Let me get this straight….over 7 minutes of freefall, supersonic speeds (with no source other than gravity for power), a face full of plasma for a light show part of the way down, and then landing at the DZ….So where do I sign up? I’m really not interested in what’s in it for me, but I’m all about being a “Test Diver” so future astronauts can leave their fragile flying/gliding machines (you know, “who would ever jump out of a perfectly good space shuttle?”) with he confidence that I, and other brave souls like me, had risked it all to plummet from space to make sure the suits and parachutes were safe and reliable in the event of an emergency.The article isn’t online. You actually will have to pull yourself away from the keyboard, hike to the local magazine rack, or library, and put your hands on the dead tree version to see what it’s about. There are three men who are working together on this idea. One is a retired Navy Flight surgeon (and I believe the spouse of one of the astronauts lost on Colombia, another guy and John Carmack (yes, the guy of “Doom” fame) from Amradillo Aerospace.
Armadillo Aerospace plans to use the DC-X vehicle to do the transport of the diver to space. Who says computer games are bad for us? Look what it funded?So…now they have to get the guy from Finland with the Jet Cat booties and really come up with something swift!

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Also, from the Popular Science website:

Toughen up those neck muscles! 6 pounds balanced on your noggin will get you some cool virtual reality (like real reality isn’t scary enough sometimes!)!

Is this the future of the home theater?

No, it’s not a prop. This six-pound helmet monitor is a real prototype, built to demonstrate next-generation television-watching technology. Modeled here by one of its developers (the regular TV is shown only for comparison), the device was built by Toshiba and unveiled in September at an academic conference in Osaka, Japan. Equipped with a built-in projector and a dome screen, the monitor plugs directly into a DVD player or computer and provides an immersive experience that surrounds the wearer with the action of the program—think of it as a portable IMAX theater. Although the invention was popular among testers, who reported that it rests easily on the shoulders and is comfortable enough for a two-hour movie, Toshiba has no solid plans for commercialization.