You'd think that once you hit the summit of Mount Everest you might be able to count on at least a few incommunicado moments. Not these days.
British climber Rod Baber set a world record Monday for the highest-ever land-based mobile phone call and text message, according to Motorola, which is sponsoring his climb. He called from 29,035 feet at 5:37 a.m. local time using his Motorizr Z8.
Rod Baber
(Credit: Motorola)Baber, who set out for Kathmandu on March 30 with a global team of climbers, made his first call to a special voice mail account. "It's cold, it's fantastic, the Himalayas are everywhere," he said. "I can't feel my toes. Everyone's in good spirits. We got here in record time. It's amazing."
He then made a second call to his family and sent a text message to a Motorola employee: "One small text for man, one giant leap for mobilekind--thanks Motorola." China Telecom made the achievement possible by setting up a mobile phone tower at base camp on the north side of the mountain.
Baber--managing director of an aerial adventure center in the U.K.--already holds a world record for reaching the highest point of every European nation, according to his moblog. An audio clip of his record-breaking Everest call can be heard on that site.
If you've ever spent any time on your sofa wishing you could take it wherever you wanted to go, you might want to talk to Marek Turowsk.
On Sunday, Turowsk set a new world record for "fastest furniture," according to The Sun, a British publication.
The Sun reported that Turowsk hit 92 mph, breaking the previous record of 87 mph for high-speed couches, which was set in 1998 by engineer Ed China.
And no, he didn't set the record by dropping the couch off a building. This was pure horizontal acceleration.
Lest you think this is a hoax, it would have to be a pretty good one, as The Sun has a video of the event on its site. The Sun said Turowsk's feat would be included in the 2008 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.
Now, don't you feel awful slow sitting on that divan, eating chips and watching TV?
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