While a good number of steering wheel controllers have already been made for various consoles, nothing quite says style like this controller. Fantec, a German company responsible for making advanced gameware products, has designed a sleek steering wheel controller patterned from the Porsche 911 Turbo S's steering wheel for the Sony PlayStation 3 and the PC.

This leather steering wheel comes with the standard wireless USB features found in other steering wheel controllers. In addition, it actually sports force feedback controls which was initially unavailable for many PS3 games in particular.

Considering both the company's and the design's German origins, it wasn't very hard taking care of any licensing issues for the product. In any case, even if you can't get the actual car, you can satisfy yourself with this simulated feel of riding your very own Porsche in your favorite racing game on either platform.

Here's a complete list of all the features the Porsche 911 Turbo S steering wheel will be sporting:

• Original Porsche 911 Turbo S steering wheel design
• Licensed by Porsche Lizenz- und Handelsgesellschaft mbH
• Authentic metal Porsche logo on wheel
• Hand stitched leather wheel manufactured according to Porsche quality standards
• Compatible with PC and Playstation 3 (all games which support ForceFeedback wheels)
• 6+1 Speed H-pattern gear stick with realistic shifting feel
• Additional exchangeable sequential gear stick included
• Wireless pedals with + 100 hours battery life time (low battery warning on display and optional power supply cable for simulators)

You can check out the complete listing of features the Porsche 911 Turbo S wheel has right after the jump!

Space tourism is still difficult to grasp, but the possibilities are endless. Today, only those who can pay millions have a chance to see the big blue from up there. In the near future though, more commoners (with extremely big pockets, of course) may be able to spend three days in "Galactic Suite," a hotel in space.

Aerospace engineer Xavier Claramunt recently received around US$ 3 billion to support his mission in creating a place for humans to live in outside Earth's atmosphere. A three-day stay is expected to cost US$ 4 million.

The package includes eight weeks of training before sending customers to space in their pod rooms while wearing Velcro suits. During the grand vacation, customers will see the sun rise 15 times a day.

Among many problems encountered during development, using bathrooms in zero-gravity stands out. We can imagine how hard it is if you had to aim when taking a dump thanks to floating around uncontrollably.

When "Galactic Suite" goes live, some people from 40,000 prospects are expected to avail of the service. Given the fast decline of space travel costs, even more space-lovers might be able to experience their childhood dream. Claramunt's company is hoping that everything will be up and running by 2012.

This one here is for the true blue Zelda fans out here. So you want that one special thing that would mark you as the ultimate fan, eh? Then check these goodies right here. Over at True Swords, they are selling the Hylian Shield and Link's Master Sword from the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

First up, the Hylian Sword. Described as being multi-purpose, this shield is flexible enough to look good mounted up on your wall or worn on your arm. Made of high quality fiberglass, with metal mounting hardware attached to the back, this is as real as it can get, standing at 24 3/4 inches. For the handle, it's got a foam covered steel with Nylon/Velcro arm band, so there shouldn't be any problem with you strapping it on your arm. How much does it cost? US$ 74.99.

  

And then there's Link's Master Sword. Making it as real as possible, this collector's item is made of 440 Stainless Steel Blade, measuring at a massive 46 inches overall in length. For that real Zelda zing, it's also got the Triforce seal engraved on both sides of the blade. It even has a custom cut leather sheath coming along with it. Price tag looks pretty, too, at US$ 44.49.

Now wouldn't that be the perfect duo? You're free to check it out through our Via link below. See if it's worth your collection.

We never fail to be amazed at just what fans can produce when it comes to their consoles of choice. Be it a good homebrew application or game, to Mario or console-themed wedding cakes, these guys are just oozing of love for their games, and we can't help but get caught up in the giddiness.

So, in the spirit of Christmas, as well as a way to show just how much she loves her Pink DS Lite which she got for Christmas, sakuramaki created this case to keep her brand-new handheld safe and sound. And for those who are feeling a bit inspired and now want to make their own, here's how she did it:

it was created using pieces of plastic canvas cut to shape, onto which i cross stitched a pattern resembling an NES controller, which were then stitched together - the inside is linked with a very appropriate pink polka dot felt, and the case is sealed with strips of velcro.

Now excuse us while we start taking cross-stitch lessons.

Runners who have tried the Nike+ iPod Sports Kit were very impressed with the device. They were given accurate time, distance, calories burned, and average pace at the push of the iPod's center button. Best of all, they were able to access their tunes while they tailor their running experience for the ultimate workout. But of course, you'd have to switch to a Nike running shoes to use the kit. Well, not everyone prefers a Nike-branded running gear, so what does a guy (or girl) do when they're partial to say, Saucony Hurricanes? Well, podophile has a quick fix for that problem.

Using a strip of Velcro with adhesive backing, a needle, some thread, and sewing skills, you can modify your Nike+ iPod Sports Kit to work on non-Nike running shoes.

Just attach the "hard" side of the Velcro to the back of the transmitter. The "soft" side of the Velcro would then have to be attached to the tongue of the shoe. Sew the velcro and the tongue together to secure them. Once you're done showing off your sewing prowess, you can attach the transmitter to the shoe and lace it back up. The mod only takes up 10 minutes, so you can get back to running right away.

When podophile tested the newly-modified Nike+ iPod Sports Kit, early results indicate that having the transmitter under the laces does not affect the accuracy of the device.

   

If you were intrigued on about this photo of velcro that we previously featured here on QJ. Wouldn't you want to know how to achieve the same effect? David, over at the Strobist has posted arguably the most inexpensive way on how to set up a macro photo studio.

How inexpensive you ask? If you already have a small flash gear, tracing paper, a cardboard box and posterboard, then zilch. But, even if you don't have some of those materials (excluding the flash of course) you'd probably just shell out $10 at the most.

Now that you have all that you need for this project, let's start by making cuts on the cardboard box.

Make window-like cuts on three sides of the box. It's up to you if you want to leave one side of the box attached for added support, or remove it entirely for flexibility, if you want to shoot an object that is immovable (like a plant still on the ground). Leave two of the flaps on to act as gobo's for light control. Attach the tracing paper over the windows you've cut out and secure them with tape.

This set up can help you achieve the "infinity sweep" effect, for seamless bottom-to-background look, with just a strip of posterboard (black or white). And, if you're going to use two light sources like what he's done on this shot for this radio.

Make sure to adjust the intensity of one of the flashes or by moving one of them farther away. Also if you're worried about reflection and glare, just stick a black posterboard on the side and on top, to eliminate it.

Beautiful photographs need not to be expensive. All we have to do is think outside of the box.

Ever since George de Mestral invented Velcro in 1948, the hook-and-loop fastening system has been in constant use. It's easy to use, it doesn't pose any danger to the user, it's relatively maintenance free, and best of all, it has a long lifespan. (I have some clothes and what-not that have Velcro patches which date back from the early 90s and they still have a lot of hooking power; I'm sure many of you folks do, too.) But such a very useful invention is easy to take for granted. Perhaps looking at Velcro in different light would make you appreciate it even more.

Trazy Anderson's amazing photo (taken with a Nikon SMZ1500 Stereomicroscope) of a Velcro patch at 94x magnification might just do the trick. If you remember in 'Men In Black', Velcro was supposedly alien technology confiscated by the MIB and adapted for use on Earth. Now I know where that idea came from.

Just so you know, this awesome photo placed in the top 30 at the Nikon Small World 2005.