Links of Awesomeness: September 20, 2012 | Sojourners

Links of Awesomeness: September 20, 2012

Pushing on a longboard sucks. So does going uphill. That's why someone has finally invented the electric longboard. (For the uninitiated, a longboard is a type of skateboard that is ... well ... long.) The "Boosted Board," which could retail for $1,299 or more, can reach speeds of up to 20 mph and last for up to six miles. It even has brakes. Why hasn't this happened sooner? We're that much closer to Marty Mcfly's hoverboard. [via The Atlantic]

This takes going green to a whole new level. Israeli designer and bike enthusiast Izhar Gafni made a bicycle out of recycled carboard—and it works. Gafni says his invention is strong enough to support a rider weighing up to a little over 300 pounds. This definitely trumps the Mark Wahlberg's biking fireman in I Heart Huckabees. [via The Atlantic]

The people over at GOOD are giving lucky do-gooders $100 toward doing good in one day. One of the winners set up a sign on her table otuside of Think Coffee in Manhattan reading "I'd love to buy you coffee. Come say hi. Share Kindness." Shoot. I'd stop by for some free coffee. [via GOOD]

A cat running for mayor? That's right. Tuxedo Stan, a three-year-old cat, is running for mayor in Halifax, Canada. He hopes to raise awareness about the stray cat problem in halifax. Once a stray himself, Stan's campaign advocates for a city-sponsored spay, neuter and cat care program. [via Huffington Post]

Did you know that all the Pixar staff working on Finding Nemo had to take a graduate-level class in ichthyology (i.e. fish biology)? Neither did I. Apparently, every movement of every fish in Finding Nemo makes physical sense and is accompanied by the correct fin propulsion, even down to whether those fins are "flappers" or "rowers" (referring to how they tread water). Check out some other films that paid a ridiculously close amount of attention to detail here. [via Cracked]

The second trailer for The Hobbit is out! 'Nuff said.