The Hot List: Volume 30

Every week we sift through a truly amazing amount of “stuff” in the dozen or so hours we spend online—you know, the time spent not driving sweet cars. A lot of the cool stuff we find has to do specifically with new cars, naturally, but there’s also a huge amount of awesomeness that doesn’t completely fit in the normal Winding Road world. Once, we were in the habit of simply reading, watching, or talking amongst ourselves about this web detritus, but recently we thought it might be a good idea to start sharing it with you all. Thus, The Hot List.

 

We aim to bring you a list of the most interesting bits of information we run across. Ten worth-knowing-about things that may or may not be related directly to the world of cars, but all of which we think our typical enthusiast readers will be able to really dig into. We don’t know, from week to week, what will show up on this list, which is part of the fun for us and for you.

Read, enjoy, and comment. If you happen to know of something that you think would make for a good inclusion on next week’s list, drop us a line at [email protected].

 

 

 

 

Carnology is a car identification game. Race around the board by guessing the make, model, and year of various cars from 1901 to 2012. Includes a difficult “close-up” category.

 

 

 

 

Next time someone yells at you for putting your beer directly on the table, reach for one of these race track coasters. The include designs of Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen, Monaco, Spa, Road America, and, of course, the Nürburgring.

 

 

 

 

We’re not dying until we’ve picked out the perfect hearse. This makes the short list. Biemme Special Cars built this hearse from a Rolls-Royce Phantom. It has a 6.75-liter V-12 to whisk you off to your final resting place. It is expected to cost at least $662,000.

 

 

 

 

What might seem like a waste of a good car may also seem to some to be the world’s coolest bookshelf. Made from an old Jaguar. Admit it, it would look great in your study.

 

 

 

 

Even nerds occasionally go outside. For those rainy days you can now feel a little bit more heroic carrying these Star Wars light saber umbrellas. They have one modeled after Obi-Wan Kenobi’s saber, and one based on Anakin Skywalker’s.

 

 

 

 

Nobody wants their briefcase stolen. Kimpok offers this Super Safety Suitcase, which sounds an alarm and delivers a high-voltage shock when it is a certain distance away from the remote, which is hopefully in possession of the bag’s owner.

 

 

 

 

Science, man! This robotic jellyfish, developed by Virginia Tech and University of Texas at Dallas, runs on hydrogen it derives from the water it swims in. It has the potential to be used in underwater rescue missions. The best part is, you never have to replace any batteries.

 

 

 

 

This snowboard from Signal Snowboards has a few hidden tricks. It breaks up unto a par of skis and a snow shovel. It also features a folding saw, compass, flint for starting fires, and thermometer.

 

 

 

 

This rifle-shaped digital camera provides an all-season, blood-free alternative to hunting. Take a picture with the KillShot, and superimposed crosshairs offer feedback on accuracy. It could be a good way to educate a young hunter-in-training, or a safe way to enjoy the thrill of the hunt without having to kill anything. Probably not suitable for wedding photography.

 

 

 

 

Ray’s Classics in California is selling this replica from Scooby-Doo, a 1969 Dodge cargo van dressed up as the iconic Mystery Machine. It even has a license plate that reads “Jenkies.”