Thats true - I'm a software developer, but I was speaking in general. Not every consumer will have those skills.

So, I have books on my shelf from the 1960s. Sure, they're old and tattered but still readable. What happens if Amazon goes out of business in 30 years and my Kindle is dead? What if I buy a Nook and Barnes and Noble goes out of business in 15 years? I can't really move DRM'd stuff over to another e-reader can I? Or is that something that we'll be able to do one day? I've always liked the durability of books. Sure, they can be destroyed but they are physical "things" - not bits stored somewhere.

They just don't make movies like that any more. I'm getting all sentimental.

I'm not disagreeing with you - just saying that there are some people out there using it in that way - just "because they can". iPhone Controlled RC Helicopter

Have you seen those RC aircraft that are controlled by the iPhone? They use the accelerometer. If it sticks - that could be a huge problem especially if you've got a few guys flying near traffic.

Seriously, it really is.

I would think that verifying the validity of the data would be one of the first things they would do in a study such as this. This question would most likely be proposed in any aircraft crash situation as well when the black box is checked. If this study is right - it sounds almost like a bandwagon effect where everyone was trying to get out of higher insurance premiums, out of fault from an accident they potentially caused, etc. It's a lot easier to say "It wasn't me, it was my Toyota!" than "My bad, it was my fault. I'll take responsibility for pulling out in front of you."

I've had to administer, repair/maintain some Oracle products in java - and I hate them even more.

Boss, can't make it in to work today. Yea, we lost power last night during the storm. The whole block was out for a good 3-4 hours. I only have a 20% charge on my car. The whole block is charging right now and we're getting an occasional brown out. Needless to say, I won't be charged until this afternoon.

Charles Bolden did make these comments. You can google it, it's out there. However the White House has made a statement stating that his comments were out of line and they had asked of him no such thing. They also stated they would be in touch with him about his comments. My guess is a bit of hand slapping went on.

Actually no. This story broke last week.

I'm surprised this didn't make it higher - but this article in addition to this one about NASA to strengthen ties with Muslim world - is NASA getting repurprosed?

I'm not sure how you would get solar to work with a jet engine unless you switched over to a ducted fan type setup. A jet engine requires combustion. You would need two completely different propulsion systems on board the aircraft...and that adds weight. With the additional weight, power needs will increase, lift generation will need to increase and your stall speed increases.

My guess would be "not very well". Its basically a glider, 193 ft wingspan is HUGE. Thats the size of an airbus A330. I'm not certain if the wingspan is needed to house the 12k plus solar panels or if the wing area is needed in order to provide extremely low wingloading while carrying an extremely heavy, large number of batteries. Granted as battery tech gets better, less will be needed to store the required energy and as solar panels become more efficient - hopefully we won't need as many to charge the batteries.

I think that this technology will show up in military drones before we'll ever see it in general aviation. It sounds great for smaller drones that can stay aloft without ever needing to refuel. Speed is also going to be a huge factor. Most drones, I would think, do not need to fly that fast as most can be launched near the location in which they need to patrol.