Obama's new presidential limo is built like a tank, looks like a Cadillac

When Barack Obama hops into his presidential limousine after his inauguration on January 20, it might be this brand new rolling fortress that's part car, part truck. General Motors might be about to financially tank, but it's still putting the finishing touches on this real-world tank that'll soon be shiny and bear the presidential seal.

Most of the specs of this car are top secret, but a few tantalizing details are floating around, such as the five-inch-thick windows that are about half as transparent as regular glass and can stop projectiles from assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and high explosives. It's also said to be built of a combination of blast-proof ceramics and exotic metals, and certainly won't have a convertible top or sunroof.

While GM's trying to make it look like a Cadillac DTS, it's based on the company's line of heavy-duty 2500 trucks. For a fast getaway, it must have a giant engine under the hood. Because the presidential motorcade typically uses up to six decoy vehicles, there must be a mini-fleet of these behemoths on their way to the White House before too long.

Fox News scores exclusive video tour of Air Force One

It's not every day that someone gets an exclusive tour of the tricked-out Boeing 747 that's designated Air Force One whenever the president is aboard. That's what Fox News propagandist Chris Wallace did last week, airing his special peek on yesterday's Fox News Sunday chatfest. He said it took five years to get permission for this video walk-around.

The surprising part of this tour (an excerpt of which is in the video above, see the whole thing here): There was not a whole lot of super-high tech stuff. The telephones look pretty conventional, and the 50-inch plasma TVs seem to be the same ones you can pick up at Wal-Mart. We like the private shower and those touchscreen power curtains in the prez's stateroom, though.

Keep in mind, the top-secret high tech was nowhere to be seen, for good reason. Still, it's big fun to imagine partying down on this nuclear-proof luxo-sky limo with all the cheeseburgers we could eat. Heck, the stewards even know how you like your coffee if you're important enough. Add a fancy helicopter and that super presidential limo-tank I showed you in the last post, and Obama's going to have himself the perfect transportation fleet.

Bulletproof polos make golf course assassinations a thing of the past

Now you can pop your collar and survive all the bullets you're likely to take for being so ridiculous fashionable. Straight out of London's famous Harrod's department store is Colombian Miguel Caballero's polo shirt made from bulletproof fabric, and its designed to take hits from light weapon's fire.

Caballero has made a name for himself by making security products for fashion-minded security professionals and contractors, and has attracted the attention of high profile figures such as Prince Felipe of Spain and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.

High profile attention also means high prices, though, and this is probably the most expensive shirt you'll ever buy: $12,000. Caballero's outfit also does custom designs, if you needed some bulletproof slacks to match.

Waterbirth vessel looks way more comfortable than a bathtub

Giving birth in a warm water bath is much more popular in Europe and Asia than in the USA, and most mothers in this country who choose a waterbirth, deliver their babies at home in a bathtub. While specialized birthing tubs have been around for a while, this new design from Darling Dushinka looks like the Rolls-Royce of waterbirth vessels. With an adjustable seat, warm massage jets, an overhead grab bar, and even a seat in the tub for the expectant father, this tub makes it easy to have a comfortable waterbirth within the safety of a hospital.

Asus EEE Top brings cheap touchscreen computing to the masses

The EEE PC was the first of many small, cheap, no-frills laptops to hit the market, sparking a huge rush in the newly-formed netbooks category of computers. Able to do basic tasks such as surf the web and check email while being portable enough to carry with you wherever you go, it made a lot of sense as a second computer for people on the go. And now Asus is bringing the same mindset to desktop computers.

The EEE Top is a desktop computer with a 15.6-inch touchscreen monitor, perfect for going in the kitchen to look up recipes or check the news. It can use a keyboard and mouse, of course, but the touchscreen will make quickly clicking around a webpage super easy while allowing you to keep those peripherals in a drawer. Look for it to drop for not that much money sometime in early 2009.

iBangle: Fantastic future iPod as self-sizing bracelet

It might take a few years (or decades) for this iBangle design concept to end up on your wrist, but for the time being, we can stare in astonishment at its ambitious design. You see that blue inner band? Push a tiny button on the side and it fills with air, expanding to fit snugly around your wrist.

There's a multi-touch track pad for easy navigation, and the audio finds its way to your ears via a couple of wireless earbuds. Alas, there's no screen, but designer Gopinath Prasana figures you can navigate just fine with an audio-oriented navigation system.

Short of that miraculous mini air compressor, this looks like a player that might be possible, if the buyer doesn't mind paying a pretty penny for a musical bracelet. We'd like to see it shrunk down to the size of a wedding ring, allowing its wearer to express the ultimate in Apple love.

Modern House 2

Modern House 1

First fully artificial heart to be ready for humans in 2.5 years

Medical technology is advancing by leaps and bounds, bringing with it futuristic devices that were but dreams until only recently. One such advancement is the fully artificial heart, a fake ticker that can be placed inside the body to replace a damaged or faulty original.

We're about two and a half years away from human trials for the artificial heart according to heart transplant specialist Alain Carpentier. The fully artificial heart will be a huge step forward for heart surgeries, making up the difference between people who need heart transplants and available hearts, about 20,000 per year. The heart is made from chemically treated animal tissues, which allows the body to accept it rather than rejecting it as has been an issue with past artificial hearts. These are amazing times we live in.

Train station of the future...

Take a glimpse into the future: This is the World Trade Center's transportation hub, revealed a few days ago after numerous redesigns. Created by one of our favorite architects, Santiago Calatrava, the soaring organic architecture features a glass and steel structure with gorgeous undulating ceilings and spines sticking out the roof. Whoa.

This is classic Calatrava, with snow white interiors constructed in repeating motifs that remind us of the spectacular art museum Calatrava designed for Milwaukee that we've visited many times. It's awe-inspiring. The guy knows how to capture emotion in steel and glass, creating buildings that will look as good 100 years from now as they do today. We look forward to walking through this other-worldly building when it's completed in 2012.

'Sneakey' software can duplicate keys from images

Computer programmers at UC San Diego have whipped up software that poses a serious threat. Called "Sneakey," it can use an image of a key from almost any angle to create an exact replica. It doesn't have to be a good image, either. Cellphone pictures work and, in a chilling example, the team successfully reproduced a key using a shot taken with a telephoto lens from 200 feet away.

"You only need to click a few control points in the image of the key and the 'Sneakey' program does the rest," programmer Benjamin Laxton told a UCSD reporter, "It normalizes the key's size and position so that each pixel then corresponds to a known distance. From this information the height of each of the key cuts can easily be computed and likewise the bitting code can be extracted."

It's devilishly simple, which is worrying. The "Sneakey" software was used last night as part of a presentation at the Conference on Communications and Computer Security, as an example of how new technology changes the game when it comes to security. What can you do to guard against it? Not much, save treat your keys like you do your credit card. Don't publicize its image, because that's all "Sneaky" and software like it would need.