Grab the Airplane and Go

Sage-Popovich carries out about 50 recoveries a year, some of multiple aircraft. The most common target are Boeing 737s, but Popovich and his team retrieve everything from 747s to luxury executive jets.

http://badassoftheweek.com/pujol.html

Juan Pujol Garcia, the man who may possibly be the most successful double-agent in history, is the complete opposite of everything you think about when you think of badass secret agents.  He was ordinary-looking, married, balding, and wore kind of nerdy glasses, and never owned a wristwatch that shot lasers.  He never snuck into a top-secret high-security enemy facility disguised as a frogman, flying side-kicked a dude into a nuclear reactor, and stole biological weapons schematics from a rogue terrorist nation…

 

Fun Read.

The 33rd America’s Cup came to a conclusion on Valentine’s Day 2010.  BMW/Oracle won decisively with a 5 minute/2300 meter lead when she crossed the finish line.  This race was a bit more competitive than the first race last Friday.  At least to the windward mark.  Alinghi again fouled at the start by misjudging their entry into the start box, which gave BMW/Oracle a 24 sec lead off the line.  Alinghi made up some time and actually took the lead for a while on the windward leg by finding some stronger air and a favorable wind shift.  BMW/Oracle was able to gain ground and rounded the windward mark 28 seconds ahead and didn’t look back on the two reaching legs, reaching speeds of 33 knots in only 6-9 knots of wind, incredible!

The Golden Gate Yacht Club is now the holder of the oldest cup in international sports.  Rumors have begun to arise that the next challenge will offer a more level playing field.   It will be nice if they reverted to a more “one design” approach.  Hopefully a mono-hull design to facilitate the upwind tacking duels.  This cup challenge was really nothing more than a drag race between two multi-million dollar experiments.  BMW/Oracle proved herself the better, and faster boat.   Congratulations to the BMW/Oracle team!  Thanks for bringing the Cup home…

Finally, after two race postponements the 33rd Challenge for the America’s Cup got underway today in Valencia Spain.  The first time in history two multi-hulled boats are racing for the cup.  Alinghi  had a large composite main sail and BMW/Oracle was flying a huge segmented, rigid wing, two very different technologies.  With 8-10 knots of wind, each boat was averaging between 16 and 24 knots.    An incredible speed in such light conditions.  Unfortunately the race was over almost before it started.  Alinghi (SUI) fouled

BMW/Oracle (USA) before the start of the  race and earned herself a 270 degree penalty turn.  BMW/Oracle proved herself to be a faster boat that can point 3-4 degrees closer to the wind which translates into a much shorter distance to the windward mark.  By the time BMW/Oracle crossed the finish line she had opened up a 3500 meter, 15 min lead over the Swiss boat.  The next race is scheduled for Sunday in this best of three showdown.  Stronger winds have been predicted, could this give Alinghi the edge?  We’ll have to wait and see.

    This has to be one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a while.  Who knew SCUBA divers were so aggressive.  Maybe it’s because they’re out of their natural habitat.

When the Google camera car passed they must have gotten really agitated.

They seem to be making a pretty good pace… for wearing flippers.

If you’d like to see for yourself follow the linky, or do a Google maps search for “rugdeveien 39 bergen”.  I’m sure glad we don’t have this type of vicious wildlife in the states…  Beware the Norwegian Moose bites next, they can be nasty.

Verily, it tied the room together.

And there we have the Big Lebowski with one of his most famous lines.

[linky]

Mount Everest from a Mile Above  …linky

This awe-inspiring photograph captures the majesty of Mount Everest as you've never seen it before - from more than a mile above.

The spectacular panorama shows the breathtaking landscape of the Himalayas from six miles above sea level. It was shot by an intrepid British photographer wearing breathing apparatus in -56C temperatures 36,000 feet up.

It is believed to be the highest panoramic picture taken by hand from a balloon, and was described by mountaineer Reinhold Messner as the 'best snap on earth'.

'Best snap on Earth': Everest dominates the picture, shot from 36,000ft and in -56C temperatures by Leo Dickinson on the world's first-ever balloon flight over the highest mountain. The curvature of the planet is exaggerated by the wide-angle lens.

The summit of Everest, the world's highest peak at 29,035ft, takes centre stage above the 11,000ft vertical drop of the Kangshung Face, on the eastern side of the mountain.

British filmmaker and adventure cameraman Leo Dickinson took the photo from the stratosphere during his record-breaking balloon flight over Everest.

With Nepal on the left of the frame and Tibet on the right, the stunning skyline westward shows nine of the planet's highest summits.

These include Lhotse (27,940ft), Cho Oyu (26,906ft), Gyachung Kang (26,089 feet), Nuptse (25,850ft), Peak 38 (24, 904ft), Changtse (24,770ft), Shartse (24,471ft) and Ama Dablam (22,349ft).

Up, up and away: Adventure filmmaker Leo Dickinson in his hot air balloon over the Himalayas shortly before he took the photo

Mr Dickinson, 62 & married, soared to 36,000ft - where temperatures dropped to minus 56 degrees Celsius - to become the first person to fly over Everest in a balloon.

He took this picture using a hand-held 35mm camera with a wide-angle lens while standing in the balloon's wicker cabin. The original photograph was shot in 1991 on the classic Kodachrome film - axed last month due to the rise of digital cameras. It was digitally remastered for the first time this week.

Dickinson of Budleigh Salterton, Devon , said: 'This photograph is one of the finest I've taken, and I'm immensely proud of it'.

'It took several minutes to set up - I was in the stratosphere and carrying bulky breathing apparatus - and I wasn't sure it would even come out'.

'So when it was developed, and it came out like this, you can imagine my delight. It's a scene that I'll remember for the rest of my life.' 

Dickinson's Everest expedition took 10 years to plan, involved 150 porters and 50 yaks, and almost cost him his life. His epic journey from the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu to Tibet was chronicled in an award-winning documentary Ballooning Over Everest.

*Thanks for this post goes to Lazy MO

February 2010 in Valencia, Spain the Swiss boat Alinghi 5 will attempt to defend the America’s Cup against challenger BMW/Oracle.  Gone are the days of mono-hull sleds with their awesome tacking duels on the upwind legs.  These new multi-hulls are fast, cool, and look like they just stepped out of science fiction.  They have one huge draw back though,  they maneuver like slugs.  So what is going to become of the jockeying at the start, the upwind duels?  Will it just be a extremely expensive drag race?  We’ll see on February 8th.

A Catamaran (two hulls) vs. a Trimaran (three hulls).  My money is on the tri.

A new creation by Microsoft is posed to revolutionize the gaming experience.  Project NATAL will work with any XBOX360 and is a HUGE step in the race to rule the living room.  Check out this live demo that was on Jimmy Fallon’s show, still a little buggy, but still a huge WOW!!!

I’m scared to think “what’s next?”

I’ve posted before about Byrner’s love for the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest.  Recently I got a chance to experience a trip to the US and British Virgin Islands.It is amazing and almost as good,…  okay, it’s better than the San Juans, I’m forced to admit that the VI’s have everything the NW has including 74 degree water, and amazing snorkeling.

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Ten days sailing from island to island resulted in several amazing sunsets,  sunny days sailing,

beautiful scenery,

Even with a bit of rain everyday we were blessed with a strong wind and 5 to 8 knots of sailing every time we pulled out the canvas.

This was one of the best sailing trips I’ve ever done, even the scotch was cheap!

Are you freaked out about that?

A lot of great content to pick from to embed here, but most of it is already posted on this site.

http://abduzeedo.com/10-years-matrix

This one is probably my favorite clip from the first film.

Oh and go read the XKCD comic here: [linky]

No wait this is the coolest scene:

…

…

no wait, this one.

What an amazing home opener, beginning with a march through Seattle with Drew Carey and the Seattle Sounders’ own marching band, “The Sound Wave,” and ending with a 3 nil win over the New York Red Bulls.  2 goals and one assist = Montero is a god!!!  I was unable to attend, that J-O-B getting in the way.  Gonzo did though, hopefully the Gonz can post about attending the inaugural Seattle Sounders FC match.  In the meantime, here’s a little recap.

GO SOUNDERS!!!

A friend passed this video along to me.  Very cool, even if you aren't a football fan.

some are a bit far fetched, or at least took several takes, but it's still sweet.

...but it could be.

The post is being advertised as "caretaker" on Hamilton Island in Australia's Whitsunday Islands.

The new recruit will work for just 12 hours a month. Duties include feeding some of the hundreds of species of fish and collecting the island's mail.

They will also need to prepare a blog, a photo diary and video updates to attract tourists to the area.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7823812.stm

Andy?  You up for it?

"Remember the 2004 movie I,Robot starring Will Smith, a bunch of crazy Apple-inspired robots and the spherical drive-equipped hovering Audi RSQ? Now there's a company trying to bring that to life, building a hover DeLorean as an entry for the Automotive X prize...."

"a company called AirShip Technologies Group is doing just that, but they’ve upped the nerd quotient even more by using everyone’s favorite future car, the DMC DeLorean of Back to the Future fame."

100miles/gallon... I don't think so.  Still it's cool.

Now we just need a flux capacitor.

What happens when you don't use a stamp but instead use the exact change taped to the envelope...let's find out shall we?

http://www.monkeyfaq.com/mail/index.html

As in: how to infuse the flavor of bacon into your bourbon.

How to baconify your bourbon

Now I've never really wanted to do this before, in fact the concept had never even approached to mere possibility of crossing my mind, but now that the idea has been broached I must admit I'm a bit curious.

It's the time of year to pull out the boards, throw a tune and wax on them and look longingly at the sky for freezing precipitation.  Oh masterful ski god, I offer up this ski video as a tribute to your greatness and we at Byrner pray you will cast down a cold snowy winter so we can shred in your playground.

p.s. Jamie Pierre is crazy.....