Groundbreaking green architecture projects popped up around the world this week as Herzog & de Meuron unveiled plans for a solar-powered stadium in Bordeaux and a Korean department store prepared to install a massive iPod-inspired green roof. We also showcased several feats of futuristic architecture — a skyscraper zoo with a built-in ferris wheel and a shape-shifting solar bridge that purifies the air. As summer hit its peak and the weather heated up we also brought took a look at six awesome parks made from rehabilitated urban structures.

In other news, pedal-powered transportation geared up for the future as we showcased a chain-less hybrid bike with an out-of-this-world design and a molded bamboo bike that is grown from the ground up. We also saw greener transportation take to the skies as Finnair launched the world’s longest biofueled commercial flight, Scaled Composites launched its bipod flying car, and the US Air Force announced plans to replace 50 percent of its domestic fuels with biofuels by 2016. Eco transportation charted the ocean blue as well as researchers at Boston University unveiled plans for a fleet of ships that generate energy from the motion of the ocean.

As temperatures soared across the US this week we brought you five eco gadgets to beat the summer heat, and we also learned that solar panels have a cooling effect on buildings. We also got set to hit the beach by checking out the world’s first compostable swimsuit, and we spotted a futuristic pair of smart sunglasses that use LCD technology to block out glare. Finally, we covered a set of incredible LEGO creations — from a life-size Wall-E robot made from Lego Mindstorms to a computer built from plastic bricks and a series of amazing Lego animals that invaded the Bronx Zoo.

Inhabitat’s Week In Green: solar-powered stadium, bipod flying cars and biofueled flights originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 Jul 2011 20:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not a joke… A 7.5 million dollar investment by the US Air Force to develop a gay bomb that would transform soldiers – our enemies’ soldiers – into lustful homosexuals. Only Margaret can give this story the exposure it deserves… Watch out America! For more LGBT commentary and news, visit our website at www.inthelifetv.org Be sure to join the IN THE LIFE Facebook group www.new.facebook.com Friend us on MySpace: www.myspace.com Friend us on GLEE.com www.glee.com Or become a subscriber here on YouTube!

The F-35 Lightning II looks really awesome, especially in VTOL/hover mode, but I really don’t understand why the US Air Force considers a super-heavy 70,000-pound as the future. Then again, all that high-tech crammed into the F-35 promises to make maneuvering irrelevant for future dogfights, and at least one variant of the fighter’s claimed maneuverability is second only to F-22 Raptor (just in case).

In any case, Lockheed Martin’s insistence to develop the fifth generation fighter with that kind of weight forced them to develop the most powerful fighter engine ever built, the Pratt & Whitney 135:

Courtesy x planes

Featuring a maximum of 42,000 pounds of force under full afterburner, I wonder how quickly the Pratt & Whitney 135 can cook marshmallows. I also wonder how the super-powerful and super-awesome F-35 will be relevant for future, unconventional, warfare. By that time, everyone will be smart enough not to confront first-world countries with their powerful conventional armies head on.

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Post from: The Gadget Blog

Apparently the space boxes that send GPS data down to our waiting TomToms and iPhones are breaking down. The entire system could start failing next year, sending all of us into a strange hell of missed turns and aimless driving.

The satellites are overseen by the US Air Force, which has maintained the GPS network since the early 1990s. According to a study by the US government accountability office (GAO), mismanagement and a lack of investment means that some of the crucial GPS satellites could begin to fail as early as next year.

“It is uncertain whether the Air Force will be able to acquire new satellites in time to maintain current GPS service without interruption,” said the report, presented to Congress. “If not, some military operations and some civilian users could be adversely affected.”

Remember: this is a US commissioned study and they’re basically trying to get more than the $2 billion they’re already getting to upgrade the system. The first replacement satellites should have been sent up in 2007 but failed. New satellites should hit the airwaves this year or we could end up using Russia or China’s homegrown solutions.