Hasta La Gadget!

Paper boats are fun craft projects for kids. And not just kids who lived in the 1800s either. I’m sure some kids and adults still make paper boats and set them in the water, watching the wind move them along. Well, now the PowerUp Boat updates things a bit.

The PowerUp Boat Motorized Paper Boat Kit is for modern kids who still like to play with toys in the tub. Just fold the boat, attach the motor, and let it cruise across the surface of the water. The paper is waterproof and the little flag and anchor make it look more authentic. Too bad the motor isn’t electric – it’s the wind-up type, so it will only give you about 10 seconds of cruising at a time. On the other hand, you’ll never run out of battery.

This is a cool toy at just $12(USD) from ThinkGeek. What’s old is new and fun again as well. Time to play pirates on the high sudsy seas. Ahoy mateys!

Over the last few weeks, a giant barge turned up in San Francisco Bay that was tipped to be owned by tech giant Google. Early on rumors indicated that it was a floating data center but a local San Francisco CBS affiliate KPIX 5 now claims that the giant barge isn’t a data center after all. The station reports that multiple sources have told it Google actually has luxury showrooms and a giant party deck on the barge.

The Google barge was reportedly in the planning stages for over a year. The sources also tipped that the project was personally directed by Sergey Brin and is Google’s attempt to upstage Apple and the company’s high-end retail stores around the country.

The barge is stacked with interchangeable 40-foot-long shipping containers to create a sort of modular building that can be rearranged as needed. The individual containers can also be placed on other barges, trucks, or railcars and taken wherever they’re needed. The high-end showrooms will reportedly be used to show Google gadgets such as Google Glass to invitation only customers. The party deck is said to have multiple bars and other amenities for entertaining clients.

[via CBS Local]

What does Spidey do when he tires of swinging from skyscrapers and working for the Daily Bugle? He likes to take some time away, on his speed boat. His Spidey speed boat.

The problem is, this boat makes him stick out like a sore thumb and all of the villains also have boats, so they take it to the water and battle it out in an epic Marvel-meets-Waterworld event that should really be a blockbuster movie. However since nobody is out there to see it, it really doesn’t matter.

It always ends with Spidey getting a call on his cell from Aunt May, having to head back into the city and pick up some groceries.

[via Our Valued Customers via cosgeek]

So, when your wife puts on this inflatable boat dress, how are you going to answer when she asks if it accentuates her rear end? No, it doesn’t make your aft look big at all – your fore and aft are the same size.

This crazy-looking dress can be a floatation device should you be on a cruise and find yourself in the drink. Jacqueline Bradley’s “Boat Dress” is hard to wear on land, but could save your life under the right circumstances. Think of it as a raft that you can wear.

Of course, you can’t dance in it or navigate a crowded street… You really can’t do anything except survive in the water. Until the sharks come, that is.

[via CLEO via Althouse via Neatorama]

The Leap Motion hacks just keep coming. The motion-controlled gadget still hasn’t hit our shelves, but eager engineers are already hooking their developer kits up to all the electronics they own. More »