Pretty Cool Things

We hate to love them or we love to hate them… either way we can’t take our eyes off of them when they show up on the big screen. Here’s a list of the 10 best (worst?) gangsters of cinema. I welcome your comments on who else we should add.

1. Vito Corleone

Marlon Brando – The Godfather 1 & 2

2. Leo O’Bannon

Albert Finney – Miller’s Crossing

3. Tommy DeVito

Joe Pesci – Goodfellas

4. Bill ‘The Butcher’ Cutting

Daniel Day-Lewis – The Gangs of New York

5. Tony Montana

Al Pacino – Scarface

6. Al Capone

Robert De Niro – The Untouchables

7. Francis Costello

Jack Nicholson – The Departed

8. Brick Top Polford

Alan Ford – Snatch

9. Don Logan

Ben Kingsley – Sexy Beast

10. Rico Bandello

Edward G. Robinson – Little Ceaser

In environmentally unconscious 1962, the Manx Peel Engineering Company of Great Britain came up with the concept of a 3-wheeled microvehicle designed to hold one person with a shopping bag. The P50, priced at a dirt cheap £150, was 53 inches long, by 39 inches wide, and weighed less than 139lbs. Its top speed was around 60 km/hr and it got an impressive 100mpg. Interestingly, it did not have a reverse gear. To get out of a confined space, the driver would have to pick up the vehicle by a handle mounted on the rear, and physically pull it around. Two years later, the company followed up the P50 with the Peel Trident, a slightly larger and more futuristic looking 2-seater. It too did about 100 mpg, but had a max speed of 75km/h. Both vehicles are still considered street legal in the UK, and about 20 originals still remain in the hands of collectors.

Peel P50

Peel Trident and Peel P50

Interior of the Peel Trident

Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear takes a P50 out for a little spin

The last Photoshop post I submitted created quite a bit of interest, and fair degree controversy, based on the number of comments it received. So here’s another interesting one. There’s a very cool Photoshop contest going on at freakingnews.com based on the money mashup craze in the UK, where people take their photos and combine them with the head of state depicted, in their case Queen Elizabeth. This contest has taken it one step further and has combined celebrities with international banknotes. These are some of my personal favorites.

Elvis Presley

Julia Roberts/Andrew Jackson

Osama Bin Laden

Brad Pitt

Kim Il Sung/Dr. Evil

Jack Nicholson/Ben Franklin

Kenny Rogers/ Ulysses S. Grant

Matthew Mcconaughey/Alexander Hamilton

John F. Kennedy

Ben Stiller-Franklin

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Eco-friendly automaker Loremo of Germany announced on Friday that it will be launching an electric powered version of it’s diesel fueled prototype vehicle, the Loremo, which was unveiled last October at the Frankfurt Auto Show. The electric version, suitable named E-Loremo, will feature a 20 kilowatt engine, with the ability to mobilize up to 40 kilowatts (55hp) for short spurts, such as when passing. The max speed is expected to be 170 km/h, impressive for an electric drive, with acceleration to 100 km/h in 15 seconds. Although the battery specs haven’t been finalized, it’s expected to get 150 to 200km per charge. Based on the current price of electricity in Germany, 1 EURO ($1.48 US), will get you 100 km of driving range! The prototype is expected by the middle of the year, with production vehicles available by 2010.  No word yet on a street price.