The Morning After: Hydrogen-powered air taxi completes 523-mile test

Joby Aviation says its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft successfully completed a 523-mile test flight, powered by hydrogen.

The only byproduct from the prototype, which has a liquid hydrogen fuel cell and hydrogen-electric propulsion system, was water vapor. The company suggested the test flight points to a future of emissions-free regional aviation in an industry that still relies heavily on fossil fuels. But it would say that.

This is apparently the first liquid hydrogen-powered eVTOL flight. Joby Aviation repurposed its existing battery-powered air taxi, installing a fuel tank that can store up to 40 kilograms of liquid hydrogen to reduce the battery load for the craft.

Joby is set to start commercial operations of its air taxi as soon as 2025.

— Mat Smith

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Say goodbye to Redbox

Yes, it still existed. Thank you.

It’s the end of the line for Redbox and its DVD rental kiosks. Its parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in late June but has shifted its filing from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7, which means it intends to liquidate its business altogether. Redbox kiosks, typically in groceries and convenience stores, used to rent out movie DVDs and Blu-ray discs as well as video games.

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German Navy to replace its frigate fleet’s outdated floppy disk system

Das Boot disk.

Further back in time, now. The German navy is taking a leaf from Japan’s government and … upgrading its floppy disk drives. The country’s fleet of submarine frigates has operated on old-fashioned 8-inch floppy disks (yeah — the big ones) since they were commissioned back in the 1990s. Replacing the floppy disk system won’t be an easy task. These disks pretty much control everything on the ships from airflow systems to power generation.

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The backpack-sized Starlink Mini is now widely available

You can get the Mini with a $150 or a $50 roaming plan.

SpaceX

SpaceX started offering select users its new Starlink dish model, small enough to fit in a backpack, in late June. Despite its easy-to-carry size, the Mini used to require an existing $150 standard service plan — you could only tack on the Mini Roam service for an additional $30 a month. Now, you can get it on its own with a roaming service.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-hydrogen-powered-air-taxi-completes-523-mile-test-111557165.html?src=rss 

German Navy looks to replace its outdated floppy disk system for its frigate fleet

The German Navy is in need of a serious upgrade for its fleet of submarine frigates and we’re not talking about a digital upload or some kind of software patch. The country’s fleets of submarine frigates have operated on old-fashioned, 8-inch floppy disks since they were commissioned back in the 1990s.

Now the German Navy is trying to find a way to replace the outdated disk system that are “vital to the running of its Brandenburg class F123 frigates,” according to Tom’s Hardware.

Replacing the floppy disk system won’t be an easy task. These disks pretty much control everything on the ships from airflow systems to power generation. Does the German Navy still use Palm Pilots to organize its codewords and Tamagotchi to train its recruits in marine wildlife preservation?

Saab has been in charge of maintenance for Germany’s F123 frigate fleet since 2021, according to a press release. The frigates are designed to hunt for submarines so they’re also getting upgrades for its weapons and weapon control systems. Hopefully, they’ll also throw in one of those cool, luxurious night panel dashboards for free.

A lot of government institutions and programs have been on the floppy disk system for decades and long after the outdated computer storage system has fallen out of general use. Japan’s Digital Agency announced at the beginning of the month that it eliminated the use of floppy disks in its government systems. Does that mean that somewhere in the world, a core government agency is still using those Commodore cassette tapes to store its most vital data? Let’s hope those disks aren’t tied to nuclear weapons access… like they were in the US.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/german-navy-looks-to-replace-its-outdated-floppy-disk-system-for-its-frigate-fleet-211609734.html?src=rss 

Nicolas Cage’s Son Weston Reportedly Arrested on Charges of Assault With a Deadly Weapon

Weston was reportedly released on a $150,000 bond and was charged in relation to an alleged incident that took place in April with his mother.

Weston was reportedly released on a $150,000 bond and was charged in relation to an alleged incident that took place in April with his mother. 

Nicolas Cage’s Kids: Facts About the Actor’s 3 Children Weston, Kal-El & August

Nicolas Cage has a wide-ranging career as an actor and filmmaker, but he also has a robust romance life which produced three children. Find out more about his brood here.

Nicolas Cage has a wide-ranging career as an actor and filmmaker, but he also has a robust romance life which produced three children. Find out more about his brood here. 

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