Now that spring has finally arrived, we think there's no better way to enjoy the warm weather than by taking in a baseball game. But when it comes to quenching your thirst while rooting for the home team, there's a problem: The concession-stand beer is overpriced, and often tastes like it was brewed when Joe DiMaggio was still playing.
There was no other option in this no-coolers-allowed world, but now a Reno, Nev. company has come up with a truly innovative solution: The Beerbelly -- astealthy strap-on beer holder that disguises itself as a bulging stomach.
According to the Ananova Web portal, the Beerbelly was the creation of three middle-aged men who wanted a way of sneaking beer into movies and ball games.
The Beerbelly holds 80 ounces of your favorite brew, and at $34.95, the gizmo pays for itself when compared to consuming six ballpark beverages at $7 a pop, the inventors claim.
But hey, why stop at only the first phase of the beer-drinking life cycle? How about a PeeBottom? We've already come up with a slogan: "Lose the bathroom trip and gain a warm place to sit!"
Not-so-bad ideas
- For those of us too lazy to get off the couch to go to a sporting event, there's always the other national pastime: video games. And almost as exciting as blowing away your buddy's virtual persona is the news of the next generation of game consoles coming out.
First out of the gate was the Microsoft Xbox 360 introduced last year, but gamers are also anxiously awaiting Sony's PlayStation 3 set to be released this fall. (MSNBC is a Microsoft-NBC joint venture.)But let's not forget the other gaming entrant, Nintendo, which has been developing new hardware that has been known by its code-name, "Revolution." Until now. Nintendo breathlessly announced this week it has officially named its new console — drum roll please — "Wii." The company was quick to point out the name is pronounced "we," to emphasize the machine is for everyone. Frankly, "we" think it should be pronounced "why" because it would stress that the rejected names probably were "Where," "What" and "When," as those would remind people that Nintendo has yet to set a release date for the thing.
- Traveling to Europe this summer and looking for a way to beat the heat? Two businessmen have the answer: They've shipped 200 tons of frozen water from Canada to London to build an ice palace that will go on show before making a tour of the continent.
The IceSpace, which opens to the public next week, will stand for two months on the banks of the River Thames next to the city's landmark Tower Bridge before traveling on to Barcelona and Berlin.Seventy feet high and 300 feet long, the palace contains ice bars and an ice rink, and will host performance artists and display ice sculptures."Something like this has never been seen here in Europe before," British co-owner Philip Hughes told Reuters. "There is a wow! factor both visually and from the temperature change."Fresh ice will be shipped in from Canada to replace the palace and the sculptures as they melt in their progress from city to city.By deoxygenating the water before freezing it, the suppliers purportedly produce an unusually pure, clear ice. "All the carving blocks of ice come from Canada where the water is purer and they know how to produce the quality and clarity of ice that we need in ice sculpting," Hughes said.He said he and his partner Peter Pallai had been planning the $2.7 million project for several years. "We will dispose of the water in consultation with the local authorities," Hughes said.For each ticket sold, the partners will make a contribution to WaterAid, an international charity dedicated to providing clean water and sanitation, he said.Each visitor will be provided with a thermally insulated coat and gloves to protect them from the below-freezing temperature inside the structure, and will be told to leave after one hour because of the intense cold. In other words, you can't just sit and chill.