Gizmodo: runaway

Runaway Drone Shot Out of Sky

Rosa Golijan — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:20:00 EDT

An MQ-9 Reaper drone's fail-safe programming failed and it rushed through Afghanistan's airspace on Sunday. The US Air Force simply responded by sending a manned plane to shoot it down. Turns out this isn't all that uncommon.

Apparently the pilots of an unmanned, but armed, MQ-9 Reaper drone lost control of the UAV a few days ago. The resulting manned mission to take it down was mounted almost immediately and ended successfully before the drone reached the edges of Afghanistan's airspace.

I wonder what would've happened if the Reaper hadn't been shot down. It is typically used for "hunter-killer" missions and targets enemies on the ground. Would it continue a mission like that without operator input?

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles like the Reaper are supposed to be programmed to return to their home bases in case they lose contact with their pilots. There's no explanation as to why the fail-safe didn't kick in for this particular Reaper. Nor is this incident the first time that a UAV has been shot down by intentional friendly fire. What's going on and when can I start to panic? [Aviation Weekly via Popular Science]

Body Found, Believed to Be That of Runaway Teen Gamer

Sean Fallon — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:40:00 EST

Sadly, Canadian police believe that they have found the body of Brandon Crisp, a 15 year old that ran away from home in early October after his parents took away his Xbox 360 privileges. Apparently, he had become obsessed with Call of Duty 4 and action was taken after it began to affect his grades. The boy was found on the Oro Medonte Rail Trail outside of Barrie, Ontario with a tent and a meager supply of food. Police are awaiting the pathology report before confirming the boy's identity. Ugh...I can't even imagine what his parents must be feeling right now. [CP24 via Kotaku]

Microsoft Doubles Reward For Teen That Ran Away After His Parents Pilfered His 360

Sean Fallon — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:00:00 EDT

A word of caution to parents: taking away you child's beloved gadget as a form of punishment may seem like tough love, but it can backfire in a big way. Consider the case of a 15-year old Canadian teenager that ran away from home after his parents took away his Call of Duty 4 gaming privileges. The child has been missing since October 13th and Microsoft has decided to double the current reward of C$25,000 ($19,400) for any information that leads to his return.

Microsoft may also be handing over information about who he might have been playing with online before the incident. I know we are talking about a 15-year old kid here, but I'm sure this will spark some debate about whether or not gaming addiction is a problem that should be taken seriously. [Reuters]

New Phone Concepts Juice Themselves Up

Adam Frucci — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 10:27:55 EST

French designers ModeLabs have come up with three new cell phone concepts that use the inherent motion of their use to charge them up. The first (and most practical/interesting, in my opinion) is the U-Turn, a phone that gets juiced up by flipping the keyboard out. Less practical are the YoYo, getting charged by bouncing around while hanging around your neck, and Runaway, which gets its juice by being attached to your wrist while you run.

That's the U-Turn up above, on the other side check out the YoYo and Runaway. What do you guys think, will this sort of thing catch on? It seems like such limited motion couldn't fully charge a phone, but it would be a nice supplement and could help end the stranded feeling you get when your phone dies when you're out away from a charger.

–Adam Frucci

ModeLabs [via Shiny Shiny]

RunAway = Nike+iPod/Nike

gadgetmatt — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 14:54:09 EST

For anyone who wants to get running with the Nike+iPod Sport Kit but is disinclined to drop a hundred bucks on a new pair of special Nike+ kicks, comes the RunAway AnyShoe adapter. This $8 weatherproof sensor holder attaches to your running shoe's laces and has an easy-to-access button to turn the sensor's wireless signal off for air travel—which is a slight improvement over the Nike+ shoes, which require you to remove an insole to get at the device.

The RunAway is available in five colors to match even the orangest of sneakers. Get your training groove on this way for $30. It is an investment that'll reap rewards in more runs and a new-found appreciation for leggings. – Matt Schneiderman

Product Page [Switcheasy via iLounge]