Smallist

The underwater park below doesn’t allow alcohol. So via the logical procedure (p->!q) -> (q->!p), we can assume that this beer can room doesn’t allow aquariums. It looks very comfy inside. The price is 4,000 per room and a minimum order of 54 cans, or 9 six-packs. And you can customize it with your own logo, so teetotalers can sleep in a giant can of V8. Not sure why they call it a penthouse though; seems more like a garden apartment to me. Via Springwise.

On the topic of tiny hotels, Jules’ Undersea Lodge is worth checking out if you’re ever in Key Largo. Since it’s in a lagoon, “underwater” is a bit more accurate. You can even get married there. I’ve never been inside this thing, but I’ve visited the undersea park, and the hotel is quite close to the surface, so there’s no risk of the bends. Unfortunately, that also means you won’t get nitrogen narcosis, and since no alcohol is allowed, you’ll be sober for the duration of your underwater stay.

Hotel Móvil can be trailered to any location and set up “en solo 30 minutos”, presumably Castillian for “after watching a broken web video of hydraulic legs descending to royalty-free techno.” It has a 50-person capacity, split over 11 rooms, and can be rented for 8,000 euros per weekend. That means if you get 49 of your friends to pay 82 euros a night, you sleep for free. Assuming they don’t mind sleeping five to a room.

I’m not sure how bunkbeds and wood paneling can be called 5-star, however. And if their website is any guide, you can also expect loud piped-in music, blinking lights, and horrendous layout. Still, it’s a neat idea.

Via trendhunter.

This tiny windmill lights up when it it spins. No batteries required! They claim it’s the smallest wind generator. I want one mounted on a hat; it’d be the first functional propeller beanie. Well, maybe functional is a little strong, but you know. Stylish.

Via Metaefficient.

First they made a first person shooter in 96kb. Now the produkkt has this beautifully textured movie in 177 kb. That includes music, camera motions, models, textures, everything! You could fit four of these on a 5-1/2 inch floppy disk.

The secret? Procedural content creation. Rather than storing pictures of a brick wall, they just store a set of formulas that explain how to make a brick wall. Same goes for the synthesizer sounds, video effects, etc. For this reason, the movie takes a minute or so to load: it has to generate all that stuff and store it in memory.

There’s a whole community dedicated to making fast, tiny programs like this. It’s called the demoscene.

Wysi wipes start as a tablet-sized disc. Add a tablespoon of water, and they expand into a washcloth. These really deserve an infomercial. And since it’s biodegradable, Sheryl Crow might even let you use two at once!

If you don’t have to get anywhere in a hurry, Duffy Boats will get you there cheaply. Their boats will cruise at around 6.6 miles per hour, and last about 10 hours on a charge, which’ll cost you about a dollar. The depicted model is a short 16 feet and perfect for a sunset cruise.

Or you could get the DSe Hybrid cruiser. At 12m, I don’t know if it’s fair to call this small, but it sure is cheap. The designers claim it will run at 6 miles an hour on pure solar power. And about 14 if you use the diesel generator. At dockside, you can charge it up for a dollar.

Who knew? When you reskin your Fiat 500 to look like a Porche 911, the result resembles HR Pufnstuf:

Brian Oberkirch has had a “no mas” moment, and has decided to simplify his online life. To save you even more time, I’ve condensed his list to the bare essentials:

• Delete all newsreader feeds and start from scratch. (if you don’t have any newsreader feeds, do the same with your bookmarks)
• Check email where you put your hands on the steering wheel: 10, 2, and 4.
• Get rid of email notifications from social networking sites, remove self from email discussion groups, etc.
• Keep “IM office hours” rather than staying on all the time.
• No answering emails on sat/sun, one review per day.

The bottom line is that you don’t have to be available every minute to everyone. And from time to time, it’s good to clean up just about everything the way he handles feeds: take everything out of a desk, medicine cabinet, kitchen, and put back only what gets used often, relegating the rest to storage. Otherwise you end up like Katamari Damacy, accruing crap as you roll through life.

He also recommends the Four-hour Work Week, a new book by Timothy Ferriss. It looks a little Tony Robbins for my taste (and he’s NOT astronomy writer Timothy Ferris), but I enjoyed reading the title.

Via 43 Folders.

Wal-mart has announced that they will reduce packaging size for the environment:

As part of its environmental push, Wal-Mart has asked its suppliers to cut back on the amount of packaging used in its Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores.

Kistler, who is helping to lead Wal-Mart’s effort to cut down on packaging, knows the retailer’s new view does not sit well with marketers, who for years have followed the idea: “If it is massive, you win.”

Marketers have used oversized boxes and big displays to try to make their product stand out from the gaggle of competitors that peer out at shoppers from store shelves.

Now, Wal-Mart wants suppliers to think small. Their ability to do future business with the retailer could depend on it.

I like to think they were inspired by Smallist. Of course, I also like to think I’m a billionaire astronaut.