Designed by MIT-pedigreed engineers, the Terrafugia (“escape from land” in Latin) is prepared to take off as the world’s first flying car.  The company got a huge boost earlier this year when the Federal Aviation Administration granted them a weight exemption that allowed the vehicle to be 110 pounds heavier than the normal maximum for a light sport aircraft.  Thanks to this exemption, all the road essentials, like airbags and a structural cage have been worked into the new design.

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Just when you thought it was safe to commute to downtown Silver Spring, Maryland  – the Discovery Channel has transformed its headquarters into a giant “man-eater” in honor of Shark Week.  Nicknamed “Chompie,” the inflatable shark consists of five pieces – the head, two side fins, a dorsal fin, and a tail.

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To me, the ultimate summer refresher isn’t a dip in the pool but rather a fresh, frothy cocktail over ice.  When you get the right combination of flavors and presentation, it not only cools you down, but puts you in instant vacation mode.

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Just ask Velma, Shaggy, and the rest of the Mystery Gang:  the scariest part of solving mysteries is when you have to do it in an old abandoned amusement park.  Hands down.  Why?  Because  jacked up rusty clown faces are horrifying, that’s why.  And so are decaying machines that were once intended for fun and good times, but are now on the brink of crumbling down onto your head.  We can’t look at these pictures without imagining that they’ll be the last thing we see before a psychotic old man emerges from the computer monitor to kill us.

And it would serve us right for meddling.

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Bold and playful, this year’s Serpentine Gallery Pavilion has arrived at Kensington Gardens, giving Londoners a fiery retreat amid the park’s staid greenery. Designed by world-renowned French architect Jean Nouvel, this is the 10th commission in the series and Nouvel’s first completed building in the UK.  Renowned for architectural experimentation, the Serpentine Gallery’s annual commission showcases the talent of some of the world’s greatest architects.

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If you’ve ever had your Tumi grabbed by a stranger,  you can appreciate the ability to quickly shag your bag as it makes its way through baggage claim. Designed to adhere to anything, TheCheeky.com offers “Suitcase Stickers” that will make the dreaded conveyor belt clamor a bit more manageable.  Colin Hart, the mastermind behind Thecheeky.com, offers products designed to “make the world wide web smile and from time to time frown like a baby eating a lemon.”

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Are you a creepy weirdo looking to further alienate everyone you know with your choice of living conditions?  Or maybe you’re a world renowned terrorist on the run from nearly every law enforcement organization on the planet?  Or perhaps you’re just vacationing in Turkey or Spain?

If any of these situations apply to you, have you considered shacking up in a cave house?  If not, maybe it’s time to start!  Because honestly, we can’t think of better accommodations for a person in your situation.  And before you get all snooty about things, consider this.  Cave houses aren’t what they used to be.  In other words, they aren’t just caves that random transients move into and start calling home.  No, today, cave homes sell for several hundreds of thousands of dollars and in some cases are marketed as vacation destinations for worldly travelers looking to escape the usual tourist traps that claim most adventure seekers.

So if you’re in the market for a whole new way of living or just a different take on the traditional vacation setting, consider one of these amazing cave houses.  You’ll be glad you did.  Unless there are bats, of course.  Bats are awful.

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Inaugurated in 2002, Paris Beach (or “Paris Plage” for you snooty types) is a month long event that transforms several spots in Paris into artificial beaches. Thousands of tons of sand are imported along with full size palm trees, beach chairs and chaise-lounges to create an asphalt “shoreline” abutting water that the French Ministry of Health says is unfit for swimming.  Designed by “urban scenographer” Jean-Christophe Choblet,  the concept seems a bit gauche, but those wacky French appear to love it.

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The latest season of Mad Men is upon us, so people everywhere are standing a little taller, sucking in guts and trying to forget the era of 90s grunge ever existed.  If there’s one thing Mad Men has accomplished, it’s that this amazing show has encouraged us all to look in the mirror every now and then.  Maybe tuck in our shirts.  Straighten up the cushions.  And smoke cigarettes while pregnant.

Perhaps no one’s fallen for that last one…but we’d sure look stylish if we did.  Here are 18 things you can buy right now to make you look and feel like you’re right on the set of Mad Men.

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