I'm not sure what I think about this ad, except it makes me laugh. In a laughing AT it, not WITH it sort of way.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
US Navy starts up sense and avoid project for UAVs
Umm....does this mean we're going to have unmanned drones patrolling our own skies? Scary...
US Navy researchers have announced a new contract aimed at developing a "sense and avoid" system that would allow unmanned air vehicles to fly in airspace regulated by the US Federal Aviation Administration.
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is asking bidders to submit white papers by 1 April 2010 and full proposals by 3 August. Each document must describe how the bidders propose to solve one of unmanned aviation's biggest technical challenges and barriers to future growth.
The autonomous collision avoidance system must fit inside a 4.5-6.8kg (10-15lb) package, consume no more than 500W at peak power and not increase the UAV's drag.
The sensor system must provide spherical coverage of between 5km (2.7nm) and 10km around the UAV, but focus especially on "non-cooperative" aircraft, which lack transponders, flying towards the aircraft's nose.
The ONR plans to install the sense and avoid system on small tactical unmanned air systems (STUAS). With a major contract to supply the STUAS/Tier II system for the US Navy and US Marine Corps still in competition, the office has selected the AAI RQ-7 Shadow UAV and Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopter for its demonstration.
Bidders will be allowed to use the mission sensors already installed on the Shadow and Fire Scout air vehicles as part of their sense and avoid packages.
via flightglobal.com
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Now That's What I Call Littoral
via smh.com.au
Click the link to see video of the Aussie-built LCS in action. Okay, not much action, but it's some of the first actual footage I've seen. Pretty neat article, too.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Common Sense About Global Warming
Here's your reality check of the day, courtesy of Professor Ian Plimer:
We cannot stop carbon emissions because most of them come from volcanoes," he said. "It is a normal element cycled around in the earth and my science, which is looking back in time, is saying we have had a planet that has been a green, warm wet planet 80 per cent of the time. We have had huge climate change in the past and to think the very slight variations we measure today are the result of our life - we really have to put ice blocks in our drinks.
Let's stop wasting time and money on concocted issues and turn our attention to more important things. Like saving time and money.
Idiots.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Filling a Life Sentence Behind Bars? You Might Prefer Death Row.
via latimes.com
In California, the quality of life--and even life expectancy--of death row inmates exceeds that of "lifers." Think about that next time you choose to commit a heinous crime.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
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