PLN 29

What matters in the world today is the new, limited edition, 24-karat gold-plated Playstation 3. This edition of the PS3 is made by a company called Computer Choppers, and is to start at $4999. The Computer Choppers Company also makes cases and covers for Blackberry ($1,199), Mac Book Pro, and a platinum plated iMac monitor. The company is also promising jewel encrusted versions of each item they currently make. This company is outrageous, who is going to buy gold plated or platinum cell phones or computers? Only the extremely rich, and American's will buy this product, because only the extremely rich can afford it, and American's will just use their credit cards and kids college funds. This company its self is a great example of what America has become. It shows that we are greedy and are willing to buy things that we don’t need. I would like to meet the people that are willing to buy things like this and are not Bill Gates, or royalty. The other reason I am so astonished by this company is how impractical their products are. 24-karrot gold is very soft, you can dig into it with your finger nails, so obviously you couldn’t use it anywhere that you didn't know it was safe. If you where to scratch it, spill coffee on it, or drop it you would waste thousands of dollars. Obviously, no average person is going to buy a gold plated Playstaion 3, or any other product sold by Computer Choppers.

PLN 28

What matters in the world today is that we are trying a little too hard to go green and save the environment. Yes, saving energy and fuel is important, but some of the new "green" inventions are ridiculous. Take for example the "Solar Powered Drink Coasters" (currently on sale for $14.00). This invention collects solar power all day, and then at night it will light up your glass and make your drink look radio active. This invention is completely pointless, how much energy or carbon emissions can a coaster give off. This invention along with some others, have made Yahoo.com's Tech Ticker Dumbest, Green Inventions List. Also on this list is the "Eton Solar Link Radio" this radio is an emergency crank radio, which can also run for a few hours on a full day of direct sunlight. It is equipped with a USB port, a cell phone charger and a clock. But if you were to need it in an emergency, there better not be water involved, because the Eton Radio is not water proof. Another invention on this list is the "Bedol Water-Powered Clock." This device is a digital clock, about the size of a tennis ball, which runs on a mix of water and lemon juice. This clock uses only a fraction less energy than a normal clock, and it doesn't even have an alarm. But, the most outrageous green invention in my opinion is the "Energy Curtain." This is a window blind that collects the energy from the sun all day, weather it is rolled up or down, and then at night it glows blue so you don't need to use the electric light. This sounds like a good idea, until you find out that to keep it from glowing at night; you have to completely cover it with a cloth during the day. This would be a hassle, because if you were to forget the cover, your blinds would be glowing all night and keep you awake. This curtain might keep you from using the lights, but what is the point. All of the inventions on the list either take the place of items that use no energy (the solar powered coasters) or barely use less energy than the supposedly non-energy efficient things they replace. I'm not saying that we should stop trying to be green, I just think that there are more effective and efficient ways of gong about it, than with water powered clocks and glow blinds.

PLN 27

The helicopter ejection seat, vertical propulsion coupled with spinning over blades, is currently in the top five worst inventions of all time. To most people it would obviously be a horrible idea, but this invention matters to the world to day because currently the Russian Kamov Ka-50/52 attack helicopters are equipped with this method of evacuation. The Ka-50 black shark and the Ka-52 alligator are the worlds first ever co-axel attack helicopters; co-axel helicopters have two sets of rotors instead of just one. The Ka-50 black shark has been in use by the Russian army sense 1995 and it along with the Ka-50 alligator, are the only helicopters to equip a zero-zero ejection seat. The initial idea of the ejection seat sounds ludicrous, but in the plans the Russians programmed the blades to be launched off with explosive charges in the event that the pilot pulls the ejection cord. In other words, an originally stupid idea is now the most advance helicopter safety system in the world. This ejection seat could end up saving thousands of lives, because it would allow for a quick escape, instead of having to get out of the cock pit, move to and open the door then jump out of a helicopter spinning out of control. By adding this system to helicopters everywhere, it would cut down on deaths, because most helicopter related deaths happen during impact with the ground. By ejecting out of the aircraft, fewer lives will be lost. I personally would not trust the system, because what if the explosives that blow off the rotors fail or malfunction. Or what if the rotors come off but the seat doesn't eject and you’re stuck in a falling helicopter that has no propulsion system. Even though I find some limitations with the current system, I believe it could be modified and used to save lives in the future.