monorail
Latest
Why is Google taking over Vegas for CES 2018?
Google doesn't usually have a big presence at CES, but that's changed in a big way this year. You can't help but notice that the monorail circling the Las Vegas Convention Center bears huge letters saying "Hey Google!" Just below, Google has set up a huge, multistory monument to the Google Assistant booth in the convention-center parking lot. It's still under construction so it's hard to say exactly what's going on in there. (Also, there's a superfluous spiraling slide on the side of the booth and a weird Google Assistant ball-pit game near the convention center's main entrance.)
Israel is building a futuristic 'hover-monorail' that could come to the US
"Ehh, it's not for you, Tel Aviv -- it's more of a Shelbyville idea." We doubt a company called skyTran used Lyle Lanley's pitch, but it just announced that a futuristic train test loop will be built at the Israel Aerospace Industry (IAI) campus in Lod, Israel. SkyTran's so-called personal rapid transit is a magnetic levitation (maglev) system that'll propel two-person pods along a monorail-type track. In theory, you'd order a car by smartphone, get picked up at a station and be whisked to your destination. The IAI trial will run at about 45 mph, but future trains will be much faster. If all goes well, the first commercial system will be built at Tel Aviv for $80 million and tracks are also planned for France, India and California. If all this smells of hucksterism, skyTrans is located on NASA's campus and is a Space Act Agreement partner -- it's not Leonard Nimoy, but it's something.
The Perfect Ten: MMO cataclysms
Today sees the launch of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, which represents a destructive "reboot" button on the world of Azeroth. The old has been made new by virtue of fiery explosions that have rent the very earth in twain, and WoW gamers will have to find their footing all over again. As you might imagine, it's made one big-ass mess, which is compounded by the fact that there are no janitor classes in the game to sweep it up (the next hero class, perhaps?). However, the notion of an in-game cataclysm is hardly the sole domain of Activision-Blizzard; on the contrary, large-scale apocalypses pop up all the time in MMOs. After all, nothing grabs the attention like the end of the world (but hey, you still feel fine)! In a list that in no way is meant to capitalize on any expansions that may or may not be on the market, we're going to strap on our Kevlar suits, slather our arms with 1000 SPF sunblock, and take a brief tour of 10 worlds that have dated cataclysms -- and lived to tell the tale.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: speed demon saws, emergency bras, and the pedal-powered monorail
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. This week China blazed a trail for green transportation as their newest train smashed the world record for high-speed rail travel. We also showcased a cutting edge vehicle powered by six circular saws and saw Google invest 1 million dollars in Shweeb's bicycle powered monorail - we can't wait to give it a spin! We also saw big things brewing for alternative energy as wave power lit up the US energy grid for the first time and Stanford scientists unveiled a new type of nanotech solar cells that can produce ten times more electricity than standard PV's yet are thinner than a wavelength of light. Adobe also kept step with the latest in energy tech by upgrading its campus with a dozen Bloom Box fuel cells, and Volvo unveiled plans to create a new type of car body that doubles as a battery! In other news, this week we spotted a great crop of green gadgets including an "emergency bra" that doubles as a gas mask, a flexible new type of electronic skin, and a stunning collection of recycled speaker art, fit to mount on your wall. We also rounded up our five favorite eco gadgets for guys and we ooh'd and aww'd at these incredibly detailed scooters made out of paper!
New Ulduar video from Blizzard
Ulduar is here, and Blizzard has released a new video you can watch above. We see new mobs and animations, get a look at Freya and some vehicle combat, and see some absolutely stunning interiors of the new raid zone.The video lasts just under 2 minutes, and is worth your time to take a look. There is also some Blizzard music along with it, so be sure to have your sound turned up a bit. You can download high resolution versions of the video from Blizzard.Perhaps the coolest thing in the video is around the 1:20 mark where we see a new tram style monorail (cue the Simpson's song). There are also very interesting stain glass like windows shown at the end.Ulduar represents the latest in Blizzard's dungeon making and artistic design, and by the looks of it they're poised to create one helluva masterpiece.For more coverage of Patch 3.1 and Ulduar, check out WoW Insider's Guide to Patch 3.1.
Disneyland getting all new monorails
Earlier this year, Disneyland got a little more zany with the Muppet Mobile Laboratory, but as soon as the park opens up early next year, guests should notice a bit of an upgrade on the monorail. Reportedly, the famed park will be running its first all new monorail car in a score, and while details are scant on the actual engineering upgrades, we do know that the electric cars will sport all new hues. The first in line will feature blue glass and red stripes that "change color in the sunlight," while the next two will be blue with purple glass and orange with blue glass. So yeah, it's probably not enough to make a special trip out to Anaheim for, but if you needed just one more excuse to don those iconic black ears and pretend you're young again, you've got it.[Via Switched]
