Tech Universe: Friday 26 November

UAE COAST: Ferrari World Abu Dhabi is a Ferrari themed fun park. The 2 Km Formula Rossa roller coaster accelerates to 240km/h in 4.9 seconds - that's a maximum force of 1.7 Gs. Cars resemble an F1 cockpit. It's claimed as the world's fastest roller coaster. Speed thrills. More at FerrariWorldAbuDhabi and video on YouTube.

LESS IS MORE: The VW Mini-Gol car has had a short run: only 2 vehicles have been built so far to be show cars at auto events. About 1/3 the size of other cars, it has a 5.5hp engine, reaches a top speed of 27km/h and is 2.25 meters long. Other parts, such as seats are scaled down. Why such a small car? It's a concept for people who are five-feet and under. This looks even less visible than a bike. More at AutoMotto.

DUMBPHONE: Android and iPhone: who needs all those smarts? John's Phone is an unlocked cell phone with large keys, an address book, a pen and more than 3 weeks standby time. It lets you make and receive calls anywhere in the world. And that's about it: no frills, no fancy apps. Get back to the simple life. More at JohnsPhones.

44YEQJ: The Wiseguy Tickets company always got the best seats for concerts and events. They did it by building a botnet that solved captchas and by flooding vendor sites at the exact moment tickets went on sale. That meant they could grab the best tickets more quickly than human buyers. Now 3 of the 4 partners are doing time for fraud. More proof that captchas do more harm than good. Details at NetworkWorld.

EYES RIGHT: We suspected it, but now there's proof. Fast paced action based video games like Halo and Call of Duty teach us to improve our focus. They train us to be flexible and precise in controlling our attention to what's important, while still being aware of our environment. Games like these could be used for military training, education and clinical rehabilitation. Hmmm, Stroke Recovery: Black Ops. Details at ScienceDaily.

- Miraz Jordan knowit.co.nz