We've got quite a few awesome maze gadgets here at Gadget Inspector (as displayed in the image above), but they're small beans compared to these three goliaths...
1. Carnfunnock Country Park Maze, Northern Ireland
This one won a maze design award (who even knew that such things existed?) It's shaped like Northern Ireland. Can't you tell?
2. Dole Plantation Maze, Hawaii
Supposedly the biggest maze in Christendom, with a great big pineapple at its centre. What's not to love?
3. Reignac-sur-Indre Maze, France
This one's nice because it has sunflowers. Only at certain times of year, mind - it's a much better maze in the summertime than in winter.
It's amazing to read about the chaos that remote control helicopters can cause. We're pretty keen RC pilots here at Gadget Inspector, but nobody here in the office has ever run into this sort of trouble:
RC Helicopter Takes Down Gigantic RC Plane
The bigger they come, the harder they fall. Watch in awe as a majestic 80-inch Mitsubishi fighter plane is sent crashing to the ground by a relatively tiny RC chopper:
Video no longer exists - sorry! :(
It's like David and Goliath, except in the air.
Dutch UFO Watchers Fooled by RC Drone
This forum post tells the rather amusing (but also slightly sad) story of a UFO sighting organisation in the Netherlands who recorded several false sightings because someone was out flying their quadrocopter after hours. Lesson learned, we suppose?
RC Helicopter Smuggles Tobacco Into a Prison
We're not quite sure of the law here in Britain, but in Georgia, USA, you're not allowed tobacco in prison. It's contraband. Still, that didn't stop some bright sparks from flying an RC helicopter over the prison wall in an attempt to give the prisoners on the other side their nicotine fix. Incidentally, the four people responsible were apprehended, and they may face up to 20 years in prison for smuggling contraband goods. Somewhere, the Gods of Irony are chuckling to themselves.
#AmericansvsBritish is currently trending on Twitter. There have been plenty of good arguments from both sides - not to mention all kinds of colourful insults - but we at Gadget Inspector thought we'd put the whole issue to bed in one fell swoop. Let's compare what these two great nations have to offer:
- Size
Well, America obviously wins this one. According to Google, the USA boasts an area of over 9.8 million square kilometres - that's more than forty times the size of Great Britain. USA 1-0 UK
- Age
The Brits get the point here. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was founded in 1707 (although its constituent countries are obviously much older); the Americans won their independence in 1776, so we've got about seventy years on the Yanks. USA 1-1 UK
- Famous Inventions
British people gave us telephones, televisions, and the World Wide Web - three cornerstones of modern society. Americans gave us the beach ball. Point goes to the UK. What's that? Thomas Edison? Yeah, but even he needed help from an Englishman. USA 1-2 UK
- Celebrities
It's hard to argue with America here. The website mostfamousperson.net (which lists the 100 most famous people in the world) currently has Michael Jackson at #1, followed by Lady Gaga. Both American, sadly. The most famous Brit is Robert Pattinson of Twilight, who ranks at #23 on the MFP list. USA 2-2 UK
- Movies
You might think that the Americans have this one sewn up, and...well, you'd be right. The highest-grossing movie of 2013 was Iron Man 3, directed by an American and starring two Americans. We could argue that British cinema is better, but you can't argue with numbers. USA 3-2 UK
- Music
One Direction are British, and everyone loves them, so we're gonna go ahead and give this point to the UK. USA 3-3 UK
- Food & Drink
Cheeseburgers and beer? Or Sunday lunch and a cup of tea? We know which option we'd take. USA 3-4 UK
- TV
If you believe IMDb, the most popular TV series of all is currently Game of Thrones. It's hard to decide who gets the credit there - the programme airs on HBO (an American network), and it's based on books by George R. R. Martin (an American author), but almost every actor in the show is from the UK (with the honourable exception of Peter Dinklage). We were all set to call this one a draw, but then we remembered that both Sherlock and Doctor Who came straight out of Britain, so we're giving the UK another point. USA 3-5 UK
So there you have it - proof positive that Britain really is better than America. Well done, chaps. Let's all celebrate with a spot of Marmite.
Oh, and in case you're wondering...no, we're not biased.
Hi everyone. We'd like to say Happy New Year, but frankly, we're not feeling all that happy here at Gadget Inspector right now. Christmas is over for another year, the decorations have been taken down, and it seems like we've had all the presents we're going to get.
Yes sir, the post-Christmas blues have well and truly settled in. Some people will tell you that it's time to move on, to face the new year with a smile and make the most of every opportunity January throws your way. We don't buy it, to be honest.
If you ask us, the best cure for PCSS (Post-Christmas Stress Syndrome) is denial. Put on your Christmas onesie, grab your Love Actually DVD, and pretend it's still December and Santa is still in the process of double-checking his list.
Does that sound pathetic? A little bit, but can you blame us? The Christmas comedown is difficult to deal with, and the fact that it comes in January - a long, wet, mouldy loofah of a month - makes it even more depressing. Of course, even if you don't miss Christmas that much (heck, some people are probably glad to see the back of the busy festive period), our Christmas onesies are still every bit as cosy and stylish as they were two weeks ago. Onesies are wonderful no matter what time of year it is - click here for our full collection.
