b-1b
”The Massive, Expensive Problem of Obsolete Tech
In 2005, a control room for the A and C subway lines in NYC caught fire. "No larger than a kitchen," the room held 600 relays, switches and circuits that keep track of trains and keep everything running. Officials originally thought it would take three to five years to get the lines back to normal capacity. (Thankfully it didn't.) The epic repair time was because the fixed-block signaling system dates back to 1904 and only two companies in the world were able to repair it, one in Pittsburgh and the other in Paris. This is technology's trailing edge, according to Peter Sandborn in IEEE Spectrum: the huge, crippling problem of obsolescence.
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First Supersonic Flight with Synthetic Fuel Shows Air Force's True Treehugging Hippy Nature
This week the US Air Force achieved the first supersonic flight using alternative synthetic fuel, booming a B-1B Lancer over the White Sands Missile Range airspace in New Mexico without any problems. The supersonic strategic bomber, designed to deliver atomic weapons, will be able to start Armageddon at $30 to $50 less per barrel while helping the environment and without depending on foreign oil. You read that well, you commie hippie treehuggers: war is getting cheaper, and it will help climate change, nuclear winter excluded. Looking at its composition, however, the synthetic fuel is certainly not as harmless as other alternatives.
More »Wibrain B1 Hitting US Stores Next Month
Looks like the Wibrain B1 has finally made it over here, just in time for the holidays. There are two models: the B1E, with 512MB of RAM and costs $699; and the 1GB B1H, which costs $849. The Wibrain B1, with its cute pop-up camera and mic, is available from mid-December. Full specs are below the gallery.
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