For more than a century, Thomas Edison was generally considered the father of recorded sound. Now researchers have unearthed a recording that predates Edison’s by 17 years. Little known Frenchman, Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville, invented the phonautograph, a machine designed to record sounds visually, not to play them back. The recently discovered recording, dating back to 1860, was made playable by scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California.
The anonymous vocalist, probably female, can be heard against a hissing, crackling background din. The ghostly voice, muffled but audible, sings, “Au clair de la lune.
The classic human powered pedal boat has become old and boring, so what better way to spice it up than come up with a solar/human powered boat concept? The idea is to create a 4-person pedal boat with solar panels mounted on top of an umbrella to charge a battery pack, which then supplies an electric motor concealed within the umbrella tower. If you get tired of pedaling, just lift up the umbrella and the motor kicks in. Whether pedal or hybrid mode (pedaling – electric), the bracket is connected to a shaft leading to two propellers at the bow of the boat. The two bars connected to the rudder are located in facing back of the bench. Incidentally, they also serve as armrests. Now all they need to build into the design is a beer cooler.
The Southern Hemisphere’s tallest building…and a glass floor elevator!! A good enough reason for anyone to look down in the elevator.
2. Falkirk Wheel, Scotland, UK
What do you do when you have canals with drastically different heights? You build a boat elevator of course!
3. CN Tower, Toronto, Canada
Until the Burj Dubai came along, the CN Tower was the world’s tallest freestanding structure. The elevator travels at an impressive 22 feet per second, and the entire view is unobstructed during the ride.
4. AquaDom Elevator, Berlin, Germamy
Hey, let’s put the elevator in an aquarium and make it a tourist attraction in its own right. Kind of looks like the engine room from Star Trek, doesn’t it?
5. IM Pei Louvre Elevator, Paris France
This elevator is within the pyramid entrance to the Louvre. While there’s nothing special about the ride itself, the overall presentation is pretty slick.
6. Bailong Sightseeing Elevator, Hunan Province, China
Probably the coolest view of any elevator. The rugged nature of the scenery makes you forget you’re on an elevator.
7. Eiffel Tower Second stage elevator, Paris, France
It looks and feels like you’re going straight up on a giant roller coaster. Just look away from the rust.
8. Rockefeller Center Glasstop Roof Elevator, New York, USA
The glass roof of the elevator let’s you truly appreciate the 70-story height of the building.
9. Burj Dubai Construction Elevator, Dubai, UAE
The building is nowhere completion but already it’s nearly twice the height of the Empire State Building. This must be one hell of an interesting ride for the construction workers building it.
10. Tapai 101 Elevator, Tapai, Taiwan
Supposedly the worlds fastest elevator. Watch how fast the floor numbers change.
11. Burj Al Arab Hotel Elevator, Dubai, UAE
Spectacular blue view all the way down. You wouldn’t expect anything else from a 7-star hotel.
