Cars

We assumed this was a Photoshop job when we first saw it on Spluch, but now we're not so sure. This "Bus Ball," credited to an artist and musician named Billy Gibbons, apparently morphs the remains of classic VW bus into a spherical objet d'art. We assume it's non-functional, though we suppose it can roll around on its own somehow. But then you'd probably have to repaint it after every outing.

From Basra to Kabul, no environmentally aware burkha babe is going to be able to resist this 4x4, turbo-charged, hybrid, diesel-electric recon hotrod.

Created by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS,) the Shadow RST-V (Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Targeting Vehicle) boasts stealth, survivability and low mileage. That's big, considering that about half the military's money--and a third of its manpower--is devoted to hauling stuff around, 70 percent of that stuff being fuel.

The aluminum-bodied RST-V seats four (seating by Oregon Aero), does 70 mph and has a 470-mile range. Bulletproof windows and armor are optional. Weaponry includes your standard machine … Read more

It may be hard to imagine if you're anywhere near Chicago right now, but summer will arrive before you know it. And what would the season be, pray tell, without one's own personal submarine?

The Dutch company U-BoatWorx is here to help with its "C-Quester," which MobileWhack says can dive up to 50 meters and cruise at 4 knots. You can even get a custom paint job. (How do you pimp a submarine?)

The underwater vehicles come in two sizes, at 9 and 11 feet, with the latter seating two--perfect for Valentine's Day, starting at … Read more

It's not exactly the highest tech, but many of humankind's greatest advances have come with few moving parts. We think this is one of them: the "Pad Concept" baby car seat.

This ingenious invention allows frazzled parents to change their kids' diapers while they're still in the seat. The seat reclines and swivels, turning it into an instant changing station that can be positioned for easy access. If you don't have children, this won't sound very interesting, but those of us who do could well find this a life-changing (and Huggies-changing) experience.

It'… Read more

Tintin, a boy journalist featured in a popular series of comic books and cartoons, drove and rode in a wide variety of cars throughout his adventures. We were just e-mailed the URL of a Web site that not only shows each car as drawn in the comic books, but also includes pictures--in most cases--of the real car that the comic car is based on. Just click a thumbnail on the All Tintin Cars page (or Toutes les autos de Tintin, for you purists), and two pop-up windows show the original comic and a photo of the real car. As Tintin … Read more

Toyota's Scion division launched a new car at the Chicago Auto Show, the 2008 Scion xD. Scion made room in its model lineup by discontinuing the xA. The new xD looks like a five-door version of the xA, stretched for more interior room. But it also looks like Scion took the boxy xB and made it look more like a regular car. With this strategy, Scion can sell its xD to boring people, who can't stand the styling of the xB. But we're not done here yet. Our third take on the xD's design is that … Read more

Scion, Toyota's ultrahip brand, used the second morning of the Chicago Auto Show to launch the second incarnation of its hugely popular Scion xB. The boxy urban utility vehicle gets a makeover inside and out for its 2008 model year, with an all-new external profile, a bigger engine, bigger wheels, and some nice-to-have interior tech features. With rounded corners, wraparound headlights, and more sheet metal than its predecessor (1 foot longer, 3 inches wider, and 1 inch shorter), the 2008 xB has nearly eight more cubic feet than the previous-generation xB. To move its newly sculpted carcass around, the … Read more

Well, at least the marketers of this in-car video system made some kind of attempt to make their product seem road-safe: They portrayed it on the passenger side, not the driver's.

Nice try, but we seriously doubt that the "Sun Visor TV/DVD Theater" could be ignored by anyone in the car, especially the driver sitting right next to it. It's not that we have anything against video entertainment on the road; we'd love to have a 7-inch LCD and FM transmitter like this one seen on Red Ferret, especially for extended trips, and it … Read more

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to that club you were thrown out of, they come up with another way to keep you behind the rope.

Touted as a "non-invasive" approach to checking ID, iris scanners rely on pattern recognition of the image reflected from the iris's convex cornea--which, when converted into a digital template, will give you away every time.

The problem with conventional iris scanners is that they require the subject to hold still and submit. Now, a new-fangled unit produced by Sarnoff Labs in New Jersey can reportedly identify up … Read more