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Virgin Orbit clarifies the cause behind its 'Start Me Up' mission's failure to reach orbit
On Thursday, Virgin Orbit leaders provided a preliminary explanation as to just what went wrong during Monday's Start Me Up mission launch.
Adorable co-op adventure 'Knights and Bikes' is coming to Switch
Charming co-op adventure game Knights and Bikes is coming to the Nintendo Switch. The adorably illustrated game -- which sees two children exploring the ancient countryside and coastlines of England's Cornwall -- has been a big hit with fans since its successful Kickstarter campaign back in 2016.
UK's abandoned tin mines could be reopened to help build EVs
The last of Britain's tin mines were closed in the late 90s due to plummeting metal prices and languishing global demand. Now, with the advent of smartphones and electric vehicles, demand -- and prices -- are on the up, and these forgotten facilities could be reopened to help the UK gain a stronger foothold in the market.
The long wait for a 1,000MPH car
On October 28th, Bloodhound's EJ200 jet engine roared to life. The needle-shaped car sped down a closed-off airstrip in Newquay, England, as 3,500 people looked on. At first, a cone of flame could be seen at the back of the vehicle, but it quickly faded as pilot Andy Green reached top speed and hit the brakes. From the roof of a temporary broadcast studio, I watched as a line of photographers rattled off shots and jostled for position. Within a matter of seconds, the blue blur had reached the end of the runway and veered left onto a parallel strip that led back toward the starting line. It was a moment everyone present had waited nine years for.
UK police are using detection dogs that can sniff out USB drives
Devon & Cornwall and Dorset Police have begun utilising special FBI-trained sniffer dogs that have been specifically trained to detect hidden storage devices. Police dogs Tweed, a 19-month-old springer spaniel, and Rob, a 20-month-old black Labrador, are the first dogs outside of the US that will help track "terrorists, paedophiles and fraudsters" by tracing the unique chemicals found in hard drives, USB sticks and SD cards.
Devon police will establish the UK's first 24/7 drone squad
The Devon and Cornwall Police force is to become the first in the UK with a permanent, 24-hour drone assistance unit. The flying fuzz will be on hand to search for missing persons, seek out suspects and generally provide an eye in the sky whenever needed, gathering intel at crime scenes and responding to road accidents. The dedicated unit, which will also help out police in neighbouring Dorset, is set to launch this summer after a new "drone manager" is hired to oversee the nine sites the coppercopters will operate out of.
'Knights and Bikes' is a charming co-op game set in '80s Britain
Every so often we'll spot a game in the bowels of Kickstarter which, despite all of the problems associated with crowdfunding, grabs our attention and won't let go. Knights and Bikes is one of those projects because, well, just look at the screenshots below. Everything about it is adorably British. Conceived by Rex Crowle and Moo Yu -- two fellows from LittleBigPlanet developer Media Molecule -- the game promises a co-op adventure about two friends on an island near Cornwall. Set in the late 1980s, the pair are tasked with saving their town from spooky spirits and financial ruin. Think The Goonies, with a sprinkling of Earthbound and Secret of Mana.
DJI drones to help Devon, Cornwall and Dorset police fight crime
Drones have been used for all sorts of devious deeds, but now they're being used to save lives too. Police in two English counties, Devon and Cornwall, have recruited a pair of DJI Inspire 1 drones to help with crime scene photography and missing people searches. The two new quadcopters are based in Exeter and Plymouth, and so far three officers have obtained the CAA qualification necessary to fly them. Police in Dorset are now preparing for a similar trial, and hope to have access to their own drone from November 26th.
World's fastest car to make 'slow' debut in the UK
We've waited years to see the Bloodhound supersonic car in action, and at last the promised day is starting to draw near. The team has revealed that its monster motor will debut at the Newquay Aerohub in Cornwall on November 17th -- however, it'll be limited to just 200mph. That's still ferociously fast, but the jet and rocket-powered car is ultimately designed to break the world land speed record at 1,000mph. Construction of the vehicle is still underway, and the tests in Southern England will be conducted before the airbrakes and winglets have been fitted. The current plan is to begin high-speed testing in South Africa next summer, during optimal weather conditions. The results will determine when driver Andy Green can attempt to earn yet another spot in the history books.
Apple assuming retail lease, plans to open new UK Apple Store
Apple's march to world domination continues, this time with a new Apple Store planned for the UK seaside city of Plymouth. What's surprising about this store announcement is that Apple apparently made managers of a successful Zara fashion store at the Drake Circus Shopping Centre (above) in Plymouth "an offer they can't refuse." The Zara store, which fills a 21,045 square-foot space in the mall, has about ten years to go on a fifteen-year lease. Zara is out; Apple will assume the lease for the remainder of the time. ifoAppleStore notes that this space is almost double the size of the standard Apple Store, so Apple may just occupy the ground floor and sublet the upper level. 26 Zara employees are losing their jobs as a result of the announced closing, but there's a good chance that more jobs than that will be created when the Apple Store opens. The Drake Circus store is about 45 miles from the Princesshay Apple Store in Exeter, and fills in coverage for the Devon and Cornwall region of the country.
BT and Everything Everywhere will start LTE trial in rural UK this September
Some of the UK's most remote parts still don't have access to broadband of any kind, but later this year, they might have the sort that makes us look on in envy. BT and Everything Everywhere are planning to start an LTE trial in Cornwall, England's most southerly county, which will last from the 1st of September through to the end of December. Connection speeds could scale as high as 40Mbps, though the typical rate is expected to be closer to 10Mbps. Volunteers are now being sought to participate in the trial, though they have to reside (or be willing to move, we presume) in the pretty tiny 4G coverage area near Newquay. BT and T-MOrange have been allowed a temporary slice of 800MHz spectrum to do their experimenting in, which will likely be up for grabs in the LTE spectrum auction that's set for next year. First we take Newquay, then we take the world.
