Don’t Throw Rice in Zero-G!

There are few firsts left when it comes to marriage and we are about to enter the final frontier.  Weddings in space aren’t quite there yet (although a Russian cosmonaut on the ISS got married via video conference in 2003) so Noah Fulmor and Erica Finnegan decided it would be an acceptable compromise to get married in weightlessness. They are getting married aboard the legendary Vomit Comet, a plane that can simulate weightlessness in about 30 second increments by flying in a series of parabolas.  They used the Vomit Comet to film the weightless scenes in the movie Apollo 13 and astronauts have trained in these types of planes for many years.

A zero-g wedding has some logistical issues to consider.  For instance, you need to consider the design of the wedding dress as gravity won’t serve its normal function of pulling the dress down.  You probably don’t want to throw rice or the garter in zero-g.  I have to admit the idea of floating down the aisle is kind of cool.

The ring is made with pieces of a the Gibeon meteorite, another nice touch.

I am not going to reveal my cool geeky wedding ideas any more since it seems people are starting to steal them!

E.T., Text Home

Phoning home is so 1980s…its time for ET to text home.  And he doesn’t need a contraption made out of an old record player and Speak and Spell to do it.  The service called Sent Forever will allow you to send a text message to the stars through the British Telecom transmission station at Goonhilly (really).  You can send a message for free or pay for a premium package in which the receiver will be sent a certificate telling them what the message is.  Be careful what you send…it can never be unsent!  (Maybe we need a system to prevent drunk Sending Forever like the one that prevents drunk emailing).

If you send me a message, I plan on inventing a faster than light mode of travel and going out there to receive it personally!

Pimp My Radio Flyer

CNN is reporting that the little red Radio Flyer wagon of your childhood is getting an extreme makeover.  Tricked out with the latest in modern safety features and technology. 

Gone is the flat metal bottom, replaced with padded seats with 5 point safety harnesses.  Foot brakes provide stopping power (no word if they are anti-lock brakes).  The digital handle tracks speed, distance and temperature to keep junior from getting too hot or cold.  Cup holders to make sure there is adequate hydration. An MP3 holder and built in speakers mean kids won’t be bored while their parents enjoy things such as “nature”.

When I was young, we would build a small ramp at the edge of a ditch and take turns pushing each other over the ramp and play Evil Knieval, inevitably crashing down well short of the other side (I didn’t have good parental supervision as a child!)  Wonder how this would hold upto that type of abuse!