Ten years ago lynx were reintroduced to Colorado. For a number of years there was a release of lynx each year, and it took a while for survival rates to grow and reproduction to begin. However, for the last 4 years large numbers of lynx kittens have been born and survived. However, the production of kittens has suddenly stopped.

Toate BUNE si FRUMOASE, dar noi aveam AXE deja, tot de la Unilever. Iar Lynx nu apare in lista de brand-uri nici pe site-ul global al companiei, dar e pomenit in sectiunea Advertising.

lynxjet.com nu mai functioneaza probabil de mult, dar avem lynxvice.com unde poti alege Romania pe harta si dai peste un joc tradus, cu si despre AXE Vice!!!

Campania LynxJet e din Australia anului 2005 si a castigat 5 Lion la Cannes in 2006.

AXE si LYNX difera doar prin denumire si prin zonele in care sunt comercializate, campaniile fiind de multe ori identice. Din cate inteleg eu, sortimentele sunt aceleasi, singurul care nu are corespondent la Axe fiind Jet. Caci sa aduci pe piata din Romania toata gama Lynx, cu niste costuri destul de mari, e ca si cum ai aduce Opel in Anglia in paralel cu Vauxhall.

It's a tough time to be a rock band right now. The whole garage revival thing that was all the rage around 2000 has pretty much died down as more and more musicians realize there's more to it than putting a plural noun after the word "The" and calling yourself a band. The Internet has made it so any Joe Schmo with a computer and a cord can record an album and sell it to the world on iTunes, but there's so much of it out there, it's damn near impossible to sort out what's really the best (unless Apple does it for you in a TV commercial). Oh, and Battles is around, so every other band in the world has to live up to their new standard. Because Battles is the greatest band on the planet. Are the members of Battles the world's most technically skilled musicians? Probably not. Does Battles make the best music on Earth? I love their tunes, but I couldn't argue that their songwriting itself is the absolute BEST, nope. But as a band, a group, a collective, four individuals musically congealed into a single, breathing, siamise-like thinking unit, they are THE greatest, the #1, with very little doubt. In fact, no doubt. Battles is the greatest band on the planet. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself.

If you haven't even heard of them (which is likely, and I recognize and respect that.. "Best instrumental math-rock group" isn't exactly its own Grammy category yet), Battles is something of an indie / prog supergroup, a quartet consisting of members of other moderately well-known (but no less super) groups called Don Caballero, Lynx and, perhaps most notably, Helmet. (Remember "Unsung"??? You would if you heard it, trust me. Youtube that shit.) On the surface, their music is a mixture of complex rhythms, wacky time signatures, machinery-like sounds, strange but impressive unison riffs, something that I guess you could classify as "abstract vocals"... and more... all held together by eight good ears, a brilliant sense of structure, and, sometimes, believe it or not, a hook! Those are a lot of adjectives, and nouns I turned into adjectives, but I think what it all means, basically, is you have to hear/see it to understand. Listen to 2007's "Mirrored" (best album of last year) and you might have a better understanding. Better, yes, but not complete. For the techies out there, it gets even better. One look at the album art from the aforementioned disc and you'll see that Battles take quite a bit of pride in their gear -- all their guitars, keyboards, amps, pedals and other fun stuff -- most likely because it's so fundamental to the sound they create. But unlike some of these other literally "electronic" artists with cool gear out there, Battles create everything live, with some nasty tricks up their sleeves. A few strums on some strings, a few pushes of some buttons, and they've crafted a perfectly timed, perfectly looped guitar riff; seconds later, that one simple loop has turned into another, and then suddenly it has become loops upon loops, a sonic casserole of rhythmic layers and, lo and behold, an entire song. Add some quirky melodies over that, some computer-like drum beats, some wacked out, modified singing, and you have the Battles sound, robot music created by four real guys on the spot. It's electronic, no doubt, but it is real. It is human. So what, specifically, would I say qualifies them for the honor of GBOTP?

• No one else could recreate their music. Even with all the same amount of practice, the same exact gear, and an obsessive knowledge of their songs, it would be really, really freaking impossible to make it sound exactly like a true Battles recording and/or show. I have a pretty decent comprehension of music, technology, pedals, etc., and I gotta say, I can only explain to you what it is that Battles does... maybe, MAYBE 60 percent of the time. That is true individuality. Not just anyone can create that.

• They DO IT LIVE!!! (to use the Bill O'Reilly terminology), and they pull it off. It would be too easy for Battles to drown in a diluted sea of "laptop DJs" that use software and a few mouse clicks to pull up stored sound at the same tempos and create "live" songs from saved samples. Battles is the greatest BAND on the planet because, in spite of the fact that their songs often come off sounding like some kind of processed, heavily produced, 64-track MIDI recording, they create it all live on the spot, as individuals, with strings, keys, skins, and one really tall crash cymbal (no really, look up some pictures). No pre-saved samples. Each member has specific parts, and he just nails them all. And it's all created right then and there.

• What they play is borderline impossible to accomplish. This is kind of a mix of those first two points. I've tried basic looping on a small scale. It's tough to keep it going for more than 8 measures before it sounds like a garbled mess of 6-year-olds at their first music lesson. Battles can make it sound perfect and deliberate for entire songs. Hell, entire SHOWS. You need to have absolutely pristine and precise tempo control to lock together like they do. That's tough for one person. Very difficult for two people. Near impossible for three. Four? Well, Battles can, can you? No.

• It's the future, now. It has to be. In the same way that Radiohead recently invented a whole new genre of music that can really only be described as "sounds like Radiohead," so might it go with Battles over the next few years . Because anyone who goes and sees them will eagerly want to return home, plug in a Gibson Echoplex loop pedal, and create the next year's greatest album. It's fun, it's impressive, and it sounds great.

Look, there's lots of good stuff out there. Plenty of awesome rock groups are drawing thousands of fans every night, making great music in cities across the globe. But Battles are doing something so totally different, so totally advanced, and so totally untouchable, it would be tough to argue that any other band on the scene is as tightly "banded" together as they are. See comments above about Battles being the future of music, and consider how good of an idea it would be to see them now, before they blow up and the only venue you can see them in is a multi-thousand capacity outdoor lunatheater on the Moon (where they will still be the greatest band on the planet).

- Paul

Não tenho as referências de quem foi que idealizou, mas assim que tiver posto aqui.

Laters for now

Lekke - Hot Summer Night 07/02/08

Tracklist

01. Seba & Krazy - Chameleon

02. Calibre - Mind Print

03. Bcee & Lomax - Can’t Say No (Lenzman remix)

04. Autumn - Refuge

05. Kubiks & Lomax - Edge City

06. Total Science - Gravy Girls

07. Hiten - Lonely Summer

08. Commix - Scarlett

09. Spectrasoul - Blood Rain

10. D-Bridge & Calibre - Ponderosa

11. Break & Hydro - Breathless

12. Zero Tolerance - Rising Sun

13. Will Miles - Summer Rain

14. Kubiks & Lomax - Despite Everything

15. Break - Tell Me

16. Icicle & Switch - Ur In My Head

17. Lenzman & Submorphics - Way Back When

18. Syncopix & MTC Yaw - Good Morning

]]> http://businessoftheday.wordpress.com/?p=28 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:27:23 +0000 businessoftheday http://businessoftheday.wordpress.com/?p=28 A company with headquarters in Seattle agreed to sell 300,000 acres from the Rocky Mountains for conservation. It is worth mentioning that in such a way the company looks forward to protect some of the most prized territories in the region from development. The current land deal is considered to be the largest of its kind in the history of the United States.

No amazing dnb insights today.  I'm just too busy and the overload of work is making me crabby.  I'm not as crabby as I was yesterday, just a bit miffed that's all.  I'm so happy that the weekend is finally here and I can relax.  Yay.

Stunna turned me on to his buddy Ros's mix.  Check it out.

Laters

Homework by ROS

Tracklist

FURNEY - You Must Stand Still (dub)
ESS - So Close (fokuz dub)
OPERON ft. STEPH LEES - Futility Man /vip/ (golden orb dub)
LENZMAN & SUBMORPHIC - Heat Of The Night (dub)
CLART - No Soul (dub)
WELL BEING - Lend Me Your Troubles (fokuz dub)
AK - Take me (dub)
AKIRA - Only You (dub)
SABBIA - Rhythm Blows My Mind /NOOKIE rmx/ (addiction dub)
LENZMAN - Diamond In The Rough (dub)
PAPA G - She Knew (phuzion dub)
OPERON - It Is What It Isnt (dub)
HOBZEE & ZYON (fokuz dub)

I've been scouring the new releases. Ugh, there's a pretty horrible Lifting Spirits tune on the list. Sad. I used to really like Lifting Spirits. Not anymore I guess. There was an Atlantic Connection release with Lynx. I thought it was okay, nothing mind boggling though. I actually really like a lot of AC tracks, but I think Water is one of my tops for sure. It's one of my "I'm depressed" tracks that I love to listen to. Sometimes when I'm a bit down in the dumps I just need some melancholy dnb to accompany in my misery. There was also a Q Project on the list. Meh. I used to be totally obsessed with Q Project. I felt like he had a really good run for a while a couple of years back. That's totally my personality. I'm quite the extremist. It's kinda all or nothing for me. I'll be super into something and exhaust it to all ends and then just eliminate it from my life.

Man, I'm totally Negative Nelly today.

I won't inflict my crabbiness on you any longer. Storm should get me back on track. She's awesome and one of my faves.

Eternally yours,

Sourpuss Sally

Storm DOA Mix June 2008

Tracklist

01. Alix Perez - Crooklyn (Allegiance ep) [Soul R]
02. The Invaderz - 32 Bit-Bass [Invaderz]
03. Blame - Stay Forever [Charge Recordings]
04. Nu:Tone - Troopers [Brand Nu]
05. Calibre - Overeaction (Overflow LP) [Signature]
06. Utah Jazz - Rhythm Track (It's Jazzy LP) [Liquid V]
07. Lynx & Alix Perez - Allegiance (Allegiance EP) [Soul R]
08. Zero Tolerance - Walk Away (Cheapshots LP) [CIA]
09. Lynx - Randy (Allegiance EP) [Soul R]
10. Breakz - Headz Up [Metalheadz]
11. Goldie - Lovers Deity (Memoirs Of An Afterlife LP) [Metalheadz]
12. Goldie - Letting go (A.I. Remix) [Metalheadz]
13. Break - No Going Back [Revolution Recordings]
14. Dkay & Lee - Wax’d (DKay remix) [Metalheadz]
15. Lenzman - Ever So Slightly [Dubplate]
16. Jem 1 -The Red Mist [36th Chamber]
17. Spirit - Connected [Inneractive]
18. Mc System - Pressure Release [Dubplate]
19. Q Project - Why [Machine Funk]
20. Subwave - Dreamcatcher [Metalheadz]

I have become completely obsessed with riding my bike though. The wind, the sun and the outdoors are seriously a great treat while riding around. :)

I was listening to the forthcoming tracks on Chemical and there was this DKay track on there. It was ok. It made me think how four years ago all I had to see was DKay's name on a release and I would buy it. It's just funny how one's tastes change. There's nothing wrong with DKay. I still like his stuff just fine. I think I've just reached a point where I expect more. It's so exciting to listen to a new track and be completely wowed by how innovative it is and how people are taking production to new levels. With that said though, I really did like that DKay - Individual Soul. I would listen to the whole thing while driving to Madison to see my mum and just be completely engrossed in this beautiful jazzy dnb world. If you've never listened to it you totally should. It's quite amazing.

I saw that Lenzman & Submorphics - Respiration/Way Back When promo on the new releases list. Isn't Way Back When super old?? I feel like I heard that track ages ago. I think Lenzman and Submorphics is a really good combo. The record is great.

I can't exactly remember who I was having the conversation with, I think it was Pipeline and Sable Gray, but you really can't keep tracks under wraps for that long anymore. People get bored and don't wanna buy them when it finally does come out. I feel like I would have totally bought that Lenzman & Submorphics record back when I first heard it, whenever it was, but it seems so old to me now that I wouldn't even think about spending money on it. I remember hearing LK and not knowing the name of the track and being too far away from the decks to ask or trainspot and then the track didn't come out until 2 years after that. I'm so glad those days are over.

Alix Perez & Lynx were on Kiss FM. They are definitely two of the dnb darlings right now. It's nice to be able to hear all these mixes but I'm starting to get the One Nation tape series syndrome. You know what I mean? People mix out so much these days that I'm hearing the same sets with the same tracks over and over again. I find myself having to listen to old mixes to switch it up or just picking one out of the many mixes I've downloaded because they all have the same tracks. I'm not complaining really. I think I just am gonna have to try harder to find mixes by different people instead of downloading the usual suspects all the time.

Even though I just prattled on about hearing the same tracks all the time, I do actually think that I only know like 5 tracks on this tracklist so it should be a good listen. :)

Toodles

Lynx & Perez on Forward Focus Radio - June '08

Tracklist:
dBridge Ft. Instra:mental - Blush Response [Exit]
Redeyes - Clap Slap [CIA]
Calibre Ft. DRS - TV On [Signature]
Lynx & Alix Perez - Allegiance [Soul:R]

***ALIX PEREZ & LYNX IN THE MIX ***

data - ??? [???]
Alix Perez & Lynx Ft. Kemo - Dangerous [Soul:R]
Eveson - Brooklyn [???]
Bop - In My Dreams [???]
Commix - Underwater Scene [Forthcoming Soul:R]
Data - Blowpipe [Forthcoming Revolution]
Lynx & Kemo Ft. Bango Collective & Dennis Jones - Apocolypse [Soul:R]
Lomax - Fifteen Sided Dice [Critical]
Sabre - Global [Subtitles]
Subwave - Think [Shogun]
Naibu - Here & Now [Influence]
Lynx & Aaron Jay - the Mule [31 Records]
Calibre - Sokitome [Signaure]
System & Phil Source - ??? [???]

Solución 1: wget y whatsmyip.com

#!/bin/sh
IP=`wget -q -O - http://whatismyip.com/automation/n09230945.asp`
echo $IP

Solución 2: wget y freeshell.org

#!/bin/sh
IP=$( wget -qO - http://cfaj.freeshell.org/ipaddr.cgi )
echo $IP

Solución 3: lynx y freeshell.org

#!/bin/sh
IP=$( lynx -dump http://cfaj.freeshell.org/ipaddr.cgi )
echo $IP

But lynx was at /usr/local/bin and had the correct file permission:
-r-xr-xr-x 1 root wheel 1180784 Jun 21 13:52 lynx

To fix this problem, I was able to run it by issuing the following command:
loopb4ck# /usr/local/bin/lynx

I initially thought that  /usr/local/bin was not in my path. But it was as evidenced by the following:
loopb4ck# echo $PATH /sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/X11R6/bin:/root/bin

I was running as root, so I issused the following command:
loopb4ck# source ~root/.login

and then, type lynx as usual
loopb4ck# lynx http://loopb4ck.wordpress.com

toothpastefordinner.com

Best album of 2008 so far

Best film of the year so far

The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine multi-role canard-delta wing strike fighter aircraft, designed and built by a consortium of three separate partner companies: Alenia Aeronautica, BAE Systems, and EADS working through a holding company Eurofighter GmbH which was formed in 1986. The project is managed by NETMA (NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency) which acts as the prime customer. Studies began into what would become the Eurofighter Typhoon as far back as 1979 but political and technological hurdles delayed production for more than two decades.

The UK had identified a requirement for a new fighter as early as 1971. A specification, AST 403, issued by the Air Staff in 1972, resulted in a conventional "tailed" design known as P.96, which was presented in the late 1970s. Similar to the F-18, the design had little potential for future growth, and when it entered production it would secure few exports in a market in which the Hornet would be well established. However simultaneously, by 1979 the West German requirement for a new fighter had led to the development of the TFK-90 concept. This was a cranked delta wing design with forward canard controls and artificial stability. In 1979 British Aerospace and Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm presented a formal proposal to their respective governments for the ECF, the European Collaborative Fighter or European Combat Fighter and in October 1979 Dassault joined the ECF team for a tri-national study, which became known as the European Combat Aircraft. The ECA project collapsed in 1981 for several reasons including differing requirements, Dassault's insistence on "design leadership" and the British preference for a new version of the RB199 to power the aircraft versus the French preference for the new SNECMA M88, however in 1983 the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain launched the Future European Fighter Aircraft (FEFA) programme. The aircraft was to have Short Take Off and Landing (STOL) and Beyond Visual Range (BVR) capabilities. In 1984 France reiterated its requirement for a carrier-capable version and demanded a leading role. The UK, West Germany and Italy opted out and established a new EFA programme.

In Turin on 2 August 1985 Italy, West Germany and the UK agreed to go ahead with the Eurofighter. The announcement of this agreement confirmed that France, along with Spain, had chosen not to proceed as a member of the project. Despite pressure from France, Spain rejoined the Eurofighter project in early September 1985. France officially withdrew from the project to pursue its own ACX project, which was to become the Dassault Rafale.

The share of the production work was divided among the countries in proportion to their projected procurement - British Aerospace (33%), DASA (33%), Aeritalia (21%), and Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA) (13%). A new company was founded to build the engine, but in 1990 the selection of the aircraft's radar had become a major stumbling block. It

The issues that the Eurofighter raised resulted directly from the end of the cold war. Was it reasonable to spend up to £20 billion  or €30 billion to develop and build four hundred aircraft when there was no imminent military threat after the collapse of the Soviet Union? Of course political considerations were paramount: Europe needed to show that it had the capability, and more still, was able to keep the capability of developing high technology. It also needed to establish its ability to maintain an independent armaments industry and eventually these considerations led the four governments involved to agree on a design and bring it to production.

Today the Eurofighter Typhoon is just beginning to reach its combat units. The RAF Typhoon has already had its first semi-operational encounter with a Tupolev Tu-94 Bear over the North Sea. By all accounts it is an impressive aircraft, highly agile, with a powerful array of weapons and ability to engage the enemy at a great distance. Which enemy?

Dassault Rafale

The Dassault Rafale (English: Squall) is a French twin-engined delta-wing highly agile multi-role fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. The Rafale is being produced both for land-based use with the French Air Force and for carrier-based naval operations with the French Navy. While several countries have expressed interest in the Rafale, there have been no foreign sales as of yet.

In the mid 1970s, both the French Air Force (Armée de l'Air) and Navy (Aéronavale) had a requirement (the Navy's being rather more pressing) to find a new generation of fighter  and their requirements were similar enough to be merged into one project. Initially France contemplated working with the EFA consortium but when its demands to be technology leader were refused pulled out. The Rafale A technology demonstrator was rolled out in late 1985 and made its maiden flight on 4 July 1986. The SNECMA M88 engines being developed were not considered sufficiently mature for the initial trials programme to be conducted without risk (though their development status has often been underplayed), so the demonstrator flew with General Electric F404-GE-400 afterburning turbofans as used on the F/A-18 Hornet. Production orders were placed in 1988.Further testing continued, including carrier touch-and-go landings and test-flying early M88 engines, before the Rafale A was retired in 1994. Though the Rafale A and British Aerospace EAP were broadly comparable, when the first Eurofighter made its maiden flight in March 1994, pre-series Rafales had been flight-testing for three years, including carrier trials (Rafale C01, Rafale M01, and Rafale B01 first flew in May 1991, December 1991, and April 1993 respectively).

Initially the Rafale B was to be just a trainer, but Gulf War and Kosovo experience showed that a second crewmember is invaluable on strike and reconnaissance missions, and therefore more Rafale Bs were ordered, replacing some Rafale Cs. 60% of the aircraft will be two seaters. However political and economic uncertainty meant that it was not until 1999 that a production Rafale M flew.

The marine version has priority since the aircraft it is replacing are much older Vought F-8 fighters. Service deliveries of the naval “M” version began in 2001 and the type "entered service" on 4 December 2000, though the first squadron, Flotille 12, did not actually reform until 18 May 2001.Though restricted to an air-to-air role, with a limited range of weapons the Rafale M was claimed by some to be the most advanced fighter in service in Europe. The first Armée de l'Air frontline unit, Escadron de Chasse 1/7 Provence, formed at Saint-Dizier during 2006. The total programme cost is around €28 billion,

The Rafale carries, for the first time in aviation history, an integrated electronic survival system named SPECTRA which features a software-based virtual stealth technology. The most important sensor is the Thales RBE2 passive electronically scanned multi-mode radar. Thales claims to have achieved unprecedented levels of situational awareness through the earlier detection and tracking of multiple air targets for close combat and long-range interception, as well as real time generation of three-dimensional maps for terrain-following and the real time generation of high resolution ground maps for navigation and targeting.

Although the Rafale was the first fourth generation fighter off the drawing board into the air, it seems to have had little export success. The reason for this may lie in the very concept of the Rafale: the aircraft was the result of France’s failure to join the EFA consortium which, although leading to a faster development reduced important economies of scale that the EFA has been able to apply. Although it is an incredibly versatile machine, the Rafale has not been able to take advantage of the success of the Mirage 2000 whose commercial success of the 1990s has stunted the spread of its “younger brother” which has not had access to the network of potential clients that the EFA consortium inherited from Tornado: Saudi Arabia in primis. Was Rafale a high price to pay for maintaining French independence?

SAAB JAS 39 Gripen

The Saab JAS 39 Gripen (Swedish for "the griffin") is a 4.5 generation fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace company Saab. Gripen International acts as a prime contracting organisation and is responsible for marketing, selling and supporting the Gripen fighter around the world. The aircraft is in service with the Swedish Air Force, the Czech Air Force, the Hungarian Air Force and the South African Air Force, and has been ordered by the Royal Thai Air Force. A total of 236 Gripens have been ordered as of 2008. The Gripen represents Sweden’s ability to design and build an internationally successful multirole combat aircraft which, although obviously less impressive from a performance point of view, is nevertheless able to deliver results and provide the desired service at a reasonable cost.

By the late 1970s a replacement for Sweden's aging Saab 35 Drakens and Saab 37 Viggens was needed. The development of the Gripen began in 1982 with approval from Swedish Parliament. The Gripen was designed for performance, flexibility, effectiveness and survivability in air combat. The designation JAS stands for Jakt (Air-to-Air), Attack (Air-to-Surface), and Spaning (Reconnaissance), indicating that the Gripen is a multirole or swingrole fighter aircraft that can fulfill each mission type.

In designing the aircraft, several layouts were studied. Saab ultimately selected an unstable canard design. The canard configuration gives a high onset of pitch rate and low drag, enabling the aircraft to be faster, have longer range and carry a larger payload.

The combination of delta wing and canards gives the Gripen significantly better takeoff and landing performance and flying characteristics. The totally integrated avionics make it a "programmable" aircraft. It also has a built-in electronic warfare unit, making it possible to load more ordnance onto the aircraft without losing self defence capabilities.

In the Swedish Air Force's list of requirements was the ability to operate from 800 m runways. Early on in the programme, all flights from Saab's facility in Linköping were flown from within a 9 m × 800 m outline painted on the runway. Stopping distance was reduced by extending the relatively large air brakes; using the control surfaces to push the aircraft down, enabling the wheel brakes to apply more force and tilting the canards forwards, making them into large air brakes and further pushing the aircraft down

In 1995, Saab Military Aircraft and British Aerospace or BAe (now BAE Systems) formed the joint venture company Saab-BAe Gripen AB, with the goal of adapting, manufacturing, marketing and supporting Gripen internationally. The deal was to take advantage of BAe's global marketing experience. BAe designed an improved wing, which they manufactured, producing approximately 45% of export airframes. BAe also saw the Gripen as a complementary product to its existing aircraft, fitting between its Hawk light attack/trainer and the larger Tornado and Typhoon fighters. This cooperation was extended in 2001 with the formation of Gripen International for the same purpose. In December 2004, Saab and BAE Systems agreed that from January 2005 Saab would take full responsibility for marketing of the Gripen in light of Saab's increased export marketing capabilities.

On 26 April 2007, Norway signed an agreement on a joint development programme of the aircraft regarding co-operation in advanced development work on future versions of the aircraft. In June 2007, Thales Norway A/S and Saab signed a contract concerning the development of communications systems for the Gripen fighter. This order for the Norwegian company is the first to be awarded under the provisions of the Letter of Agreement signed by the Norwegian Ministry of Defence and Gripen International in April 2007.As part of Gripen International's marketing efforts in Denmark, a deal was signed in December 2007 with Danish technology supplier Terma A/S, which allows them to participate in an industrial co-operation programme over the next 10-15 years.

The Gripen entered service earlier than the Rafale and has found export clients as far afield as South Africa and Thailand. Is there a lesson to be learned?

Piaggio 180 Avanti

The Piaggio P.180 Avanti is an unusual yet remarkably efficient twin-engine business aircraft produced by Piaggio Aero. It seats up to nine passengers in a pressurized cabin, and may be flown by one or two pilots. The company traces its history back to before  world war I but today is owned by a consortium of backers including Pietro Ferrari.

The radical design includes the main wing placed behind and above the horizontal stabiliser similar to a canard, engines which face backwards and a Blended Wing Body.

The Avanti has turboprop engines in a pusher configuration, placed on a mid-fuselage, high aspect ratio wing, located behind the cabin. The design utilizes both a T-tail and a small fixed canard which lacks control surfaces. The arrangement of the wing surfaces allows all three to provide lift, as opposed to a conventional configuration where the horizontal stabilizer creates a downward force to counteract the nose-down moment that a conventional main wing generates.

Distinctive design features include a non-constant cross section cabin, the revolutionary shape of which approximates a NACA airfoil section. Piaggio claims the fuselage contributes up to 20% of the Avanti's total lift, with horizontal stabilizer, wing and canard providing the remaining 80%. Because of the fuselage's unusual shape, the mid cabin is considerably wider than the cockpit, and the entire cabin sits ahead of the main wing spar. The wing and canard airfoils are custom sections designed by Dr. Jerry Gregorek of Ohio State University to achieve a drag-reducing 50% laminar flow at cruise.

The company claims the overall design of the P180 Avanti II enables the wing to be 34% smaller than on conventional aircraft.

The P.180 was wind tunnel tested in Italy and the U.S. in 1980 and 1981. A collaboration with Learjet to develop the aircraft was begun in 1982, ending in 1986, when the prototype first flew. U.S. certification was obtained in 1990. Learjet's influence is seen in the two "Delta Fins", mounted on the bottom of the tail. Seen on most Learjets, these devices provide aerodynamic recovery force in the event of an aerodynamic stall. The first 12 fuselages were built in Wichita, with H & H Parts and Plessey Midwest, then flown to Italy for assembly. Avanti Aviation Wichita ran out of money in 1994; the project languished until a group of investors led by Piero Ferrari became involved in 1998. The 100th aircraft was delivered in October 2005.

Piaggio pilots remark that exterior noise is odd sounding although not appreciably noisier than comparable turboprop aircraft. Indeed, interior noise is the lowest of nearly any aircraft turboprop or jet.

An improved Avanti II obtained European and US certification in November 2005. Six months later, seventy planes were already ordered (36 by Avantair). The Avanti II features uprated PT 6 engines and flies about 11 mph faster, with better fuel economy, and an all-new "glass panel" avionics suite reduces cockpit clutter.

The Westland Lynx

The Westland Lynx is a British helicopter designed by Westland and built at Westland's factory in Yeovil, first flying on 21 March 1971 as the Westland WG.13. Originally intended as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest led to the development of both battlefield and naval variants, which went into operational usage in 1977 and were later adopted by the armed forces of over a dozen nations. The helicopter is now produced and marketed by AgustaWestland.

As part of the Anglo-French helicopter agreement signed in February 1967 the French company Aérospatiale were given a workshare in the manufacturing programme.

When piloted by Roy Moxam in 1972, it broke the world record over 15 and 25 km by flying at 321.74 km/h. It also set a new 100 km closed circuit record shortly afterwards, flying at 318.504 km/h. In 1986, a Lynx specially modified with BERP (British Experimental Rotor Programme) rotor blades, registered G-LYNX and piloted by John Egginton set an absolute speed record for helicopters over a 15 and 25 km course by reaching 400.87 km/h (249.09 mph). The Lynx is an agile helicopter, capable of performing loops and rolls.

The British Army ordered 100 Lynx AH (Army Helicopter) Mk.1 for various roles, including tactical transport, armed escort, anti-tank warfare (with eight TOW missiles), reconnaissance and evacuation. The Army has fitted a Marconi Elliot AFCS system onto the Lynx for automatic stabilisation on three axis.

On 22 June 2006 the UK Ministry of Defence awarded Westland a £1 billion contract for 70 Future Lynx helicopters under a strategic partnering agreement with AgustaWestland. The programme will provide the British Army and Royal Navy with 40 and 30 aircraft respectively, with an option for a further 10, split equally between Army and Navy.

Future Lynx is described as a new aircraft that builds on the dynamic and vehicle systems of the existing design, incorporating advanced technology and providing increased capability. The fatigue problems with the existing airframe and rotor system are to be corrected.The first Future Lynx is programmed to make its maiden flight in 2009, with initial deliveries in 2011. The Army variant will enter operational service in 2014, with the RN variant following in 2015.

In British service the Lynx equips the Army Air Corps (AAC) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA). For the AAC the Lynx AH.7 and AH.9 operate as attack/utility helicopters. The Lynx AH.7 is in service with the FAA where it operates as an attack/utility helicopter in support of the Royal Marines, and the Lynx HMA.8 as anti-submarine warfare helicopter equipped with the Sea Skua anti-ship missile for Royal Navy warships.

The Lynx's most prominent combat role was operating the Sea Skua to devastating effect against the Iraqi Navy during the 1991 Gulf War. The Lynx also saw service with British Army forces during that conflict. It had already made its first combat operations in British service during the Falklands War in the 80s. None were shot down, but three were lost aboard vessels hit by Argentine bombs or Exocets, one on the MV Atlantic Conveyor and one each on board HMS Coventry and HMS Ardent.

It was used during Operation Barras to rescue 11 British soldiers in Sierra Leone on 10 September 2000.

The most recent wartime mission for the Lynx was during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. It has also seen extensive service during peacekeeping operations and exercises, and it is standard equipment for most Royal Navy surface combatants when they deploy.

F22 Raptor

The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is a fighter aircraft that uses stealth technology. It is primarily an air superiority fighter, but has multiple capabilities that include ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence roles. The United States Air Force considers the F-22 a critical component of the U.S. strike force.

The true top-speed of the F-22 is largely unknown to the general public, as engine power is only one factor. The ability of the airframe to withstand the stress and heat from friction is a further, key factor, especially in an aircraft using as many polymers as the F-22. However, while some aircraft are faster on paper, the internal carriage of its standard combat load allows the aircraft to reach comparatively higher performance with a heavy load over other modern aircraft due to its lack of drag from external stores. It is one of only a handful of aircraft that can sustain supersonic flight without the use of afterburner augmented thrust (and its associated high fuel usage). This ability is called supercruise. It also allows the aircraft to cruise at higher altitudes giving it a tactical advantage over any potential enemy. According to many, this makes the Raptor the best fighter ever, better than anything flying today or in development. Its protracted development also makes it one of the most expensive aircraft ever. 

Faced with a protracted development period, the aircraft was variously designated F-22 and F/A-22 during the three years before formally entering US Air Force service in December 2005, as the F-22A. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics is the prime contractor and is responsible for the majority of the airframe, weapon systems and final assembly of the F-22. Program partner Boeing Integrated Defense Systems provides the wings, aft fuselage, avionics integration, and all of the pilot and maintenance training systems.

The F-22 is claimed by multiple sources to be the world’s most effective air superiority fighter. The US Air Force claims that the F-22 cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft. Chief of the Australian Defence Force, then-Air Marshal Angus Houston, said in 2004 that the "F-22 will be the most outstanding fighter plane ever built."^[5]

In 1981 the United States Air Force (USAF) developed a requirement for a new air superiority fighter, the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF), to replace the capability of the F-15 Eagle. ATF was a demonstration and validation program undertaken by the USAF to develop a next-generation air superiority fighter to counter emerging worldwide threats, including development and proliferation of Soviet-era Su-27 "Flanker"-class fighter aircraft. It was envisaged that the ATF would incorporate emerging technologies including advanced alloys and composite materials, advanced fly-by-wire flight control systems, higher power propulsion systems, and low-observable/stealth technology.

A request for proposal (RFP) was issued in July 1986, and two contractor teams, Lockheed/Boeing/General Dynamics and Northrop/McDonnell Douglas were selected in October 1986 to undertake a 50-month demonstration/validation phase, culminating in the flight test of two prototypes, the YF-22 and the YF-23.

On 23 April 1991 the USAF ended the design and test-flight competition by announcing Lockheed's YF-22 as the winner. It was anticipated at the time that 650 aircraft would be ordered.

The first production F-22 was delivered to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, on 14 January 2003 and "Dedicated Initial Operational Test and Evaluation" commenced on 27 October 2004. By 2004, 51 Raptors were in service.

In August 2007, the United States Air Force signed a $5 billion, multi-year contract with Lockheed Martin that will extend production to 2011, and as of 2008, F-22 Raptors are being procured at the rate of 20 per year.

The United States Air Force originally planned to order 750 ATFs. During the 1990s, in view of the reduced threat, this number was scaled down until in 2003, the Air Force said that the existing congressional cost cap limited the purchase to 277. By 2006, the Pentagon had said it would buy 183 aircraft. The total cost of the program by 2006 was $62 billion. Does it make the USA invincible?

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There's a new Telos Single/EP thing out for free until the end of the month.  A sexy young superstarDJMC named Sherlock Cock has a tasty remix on the B-Side.  Go and grab it while stocks last.... Bear With Me Records.

P.S I swear to buggery I'll do a new comic soon.

La editorial Lynx ha traducido Caca: una historia natural de lo innombrable, de Nicola Davies, con ilustraciones de Neal Layton. La escatología es una parte complicada de manejar, pero esencial en la literatura infantil. Es un aprendizaje que genera muchas tensiones e inseguridad y que por eso mismo, suele desatar la risa de los pequeños, como válvula de escape. En la división sensata del tema hay libros imprescindibles de los últimos años, como El topo que quería saber quién se había hecho aquello en su cabeza, de la pareja trabalenguas Holzwarth-Erlbruch (Alfaguara, con traducción de Miguel Azaola).

La propuesta de Lynx es distinta, pero de entrada me ha parecido interesante: un libro de historia natural, de condición esencialmente científica, con voluntad divulgativa y de entretenimiento. En un paseo por el monte, los excrementos son una fuente de información que no se explica en clase, pero es imprescindible para el naturalista. A su manera, cuando un perro anda siempre olisqueándolos, está leyendo la prensa local, según me decía un veterinario. (No el que visitamos ahora, que es más pulcro que un diccionario escolar de 1950 y habla de las "ventosidades que expele el can de edad anciana". Creo que no podría leer nunca el "Cuento de amor y amistad" del divertidísimo narrador-contador-cantautor Luis María Pescetti.)

Más información, en el sitio web de la editorial. Que este es un sitio serio. :D

Ahora, la fórmula se vuelve a poner a prueba, pero esta vez con el desafío de generar un mensaje a nivel global. "Ojo Paranoico" es el nuevo comercial de Vegaolmosponce desarrollado para apoyar la nueva propuesta de Axe, el Dry Sharp Focus (que en Latinoamérica se lanzará con el nombre Ultra Focus).

El comercial será presentado en mercados tan diversos como el Reino Unido, Australia, Nueva Zelanda y todo Latinoamérica. La consigna de la acción será :”Cuando te chequeás la transpiración, perdés chicas”.

El comercial fue filmado por Traktor, y cuenta la historia de un joven que no podía evitar chequearse la transpiración cada vez que estaba con una chica.

El desarrollo de la pieza estuvo bajo la dirección de Hernán Ponce, director general creativo la agencia. También colaboraron en la creación Bruno Tortolano, director de Arte; y Joaquín Cubría, redactor. La productora fue Traktor, la música estuvo a cargo de Finger Music, la postproducción la realizó Cinecolor y el sonido se desarrolló en La Casa Post.

El spot se puede descargar desde aquí.

XCOR Aerospace says its Lynx suborbital spaceship will be ready to ferry a pilot and one passenger to and from the outer edge of the atmosphere within two years.

The Lynx will weigh between 2,700 and 3,000 pounds (1,225 to 1,361 kilograms) and feature four rocket engines using liquid oxygen and kerosene as propellant.

Still in the prototype phase, the two-seat Lynx will take off like an airplane and is expected to be able to make as many as four flights daily.

Like the space shuttles, the Lynx will glide back to Earth by descending in a series of circles.

In January, Virgin Galactic, the space tourism arm of Virgin Atlantic, and spacecraft maker Scaled Composites unveiled designs for their eight-seat SpaceShipTwo commercial suborbital spacecraft.

Virgin Galactic's model includes a mother ship--the WhiteKnightTwo--that takes off with SpaceShipTwo attached and releases the spacecraft at a certain height.

XCOR sees Virgin Galactic as a potential customer of its commercial spaceflight technology.

Eager not to be left behind when space tourism takes off, rocket engine maker XCOR Aerospace in Mojave, Calif., announced Wednesday that it will be ready to blast ordinary (albeit wealthy) Earthlings into space within two years. XCOR reps said at a press conference Wednesday that its Lynx suborbital spaceship, still in the prototype phase, will be a two-seat (one pilot, one passenger) craft that takes off like an airplane and glides back to Earth like a space shuttle. During the journey to and from the outer edge of the atmosphere, a passenger will be treated to a 30-minute ride that includes a minute and a half of weightlessness.

XCOR touted the Lynx's size—that of a small plane—as giving it a leg up over potential rivals. The reduced scale reduces the capital outlay required to build each spacecraft and enables the Lynx to make up to four flights daily (although two a day are more likely at first), XCOR president, Jeff Greason, said during the press conference in Beverly Hills, Calif., adding, "If I could figure out how to hold a half passenger, I would." The smaller the better.

In January, Virgin Atlantic's space tourism arm, Virgin Galactic, along with spacecraft maker Scaled Composites, LLC, unveiled designs for their eight-seat SpaceShipTwo. The suborbital spacecraft is expected to provide passengers with four and a half minutes of weightlessness. The Associated Press reported that 200 customers have already ponied up $200,000 apiece to reserve a ride. The company said it hopes to begin test flights as early as this summer.

Virgin Galactic's model includes a mother ship—the WhiteKnightTwo—which is an airplane that takes off with the rocket-powered SpaceShipTwo attached and releases the spacecraft at a certain altitude. The Lynx, however, will take off from any runway and handle like a high-performance fighter craft, XCOR test pilot Rick Searfoss, a former NASA space shuttle commander and retired U.S. Air Force colonel, said during the press conference. As the Lynx approaches the outer atmosphere, the rocket engines will be shut down and the pilot and passenger will feel weightless until they begin their 20-minute descent.

"We come back like a big old glider," he added. Like the space shuttles, the Lynx will glide back to Earth by descending in a series of circles.

For Searfoss, whose first shuttle mission came in 1993, "the absolute best part of flying in space was the view, and you're going to be riding right up front next to the pilot," he said.

The Lynx's cockpit will be sealed and pressurized, and its occupants will wear pressurized spacesuits. Greason pointed out that the Lynx is not designed with ejection seats but stressed it would include emergency features (which he declined to detail).

The popularity of the burgeoning commercial space travel industry may come down to economics: Companies will have to attract investors and build spacecraft that can easily, inexpensively and repeatedly be launched to and return from suborbital altitude.

Space Adventures, Ltd., in Vienna, Va., has a slightly different model for its fledgling space tourism business. Instead of flying civilians into space, the company brokers interstellar experiences through a system of partners and was responsible for cutting a deal with Russia's Federal Space Agency under which one of its customers will hitch a ride to the International Space Station on board a Russian-built Soyuz spacecraft. Earlier this month Space Adventures completed its acquisition of Florida- and Las Vegas–based Zero Gravity Corporation, which offers its customers 90-minute flights at about $4,000 per person aboard its G-Force-One, an aircraft that gives its passengers the feeling of weightlessness by performing parabolic maneuvers that simulate zero gravity.

XCOR did not quote prices for its suborbital joyrides, and Greason said that they would probably be set by the companies that purchase Lynxes and set up their own high-altitude tours. He estimated, however, that Lynx flights would cost perhaps half as much as those of competing commercial spacecraft, because the Lynx takes off and lands like a normal plane, so no additional infrastructure must be built to accommodate these flights. "We just need runways and airspace to do what we do," he said. Still, Greason pointed out that Virgin Galactic would not necessarily be a competitor, adding, "in fact, we hope someday they will be a customer."

Greason estimated that the Lynx will weigh between 2,700 and 3,000 pounds (1,225 and 1,360 kilograms) and will feature four rocket engines using liquid oxygen and kerosene as propellant.

XCOR has its sights set higher than the suborbital fringe of space. The Lynx might not be appropriate for extended spaceflight, but the experiences gained by running it several times a day will over time provide the experience necessary to take that next step. "Orbital flight," Greason said, "is where we want to go."

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Visitors

There are two of them, males. They arrived in May, from who-knows- where, a little shabby without their summer finery. On weekends, we share toast and most evenings they roost, like giant-sized
chickens with enormous drumsticks, on the rooftop. They roam the street jumping onto my fence from the neighbours yard and into mine. Some mornings, very early you may be woken by their distinctive pitched call of 'heeeeeeelp' competing with the windchimes. Through slit blinds I see the silhouette of one against a grey-blue sky perched on top of the chimney.

coffee brewing
a peacock steps
through the fog

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published LYNX June 2008