Free and Easy! 3D Modeling

This little gem is perfect for anyone interested in 3D modeling and no budget. The software is free while in beta and is totally unique in how easy it is to learn. I found it looking for a product to use for virtual protyping ceramic designs and fell in love with it. I purchased also purchased Mudbox 3D; but, by far, the interface of CB Model Pro is my favorite.

CB Model Pro - Easy 3D Modeling

From Tom Via Make Magazine

4GB USB Drive $24.99

From CompUSA Free Delivery + Tax (No Rebates)

Via Techbargains

Credit Card Discounts

Blueprint for Financial Prosperity reminds us that credit cards carry more discounts than we realize. Visa, MasterCard, and American Express all offer discounts for cardholders. Discover's discounts are limited to business accounts.
If you have more than one card, shop around for the ideal discount. Both Visa and MasterCard offer savings at ACE Hardware; Visa's is $15 off a $75 purchase and free shipping, while MasterCard offers $10 off a $50 purchase, but no free shipping. If you are hungry, American Express offers discounts at restaurants.
You can't redeem these offer simply by using the right card to by the item at a brick-and-mortar store. The discounts listed on the websites are redeemable either as a printout coupon or an online discount code at checkout. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER
Visa, MasterCard & American Express Cardholder Discounts [Blueprint for Financial Prosperity]Visa Discounts

MasterCard Discounts

American Express Discounts

Via Consumerist

Buy or Build External USB Drive

Buy - Simpletech 250GB External drive $49.99 after 2 rebates shipped free from Office Depot

It's pretty tough to beat that deal, but for the tinkerers among us:

Build - From Extreme Tech Archives - By Loyd Case

Don Quixote's Sailboat

Someone was thinking outside of the box on this one. The 36 foot catamaran, Revelation II, is powered by 3 20-foot long carbon fiber propellers on a 30 foot rotating mast. The windmill transmits power to a 6 blade propeller underwater, with the net result that the boat can make way even directly into the wind. Right now, you are either astonished, thinking "Why didn't we think of that before?", or your head is spinning with reasons why these boats are not currently plying the seas in great numbers. For instance, how well could such a thing possibly go into the wind if wind and water drag are offset by the forward propulsion generated? Or "who photo-shopped that windmill onto that catamaran?", for the real cynics. But it seems like there is evidence that the wind turbine concept really functions, and even some rather grainy video proof. If you want to evaluate some examples of the math for the proposition yourself (or just learn how a great forum can break down when we don't treat each other with respect), see the comments at Sailing against the wind. If you are leaning towards the photo-fixing theory, check out the Revelation II from another viewpoint at the Multihull Centre. From Tree Hugger

Define: Unusual .... and Bizarre

"It's not exactly unusual weather for Denver. We don't know what it is... It's kind of a mystery at this point. It's truly bizarre."

Source: Frontier Airlines spokesman Joe Hodas, commenting on a series of unusual incidents Friday involving planes at or near Denver International Airport. Over a dozen airliners suffered cracked windscreens, including two planes parked at the gate.

Via Aero-News

How To Build The Ultimate Paper Airplane

Check out this sturdy paper airplane, "the DC-3 of paper airplanes", and let us know how it flies.

Assembly Instructions

Flight Instruction

Via Zurqui

.500 Magnum Vs. "Bulletproof" Flash Drive

We love when lofty claims actually get put to the test, and while we know that an iPod can't hold its own in a blender and an unshielded PSP is no match for a katana, neither of those actually touted any form of defense to begin with. Not so with Pretec's iDisk flash drive, which actually goes so far as to claim that it's "bulletproof," spurning a few shooters at a gun club to grab a few pistols, a camcorder, and give it a go. Initially, the battle-tested drive brushed off a 9mm round, .357 shot, and even a .44 slug without too much damage to the enclosure, but the little fellow didn't fare so well against the mighty .500 Magnum, which practically obliterated it in one fell swoop. Of course, a data thief desperate for your information isn't likely to destroy the very bytes he or she is after, but if you're frightened that Pretec's offering isn't quite macho enough for your needs, we're sure the "nuclear proof" Iron Drive could fit the bill -- until it meets the GP-219 or an eight-Megajoule railgun, of course. Click on through for the (admittedly lengthy) destruction process. By Darren Murph of Engadget
Check out the Video

What does she know that we don't?

Find out what Uncle Sam could be doing with the cell phone in your pocket! Check out this thread from MetaFilter. Maybe she carries her cell phone in her hair??????

Steaming Pile?

New Cubs GM Gets His Game Face On!

Cubs GM Lou Piniella sneers at reporters at a press conference on Wednesday.

AP Photo By Paul Connors

Females Found Unreliable for US Mint

WASHINGTON — OK, so Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea didn't get the job done. Now the U.S. Mint is rolling out the big guns: George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.But even the founding fathers may not be able to handle this challenge.In 1979, unhappy over the speed with which $1 bills wore out and the cost of replacing them, the Treasury Department issued a dollar coin featuring Anthony, the women's rights crusader. But the public wasn't buying — or, rather, using. Too many people thought the coin looked and felt like a quarter. Two decades later, the department tried again, this time with the Shoshone woman who helped the Lewis and Clark expedition. The gold-colored Sacagawea coin drew early interest with collectors but again fizzled with consumers.

more from LATimes

Passengers Happy With Rough Landing!

LAS PALMAS, Spain (Reuters) - Passengers overpowered a suspected armed hijacker who had commandeered a Mauritanian plane on Thursday when he was knocked off his feet during a hard landing, a source close to the Mauritanian presidency said.

More from Reuters

Florida Gator Basketball

The #1 Florida Gators (24-2) rallied from an 18 point deficit to beat the #25 Alabama Crimson Tide (18-7) 76-67 in an SEC showdown. Taurean Green scored 20 points for the Gators and Joakim Noah added 10 points and 8 rebounds in the win. Richard Hendrix led Alabama with 16 points and 8 rebounds.

More College Basketball from Transworldnews

Amazing Machine of the Day: SeaPhantom

The real ingenuity behind this devilishly fast machine is not the speed, but rather the comfort, a word not usually mentioned when describing high-speed boats. The unusually shaped craft is modeled after a NASA lifting body. There are two shock dampened hydrofoils that extend down and to the rear from the forward outboard portions of the machine. These foils have the marine equivalent of a desert racer's suspension system consisting of non-corrosive fiberglass leaf springs and billet-aluminum airbags tested to 60,000 pounds for dampening the wave impacts. As it increase in speed it rises onto the foils to get the hull out of the water. Although it currently uses a 625hp motor from an offshore racing boat, once on the foils, only 300hp is required to keep it on plane and at speed. Speaking of speed, this machine can rocket across the sea at speeds approaching 150 knots.
The Sea Phantom resembles Space Ship One crossed with a Peugeot 20Cup Concept in a Cypress Gardens waterski show. A proof of concept that seats five has been built and used in sea trials. They are considering turbines that can burn marine diesel and have superior weight to power ratios. Eventually they hope this technology will be used for craft seating 18-25 ferrying tourists, soldiers, or anyone that wants a cool ride!


SeaPhantom via Gizmag

Gambling Advice

The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that’s the way to bet.

- Damon Runyon

Gadget of the Day: Electrolux VEGE

Grow your own fresh veggies right next to the refrigerator. Thai student Teeravit Hanharutaivan(pronunciation unknown) developed this concept for the Electrolux Design Lab Competition. The appliance can hold and hydroponically grow up to forty plants. Digital displays help the plants communicate with humans so that they are properly take care of while sensors keep track of what the plants need. The only downside of this concept is the inability to develop a farmers tan. Rumor has it that Teeravit is working on that last bug. Soon, we can all sit in rocking chairs on the patios of our condos and discuss the way this year's crops are growing in the kitchen.

Electrolux Design Labs via Cnet Asia and Gizmodo

Download of the Day: Watchmycell

This nifty little program can automatically log into your cell provider's website and keep track of your minute usage. It currently supports Cingular, Verizon, T-mobile, Sprint, and Nextel. After you set in some parameters. The app will notify you via e-mail or text message. This can save you serious$$$ by keeping away those unexpected overage bills.

Watchmycell via lifehacker