Going on holiday and want to stay somewhere off the beaten path? Then go no further than the Unusual Hotels of the World Guide, a solid database of some of the strangest locations turned hotels I’ve ever seen. Whether you want to stay in an abandoned, haunted prison in South Africa or a trojan horse-like replica of a beagle in Idaho, the Unusual Hotels guide has it all in a presentable and easy to browse format, rating hotels with 5 easy terms, starting with Different and working it’s way up to Outrageous and WOW.

Read more: Unusual hotels of the world

Well, there goes my appetite. I recently stumbled upon a company in the UK who are making diamonds (real gems, not cubic-zirconium) out of the ashes of your recently passed loved ones (and even from your living loved ones if you so desire!). The diamonds are created from the “cremains” or cremated ashes, of your recently departed by extracting the carbon content from the ashes. The process doesn’t actually take place in the United Kingdom, I suspect due to legal issues, but, it’s reportedly not cheap and the process is patented, “extremely scientific” and kept a close secret. You can even make diamonds from pets and from the hair and nails of your living relatives! I’m really hoping this is a bad taste joke, but, this being the internet it wouldn’t shock me to find out this is an actual practice in use today or worse, a scam to take advantage of the vulnerable relatives of the recently departed.

Read more: Ashes2gems

Hi! Missed us? Suuurreeee you did. Right? We’ve had a busy past few week with birthdays, redesigns, sicknesses and work on some new projects we’ll be announcing through here over the coming weeks! Sound cryptic enough? That’s what I was going for.

For now, feel free to catch up on what happened in the world of the nerds in 2006 or get on our newsfeed bus and be updated via your reader whenever a new post goes up.

Fotoausflug is a German site who collects and creates lovely photo panoramas of German cities and sights. Thankfully, they had the patience to collect over 1400 individual photos to create an interactive JAVA panorama of the surface of Mars over a 5 month period of time during the Marsian winter. The photos have been slightly enhanced, boosting contrast and the sky has been extrapolated to fill the illusion of a Marsian atmosphere (which is why there is no Sun).

See more: Interactive McMurdo Panorama

Finally! A Chinese manufacturer who appears to take a lot of influence from Apple’s industrial design team, has released a little tidbit of information on their miniOne mobile device, which is without a doubt a lovely little iPhone clone in the making. With a screen slightly smaller than an iPhone (by .2 inches), the miniOne features touch-screen technology running Windows CE 6.0 and supports GSM and TD-SCMA If they can offer this baby at a significantly lower price-point than an iPhone and actually include phone capabilities in Europe, I could see myself making a go for it, considering the iPhone will take too long to get to Europe and also cost slightly more than a PS3 (but will be so much better than a PS3). The miniOne from Meizu will launch in China at the end of 2007 and the company is stating that US and EU launches will follow, but only in the form of a media player. :(

Read more: iPhone and miniOne compared (Via: Meizu discusses miniOne at CeBIT)

3D printing technology is one of my most anticipated technological advancements. Sure it’s been around for awhile, but, it’s just not there quite yet, not until we can walk into Staples and easily walk out with our very own personal 3D printing device. The engineers behind the Desktop Factory are working hard on making this a reality, with their personal 3D printer, currently being tested for use in the engineering and design fields. The printer can take your 3D mock up and mold a durable, functional model from the bottom up, one layer at a time in sturdy composite plastic. The composite plastic material can easily be sanded down and painted making it of special use to industrial designers who rely on turnaround time. The Desktop 3D printer measures just 25x20x20 inches and weighs less than 90lbs, meaning it won’t take up too much space in your factory or design studio.

Not for sale yet, the 3D printer is currently undergoing a pre-sale, with a target price of $5,000 to $7,000 dollars US. As Desktop Factory says, imagine when your child can design their own small toy model or order a design off the internet, then simply ‘print’ it out and paint it. I can’t wait for the future.

Read more: Desktop Factory

Gotta make some dressing and all you’ve got in that fridge of yours is a jar of unopened Mayonnaise from the late 90s, that’s ok, you can still use it!* I know this thanks to Real Simple’s handy guide of expiration dates, taking data from experts and manufacturers, those daring folk have compiled a list of expiration dates that may shock you in more ways than one. For instance, a soft drink in a plastic bottle is best if consumed 3 months from it’s “best by” date, but once opened, it doesn’t really spoil, just tastes like crap.

(* at your own risk)

Read more: Surprising expiration dates

SpaceX, the private space transportation company started by ex-PayPal co-founder Elon Musk, is currently counting down for an unmanned demo launch of their Falcon I space module. With several delays so far it’s looking like the launch will take place later this evening Pacific Standard Time, meaning I’ll probably be asleep while this puppy is hopefully heading up to the stars. Musk is said to have invested over $100,000,000 of his own money, so let’s hope this demo flight goes well.

Read more: Spacex updates as they happen

Time to buy a house in Detroit, though I don’t know many people who would want to live there. With the American auto industry in shambles cause it just can’t seem to evolve past an SUV and a massive population drain occurring over the past 30 years, Detroit’s housing market has taken a nosedive, with many houses now being auctioned off for cheaper than one could buy a used car. At a recent housing auction in Detroit, over 30 houses were available for under $30,000, with a small bungelow on the west side going for $1,300 and a four-bedroom near the original Motown studio selling for only $7,000.

Read more: Houses cheaper than cars in Detroit

As any reader of BoN knows, we’re all about real time. Whether it be a strategy game, weather forecasts or disaster alerts, we’re people who definitely live in the now. So we’re always happy to find new sources of real-time information for us to obsess over and now we’ve found an outlet for serving up real-time, brightly colored weather alerts for the EU, Meteoalarm! Covering almost every EU member-state down to city-level with real time, flashy weather alerts, Meteoalarm alerts Europeans to everything from heavy rains to gale-force winds and extreme cold. Looks like Austria is a red at the moment with snow moving in!

Read more: Meteoalarm Europe