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Posts Tagged “

Travel

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mega biospheres

The Pale Beauty of a Martian Salt Mine

Vernor Vinge has said that he drew inspiration for the planet of the Tines from a visit to Norway, and Amy Thomson told me recently that she traveled to Mongolia to get a feel for the planet where her recently-finished novel is set. If the otherworldly photographs George Steinmetz recently took in Bolivia are any indication, this cold, arid, beautiful country could easily inspire a novel about life on a terraformed Mars. Here, in the massive salt flats of Uyuni, you can see the pale piles of mineral that miners have chipped from the ground with pickaxes. A very thin layer of water over the salt creates a reflective surface. More uncanny images below. More »

7:00 AM on Mon Jun 23 2008
By Annalee Newitz
1,165 views, 12 comments

Latest by Miranda Kali: @braak: Mmmm. Space G & T's. Such a world would've made a perfect home for the Golgafrichians. So sad, oh well. more »

design

Refurbished 70s Mobile Home for the Road Trip of the Future

Who said the future of travel had to require brand new vehicles? Foreseeing a coming trend in land travel, designer Kevin Fitzsimons restored a 1978 Sovereign 31' Airstream Land Yacht and turned it into a super-fancy high-tech mobile home for the luxe traveler. The Mobitat, or MObi for short, has built-in furniture with white leather and walnut finishes, stainless steel appliances, flat panel hi-def TVs, fancy plumbing, and eco-friendliness written all over it. More »

8:40 AM on Mon May 5 2008
By LISA KATAYAMA
1,212 views, 5 comments

Latest by beercheck: Okay, hold on. People have been rehabbing old RVs for years. Especially Airstreams. There's no reason why one couldn't take this "Road Trip of the Future" today. Or, um, yesterday.Am I missing some obvious way this one's special? Also, while flat-panel more »

concept art

An Interdimensional Spaceport Off the Coast on Titan

Massive futuristic cubes are surrounded by waiting spaceships and transports in this concept set on a moon orbiting a ringed planet. Artist Steve Burg says he intended it to look inter-dimensional. More »

7:00 PM on Fri Jan 11 2008
By Kevin Kelly
5,204 views, 21 comments

Latest by n/a: I think the portal concept works much better for science fiction travel, FTL travel depends probably more on how the universe defines it. I like the idea of accelerating space portals. more »

concept art

Minority Report Jetpack Designer Gets Sexy With It

Now this is one police officer we wouldn't mind pulling over for, and that's not even counting her dangerous curves. Check out the sweet streamlining and attention to detail on that jetpack. Plus she has what looks like Iron Man-esque propulsion units in her fingerless gloves, and a red and blue tipped light-helmet to boot. No idea where she keeps her nightstick, though. Click through for the full image. More »

3:30 PM on Mon Jan 7 2008
By Kevin Kelly
4,521 views, 14 comments

Latest by Imipolex_G-Unit: Her atomic wedgie is a space-age Tuck's medicated pad for the inevitable ass-burn. more »

travel

Scifi Capsule Hotel Opens In London

Never before have we seen a hotel whose rooms let you pretend you're an officer embarking on the maiden voyage of a new starcruiser. If you're in London next month, try out the new Yotel, a Japanese capsule hotel in the Queen's backyard. More »

11:45 AM on Mon Nov 12 2007
By Kevin Kelly
43 views, Comment