Were only life as cool as The Rocketeer, we’ve often asked ourselves: Flying around the sky with a huge, flame-spewing propulsion device perilously strapped to our backs. It would sure cut down the evening commute… and fry most of our pants.

Well, the $100,000 Martin Aircraft jetpack is but one step closer to actual reality, thanks to a recent and successful test of the system’s emergency parachute.

But let’s back up a second. The personal jetpack is, sadly, nothing like the comic book hero-turned-Disney-movie. It doesn’t spew flames out of its rear to propel users into the air, but the tested version of jetpack does carry enough fuel for a 30 minute flight or so. It’s powered by a water-cooled piston engine that blasts air downward to generate lift.

Martin Aircraft has already tested the 250-pound, carbon fiber jetpack for a full seven-minute flight. Which begs the question: What happens if the engine stops working? At that point, one’s dreams of soaring through the skies would turn into an Icarus-style nightmare, complete with an unhappy, $100,000 hole in the ground to finish the journey…

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North Korea may be one of the happiest places on Earth… according to a study by North Korea. Guess who is last? That’s right, the “American Empire.” However you know the study was fair and balanced since they didn’t rank themselves first on the list. They gave the title of Worlds Happiest Place on Earth to China.

Korea’s Chosun Central Television recently came out with a happiness index compiled by local researchers. Their findings? China is the happiest place on the planet, earning 100 points (a perfect score!). At number two is none other than North Korea itself. Cuba, Iran and Venezuela (in that order) round out the top five.

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An essay at Etsy explains more about the way clothing used to be. In 1900, a new dress could cost a couple month’s wages. Thanks to overseas labor, modern machinery, and synthetic fabrics, it only takes abut an hour to earn the price of a discount store dress.

As clothes have become cheaper, our clothing consumption has gone through the roof. In 1930, the average American woman owned an average of nine outfits. Today, we each buy more than 60 pieces of new clothing on average per year. Our closets are larger and more stuffed than ever, as we’ve traded quality and style for low prices and trend-chasing. In the face of these irresistible deals, our total spending on clothing has actually increased, from $7.82 billion spent on apparel in 1950 to $375 billion today. And the discounters are reaping the rewards.

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If you game a lot, surf a lot, code a lot, whatever, you willl have it.