Donky Bike – the ultimate bike for couriers?

The Donky Bike; as the name suggests is an innovative bicycle that can carry heavy items via its front and back platforms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Created by British industrial designer Ben Wilson; The Donky Bike was designed to provide Londoners with a different means of transportation, but covering the practical element of being able to carry heavy goods, maintaining low carbon footprint and suiting the urban lifestyle.

Whilst Wilson designed the bicycle to assist Londoners and their shopping, we see great potential for London bike couriers to use these as they can triple their loads using the front and back platforms as well as their normal courier bag.

Given the Donky Bike comes at a price of £499 which is not far off compared to a standard bicycle, it could be a good investment for London bike couriers we reckon.

Green Bus Receive an Additional Boost

Department for Transport MP Norman Baker announced this week an additional £20 million is being made available for the government’s Green Bus Fund. The fourth round for the fund, bringing the total support for this initiative to £95 million since its launch in 2009

 “Cutting carbon emissions from transport is not a choice, it is a necessity and that is why I am prioritising green buses and giving operators and local authorities an extra £20 million to deliver on this”, said MP Baker

The additional funds are from an under-spend within the Department for Transport and can be applied for this financial year.

As part of the fourth round initiative the department has also released a tool kit which will allow councils and operators to see at a glance how quickly they can expect a return on investment in low carbon buses using a variety of carbon saving technologies such as hybrid or electric buses. It also shows operators and local authorities the savings on offer through reduced running costs from low carbon buses compared with running a bus using conventional fuels.

Details on the bidding process and eligibility will be published soon on the department’s website.

While buses using low carbon technologies tend to be more expensive than conventional buses many are eligible for government support and running costs are usually lower so that, over time, they are actually the more economical choice.

Green Super Car

Everyone of us seems to know a little or two about super cars, the Ferrari’s, Lamborghini’s, MacLaren’s etc. They all share similar features: fast, powerful and expensive making them “super”.

Because of these features, wealthy and eco-friendly consumers do not find these supercars  as appealing. The answer has arrived: 2014 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive – a green super car!

SLS AMG Electric Drive – the luxury eco-friendly super car. (source: motorauthority.com)

Accordingly to Mercedes-Benz, the SLS AMG Electric Drive will go from 0-60 mph in less than 3.9 seconds and can  reach its top speed of 155 mph easily. The car engine is rated at 740 horsepower with 4 motors, one mounted to each wheel via an axially-arranged transmission design. It can be driven continuously for 150 miles until the battery runs flat.

As can be expected, the battery back in the SLS AMG Electric Drive weighs just over 1,200 pounds, and is rated at 60 kWh.  If you want to fully charge the battery using normal household outlet, expect a 20 hour wait, although Mercedez Benz plans to offer a faster charging option.

When it comes to pricing, with no surprise, the SLS AMG Electric Drive will go on sale next year with starting price from 416,500 Euro (£331,000). A super yet eco-friendly car deserves a good price don’t you think?

Chance Delivers some Presents for the Postmen

We all look for ways to improve our luck, but perhaps the postmen from Buckie, Banffshire, have found a secret formula. Jamie Shewan, 35, is the third employee of the Buckie Royal Mail delivery office to win big on the lotto. This most recent success puts the building’s total prize money at over £500,000. So what could possibly explain this run of good fortune?

Jamie the lucky postie (source: Daily Record)

Since the dawn of time, physicians have told us that sea-air is the secret to wellbeing. Have the Northern Winds of the Scottish coast finally provided us with proof? With average October rainfall in Buckie hitting 72.5 mm, residents will be watching out to see if the dark clouds have a silver-lining next month.

Or perhaps we are witnessing Karma in action. Postmen certainly do their share of giving while delivering streams of letters and packages, so this could be the world returning the favour. The Royal Mail certainly hopes so, releasing a statement that ‘their colleagues around Scotland will be hoping that their luck rubs off on them.’

If Karma is the cause, then the transportation industry is surely the place to be. It may be more than love of his job that has led Jamie to vow to keep working as a postman. Why change a winning formula?

iPhone Addiction Leads to Acute Gullibility

Apple fans will be well aware of and getting excited about the imminent launch of the new iPhone 5. Thanks to the Jimmy Kimmel show, these lucky people got a sneak preview of the new handset – or so they were led to believe.

Judging by the confident assertions of the clear superiority of the new model, we’re guessing most of these peopel were pretty embarrassed when they found out it was in fact just an iPhone 4s, identical to their current handsets. Just a shame they didn’t film the reactions afterwards!

Classic Construction Mistake

At first glance, not much seems to be wrong with this picture. These construction workers are diligently putting the finishing touches to some new bollards they’ve installed to stop people parking on the pavement outside a public building.

Constructions workers busy installing bollards around their own van

All that’s left to do after their hard work is done is to pack up and drive away… Ah. Woops!

The DeLorean is Back to the Future in 2013

Shoulder pads, acid brights, MC hammer pants, even Indiana Jones – no stone seems to have been left unturned in the wake of our current long-running obsession with that most dubious of decades, the 1980s.

The DeLorean DMC-12 set for a 2013 comeback (Picture: Complex.com)

Was it the thrill of power dressing, the intoxicating aroma of Chaps Musk, the crushed-velvet tones of Rick Astley promising never to give us up?

Whatever the magic ingredient that keeps pulling us back, every now and again a genuine gem emerges from the ocean of ‘80s revival tat we’ve immersed ourselves in since the dawn of the new millennium.

This week brought one such gem with the news that the DeLorean will re-enter production in 2013, this time in a new and environmentally-improved electric incarnation.

Back to the Future fans will be disappointed to learn that time travel functionality won’t come as standard, in fact, the specs err on the side of underwhelming, with a top speed of around 125MPH and 260 horsepower.

But hey, who cares about the details when you look this fresh.

The Cardboard Bicycle

Of all the materials to make a bicycle out of, cardboard would probably have been the last on our list, but this beautiful cardboard bicycle by inventor Izhar Gafni has blown all of our preconceptions about the material out of the water.

At a cost of only $9 each to make, not only is this an affordable option, but also far less appealing to thieves. And no, it doesn’t go soggy in the rain!

Mixed Messages

Here at Shiply we’re big fans of road safety initiatives, but we can’t help but wonder at the mixed messages going on in this well-meaning but misguided road sign.

The road safety sign that seems to contradict itself

Admittedly, we can’t vouch 100% for the authenticity of this picture, but it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that this is out there somewhere in the real world making drivers smile as they pass it by. We just hope that none of them follow the instructions on the sign while they’re on the road!