odd look at news on the web
Production EV packing sub-zero-operation sodium-ion batteries on its way
28 April 2026 @ 10:06 am
Chinese battery giant CATL and automaker Changan announced the launch of the Changan Nevo A06, the world's first mass-production electric vehicle (EV) powered by sodium-ion batteries. It's due to hit the market mid-2026, and it marks the moment a technology long trapped in the lab finally steps onto the road.Continue ReadingCategory: Automotive, TransportTags: US Navy’s new robotic refueling drone completes first operational flight
28 April 2026 @ 6:02 am
The first operational Boeing MQ-25A Stingray has taken to the sky for the first time. On April 25, 2026, the carrier-based autonomous aerial refueling plane took off from MidAmerica Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois for a two-hour test flight.Continue ReadingCategory: Military, EngineeringTags: Tactical zero-wood 4x4 camper pod revels in Canadian weather and wilds
28 April 2026 @ 2:29 am
A tiny trailer with huge ambitions, the new Skookum from Alberta-based Tactical Overland is a family trailer specced for clans with surnames like "Amundsen" and "Hillary." Because this trailer is built to push beyond the usual limits of off-roading and overlanding, making camp out of the most remote parts of Canada, even in the dead of winter. It collapses inward for travel but expands into a two-story 4-sleeper base camp with space to work, cook, shower and live your best off-grid life.Amazingly lifelike robofish is made for maintenance-free aquariums
27 April 2026 @ 8:33 pm
An aquarium can really add a touch of class to a home or business, particularly if it's got some fancy fish in it – but such fish can be very hard to keep. So, why not just buy a weirdly lifelike "robofish" like this one, that needs nothing more than a daily battery-charge?Continue ReadingCategory: Robotics, EngineeringTags: Smart #2 micro-EV looks straight out of a video game, and it probably is
27 April 2026 @ 6:00 pm
The Smart ForTwo was a much-loved microcar that came with an array of customization options over the years, but its biggest strength was its small footprint. It practically took up half of a parking spot, and I’m happy to say its successor follows that same recipe.Continue ReadingCategory: Automotive, TransportTags: Donut airship with dangling cockpit is one wild but purposeful ride
27 April 2026 @ 4:30 pm
If you’re a longtime viewer of The Simpsons, then you know at least two things about Homer: he loves doughnuts, and he’s an absolutely terrible designer of vehicles. But that doesn’t mean no one should ever combine vehicle design with doughnuts, as French company aérOnde has shown us with its aérOnde (“Air-Round”) airship that looks like a giant, flying doughnut covered in white icing.Continue ReadingCategory: Aircraft, TransportTaStunning retro roadster is Morgan's fastest-ever creation
27 April 2026 @ 1:18 pm
In an astonishing mix of modern technology with traditional rural crafts, English specialist sports car company Morgan has just unveiled its fastest-ever model.Continue ReadingCategory: Automotive, TransportTags: Morgan, SpoOppo tempts photo pros with dual 200-MP cams and 10x optical telephoto
27 April 2026 @ 9:28 am
Oppo’s Find X9 Ultra takes smartphone photography to the next level with a 10x optical zoom telephoto and dual 200MP cameras built around a Hasselblad-tuned system, plus an externally mounted teleconverter lens option to reach even farther.Continue ReadingCategory: Mobile Technology, Consumer Tech, Nanotextured coating material shreds viruses on contact
27 April 2026 @ 1:03 am
It doesn't take much to pick up a viral infection in spaces we share with other people – whether it's from tiny droplets in the air containing these particles, or touching doorknobs and countertops in offices and hospitals.Continue ReadingCategory: EngineeringTags: Materials, Virus, Ancient practice of villain-hitting is cathartic – and cheaper than therapy
26 April 2026 @ 7:03 pm
Beneath the expansive concrete overpass amid the bustling hub of Causeway Bay, you'll find a bizarre and enduring tradition in Hong Kong – "villain hitting." Here, elderly women perform an elaborate ritual that involves bashing a name written on paper with a shoe, while chanting, to free people from someone causing them grief and encourage fortune and peace in their place.Continue ReadingCategory: