Thieves Steal 200-Pound, Hot-Pink Bulldog In West Hollywood

by Libby Zay on

West Hollywood is searching for a lost dog: a 10-foot-tall, 200-pound, hot-pink bulldog, to be more specific. The Los Angeles Times reports the dog sculpture was stationed along Santa Monica Boulevard as part of an art installation put in place in advance of last Sunday’s gay pride parade. But it went missing on Monday, perhaps as a prank, or because someone wanted the dog in their personal collection.

The LA Times says William Sweetlove, the Belgian artist behind the bubblegum-colored canine, is asking the dognappers to come forward, and will even reward anyone who leads him to the missing pink pooch with a frog statue worth $1,600. There’s no word on what the lost pink dog is worth, perhaps to discourage others from stealing the artist’s five other statues lining the boulevard. Meanwhile, local police are reviewing video surveillance from nearby businesses to try and find the culprit(s).

Watch A Man Catch Keys Mid-Air On Roller Coaster (VIDEO)

by Libby Zay on

Remember that one time Fabio was smacked in the face by a goose while riding a roller coaster? Maybe if Fabio had cat-like reflexes – like the guy in the video above – his face would have been spared. While on a roller coaster ride in Spain, a pair of keys flew toward two riders while the coaster sped downhill. One of the riders reached up and grabbed them, and according to an account on Reddit.com, successfully returned the lost keys to their rightful owner. The perfectly timed, one-handed grab is pretty impressive. Watch and be amazed – and remember to always secure any loose items when you’re on a roller coaster, because most people aren’t as lucky as this guy.

Watch Out Boeing: Airbus A350 Takes Maiden Flight

by Libby Zay on

Watch out Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the Airbus A350 is nipping at your heels. The A350 was officially sent skyward Friday for a four-hour test flight in France, marking a new milestone in the battle between the two companies, who each hold a corner in the market for wide-body planes.

USA Today reports that thousands of people came out to see the plane take off in person, and about 60 Airbus workers in offices near Washington’s Dulles airport erupted in applause after the plane safely touched down at 8:06 a.m. eastern time.

According to the news outlet, Airbus plans to start delivering the 616 orders it has for the A350 sometime next year. By comparison, Boeing has already delivered nearly 60 787 Dreamliners and has more than 800 orders worldwide, despite some early issues with lithium-ion batteries that caused the entire fleet to be grounded for three months earlier this year.

American Airlines To Cram More Seats Onto Aircraft

by Reena Ganga on

As if squeezing into an economy-class seat wasn’t already a claustrophobe’s nightmare, American Airlines has announced plans to add even more seats to its planes, further encroaching on passenger legroom.

The carrier, which is trying to raise revenue following its merger with US Airways, will increase the number of economy class seats on its 737s and MD-80 fleet. The news came out after the airline’s VP of flight services made an announcement to the carrier’s flight attendants.

American Airlines says it doesn’t know exactly how many extra seats it will add, but airline consultant Michael Boyd told CNN that for the plan to be cost-effective, the airline would have to install at least 10 new seats in each aircraft. Adding what amounts to roughly two extra rows would mean taking 2.5 inches of legroom from each of the existing rows of seats.Freaking out yet? Well Boyd said passengers shouldn’t be too concerned at this stage. A slimmer seat design, along with changes to the bathroom and galley layout could save precious space. All up, he believes we might be left with about one inch less legroom once the new seats are installed. Still, it’s one inch too much for passengers who are already feeling the pinch.

Bikers In Paris: Artcrank Poster Show Comes To The City Of Light

by Anna Brones on

Love bicycles? Love good graphic design? Love transportation-inspired art? You’ll love Artcrank.

The point of Artcrank is simple: get artists that have a love of bicycles to produce unique posters for shows in bike capitals around the world. The result is a fun combination of art and life on two-wheels around the world.

The latest showing kicks off this week in Paris at the Grand Palais, an homage to life on two wheels in the romantic City of Light, a place that has in recent years become home to a burgeoning bike culture. A lot of that is thanks to Velib, the city’s popular bikeshare system that has turned into a model for other velo-aspiring cities around the globe.

From artist Adam Turman:

“While visiting my sister in Paris, she had it in her head that we needed to ride bikes while we were there. My sister used the Vélib’ bikes to get from place to place instead of using the Metro. She said she could see much more of the beauty of Paris that way. She took me for a spin to see everything touristy and not-so-touristy via Vélib’. We rode on the Lover’s Bridge and past the Eiffel Tower, and we even did our reenactment of National Lampoon’s European Vacation scene where the family goes around the Arc de Triumph. That was the highlight of our bike ride through Paris.”

The show features top French, American and British artists and runs through June 21. Can’t make it by then? Not to worry, the show will be moved over and housed at Cité de la Mode et du Design until October 6, 2013.