If perception is indeed the ONLY reality, then Alan Hirsch of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation (STTRF) appears to have invented the legendary “elixir of youth” and it’s not a magical potion, and doesn’t require injections or surgery. It only works for women and it only works on men, but a few sprays of the STTRF Timeless View is all it takes to change the perception of men about a woman’s age. A preliminary clinical study has found that men perceived women who wore this formula to be an average of six years younger than their actual age. Bottles of the claimed “revolutionary fountain-of-youth mist” are selling over the web for US$29.95 for women who wish to "spray away the years."  Read More

The Global Positioning System is one of the wonders of the modern world. GPS has been available now in one form or another since 1978 and the full 24-satellite system was completed in 1993, making extremely accurate satellite location available to everyone – unless they were indoors, in a valley or in a city with tall buildings - any one of the common ways that GPS satellite signals can be deflected, weakened or obscured. Now there’s a new GPS weak signal tracking technology, called SuperSense, that makes GPS far more viable in many of those situations. Supersense will enable a new level of feasibility for handheld and in-vehicle navigation systems.  Read More

UPDATED - NEW IMAGES & INFO - June 15, 2005 Now this is a clever idea. The Tsaya is a thigh cell phone holster for women but the really clever idea is the menage-a- trois viral-marketing scheme. Firstly, don’t get excited – the menage-a- trois is just a sexy name for tell-a-friend scheme where they get a US$10 discount, making the Tsaya US$69.99 and you get a US$10 referral fee. The sales pitch? It’s in “delectable black patent leather” so it will be “smooth against your clothes”, fits any mobile phone, has a separate pocket for your credit card and cash so you can travel sleek without a handbag, and you can wear it concealed or show it off with a short dress.  Read More

When machine on a factory production line fails, plant engineers must react quickly to keep production loss to a minimum. Now a newly developed Internet-based platform can support service processes remotely, collecting and analyzing all relevant machine data to facilitate troubleshooting and shorten response times in the event of a defect. The data stored in the system can also be used for preventive maintenance in that it identifies machine operation irregularities. Like a flight data recorder, the software registers every movement of a machine or system, creating a comprehensive load profile of the machine.  Read More

When we wrote up UltimateEars last October, we explained how the company specialises in making custom deluxe “ear gear’ for rock’s royalty and basically ooohed and aaahed at the price (US$900) and quality of the custom- moulded Ultimate Ears in-ear monitors that have been worn by just about all of rock’s superstars for the last decade so they can ensure the best possible sound on stage. Now consumers can get the same first-class audio with a new range of Ultimate Ears Super.fi earphones -- premium universal-fit earbuds designed for use with personal devices. The Super.fi 5EB (US$199.99) and Super.fi 5Pro (US$249.99) incorporate the company's proprietary technology to make music from U2 to Kelly Clarkson, Eminem, Ray Charles and even Rachmaninoff sound crisper and fuller than ever before.  Read More

UPDATED IMAGES June 15, 2005 Aviation Technology Group officially introduced the Javelin Mk-20 military trainer at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, France yesterday. At a third of the cost of current military trainers, the Javelin Mk-20 will have the ability to fly 0.92 Mach and reach a maximum ceiling of 45,000 feet. The Javelin’s cockpit and avionics will be compatible with the display systems in current fighter jets, including the F-16, Eurofighter and more. With its high speed, manoeuvrability, and unprecedented performance, coupled with the economy, reliability, and comfort of a light business jet, the Javelin is unique in general aviation. There’s also a US$2.795 million two-seat executive jet version of the Javelin.  Read More

Fifth generation fighters - namely the F/A-22 and F-35 - will have a profound impact on how military forces conduct missions and fight wars, according to, Lockheed Martin's Aeronautics chief, Ralph D. Heath. Heath refers to this change as the "third inflection point" in fighter aircraft technology. Speaking to news media at the 2005 Paris Air Show, he defined the first inflection point as maneuverable and sustained flight, which first appeared in 1905, and the second as jet-powered fighters, which gained strategic importance during the Korean War.  Read More

The Bombardier Global 5000 has set a new speed record, flying 3,510 nautical miles (6,500 km) non-stop from Chicago to Paris in just 7 hours, 15 minutes, firmly establishing itself as the world's fastest intercontinental business jet and the fastest transcontinental civil aircraft since the Concorde. The Bombardier Global 5000 business jet, equipped with a production interior, departed Chicago's Palwaukee Airport with a four-person crew, and a payload of 1,600 pounds (727 kg), equivalent to eight passengers. The aircraft cruised at Mach 0.88 or higher throughout the flight, experienced moderate tailwinds, and landed at Le Bourget Airport in Paris with fuel reserves in excess of NBAA IFR requirements. The record-breaking flight was fully sanctioned by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) and the Federation Aeronautique internationale (FAI).  Read More

One of the really scary things about NEC’s Papero robot is all the capabilities it keeps adding and what it eventually may become. We had a good look at Papero last year and we were very impressed with its English-Japanese translation capabilities in conjunction with its personality and social skills – now a new variant of Papero has been shown at EXPO 2005 in Japan and this one is a “health food adviser robot” which analyses any food you give it using infrared spectrum analysis and reports on the fat and sugar content.  Read More