adventure

Astronaut training awaits Esther Dyson

While many in the tech industry have their eyes on the cloud, Ester Dyson has set her sights on the stars.

The longtime tech pundit and investor on Tuesday said she is putting aside most of her day-to-day activities to undergo full-time astronaut training. She'll be a backup to another member of the tech industry, Charles Simonyi, who is set to make a second trip to the International Space Station next spring.

Dyson and Simonyi are indulging their cosmic interests under the auspices of Space Adventures, a company that arranges space flights for private citizens and in which Dyson … Read more

Simonyi signs up for another rocket ride

Software industry veteran Charles Simonyi is ready to go back to outer space.

In April 2007, Simonyi spent close to two weeks in orbit, in a very expensive round trip via Russian rocket to spend time aboard the International Space Station. The trip reportedly cost Simonyi $25 million, and apparently he considers the money very well spent: Space Adventures, the company that organized the junket, announced Tuesday that he has signed up for another trip, this one coming up sometime next spring.

Space Adventures had little else to say on the matter for now, save that Simonyi would be training … Read more

Adventures in Hi-Fi: Mutant Ears!

OK, I'm not really sure what they are exactly, but they're kinda cool. Found these Mutant Ears on the Toy Design Workshop site, where they claim the things amplify sound to create "an audiotastic experience." The Mutant Ears were presented at the Mattel Student Design Summit 2006. There's also a wacky Mutant Ears "commercial" on YouTube for your viewing pleasure.

GPS device adds sign language to virtual tours

Other than lowering prices and (hopefully) improving quality, one positive effect of intense product competition is that it sometimes leads companies to target consumers who might otherwise be left on the fringe.

The "GPS Ranger" is one product trying to distinguish itself in its own crowded market by catering to the deaf and hearing impaired. In addition to its GPS functions, the handheld device uses a tool developed by BarZ Adventures that can offer virtual tours with both captioning and American Sign Language options. The technology was launched this month with a multimedia tour of Austin, Texas, according … Read more

Spaceflight to cost $40 million in 2009

Inflation has officially hit commercial spaceflight.

When technology industry veteran Greg Olsen traveled to the International Space Station aboard the Russian Soyuz rocket in October 2005, his trip cost about $20 million. But the price of the same spaceflight, which is arranged by Virginia-based Space Adventures, will cost between $30 million and $40 million in the coming two years, according to an AP article.

The rising price is "mostly because of the fallen dollar," Space Adventures CEO Eric Anderson told the AP.

The dollar is worth about 25.5 Russian rubles, down from 32 rubles in 2002.

Space … Read more

10 years of Lara Croft

Back in 1996, Eidos Interactive released the ground-breaking adventure game Tomb Raider from Core Design. Not only did Lara Croft quickly become the most famous female video game character ever, the quiet, exploratory nature of the adventure game was a refreshing change from the other major console titles of the day.

After some successful and not-so-successful sequels, the franchise bounced from one development house to another and finally landed with Crystal Dynamics, which was able to reinvigorate the series with last year's release, Tomb Raider Legend.

In honor of Tomb Raider's 10th anniversary, Crystal Dynamics is remaking the original adventure game with its new Tomb Raider Legend engine. A brand-new demo for Tomb Raider Anniversary gives us all an opportunity to see how far Lara Croft has come in a decade.… Read more

Choose your own iPod adventure

"You are a young gifted mountain climber traveling to Nepal with your best climbing buddy Carlos, to find the legendary Abominable Snowman (otherwise known to locals as a "Yeti"). Not long after your arrival in the Himalayas, Carlos goes missing. What do YOU do?," asks R.A. Montgomery.

Do you look for your friend Carlos or do you continue searching for the Abominable Snowman without him? You decide. Only this time, you click a link instead of turning to page 46.

The Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA) series books of yesteryear are back as downloads for … Read more

A gadget for kinder, gentler weather

The country is experiencing record swings in temperature this winter and $1 billion in failed citrus crops due to freezing temperatures in California.

What a great time to think about pool sports.

The AquaClimb is a rock climbing wall for your pool. And who knows, you may not have to wait until summer to use it if temperatures swing back into the 70s, as they did on January 7 in the northeast.

There is no limit to the weight that the wall--a stainless steel frame with fiberglass panels and nonslip coating--can hold, according to the company. AquaClimb's base screws … Read more