I’m sure plenty of you remember 5.11’s April Fool’s Day joke, the Tactical Duty Kilt. I’m sure you also remember that the response was so positive that they were going to do an actual run of the kilts. Well, that day has come, or at least the day to pre-order your kilt has come. They’ll be available in three colors: TDU Khaki, TDU Green, and Black, in sizes 28 to 54. Sadly, 5.11 isn’t accommodating the purchasing of MultiCam kilts (my preferred choice) at this time, but one can only hope.
Japanese company Marudai has created what is possibly the most awesome yet impractical iPhone 4 cases ever. It’s awesome because it can stop a .50 caliber bullet. It’s impractical because, well, it can stop a .50 caliber bullet. Specifically, in order to stop such a round the case features a backplate made from one inch of steel armor, weights 4.6 pounds, and has a hole drilled into it so the onboard camera is even usable. Additionally, only the back of the case is armored, and the phone requires a second case (which comes included) so it doesn’t get damaged while nestled inside its protective shell. When you factor in the almost $650 US (52,500 yen) pricetag, you’re looking at a novelty paperweight at best.
Presenting the AF2011-A1 “Second Century”, a double barrel 1911*. According to Arsenal Firearms, the AF2011-A1 can keep a grouping the size of an orange at 15 yards and the size of a watermelon at 25 yards. Although it boasts a number of unique parts, such as a single slide and single spur double hammer, the firing pins, the firing pins plates, the sears groups, the triple springs, the inner parts of the mainspring housings, the recoil springs and recoil springs rods, the magazine bodies and inner parts, the sights, the grips and grips screws and bushings are all interchangeable with a standard 1911. Additionally, the AF2011-A1 can be customized with either 2 independent triggers and one sear group or with 2 triggers permanently joined and the choice of 1 or 2 sear groups. As for choice of colors, it can be ordered in a mirror finish Deep Blue or with a 3400 Vickers surface hardness White Ash Nitrite coating.
Part of me wants to make fun of it, and part of me wants one really bad.
www.arsenalfirearms.com
One Glock 20 + One Hornady 200gr hollow-point 10mm round + a man willing to shoot himself while wearing body armor = massive stupidity… and this video. I was almost tempted to say this ended (surprisingly) without tragedy, but the vid itself is tragic enough to prove that statement false.
Limited to a production of 13,000 units, this Lux grade Vodka brewed by Glasov Distillery is, true to its name, bottled in AK-47-shaped bottles. The 1 liter bottles come in a ‘Military Green’ wooden case and feature a numbered dog tag. Most of them have already been snatched up by collectors and the like, but there’s still some supply left, at least according to the site www.kalashnikov-vodka.com, where you can order a bottle. However, expect to spend £250 ($396 US), not including additional fees and postage.
If you’ve been watching TV recently, there’s a decent chance you’ve seen this commercial about the upcoming film ‘Red Tails’:
Pardon me if I’m wrong, but is that a dubstep “song” (the term “song” is used loosely here) playing over images of WWII fighter planes? I don’t know about you, but I had to rewind my cable (thank you, DVR!) when I first saw this just to make sure I wasn’t crazy. Don’t get me wrong, from the other trailers I’ve seen this current iteration of ‘Red Tails’ looks decent with lots of pretty special effects, but dubstep seems, I dunno, kinda out of place in a WWII movie. Well, I guess that’s what you get when the beast that spawned Episodes 1 through 3 handles the Tuskegee Airmen.
*sigh* George 'Freaking' Lucas
Red Tails releases in theaters January 20th, 2012.
Title says it all. According to the video source this is a Chinese Army exercise, which in all honestly doesn’t surprise me that much. To the instructor’s credit, he was pretty calm about the whole thing.
GUNDOG by 39 Degrees North is a tribute to the good old days when action movie terrorists were Eastern European and grizzled detectives played by their own rules (and saved Christmas).
This clever image shop by Sarah Anne Langton of Secret Arctic Base shows exactly how awesome a Barbie doll would be if the Zombie craze happened five decades earlier. Throw a few of those Zombie Ken dolls in the mix, and you’d have the ultimate playtime doomsday scenario, just with more pink and effeminate, formerly-living boyfriends. Now with grenades!
Beard Beanies is a series of headgear with a unique twist: attached to each beanie is a knitted beard that covers and protects the wearer’s face, making them great for any number of outdoor activities. Models include the ECO2, Jeep Cap, and LumberJack, made from materials such as 40 Gram thinsulate and Jimtex recycled cotton fibers. Each beanie is also hand-made to order, so you’re looking at a minimum of 5 business days before shipping.
While I question the practicality of this particular method of exfiltration, sometimes the rule of cool just has to overtake all logic. More important than anything else, however, is that someone not only recorded this but had the good will to put it on YouTube.
Described as “…a fun new way of teaching the importance of emergency preparedness.”, the CDC’s ‘”Preparedness 101: Zombie Pandemic” is a graphic novel that uses the always nightmarish Zombie pandemic as a frame for teaching people about the importance of having an emergency kit. Seriously, the last pages include an item checklist for that very purpose. Blatant advertising aside, the art isn’t the worst I’ve seen and the story is almost passable. It also features quite a bit of unintended hilarity. For example: because it’s from the CDC, all opportunities for full-on violence are completely abandoned for a good-ole’ dose of political correctness, which leads what is unequivocally the best part of the whole graphic novel:
L.A.-based Pink Visual, an adult entertainment studio, has started construction on a bunker to ride out the 2012 Apocalypse as predicted by the Mayan calendar. The bunker, which is being built in a secretive location, will feature such amenities as a “refrigeration beverage center”, “standing work kiosks with sliding gun rack compartments”, “world disaster satellite monitor” and “private fertility chambers”. 1200-1500 individuals will be invited to stay in the bunker when construction is completed in September 2012, “…with Pink Visual performers, active site members and Twitter followers getting priority over the general public.” Better safe than sorry, I suppose, but if the end of the world never comes I’m sure they’ll find a good use for the facility…
A little old, but still disturbingly interesting, this is one of many raw meat guns created by Artist Dimitri Tsykalov. He claims his art represents the simplicity and brutality of the gun. I claim it could use a bit more time on the grill. Whatever the case, he also happened to pose some of his creations with virtually naked women, so if raw meat shaped into firearms paired with nudity’s your kind of thing, Google is your friend.
Despite its looks, this is mostly an ordinary clock with a beeping alarm, snooze button, ect. When the red button is pressed however, it acts like a good old fashioned Hollywood-esque 10-second countdown bomb, which you can “defuse” by cutting one of four wires, which are randomly assigned each time (makes for good EOD practice, eh?). The wires themselves are attached with screw terminals for easy replacement. If you’re interested in purchasing one of these, but are understandably worried about having something shaped like an explosive sent through the mail to your address, don’t fret too much. The set’s being sold as an electronics kit, so some creativity will have to come into play to make it more bomb-like.
Currently under review by Guinness World Records for the title of ‘World’s Brightest Handheld Laser’, the Spyder III Krypton is, quite frankly, laser overkill. It features a green beam 8000 times brighter than the Sun (if directly looking at the dot) with a visible range of 85 miles, easily breaking the Earth’s atmosphere; the makers even warn not to point it at satellites [or airplanes, people and animals], since the beam could potentially damage them. It also features a rechargeable lithium ion battery, 9 operation modes such as ‘SOS’ and ‘Beacon’, a 100% unlimited duty cycle, an aircraft-grade aluminum chassis, and SmartSwitch technology, for keeping the beam out of the wrong hands. There are also optional attachments like the expanded lens kit, which adds a variety of patterns and shapes. Sadly, despite its completely-legal-to-own status, the Spyder III Krypton isn’t very practical, since it’s just too damn powerful to use as a laser pointer or gunsight.
This book features all the telltale signs of a zombie outbreak and how to defend oneself. The catch? Instead of being some extensive professional-looking tongue-in-cheek guide, it’s instead written as a tongue-in-cheek children’s book (similar to ‘Go the F**k to Sleep’, but with more zombies, and less cursing). ‘That is Not Your Mommy Anymore – A Zombie Tale’ is written by Matt Mogk, founder of the Zombie Research Society, and illustrated by Aja Wells.
I’ve said before I’m a sucker for a good-looking watch, but the Ur-1001 Zeit Device practically transcends such a simple description. Beneath the sleek exterior made from non-magnetic ARCAP alloy lies indicators for all manner of measurements. It features and/or tracks satellite hours, retrograde minutes, a day/night indicator, running seconds, a power reserve indicator, a revolving satellite calendar displaying months plus date, an oil change indicator, a 100-year indicator and a 1000-year indicator. That’s right, it’s very easily designed to outlive any potential owners simply by how long it’s meant to track time. The cost? Roughly 430,000 USD. Is it limited edition? You better believe it: only 8 are available for purchase, starting in October. At that price and rarity, it was obviously meant for men with riches far beyond what most of us have available. Just the same, if given the chance to own one of these I think I’d still stick with my G-Shock. I feel it’s more functional and since it’s digital I don’t have to wind it.
Apparently designer diapers are a really big thing right now. This naturally has led to Huggies coming up with camouflage diapers (since camouflage is always fashionable, amirite?). Now, while I can’t vouch for the effectiveness of this Navy-esque pattern for your toddler in the field, there is a good cause behind it: every package sold equals a diaper donated to a needy military service family. If you’re looking to buy some of these, they’re available exclusively at Wal-Mart.
Peter Thiel, founder of PayPal, has just sunk $1.25 million of his own money into the Seasteading Institute, an organization that essentially wants to create an above-the-ocean version of Rapture. Lack of genetics-altering, stem cell-loaded sea slugs aside, this seems like a fantastic idea, especially after reading this quote: “a kind of floating petri dish for implementing policies that libertarians, stymied by indifference at the voting booths, have been unable to advance: no welfare, looser building codes, no minimum wage, and few restrictions on weapons.” Honestly, you’d figure billionaires would be rich enough to sit down and play more video games. Andrew Ryan tried this in the 50’s and he ended up with a civil war on his hands… wait, “…few restrictions on weapons.”? It’s decided, I’m sold! Now, where do I apply for citizenship?
In accordance with a 2009 presidential executive order, the Senate has directed the Defense Department to look at uniforms made from recycled plastic bottles and other “formerly used consumer material”. The 2009 policy’s goal is that 95% of all new government contracts for items other than weapons be products or services that are “environmentally preferable.” This can take the form of nontoxic alternatives, products or procedures that don’t deplete the ozone layer and presumably granola-eating manufactory staff with a penchant for hugging trees.
Apparel made of recycled material is not new. The uniform company Cintas has been making hotel and casino staff uniforms of recycled bottles and apparently has a whole line of such recycled couture. Sports uniforms in South Africa have also been made from bottles retrieved from Japanese and Taiwanese landfills. Though it’s doubtful soccer players there must worry too much about IEDs, or need FR clothing, one hopes allowances would be made to keep military uniforms from melting onto a grunt’s skin.
Though it’s not widely known, the uniforms of some specialty units (like the Mobile Infantry) have been made from recycled soda bottles for years. Their MREs are all made of Soylent Green, too.
