The Hot List: Volume 12

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].

 

 

 

With wheels that can turn independently of each other, Juha-Pekka Rautio’s Citroën CCrab concept is ideal for driving in congested areas. When you’re stuck in a traffic jam, and get to the point where you scream, “Screw this; I’m outta here!” the CCrab can scuttle sideways for an easy getaway. Also good for tight parallel parking.

 

 

 

Three Amur tiger cubs were born at the Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, Michigan last month. Now you can watch Kira, Savelii, and Ameliya as they grow up, sleep, play (a lot) and eat in their nursery until December. They’re still being bottle-fed, and their approximate feeding times are 8:00 am, noon, 4:00 pm, and 10:00 pm. As of this writing, they are wrestling with each other after nice nap.

 

 

 

Mini has created a car-themed underwater landscape to help preserve and improve the habitat of the many forms of ocean life living in the waters of Koh Tao, off the coast of Thailand. It also serves to create an interesting venue for divers. Unfortunately, Mini didn’t include lifelike mannequins inside the concrete car.

 

 

 

Pocket Artillery is now accepting preorders for its tiny cannon ($29), which can fire a .177 caliber BB up to 100 yards, complete with a loud bang. The site has videos of it shooting a soda can, wine glass, and row of balloons. We’ve already ordered two.

 

 

 

True3D is a navigation HUD that displays a guiding line, virtual signs, and other augmented reality aspects on the glass in front of you, so you can keep your eyes on the road as you navigate your way to your destination (which, according to this picture, would be the creepiest-looking Best Western we’ve ever seen).

 

 

 

Speaking of creepy, check out this fountain in North Carolina that’s shaped like a giant metal head. It spits water, and does some crazy morphing stuff that we’ve never seen a human head do before.

 

 

 

A grain conglomerate has ordered three ships, due to be ready in 2014, that use a unique trick to improve efficiency. The Mistubishi Air Lubrication System generates bubbles along the hull of the ships, reducing friction as they travel through the water. MALS can reduce CO2 emission by a quarter, Mitsubishi claims.

 

 

 

What makes America great? A guy who makes storage devices for mower decks (i.e. for giant lawn mowers), also makes a temporary license plate holder that you can attach to your tow hook so that you don’t have to mess up the front of your supercar with a permanent front license plate holder. 

 

 

 

We don’t know how this video hasn’t gone completely viral yet. It’s a tiny, tiny pig named Thimble stomping on a toy piano while being fed treats. Bonus: to add to the chaos, there’s the occasional dog bark in the background. If we could buy stock in this video, we would. Hat tip to Dina C!

 

 

 

Barret-Jackson is auctioning a 1947 Bentley Franay Mark VI Cabriolet. The 50-title-winning car sold for $1.7 million in 2006, and might even crest the $2-million mark this time around. Bidding starts January 15, so start saving those pennies now.