"Yes, they're claiming 90% efficiency, so 10% more. And of course there's some wear and tear, so there will be maintenance costs also. It's a pretty good-seeming small-scale alternative to pumped hydro, easier to find sites for, since there are lots of hills."

"Hmm, I didn't think Japanese outlets were polarized? The big/small blades in the image (or rendering) are flipped from the standard US arrangement, though. Overall I like the idea, but given that power cords can be pulled on pretty hard, I'd want to know more about how securely the modules are held in (I might have had an allen bolt secure them into the back of the box)."

""Parking break"... instead of brake, eh? When you just need to take a minute to park and collect yourself."

"Very nice, though it's interesting they didn't extend the pointed sections with the three benches a little farther under the span (maybe it doesn't rain / snow much in Albi)."

"Good design doesn't come cheap apparently, $80 to carry 4 hex bits in your pocket feels steep."

"Probably true - presumably though, it's less that lots of kids would be hurt by a more powerful tool, but more that a single finger lopped off in the US means a lawsuit that could bankrupt a little tool company?"

"Very cool, though even factoring in recovering the R&D costs, 700 Euros seems like a high price for a handsome chunk of plastic... I wonder if each one is effectively handmade by its creator..."

"Reasonable, though a collander seems like it would also let the ethylene "leak" out, or a wire basket, or a hanging mesh bag..."

"Not too far from a shooting stick (but the tripod base would be more stable). I would think sitting on one for any period of time would be uncomfortable, but they do nest up tightly, so I guess they're more for convenience of the venue than the sitters."

"Nope, if you click through on the link in the first paragraph to his site there's a draggable 3D rendering, the top is bumpy, no holes, but lots of lumps, you'd want to set a sheet of something flat on it."

"It's interesting, but hard for me to get a sense of what the riding position would be like, it looks like you can't lean forward to use your back/glutes like you can on drop bars - and speaking of bars, the steering wheel is cute, but silly, no leverage, and you can't mount bells / lights / phone holders etc. as easily."

"It's great that they're shield-shaped for a Gundam tie-in, but asymmetrical umbrellas are actually far more practical than perfectly round ones. I had a Senz umbrella from Holland, which was excellent, similar shape (a bit more pointed teardrop), which let it turn itself to face into the wind (until I loaned to someone who lost it, sigh)."