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This is what a day's worth of transatlantic air travel looks like (video)
The seas between Europe and North America are relatively quiet on any given day, but 30,000 feet above some 2,500 planes follow tracks (like invisible highways) between both continents, landing in gateway cities like London and New York or flying far beyond. Of course, not all of those aircraft are carrying commercial passengers -- cargo, military and private flights make up a great deal of that traffic -- but regardless of their purpose and destination, that kind of volume is a spectacular sight to behold. NATS, the UK's National Air Traffic Services, created a video render to help visualize the 1,400-odd flights it handles each day. The agency helps provide aircraft separation via pilot reports rather than radar, which is only accessible to flights near land. With limited technology at their disposal, it's a lot of work for controllers, as you can clearly see in the video after the break.
Ultima Online levies two-week rollback for high-pop server
It's not a good time to be a player on Ultima Online's Atlantic server, to put it lightly. Mythic was forced to rollback the game (and players' progress) yesterday on Atlantic to a backup from two weeks ago. Atlantic is the highest-populated shard in the Western hemisphere. The official announcement cut straight to the point: "Due to issues beyond our control, I am sorry to have to inform all of Atlantic that we had to revert to a Dec 5th backup. We have tried to retrieve a more current backup but we have been unable to do so due to corruption issues." Mythic said that it will be compensating affected players with a month of free game time, although that's undoubtedly small consolation to those who have lost progress and acquisitions during this period. Apart from the short announcement, there has been no additional communication from the studio on the issue. [Thanks to Brad for the tip!]
Fisker halting Surf production, but will build you one if you've got a 'big enough checkbook'
Like the ambitious diner at the all-you-can-eat-buffet, Fisker's got a lot on its plate. Between recalling all of its self-immolating Karma models, taking flack from its rivals and hiring a new CEO, something had to give. As such, it's halted production on the Surf and Sunset while it concentrates on getting the Nina / Atlantic onto the streets. However, one-percenters needing a five-door EV are in luck -- Fisker's Roger Ormisher has said that "if someone came along with a big enough checkbook" they'd discuss building a model tailored to their needs. While he remained coy about a specific price in his statement to Autoblog (after the break), a Fisker Buzz member has pegged the figure to be $200,000 -- but hey, that's pocket change to you, right?
Fisker lands former GM exec and Chevy Volt guru Tony Posawatz as CEO
Fisker hasn't had what you'd call the best year so far, but it may have found the ticket to turning its hybrid vehicle business around. Meet Tony Posawatz, Fisker's new CEO -- and, until just weeks ago, GM's Vehicle Line Director. Despite being the second new chief executive at Fisker since Tom LaSorda arrived in February, Posawatz needs little explanation for his sudden rise to power. He's an original member of the Chevy Volt leadership structure and could very well know a thing or two about developing a hybrid car from start to finish. His influence might only be keenly felt when the Atlantic wheels its way towards driveways in 2014, but there's no doubt he's onboard to right the good ship Karma and improve Fisker's reputation in the short term. We wouldn't want to be in GM's shoes as it watches one of its EV-friendly veterans so publicly jump ship, however.
Fisker leak shows Atlantic production delayed to mid-2014, 0-60 in 6.5 seconds
Our hopes of taking the Fisker Atlantic for a spin next year just got dampened considerably: a big document leak has revealed that the more reasonably-priced alternative to the Karma won't be rolling off the production lines en masse until mid-2014, a year later than we'd expected. Thanks in part to a factory overhaul, the only Atlantics rolling on their hybrid-powered wheels in mid-2013 will be prototypes. On the upside, we've learned more about the car itself, including a fairly brisk 0-60 time of 6.5 seconds courtesy of a 300HP-equivalent motor. Green drivers who thought that the promised lower price would put it into entry-level luxury will nonetheless get a reality check with that $50,000 to $60,000 target, even if it's still a big savings over the six-digit Karma. There's still a huge amount of leeway for things to change, but with our compatriots at Autoblog having confirmed that the documents were real and "highly confidential," they may be a sign that the Tesla Model S will have free rein in the green luxury sedan world for a good year or more.
Fisker Atlantic EVer unveiled in New York, we go eyes-on
Fisker's Karma series-hybrid electric vehicle hasn't exactly been receiving a lot of great press lately, but the company didn't let the process of swapping out 640 battery packs dampen the launch of that car's smaller sibling, the Atlantic. This long-expected (and recently spied) auto is a shortened, slightly smaller car that is said to be priced at a "much lower price point" than its predecessor. But, like the bigger Karma (and the even larger Surf), there's an on-board motor that burns gas to generate more electricity to extend that range -- but sadly nobody's saying by how far.In this case it's a four-cylinder BMW-sourced engine providing that extra range, exhaust peeking out just behind the front-left wheel. A four-banger doesn't sound all that impressive in a car like this, but remember it's only tasked with spinning a generator. Moving the sedan (and its healthy complement of batteries) will be an undisclosed electric powertrain. Sadly no details are being given tonight for performance or cost, but we're told it'll set you back about as much as an Audi A5. Could that mean a $40,000 starting price? That'd be less than half the cost of the $102,000 Karma, and potentially quite a revolution. Needless to say we can't wait to find out.We weren't able to peek in the trunk, but we're told the new engine provides more space for your junk than the Karma's current arrangement. The car is said to match the A5 in terms of cargo space, which is certainly nothing to sneeze about. Now mind, this is just a concept and things are liable to change on the long road from here to production, but Fisker isn't known for tweaking much along the way. Suffice to say, this should be very close to the car that hits dealerships... eventually.
Fisker Nina / Atlantic gets unofficially pictured in official form
We got a quick glimpse of Fisker's once-halted Project Nina the other day courtesy of Autoblog, and we now have our best look at the car to date thanks to some seemingly official press photos that have turned up on Autoforum.cz. Now being dubbed the Atlantic, the car promises to be a smaller and more affordable version of Fisker's Karma sedan and, as those earlier shots indicated, we should soon be seeing plenty more of it at this week's New York Auto Show. Apart from an expected BMW-sourced four-cylinder engine, though, details on the car itself remain decidedly light -- including any indication of a possible price tag or rollout date. In the meantime, you can find more photos where this one came from at the links below.
Rutgers' underwater roboglider crosses the Atlantic, claims to be on business trip
The so-called Scarlet Knight robot has this week completed a 225-day journey from the shores of New Jersey to the sandy beaches of Baiona in Spain -- fittingly the same port Christopher Columbus returned to after his first visit to the Americas -- aided only by a battery, ocean currents and its innate intelligence. Built by Rutgers University, the youthful robotic trailblazer performed a number of data gathering tasks as it went along, furnishing climate change researchers with more info on temperature levels, water salination and currents within the Atlantic Ocean. Now that it has been handed back to the US, the machine will be put up on display in the Smithsonian, so if you want a peek at the future of globetrotting that'll be the place to go.
Digital sales overtake CDs at Atlantic Records, music pie in general shrinks
Yep, it finally happened. One label has come forward and admitted that, for the first time, digital sales of its music has surpassed CDs. While many pundits asserted that loosing tunes via tiny downloadable files would instantaneously cause the deep-pocketed record labels to crumble as piracy ran rampant, the numbers tell a different story. In fact, music sales overall have declined from $14.6 billion in 1999 to $10.1 billion this year, and it's expected to shrink further. But for Atlantic, moving tracks on the information superhighway has proven quite successful; last quarter, digital sales accounted for 51% of its revenue, while CD sales still make up over two-thirds of all music sales industry-wide. There's no real indication as to why Atlantic seems to have that digital charm while everyone else is still clinging tight to old world business models, but it's sure nice to see this side of the equation thriving. Now, about those DRM-free downloads across the board...[Image courtesy of Dexondaz]
Fanswag: Atlantic goodies go to ...
Click for larger image Well, our latest giveaway has come to an end. For those of you who didn't win, stay tuned to Wii Fanboy as another giveaway will be starting up shortly. So, without further ado, let's get to the winner: Robert, who owns 7 Wii games Congrats, Robert! Put these accessories to good use and spread the love that is Wii! Finally, we'd like to thank Atlantic for making this possible. Thank you all for reading and better luck next time!%Gallery-28644%
Reminder: Get some gear for your Wii
Click for larger image Hey. do you like free stuff? Then you should get over to our latest giveaway, which hooks one lucky person up with some accessories for their console, including the wrist strap above. So get over there already!%Gallery-28644%
Fanswag: Get some gear for your Wii
Click for larger image The fine folks at Atlantic sent us over some free stuff from their Wii line-up of products and you know us. We don't like free things. In fact, we hate them. Why? Because sharing is caring! That's why we love to give them away to you all! Up for grabs in this latest giveaway is a Wii bag ($30) and 2 sets of velcro wrist straps ($10 each), which will go to one lucky winner via random drawing. With this gear, you shouldn't have any problems sharing the fun of Wii with others.How do you win? Well, how about you tell us how many Wii games you have in your library! Simple enough? You can enter once per day, up until Sunday, August 3rd at 11:59pm ET, which is when this giveaway concludes. Also, you must be at least 18 years of age and a current and legal resident of the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec)! Official rules can be accessed here.Best of luck to you all and thanks to Atlantic for sponsoring this giveaway. If you'd like to check out some more shots of the goodies up for grabs, then check out our gallery below.%Gallery-28644%
Microtransat robot sailing takes to the high seas this fall
Maybe our robo-challenges speak something to our respective histories: Americans have spent the last few years driving intelligent vehicles through vast expanses of desert, but over in Europe, scientists and technologists are preparing for this fall's Microtransat, wherein machines must sail across the Atlantic propelled only by wind and artificial intelligence. The race, intended as a public proof of concept for long-range autonomous sea-faring scientific vessels, should take the, um, roboats three months to complete.[Via Piquepaille]
Atlantic Technology intros THX-certified IWTS-30 LCR in-wall speaker
Atlantic Technology, which was busy showing off an array of in-wall speakers at CES, is now replacing its IWTS-20 LCR with an all new flagship: the IWTS-30 LCR THX Ultra2 Certified in-wall loudspeaker. Designed for use as the left, right and center channel, this unit is declared by its CEO as the "best sounding in-wall [it] has ever made, and it makes no apologies for being an in-wall." Mr. Peter Tribeman continues on to say that he knows of "no other architectural solutions that deliver this kind of performance and flexibility at anywhere near this price point." Regardless of hype, the unit itself uses the company's exclusive Low Resonance Tweeter (LRT) along with a single 8-inch GLH (Graphite Loaded Homopolymer) woofer and two 3.5-inch GLH midrange drivers. Of course, you wouldn't expect such an exalted speaker to come without a princely price tag, so we suppose we're not too shocked by the $1,250 (each) sticker.
Verizon planning 2009 New Jersey FiOS rollout in Atlantic / Cape May counties
Verizon already services quite a chunk of New Jersey, but in a recent writeup explaining how cabling was currently being laid to bring FiOS TV to more of southern NJ (Cumberland county, in particular), we noticed that Vineland and Bridgeton weren't the only nearby regions with fiber in their future. According to Dennis Bone, president of Verizon New Jersey, FiOS should also be rolled out in "Atlantic and Cape May counties, beginning in Middle Township, by 2009." If all goes well, the company hopes to have around 300 communities across the state with access to at least FiOS internet, if not FiOS TV, by the end of 2008. Still, one has to wonder when the service will start moving out from the same ole footprint.
When free wrist straps aren't enough
The new Wii bag from Atlantic is pretty nice. We like the stripe, and the messenger bag design. We have no objection to this product. Were we the type to travel with consoles, we would seek out something like this. But the other new addition to their Gamekeeper line ... okay. Forget that every single Wiimote includes a wrist strap. Forget that these straps are constantly improved upon and sent out at no charge. If you were going to design a Wii wrist strap, what would it look like? Here, we'll make it multiple choice: A) a strap, or B) an improvised carpal-tunnel wrist brace made out of bowling shoes. If you answered B, you work for Atlantic. But you knew that! We're being hard on Atlantic, but the truth is we respect any company that sees an opportunity to capture a market that, at the moment, doesn't seem to exist. And that's not sarcasm. Maybe the thing really helps! Maybe this removes that last .05% possibility of Wiimote slippage among people who already wear wrist straps. Or maybe Atlantic just had a surplus of hot pink nylon.[Via GoNintendo]
TiVo HD still having macroblocking issues
TiVo might just have a issue on their hands. The TiVo HD launched late last month and almost immediately, it required a software update (8.1.7b1-01-2-652) to fix pixilation issues caused by Scientific Atlanta CableCARDs. Well, some users are still having the same issue two weeks after the update. TiVo has in fact responded via TiVoCommunity.com and indicated that they are working on a fix. No word on when this update will hit the street but hopefully the 3rd time will do the trick. [Via TiVo Lovers Blog]
Solar-powered Swiss boat crosses the Atlantic
MW-Line, a Swiss boat-maker known mostly for its water taxis, has successfully piloted a craft across the Atlantic using nothing but solar power, chocolates, neutrality, and hope. The boat, conspicuously named Sun21, is the first of its eco-friendly kind to attempt the journey. The 46-foot catamaran made the trip -- from the Canary Islands to the Bahamas -- in just under a month, and according to MW-Line, the operating costs are 20 to 45 times lower than traditional motorboats. The company claims their next project is to take a solar-powered ship around the world, and then get righteously wasted.[Via metaefficient]
The great divide: UK vs US censorship
When listing the differences between the UK and the USA one usually thinks of spelling, gastronomy and driving on the wrong side of the road, rather than film and game censorship. However, this fascinating post at Terra Nova (along with its thriving comments thread) delves into the differences between the BBFC and MPAA, as well as cultural factors, to try and establish why American consumers are less happy to have age restrictions on games.The whole thread gives an international perspective to current debates over the censorship of violent games. While sexual content in games can be treated as pornography, the lack of existing US legislation covering violence across other media means that singling games out is plain unfair. In the UK, however, ratings of violent and extremely realistic games fall under the Video Recordings Act, which covers any recorded video media.We have to wonder when games will get a category of their own and stand alongside more established media such as film and TV. In the meantime, to find out more about international game classification, Wikipedia's a great place to begin.
