Holy crap, seeing World War II air combat footage in color is just nuts

Holy crap, seeing World War II air combat footage in color is just nuts

Wow. This incredible video of aerial combat in World War II has it all. And all of it is terrifying. From dog fights and kamikaze attacks to flak fire and carpet bombing to explosions and aerial combat, it captures the frantic frenzy of aerial warfare during WWII. It’s better than any movie because it actually happened.

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This Stupid/Poor Cat Ate a TV Antenna

No matter how bad I feel for Alphie, this cat is stupid. He was rushed to the emergency room after eating a TV aerial antenna. This is what happened, according to the owner Vanessa Waite: More »

New construction at Apple’s North Carolina data center poses for aerial photographs

New construction at Apple's North Carolina data center poses for aerial photographs

Photos courtesy of Wired reveal that Apple’s new “tactical” data center at its Maiden, North Carolina facility is well on its way to completion. Captured with the help of a decidedly low-tech airplane — a 1949 Piper PA-11 Cub Special, if you must know — the shots feature what appear to be the facade of the $1.9 million, 21,000 square-foot structure that was outed last month. The images also show glimpses of a second 20-megawatt photovoltaic array and what may be the foundations of the complex’s planned 4.8-megawatt biofuel cell plant, which will convert biogas into electricity. With Apple’s upcoming Reno project getting the rubber stamp of approval, it doesn’t seem like the company will run out of construction projects any time soon. Click on through to the source link for the full set of pictures and analysis.

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New construction at Apple’s North Carolina data center poses for aerial photographs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Drone-maker Parrot invests $7.5 million in two EPFL spin-offs, sets sights beyond toys

Switzerland’s EPFL has managed to catch our attention with its various UAV-related activities, and it looks like it’s also been the radar of Parrot, maker of the AR.Drones. EPFL announced today that the French company is investing 7.4 million Swiss Francs (or about $7.5 million) in two companies that have been spun out of the institution: senseFly and Pix4D. As you may recall, those two have collaborated in the past, with senseFly providing the camera-equipped UAVs necessary for Pix4D’s 3D mapping software. Broken down, the investment works out to 2.4 million Francs put into Pix4D and five million invested in senseFly, the latter of which is enough for Parrot to claim a majority stake company. As for the future, senseFly’s CEO says that the deal will give Parrot “access to the expertise and the technology for specialized drones,” while Pix4D’s CEO says that the investment “reinforces our position as a leader in software for professional drones” and opens up new business opportunities. It also makes it clear, if it wasn’t already, that Parrot is getting pretty serious about drones. You can find the official announcement after the break, along with a video from EPFL explaining the deal.

Continue reading Drone-maker Parrot invests $7.5 million in two EPFL spin-offs, sets sights beyond toys

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Drone-maker Parrot invests $7.5 million in two EPFL spin-offs, sets sights beyond toys originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bing Maps piles on 215TB of new Bird’s Eye imagery, proves it’s a small world after all

Bing Maps piles on 215TB of new Bird's Eye imagery, proves it's a small world after all

Did you think Microsoft was done with Bing Maps updates after it threw a whopping 165TB of satellite imagery at virtual explorers? You’ve got another thing coming. The mapping crew in Redmond has thrown another 215TB of data over the fence, this time targeting its Bird’s Eye views. Most of the attention is on Australia, Europe, New Zealand and Tokyo, although Microsoft has seen fit to sharpen up some of its US visuals in the process. All told, there’s over 88,800 square miles covered by the new and updated aerial shots — enough to make sure that we’ll never have trouble finding Cinderella Castle at Tokyo Disneyland.

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Bing Maps piles on 215TB of new Bird’s Eye imagery, proves it’s a small world after all originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Jul 2012 22:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bing Maps gets another 165TB of satellite images, Google Earth seen sulking in a corner

Bing maps gets another 165TB of satellite images, knocking on Google Earth's door louder than ever

Thought that Google had cornered the market on free, overhead-view photo mapping solutions? You clearly don’t reside in Redmond, because Bing Maps’ aerial image library just got another 165TB worth of hi-res data that covers an additional 38 million square kilometers of the globe. To put that in perspective, Microsoft’s mapping solution previously had but 129TB worth of such eye-in-the-sky imagery, so this new batch of satellite shots more than doubles your viewing pleasure. Go ahead, check out all the new visuals at the source link below, we promise not to tell the folks in Mountain View.

Bing Maps gets another 165TB of satellite images, Google Earth seen sulking in a corner originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jun 2012 20:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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