Toyota Corolla

Posted on October 30, 2006 by Sharif Al Motawally

It is a Quality Thing

First Images of Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo Cabin

Posted on September 30, 2006 by Sharif Al Motawally

http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/first-images-of-virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-cabin-203802.php

Joel Johnson and I were at a preview of Wired’s Next Fest, and saw a little nose cone hiding behind a veil. We climbed back, and discovered an abandoned space ship. A Virgin Galactic SpaceShipOne replica sitting on a trailer, actually. It was so cute, Joel decided to climb up and give it a hug.

This morning, Sir Richard Branson will unveil the first mock ups ever seen of SpaceShipTwo’s interior cabin. The layout: two pilots and 6 very rich space tourists/astronauts. Mockups? We’ve got em here.

The cabin was designed by Seymour Powell, known for Baby-G Shock watches by Casio. The design of the six passenger seats is meant to recline completely to minimize G forces on the body, appropriately enough. And eject them into the room during weightlessness in orbit. The room looks…padded, like the rooms in an insane asylum. While they’re floating, passengers can check out the view of earth and space through 15 oversized windows. And there’s word of passengers being able to conduct scientific experiments through intrumentation and handheld wireless pods (whatever that means.) Take off will occur at Virgin Galactic’s New Mexico HQ, with discussions of bases in the UK, Sweden, and Australia.

Flights will take 2.5 hours, reaching over 110km above Earth’s surface, and each astronaut gets 3 days of flight prep included with their $200,000 payment. That price’ll drop over time. Not soon enough for broke bloggers like Joel and I.–Brian Lam

Netgear SPH101 Skype WiFi Phone unboxing and hands-on!

Posted on September 19, 2006 by Sharif Al Motawally

Finally a Skype WiFi phone that does not need a PC . See it on engadget.

Anousheh Ansari

Posted on September 16, 2006 by Sharif Al Motawally

Anousheh Ansari has dreamed of going into space since she was a little girl. She moved closer to that dream when she and her family became title sponsors of the $10 million Ansari X PRIZE that sparked a revolution in the personal spaceflight industry.

Now, Anousheh takes another thrilling step on her inspiring personal journey as she becomes the world’s first female private space explorer. Her mission begins on September 18th, as Anousheh joins the crew of Expedition 14 on the journey of a lifetime. Blasting-off from Baikonur on the Soyuz TMA-9, she will travel to the International Space Station where she will spend nine days before returning with the crew from Expedition 13.

This flight is Anousheh’s chance to show the world what is possible if you put your mind to it. It’s a chance to be a positive symbol in the eyes of the next generation of dreamers. To do that, Anousheh will be your Space Ambassador by sharing her experience in space every step of the way. The Anousheh Ansari Space Blog hosted by the X PRIZE Foundation is your chance to learn first-hand what it really feels like to be in space. This unique web experience will allow you interact with Anousheh as she achieves another first — blogging from space.

While Anousheh is extremely excited about this incredible journey for herself, she also desires to be a Space Ambassador and bring her experience of space travel to others. Anousheh’s mission goals are to:

To become a messenger as a Space Ambassador to create public awareness and stimulate grassroots enthusiasm about the virtues of space exploration
To be an inspiration for youth around the world to pursue their dreams, specially to inspire girls everywhere
As the first Space Ambassador, promote peace and understand amongst nations

We are honored to invite you along on the next step of Anousheh’s journey as the Ansari name is etched into the history books once again.