Technabob » texas http://technabob.com/blog Cool Gadgets, Gizmos, Games and Weird Science Mon, 13 Feb 2012 02:31:24 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 The Most Awesome Claw Machine in the World http://technabob.com/blog/2010/06/02/the-most-awesome-claw-machine-in-the-world/ http://technabob.com/blog/2010/06/02/the-most-awesome-claw-machine-in-the-world/#comments Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:37:42 +0000 Lambert Varias http://technabob.com/blog/?p=34004 Because everything is big in Texas:

six flags texas claw machine ps3 prize 1

This machine must be surrounded by hopeful gamers every single day.

six flags texas claw machine ps3 prize 2

Loot Ninja‘s Justin McCollough snapped these pics, and he says it costs about $2.50 or $3.50 (USD) for a crack at the machine. And before a flame war erupts in the comments, Justin says that there are also claw machines with Xbox 360 and Wii prizes. Freakin’ awesome.

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2010/06/02/the-most-awesome-claw-machine-in-the-world/feed/ 3 Pac-Man Land Theme Park: Blast From the Past http://technabob.com/blog/2009/08/09/pac-man-land-theme-park/ http://technabob.com/blog/2009/08/09/pac-man-land-theme-park/#comments Sun, 09 Aug 2009 23:39:18 +0000 Technabob http://technabob.com/blog/?p=17982 Pac-Man Land… attraction at the Six Flags Over Texas theme park back in the 1980s, and]]> I found this great time capsule image over on Flickr earlier today…

pac man land

I’m not sure where Flickr contributor Rotin managed to dig up this postcard image, but I can’t believe there was actually a Pac-Man Land attraction at the Six Flags Over Texas theme park back in the 1980s, and I never got to go. Heck, I was only a 9 hour drive away at the time! But here’s proof it actually existed…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

They really need to bring this back. I’ll even dress up in the Pac-Man suit if they let me.

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2009/08/09/pac-man-land-theme-park/feed/ 1 The Great Insect War: Ants Versus Phoridae http://technabob.com/blog/2009/05/13/insect-war-ant-versus-phoridae/ http://technabob.com/blog/2009/05/13/insect-war-ant-versus-phoridae/#comments Wed, 13 May 2009 12:15:45 +0000 Lambert Varias http://technabob.com/blog/?p=12926 Freaky news from Texas: apparently, fire ants are becoming a problem in the Lone Star State, so they’re importing phorid flies to deal with the problem. Pshaw, what can puny flies do against ants, you must be saying. Pshaw. Well pshaw on this report from UPI: “The phorid flies effectively turn fire ants into zombies, the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram reported Tuesday. The egg that hatches in a fire ant produces a maggot that eats the ant’s brain…” Awesome. It’s Ants vs. Phoridae, and we’ve got some nasty photos of the ongoing insect war:

avp 2

Okay here’s the real deal (via Missouri State University):

avp 1

That’s a fire ant on the left, looking just fine and fiery, ready to bite your little toe off. And here’s what could happen after the phorid fly’s Brain Buster attack: (via USDA-SABCL)

avp 3

Ouch. Rob Plowes of the University of Texas summarizes the epic battle thusly: “…as the maggot eats a fire ant’s brain the ant begins to rove around mindlessly. After about two weeks, the ant’s head falls off, allowing the fly to emerge, seeking another fire ant to begin the cycle again.” The plan won’t eradicate the ants totally, just control the annoying ant’s population. And that’s good, because 20th Century Fox just got a hold of representatives from the warring insects and signed them on for a trilogy.

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2009/05/13/insect-war-ant-versus-phoridae/feed/ 1 Austin Pranksters Hack Signs, Warn of Zombies http://technabob.com/blog/2009/01/29/austin-pranksters-hack-signs-warn-of-zombies/ http://technabob.com/blog/2009/01/29/austin-pranksters-hack-signs-warn-of-zombies/#comments Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:00:30 +0000 Alisha K. http://technabob.com/blog/?p=8304 So imagine that you’re just bebopping along down the road, minding your own business, maybe thinking about picking up a mocha or pulling in to get gas, and there are road work signs. Okay, no problem. That’s typical. Road work happens. Except… these aren’t warning of impending construction. No, this time? This time it’s zombies.

tb zombsignaus

Fortunately, no modern zombie equivalent of a War of the Worlds panic was caused by the signs, which flashed their warnings near the University of Austin campus Monday morning. However, the signs did case some problems… thanks to drivers slowing down to get pictures of the warnings! I admit, that would have been hard to resist.

Traffic controller Bruce Jones first noticed the vandalism at 6 am Monday morning, and reports that the signs were physically tampered with, and the password for one was even changed by the pranksters. Tampering with traffic signs like this may be hilarious, but with the icy conditions that have troubled much of the country this week, it can also cause problems, which goes far to explain why the vandalism is a misdemeanor crime in Texas.

[Fox News via NoHypeReviews and All Ablog Austin]

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2009/01/29/austin-pranksters-hack-signs-warn-of-zombies/feed/ 1 Texas Scouts’ World Record Rocket Launch http://technabob.com/blog/2007/05/14/texas-scouts-world-record-rocket-launch/ http://technabob.com/blog/2007/05/14/texas-scouts-world-record-rocket-launch/#comments Mon, 14 May 2007 16:00:51 +0000 Technabob http://technabob.com/blog/2007/05/14/texas-scouts-world-record-rocket-launch/ This weekend, a group of Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts in Austin, Texas set out to break the Guinness World Record for the number of simultaneously launched model rockets.

scout rockets

They successfully deployed 965 model rockets at the same instant, smashing the previous record of just under 400 rockets. Check out this video of the launch:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Congratulations to Cub Scout Pack 990 and Boy Scout Troop 990 for pulling off this amazing feat!

[via Engadget, photos via fauxtoe]

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2007/05/14/texas-scouts-world-record-rocket-launch/feed/ 3 Is That a Banana in Your Stratosphere, or Are You Just Glad to See Me? http://technabob.com/blog/2007/02/09/is-that-a-banana-in-your-stratosphere-or-are-you-just-glad-to-see-me/ http://technabob.com/blog/2007/02/09/is-that-a-banana-in-your-stratosphere-or-are-you-just-glad-to-see-me/#comments Fri, 09 Feb 2007 15:53:41 +0000 Technabob http://technabob.com/blog/2007/02/09/is-that-a-banana-in-your-stratosphere-or-are-you-just-glad-to-see-me/ A French-Canadian artist is working on a plan to launch a gigantic banana-shaped blimp into orbit above the state of Texas.

space banana

The project proposes a 300-meter, helium filled banana floated skywards, to hover over the Lone Star state. Artist Cesar Saez claims to have raised tens of thousands of dollars towards his goal of $1 million that will be needed to launch his work, entitled Geostationary Banana Over Texas.

Why, you may ask, would you spend taxpayer dollars to launch a giant fruit into space? According to the artist, “Texas is as symbolic as the banana… The banana has a lot of symbolism: phallic, humour, and political, too.” If that’s his only criteria, why not launch a giant penis into space?

[via TechDigest]

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2007/02/09/is-that-a-banana-in-your-stratosphere-or-are-you-just-glad-to-see-me/feed/ 2