odd look at news on the web
Reinvented Leathermans to Swiss Army skeletons: 2025's best multitools
30 November 2025 @ 2:04 am
After a rather slow year in multitools that saw us bring knives into the mix in 2024, 2025 saw more multitool debuts than we could keep up with. Many of them were rather underwhelming – limited utility, weird forms, copycats and other subpar debuts – but a few stood tall above the pack.Continue ReadingCategory: Knives and Multitools, Gear, This clever sticker printer for kids is AI hardware I can get behind
30 November 2025 @ 12:03 am
I've been skeptical about a lot of AI-first gadgets over the last couple of years – the Rabbit R1 and the Humane Pin come to mind – mostly because they promise too much and either underdeliver or fail spectacularly. There's a lot AI can do well, and maybe at this point what we need are more singularly focused products... Like this tiny device aimed at helping kids explore their creativity.Continue ReadingNew Atlas tours the Polaris R&D facility on the Slingshot's 10th anniversary
29 November 2025 @ 10:23 pm
It may surprise some to learn that Polaris has a serious research, development, and testing facility. One that rivals the kinds of equipment and know-how found at many full-scale automotive manufacturers. I got a full tour of the place, along with a dedicated test track that I got to use later.Continue ReadingCategory: Automotive, TransportTags: Polaris, Gaudí-inspired tower gives city slickers a daily dose of nature
29 November 2025 @ 8:03 pm
Ever since Stefano Boeri Architetti's Bosco Verticale was completed in 2014, putting greenery on skyscrapers has been in vogue – and honestly, as far as architectural trends go, it's one of the better ones. MVRDV's latest project leans into the idea with a lush plant-filled residential tower.Continue ReadingCategory: Architecture, TechnologyTags: Mysterious volcanic gas bubbles give us a rare glimpse of the future
29 November 2025 @ 5:03 pm
On a remote coral reef near Papua New Guinea, endless streams of bubbles rise from cracks in the seabed into the shallow water, fed by an underground volcanic system. For scientists, this natural phenomenon has become a kind of crystal ball, revealing how our changing oceans will shape the marine life within them.Continue ReadingCategory: Biology, ScienceTags: Australian Institute ofTern's folding ebike favorite goes clean and quiet
29 November 2025 @ 2:03 pm
Taiwan's Tern Bicycles has listened to its customers and delivered a belt-drive Vektron folding ebike as part of the fourth-generation rollout in the US, which also includes a regular chain-driven flavor that offers a sportier ride.Continue ReadingCategory: Bicycles, TransportTags: ebikes, Tern, Skunk Works makes history: F-22 takes command of 'loyal wingman' drone
29 November 2025 @ 12:03 pm
The Loyal Wingman concept has taken a major step toward reality as Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works pulled off an aerial demonstration where a 5th-generation F-22 Raptor interceptor took command of a drone for the first time.Continue ReadingCategory: Military, TechnologyTags: Lockheed Martin, Lemons and kirigami inspired this stretchy, biodegradable battery
29 November 2025 @ 4:03 am
You probably know that simply tossing dead batteries in the trash is no bueno – they release toxic heavy metals as they break down over time in landfills, contaminating the soil and nearby water supplies. Thankfully, we now have e-waste recycling facilities around the world that can prevent these from polluting the environment – but surely we can also make safer batteries that decompose naturally, no?Continue ReadingCategory: Radical new motorcycle helmet opens from the back
29 November 2025 @ 12:03 am
For all the innovation in helmets, most of it has gone towards making the things "smart." Think AI, AR, integrated cameras, intercom systems, and whatnot. But the traditional helmet design has remained unchanged for the most part. A company called Roof plans to change that.Continue ReadingCategory: Motorcycles, TransportTags: Review: 2025 Jeep Wagoneer S is a bit like a bootleg bourbon
28 November 2025 @ 8:30 pm
The Wagoneer S marks a bold leap for Jeep as the brand’s first full-electric model for US buyers. Jeep doesn’t seem shy about it. Its greatest downsides are not electric, but are problems it shares with Wagoneer models on the whole.Continue ReadingCategory: Automotive, TransportTags: Jeep, SUV