cycling

The company that turned Cheetos bags into MP3 speakers is now transforming Chester Cheetah into 32-gallon garbage cans.

New Jersey-based recycling company TerraCycle is teaming up with Pioneer Plastics USA to make heavy-duty trash cans out of recycled polypropylene that was once chip bags.

The cans are 80 percent post-consumer--most of the material is from chip bags collected by TerraCycle's Chip Bag Brigade program. About 20 percent is from scraps of rubber elastic trimming that are leftover in the production of disposable diapers.

The old Cheetos and other chip bags are first shredded, and then run through a densifying … Read more

LightBike 2 is a fast-paced, Snake-style arcade game in which you compete in vehicles similar to the light cycles in the classic movie "Tron."

You turn at 90-degree angles by tapping touch-screen buttons on your right and left, as you build walls to try to box in your competitor bikes--AIs or fellow humans, via Bluetooth or Internet--and you can also tap buttons to jump and temporarily boost your speed. You have both a first-person view and an inset top-view radar, and you can choose between standard and death match modes on two different maps.

The rounds go very … Read more

As we headed to a Disney preview of toys and gear for the upcoming "Tron" movie sequel, "Tron Legacy," we were reminded of what Yogurt said in "Spaceballs": "Merchandising, merchandising!"

While we're as excited about Disney's upcoming "Tron" sequel as anybody, it's clear the merchandising push will be fierce and all-encompassing. But if our preview of a few of the upcoming items is any indication, some of them are actually kind of cool, too.

Among the very many pieces of Tron gear available for your shopping pleasure … Read more

Daredevil Dave is a funny, quirky, stunt-based arcade game that offers limited gameplay but lots of heart.

The game's personality and humor--surely inspired by premillennial celebrity weirdo Super Dave Osborne--is evident from the main menu and the tutorial, as you play a self-absorbed and proudly reckless (but still somehow lovable) motorcycle daredevil, portrayed with pop-up cartoons and hyperbolic voice-over.

The game has 18 levels in all, ranging from more-conventional stunts involving trucks and flaming hoops to utterly ridiculous situations with lava, sharks, helicopters, and bombs. In each stunt, your goal is to hit the landing ramp as precisely as … Read more

Helmets may save lives, but they become less effective when they develop even small cracks. So in an attempt to alert bicyclists, motorcyclists, and construction workers when their helmets should retire, researchers in Germany are developing helmets made of polymer materials that start to smell foul when they crack. The bigger the crack, the fouler the odor.

How foul? Think formaldehyde. Which is somehow both absurd and brilliant--absurd because no one wants to reek of formaldehyde, and brilliant because, well, no one wants to reek of formaldehyde.

"Cyclists often replace their helmets unnecessarily after dropping them on the ground, … Read more

In quite a few TV commercials lately, Lexus has been touting its hybrid-car muscle. So I figured why not take Lexus up on its boasts and see what their current hybrid line is about? With that thought, I present today's video that takes a look at the 2010 Lexus HS250h.

The Lexus HS250h is the company's entry-level luxury hybrid sedan, and it is also its first dedicated foray into the production of hybrid vehicles. At the 35-second mark in the video, we see in plain print what some of the specs are for comparison with other hybrids. The … Read more

Swarms of shiny red bikes will hit Denver streets on Thursday, making it one of the few U.S. cities to boast a bicycle-sharing program. Starting on Earth Day, residents of the Mile High City looking for a more eco-friendly commute or a stationary bike alternative will have access to hundreds of B-cycle bikes stationed throughout the city.

For commuters, the rental fee might be cheaper than gas. A 24-hour rental is $5, a 7-day rental is $20, and a 30-day rental is $30. Commuters can join the annual program for $65, giving them access to bikes for 365 days.

If a biker can pick up and return their bicycle to any station within 30 minutes, the rental is free.

At Denver B-cycle's launch, 400 bicycles will be available, making Denver host to the largest bike-sharing program in the country. Up next is Washington, D.C.'s SmartBike program, which distributes 120 bicycles.

But B-cycle isn't only renting out bikes; it's aiming to build community, too. "Denver B-cycle members will have their own personal account page, which will track total miles, carbon offset, calories burned, money saved, and trip details, among other things. Members will have the ability to share this information on Facebook and Twitter with a simple click of a button," Brent Tongco, B-cycle's spokesperson from the city and county of Denver, told CNET. … Read more

Before we get to the apps today, I have a couple of news items to tell you about. First, there is a sale right now for the game I wrote about in last week's post, Space Miner: Space Ore Bust (was $4.99; now $1.99). I really can't recommend this game enough (I'm still playing whenever I get a chance), so if you were waiting for the price to come down, now is the time to pull the trigger.

Also, a new Apple patent application, reported by AppleInsider, suggests that a future handheld device will have … Read more

If you happen to be in New York's Times Square any time soon, you may notice this billboard for Best Buy's electronics recycling program. Make sure you take a close look! It's composed entirely of outmoded gear.

While part of me would hope some VHS players and bulky monitors would be allowed to fade away with dignity, at least these are ultimately being used in a clever way that promotes a good cause.

Besides, it looks cool! And it's bonus fun hunting for bygone favorites.

This story originally appeared on Gizmodo.