A Minnesota mum has invented a gadget that converts staircases into indoor slides to make going downstairs a lot more fun.
Trisha Cleveland's SlideRider comprises a series of foldable mats that can transform stairs into a slide within minutes.
She has teamed up with the Quirky website which works with amateur inventors to try and bring their ideas to market, to build a prototype.
Quirky's online community helped by voting for almost every aspect of the design, from the red and blue colour scheme to the name.
SlideRider has safety rails to prevent children slipping off the mats and a cushioned pad at the bottom for a soft landing.
According to CNET, Quirky is now looking for a manufacturer to mass-produce the slide and is asking for public help in figuring out how much SlideRider should cost to buy.
Facebook update saves man's life
A geography professor urged his Facebook friends to send help after he had fallen through the crevasse of a Himalayan glacier at 6,000m (19,600ft), reports Metro.
'Please call Global Rescue. John broken arm, ribs, internal bleeding. Himlung camp 2. Please hurry,' he wrote.
The 44-year-old dislocated a shoulder and broke five ribs, a knee and an elbow, which was learned after Prof John All posted about his terrifying situation on the page of the American Climber Science Program.
The rest of his team had turned back earlier and so the professor figured that the social network offered the best chance of discovery.
'Please call Global Rescue. John broken arm, ribs, internal bleeding. Himlung camp 2. Please hurry,' he wrote.
Shocked members of the group alerted rescuers and assured the professor that help was on the way.
However, they had bad news for him, and he posted: 'Rescue can't find a helicopter so I'll try to survive tonight.
'So cold. Pain meds running low. Longest night ever.' 19 hours after his fall, All was eventually taken to hospital in Kathmandu.
Speaking from the Nepalese capital, he said: 'I was near death and didn't have much room for reaction beyond a deep relief.
'I didn't work so damn hard to get out of the crevasse just to die near my tent.'
Baby caught after two-storey plunge in China
CCTV footage has captured the dramatic moment a baby was caught by a passerby after falling two storeys from a building in China.
The one-year-old had apparently got out of a window during a thunderstorm when he slipped from the building in Guangdong Province.
Cameras trained on the street below showed the hero, Mr Li, with his arms outstretched as the baby began to fall.
He then rushes forwards and clings on to the youngster despite the pouring rain.
Li said: "I didn't think too much at the time. I was just afraid of failing to catch him. Some people put down cardboard to avoid serious injuries to the baby if I failed to catch him."
Designer invents fondue footwear
A Japanese designer inspired by watching people dipping vegetables into melted cheese has created fondue footwear.
Satsuki Ohata, who unveiled his new footwear creations this year, said he was hoping to shake up the shoe industry.
The basic idea is that anybody who wants to create their own fondue shoe, has to dip their foot into melted PVC to create an exact replica around the foot that can then be worn once it is dried.
He said: "I advise people to fold the heel down at the back if they want to use it as a slipper, or they can let the plastic go over the heel for a shoe to be used outside.
"Once it is dry it is pretty durable, and it is practical as well because it can be easily washed in the sink and dried with a cloth."
The design however is mostly recommended for indoor use as Ohata has not yet managed to find a way to make the sole thick enough to be comfortable outdoors.
He is confident however that he will soon come up with a solution to solve this, meaning that users will be able to show their foot-shaped shoes in public, in various colours.
Post published in: World News