the Palm Deira.

Oprah Maze

She’s got a massive syndicated show and a magazine called O, and she was dubbed the most powerful celebrity in the world by Forbes. Why shouldn’t Oprah get her own corn maze? An Arizona farmer created this 2004 tribute to the TV talk-show host.

Iraq’s Bloody Lake

This blood-red lake outside Iraq’s Sadr City garnered a fair share of macabre speculation when it was noticed in 2007. One tipster told the tech blog Boing Boing that he was “told by a friend” that slaughterhouses in Iraq sometimes dump blood into canals. No one has offered an official explanation, but it’s more likely that the color comes from sewage, pollution or a water-treatment process.

World’s Largest Fingerprint

Mystery Stone Arrow

Guitar-Shaped Mansion

I lOVE u

iPad pre-orders are just starting to ship out and Best Buy is getting prepped, but Apple’s just posted up a whole slew of its Guided Tours to hold you over until April 3. Sadly, we’re not seeing any entries for “How Do You Type While Standing Up” or “Why Do I Need A $30 Dongle To Get A USB Port On This Thing,” but the entries for Mail, Safari, iBooks, and the rest do include some revealing new information — and it certainly seems that tap-and-hold will be a big part of the UI paradigm. We’re still watching them all — let us know if you see anything interesting in comments.

Update: Okay, here’s the new stuff we’ve seen so far:

• iBooks has an integrated search feature, a built-in brightness control, and a dictionary that can pull up any word just by tapping on it. The same dictionary is in Pages, too — we’re assuming it’s a system-wide feature available to any app, just like on Mac OS X. We’ve been told in the past that it supports user dictionaries and spellcheck, but we’ll see what actually ends up shipping.
• There’s a quick mention of connecting the iPad to your home stereo in the iPod video, but no mention of streaming to the Airport Express or an Apple TV. There’s a big missed opportunity.
• Typing with one hand on the portrait keyboard in Pages looks just as silly as you’d expect.
• Numbers has a special formula keyboard.
• Tap and hold is everywhere, and unlike the iPhone, the UI has “windows,” which are detailed info panes that float above the main app interface. The iWork apps also all have a “menu bar” area in the upper right that contain several options. You can see how interacting with an iPad will be familiar but still quite different than using an iPhone — depending on the apps, of course.

[Thanks, John]