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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.
Google's flight search can now send you on random journeys
Google Flight Search is fine if you already have a destination in mind, but what if you simply want to sate your wanderlust? That's where a new "I'm Feeling Lucky" button comes into play. Hit that and the search tool will suggest a random place to go; if you're not feeling quite that spontaneous, you can set budget and time limits. Google has also added some tools for those willing to do some legwork, including a full-screen exploration mode and a region browser that suggests trips within the boundaries you've chosen. All the new features should go live today, so you now have plenty of opportunities for spur-of-the-moment expeditions.
WoW Archivist: Flight
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? Flying is second nature to WoW players. We've been doing it for almost eight years now. Sure, we've adventured in a few flightless places, like the Isle of Thunder, the Isle of Giants, and the Timeless Isle. Even The Burning Crusade, where flying originated, had a no-fly zone on the Isle of Quel'Danas. (What is it with these isles anyway?) But almost always, since 2006, we've flown. And we always expected to, for the vast majority of our in-game time. Now, because of Blizzard's impassioned arguments against flight on Draenor, flying is suddenly controversial. If you look back, you can see why: flying has changed the game like no other feature before or since. Let's start where it all began, however, with classic WoW's humble flight paths. They used to be cool I'm about to express something that you may not believe. Once upon a time, flight paths were cool. Yep, I said it. Before flying mounts, when you couldn't even get a ground mount until level 40 and epic ground mounts were just a dream for most due to the steep cost, in that early version of the game where you spent most of your travel time walking or riding at the pace of a Throne of Thunder gastropod, flight paths were cool. Not only did they get you around the continent at the fastest possible speed, they gave you a cinematic view of Azeroth from the skies. It was the only time you could get that view from above. The first time most classic WoW players rode a gryphon or wyvern from A to B, we loved it. No other MMO at the time had anything like it. We felt like masters of the world -- at least, when we could afford to take the trip. Most players were broke in the early days, and using flight paths too liberally often meant forgoing buying a new skill when you leveled. Taking a flight path was an indulgence, a treat, instead of the annoying hassle we see them as today.
The Big Picture: Preparing for a solar-powered flight around the world
Earlier this week, the second Solar Impulse aircraft embarked on its maiden voyage over Payerne, Switzerland. Solar Impulse 2 hopes to expand on the success of its predecessor, and make an around-the-world flight in 2015. The 72 meter-wide wing houses over 17,000 solar panels that can power the craft with virtually unlimited autonomy. The global voyage will take a five months, and is planned to launch in March.
Canadian airlines will let you use devices during takeoff and landing
American airlines may let you use your mobile devices at every stage of flight, but their Canadian counterparts still insist that you power down until you're in mid-air. That's going to change shortly, though: Transport Canada has greenlit the use of electronics during takeoff and landing. As long as carriers can show that passenger gadgets in airplane mode (that is, with wireless off) won't interfere with avionics, you'll get to use your gear at any time. Of course, you'll get to switch on WiFi for most of a given trip if you're on an aircraft with internet access.
$17 million technology prize lets you choose which of humanity's problems to solve
Technology prizes are nothing new, but they tend to be focused on specific issues like space travel or security flaws. The upcoming Longitude Prize, funded by the Nesta charity and the UK government, will be a little more... ambitious. The duo is promising a £10 million ($17 million) reward for the best solution to one of six greater challenges that humanity faces today, such as developing eco-friendly flight or giving independence to the paralyzed. While the winning entry will have to help the British economy in some way, this is otherwise a truly global competition; anyone can enter, and the end result will ideally help the world at large.
Fly like a bird with this VR-powered, scent-emitting machine
Current technology and human anatomy may prevent you from soaring like a bird in real life, but a team at the Zurich University of the Arts may just have the next best thing. Their Birdly machine lets you flap your way through the air much like the Red Kite it's modeled after. Motors translate your hand movements to the virtual avian's wings, and an Oculus Rift VR headset gives you an all-too-literal bird's eye view of the scenery -- you probably won't want to look down very often.
Bashiok on the lack of flight in Warlords of Draenor
Ever since the first round of Warlords of Draenor interviews, the idea of flight being disabled indefinitely in the expansion has been floating around. Very little information on that concept has come out since then. Will it be like previous expansions, where you get flight back at max level? Will it come back in the first content patch? Will it ever come back? We still don't have the answers to that, but community manager Bashiok took to the forums yesterday (in addition to what he said earlier this month) to provide more insight into the developers' thought process. Some highlights: The developers will try to ensure flight paths are more direct, not scenic loops Being able to lift off and fly over all content compromises gameplay There will be max-level questing content, not just daily quest hubs The developers are not attempting to make the game laborious, but rather create a world that engages the player You can read Bashiok's full post below and I've received my personal take on it until after the blue post.
Daily Roundup: Nokia joins Microsoft, a traveler's guide to in-flight WiFi, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Air Berlin's latest iOS app can push boarding passes to your Pebble
Still carrying a paper boarding pass when you travel? Air Berlin's got a new way to go green this Earth Day. The airline's iOS app now sports Pebble integration, letting you display boarding passes and flight information on your smartwatch. You can pull up the QR code-style pass on your wrist when it's time to board -- the agent will be able to confirm your seat and flight info as soon as you scan, eliminating the need to pull out your phone as you queue up at the gate. Air Berlin is the second airline to offer this feature -- Vueling teamed up with Sony to add boarding pass functionality to the SmartWatch 2 just last month -- and we can only hope US carriers will follow suit.
Ace Combat Infinity boarding PS3s on May 27
Bandai Namco's free aerial fighter Ace Combat Infinity is set to lift off on May 27 for PS3. The next entry in the long-running Ace Combat series was first announced last year in July, and was listed as the first free-to-play game in the series one month later. The game includes a single-player campaign as well as cooperative and competitive multiplayer, and Bandai Namco plans to add a player-vs-player mode following the game's launch. The PS3 exclusive takes place on an alternate-reality Earth in which global authorities construct massive guns to save the planet from incoming debris caused by the destruction of a moon orbiting Jupiter. Ace Combat Infinity was originally due to land in 2013, but its flight suffered delays in December. The game entered open beta for one week in February. [Image: Bandai Namco]
DARPA envisions a smarter, safer autopilot
Autonomous aircraft serve their purpose, but there's no question that pilotless passenger flights are a long way off, if they ever become a reality. Still, there's obviously room for improvement when it comes to on-board systems that assist pilots in their duties. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is in the process of creating an advanced autopilot system called ALIAS (yes, another acronym). The Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (there you go) would control military aircraft in all stages of flight, from takeoff to landing -- even during a system failure. Pilots would interact with the system using a touchscreen and voice control, supervising a flight instead of commanding it. Of course, we'll see this technology make its way to military planes long before it's adopted by airlines, but ALIAS could play a key role in keeping us all safe at 30,000 feet.
Richard Branson's trying to track down the 80s kid who inspired Virgin Galactic (update: found!)
In 1988, a young chap by the name of Shihan Musafer rang BBC children's show Going Live to ask Richard Branson if he'd ever thought about travelling to space. "I'd love to go into space, as I think pretty well everybody watching this show would love to go to space," he eagerly replied. Turns out, that call 26 years ago served as the catalyst for Sir Richard to register the name Virgin Galactic, the company that's now on course to take well-moneyed civilians into outerspace later this year. To thank Shihan "for helping to inspire the idea," Branson's hoping to use the power of social to help track down the now grown-up Brit, so that he can personally invite him to get the VIP treatment while "witnessing a spaceflight." While that makes it sound like he's getting a free return ticket to the heavens, in fact he just gets to watch the rich and famous take off. So close. Update: According to the Virgin Galactic website "Thanks to everyone for your help in finding Shihan – the search is over and we've found him." There's no word on his status or a potential next step, we're still hoping there's a free ride in there somewhere.
Flying in Draenor must be destroyed
Recently, Alex Afrasiabi did an interview wherein he talked about the status of flight on Draenor when Warlords of Draenor launches. Specifically, that the idea of the players not being able to fly even at max level when the expansion comes out is a test of how players react to a flightless expansion, and if it seems successful, it's possible they may not introduce it at all. That from the moment we arrive on Draenor at level 90 to the time we finally leave it to take our adventures elsewhere, we will not fly anywhere on the new continent. I think this is a marvelous idea.
Here's a new teaser for Icarus Online
It's been nearly a year since we've heard anything of note from Icarus Online, but now WeMade Entertainment has released a new trailer to celebrate the upcoming open beta for its dragon- and flight-based MMORPG. Steparu reports that the game now features five classes (Berserker, Guardian, Assassin, Priest, and Wizard), with a Ranger class rumored for release. Click past the cut for the new teaser plus a five-minute gameplay video.
Quadrocopter drone recovers from failures without skipping a beat (video)
Quadrocopter drones are capable of some incredible acrobatics, but they seldom handle failure all that gracefully. ETH Zurich's Mark Mueller is tackling this problem through a new failsafe algorithm that gives these flying robots a better chance of survival. As you'll see in a video demo after the break, the software automatically compensates for rotor failures, bringing a drone back to its original position before giving the owner an opportunity to land the craft. Mueller's routine works even when there's just one propeller left, and it could eventually avoid dangerous objects on the way down. While there's no mention of when the algorithm will reach copters outside of the lab, there's a patent on the way -- we'd expect it to reach production drones at some point in the future.
Singapore 21: a farewell trip on the world's longest flight
As of tomorrow, the longest flight in the world will shuttle passengers on a 747-400 from Sydney, Australia to Dallas, Texas. That 15-hour, 25-minute hop on board Qantas 7 may not be the lengthiest in duration, but at 8,578 miles gate to gate, it'll lead the industry in miles flown. For a few more hours, however, Singapore Airlines' decade-long run from Newark, N.J., to Singapore remains the record holder for both time (more than 18 hours) and distance (9,534 miles). It's a journey that's been on the bucket lists of the world's most ambitious aviation enthusiasts since the city-state's namesake airline first launched the service in 2004, and following tonight's final jaunt, this record-setting A340-500 will touch down at Changi Airport for the very last time. Despite this cheerless loss, it's a spectacular time in the world of aviation. Sure, we don't have our supersonic Concorde replacement just yet, and the Dreamliner rollout was not without significant heartbreak, but the past few years have represented a tremendous period, with banner launches from both Airbus and Boeing that will change the way we fly forever. But as with any category, aircraft manufacturing and design advances also serve to highlight the shortcomings of previous-generation products. The Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 make massive efficiency boosts a reality, leading gas-guzzling greats like the aging A340-500 to a premature retirement. In this case, the A345's departure from Singapore's fleet represents not only better things to come, but also the loss of a landmark route -- it's an unavoidable compromise, and with the end in sight, I drained my frequent flier account in order to score a ticket, and set out to discover the significance of Singapore Flight 21's retirement.
Which airlines have OK'd electronics on flights?
Holidays are stressful enough before factoring in the hassles of traveling. Thankfully for some air travelers, the minor inconvenience of not being able to use electronic devices during take off and landing is being removed, one airline at a time. Yesterday, in response to a recent FAA announcement that passengers can use electronic devices during a complete flight, Delta and JetBlue have lifted the restrictions on reading your iPad. The FAA investigation found that handheld electronic devices do not pose a risk of adversely affecting a plane's systems during landing. To help get you ready for any possible upcoming trips, the folks at Mac Observer have put together a comprehensive list of which airlines will allow you to use electronic devices. Some airlines have their own specific guidelines and caveats, presumably because having a set of simple and clear guidelines across the board would be a show of weakness. Head over to Mac Observer so you know what you're in for during your holiday travels.
FCC reportedly proposing that passengers can use cellular service in mid-flight (update: confirmed)
While the FAA has cleared the use of electronics on US passenger airplanes at all stages of flight, there's still one major restriction in place: you have to shut off all cellular access. That rule may not exist for much longer if the FCC has its way, according to sources for the Wall Street Journal. The agency will reportedly use its December meeting to propose letting passengers make phone calls and use cellular data whenever they're flying above 10,000 feet. Don't be too eager to start chatting in mid-air, though. The FCC hasn't publicly confirmed the proposal, and any new policy wouldn't be mandatory -- carriers could still ask for radio silence, and special equipment would need to be installed in order for each plane to communicate with towers on the ground. If implemented, though, the relaxed rules could make your phone's airplane mode seem like more of a relic than a necessity. Update: Chairman Tom Wheeler has issued a statement about the earlier report: "Today, we circulated a proposal to expand consumer access and choice for in-flight mobile broadband. Modern technologies can deliver mobile services in the air safely and reliably, and the time is right to review our outdated and restrictive rules. I look forward to working closely with my colleagues, the FAA, and the airline industry on this review of new mobile opportunities for consumers.
Alter Ego: Issue #2 - Learning to fly in DC Universe Online
Last time in Massively's DC Universe Online webcomic, Kid Critical escaped from Brainiac's dastardly clutches and -- aided by the Man of Steel -- brought down one of the evil overlord's deadly harvester ships. But Brainiac still has designs on digitizing Earth and all its inhabitants. And both supervillains and petty criminals alike are leveraging the chaos to cause big trouble for the Justice League and its new exobyte-powered allies. Now, Kid Critical returns home to Gotham City, struggling with his super powers and at the mercy of a mysterious hacker called Oracle. Will he master his exobytes in time to help save the city? Or will he end up as another grease spot on Gotham's mean streets? Find out in Alter Ego #2: Learning to Fly.
