Flame virus for Windows targets Middle East – an annotated graphic

Malicious software gets uber-malicious: the Flame computer virus has reportedly 20 times as much code as the Stuxnet worm that attacked Iran’s nuclear program in 2010. The accompanying graphic here documents the current spread of Flame as it blazes a trail across the world, scorching a virulent path through the internet, turning up the heat on anti-virus companies, etc. Sorry, got a bit carried away with the whole flame metaphor there.

Anyway, click on the graphic for an expanded view.

Flame computer virus

 

#London2012 #Olympics security plans – an annotated graphic

With the world and his wife poised to descend on England’s green and pleasant – if undeniably compact and bijou – land for the upcoming Olympic knees-up, it’s going to take more than a few extra bobbies on the beat to police proceedings.

Accordingly, Britain is preparing to mount its biggest-ever peacetime security operation for the duration of the games, involving thousands of police officers, backed up – somewhat impressively, you have to say – by the military and myriad warships, fighter jets and surface-to-air missiles. Take that, Olympic games spoiler types!

Click on the graphic for an expanded view.

You might also enjoy this compendium page of E&T’s Olympics 2012 coverage so far, with exclusive news and features, which will be further updated dynamically as new content is published.

Massive security operation for Olympics 2012

London 2012 Olympic torch relay – an annotated graphic

This is it, it’s definitely happening – the Olympics are coming to the UK! The official torch lands on the shores of this green and pleasant land imminently, before starting its 70-day journey on May 19 from Land’s End in Cornwall, wending its flaming way right across the country up to the Shetland Isles, before finally arriving back at the Olympic Stadium in London in time to light the fire for the opening ceremony on July 27.

8,000 torchbearers are readying their Olympic oven gloves as we speak in preparation for their turn in transporting the burning torch from point to point.

Click on the graphic for an expanded view.

 

London 2012 torch relay

SpaceX Dragon Capsule – an annotated graphic

In light of the Soyuz spacecraft blasting off today, in preparation for the arrival next week of the privately owned SpaceX Dragon Capsule, we present this infographic about the Dragon Capsule.

Upon its arrival, it will be the first commercial space vehicle to dock with the International Space Station.

Click on the graphic for an expanded view.

First commercial launch to ISS

Renault Twizy electric car – an annotated graphic

Despite the miniscule numbers of electric cars currently on the planet’s roads (approximately 50,000 sold worldwide in 2011, a market share of 0.1%), the stone-cold fact is that they are indisputably a big part of the world’s automotive future.

Renault’s latest offering is the Twizy and is the star of today’s annotated graphic. Bonjour, Twizy! Twizey? Twizzy? Twizzee, said with an Inspector Clouseau-style French accent? Dunno. Have fun with it yourself!

Click on the graphic for an expanded view.

Renault Twizy electric car

Al Qaeda underwear bomb plot – an annotated graphic

It may sound like the stuff of a Monty Python sketch, but the stark reality of 21st-century terrorist extremists is that inserting explosives in to body cavities (one particular cavity being the obvious first choice) is a troubling fact for airport security.

US officials in particular are concerned about Al Qaeda operatives attacking aircraft in this way. Detection of body cavity devices is not straightforward, as conventional body scanners do not penetrate skin.

Click on the graphic for an expanded view.

Al Qaeda cavity-bomb attacks

Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope – an annotated graphic

As E&T reports in a recent news story about the SKA project, ASTRON – the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy – and IBM have embarked on a €32.9M project to develop and build the computer systems that will be needed to support the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope when it begins operations from 2019, in what’s being claimed as one of the most data-intensive science projects ever planned.

Australia and South Africa are competing to host the SKA. This graphic illustrates the concept and design of the planned radio telescope.

Click on the graphic for an expanded view.

World's biggest radio telescope

 

#London2012 #Olympics River Thames gondola – an annotated graphic

Recently, we posted a graphic about the gay abandon with which the UK government has been frittering away it’s hardly earned cash on the imminent Olympic games.

In the name of friendly balance, we now present this graphical celebration of the snazzy cable car project that will span the River Thames, ferrying Olympic enthusiasts from bank to bank of the River Thames, upstream in the old Dome area. It looks like quite the fun ride.

Update!

We’ve also added a nifty interactive version of this graphic to the E&T website. It’s got video and everything!

Click on the graphic for an expanded view.

London’s Olympic gondola Air Line