The Hot List: Volume 41

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].

 

 

 

 

We’ve all seen the pine tree air fresheners that people hang from their rear-view mirrors. They do a horrible job of covering up the smell of French fries, and often smell pretty foul themselves. These air fresheners are made from actual pine cones, scented with essential oils, so your car can smell like the rustic outdoors.

 

 

 

 

Science, man! Black holes! They don’t just sit there, gobbling up everything nearby. Apparently, a black hole is getting kicked out of a galaxy about four billion light years away from us. Even crazier, it is traveling at an astonishing speed of several million miles per hour. That’s faster than the fastest Camaro.

 

 

 

 

Did you know that some mushrooms give off their own light? These Panellus Stipticus (AKA foxfire) mushrooms are easy to grow, will amaze your kids, and will look really cool in your terrarium or backyard. Bonus: they won’t kill you.

 

 

 

 

Do you get lonely on your runs? This autonomous flying robot could keep you company. It keeps pace with you as you run, or can challenge you to achieve a faster pace. Joggobot, you’re our best friend.

 

 

 

 

Ever wanted to take off and travel the world? What stopped you? Generally, it’s money. This book tells you how to earn a living and fund your trip as you travel the globe. Boing Boing has some thoughts on the book, as well as a couple excerpts.

 

 

 

 

If you’re going to be travelling to places where survival will be a bit tricky, you might want this. This newest Swiss Army knife from Wenger features 9 implements and 15 functions, including needle nose pliers, a wire cutter, screwdriver and adapter bits, cutting reamer and awl with sewing eye, a metal saw, and a single hand opening blade with safety lock.

 

 

 

 

If you aren’t afraid of heights, and want to have a meal that you won’t forget, check out Dinner In The Sky. It is a hosted table suspended by a crane, with a chef and waiter on board to serve up to 22 guests. You can rent your own, or find an event worldwide.

 

 

 

 

These electric skateboards look like serious fun. There are three models depending on the type of riding you intend to do: The Commuter, The Trail Rider, and The Road Warrior. Check out this video to see them in action.

 

 

 

 

Sometimes, you’re hungry when you get home, but are too tired to cook and too health-/wallet-conscious to order out. The AGA iTotal Control cooker is a unit with three ovens you can control remotely, so your roast and any side dishes can already be cooking when you leave work.

 

 

 

 

This little home doesn’t take up much space, and moving it as easy as towing a racecar. Created by Laird Herbert of Canada, it can accommodate four residents. It has self-sustaining features such as a composting toilet and a propane tankless hot water system. It costs $43,429, or Herbert can create a custom model for interested buyers.