Month: May 2013

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History of video games from #Atari to #Xbox – an annotated graphic

E&T magazine

With the gaming world apparently in equal parts excited, confused and meh about Microsoft’s recently announced XBox One, we thought we’d share this joyfully nostalgic infographic about the history of video games to remind us all of the simple fun we used to have. As clever as new consoles get, it’s still hard to deny the addictive pleasure in assisting a simple eight-bit 2D character run, jump, bash or shoot his way out of trouble. What are your favourite gaming memories? Click on the graphic for an expanded view. Continue reading History of video games from #Atari to #Xbox – an annotated graphic

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Underwater #drones to be deployed in the Gulf – an annotated graphic

E&T magazine

Drones: now officially everywhere. We’re not talking about the use of sustained tanpura tones underpinning an Indian raga performance here, no sirree bob – we’re talking about them sneaky unmanned vehicles, surreptitiously gliding about the place. Land-based drones, aerial drones and now underwater drones. Land, air and sea – drones. The latest news from Drones Central is the deployment of Seafox UUV (cute name, eh?) underwater unmanned vehicle drones in the Gulf, sent on a search and destroy mission to hunt for mines bobbing in the ocean in order to keep strategic sea lanes open. Up to 40 nations will … Continue reading Underwater #drones to be deployed in the Gulf – an annotated graphic

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Talking of #Dambusters 70th anniversary, a German bomber is to be salvaged from the English Channel – an annotated graphic

E&T magazine

As today we salute the Dambusters on the 70th anniversary of their historic World War II mission, now also seems like a good time to share this infographic about the salvage mission planned for the only known surviving example of a German bomber, a Dornier Do 17 currently lying 30 metres below the surface of the water in the English Channel. This example of the “flying pencil”, as the Luftwaffe bomber was known, was intercepted and shot down by RAF fighter aircraft during the Battle of Britain in 1940. She crash-landed in the Strait of Dover and is now lying … Continue reading Talking of #Dambusters 70th anniversary, a German bomber is to be salvaged from the English Channel – an annotated graphic

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#Dambusters 70th anniversary of the May 1943 raid – an annotated graphic

E&T magazine

The legend of the Dambusters – the 19 Lancaster bombers of the RAF’s 617 Squadron – was enshrined in war-time history 70 years ago, when the planes flew to Germany on the night of 16/17 May to drop their Barnes Wallis-designed bouncing bombs on the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams in the industrial heartland of the Ruhr region. Codenamed Operation Chastise, 56 of the airmen who set out on the mission did not return. Eight bombers were shot down, 53 men were killed and three men were captured. Today’s infographic salutes the incredible bravery of all those who dared to … Continue reading #Dambusters 70th anniversary of the May 1943 raid – an annotated graphic

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#Skylab space station launched 40 years ago – an annotated graphic

E&T magazine

May 14, 1973: America launched its first space station, Skylab. June 29, 1979: James Bond’s first space adventure Moonraker opened in cinemas. This is not a coincidence. July 11, 1979: NASA plans to boost Skylab to a higher orbit using the snazzy new Space Shuttle, but that project gets delayed and Skylab ultimately disintegrates on re-entry to the earth’s atmosphere, raining debris down on the peculiarly Scottish-sounding Balladonia region of Western Australia. More Skyfall than Skylab, one might say. Space fans can enjoy our infographic today about the history of Skylab, below. We’ve also included the tremendously exciting movie poster … Continue reading #Skylab space station launched 40 years ago – an annotated graphic

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Saudi Kingdom Tower to be the world’s tallest skyscraper – an annotated graphic

E&T magazine

Here at E&T Towers, we always like to end the week on a high (sorry, couldn’t resist it), so herewith an infographic depicting the planned world’s tallest skyscraper. Engineers in the Saudi city of Jeddah have begun laying the foundations for the Kingdom Tower, which when finished will be over 1km tall. Marvellous. We can’t help feeling all this “world’s tallest building” one-up-manship is the architectural expression of national penis envy, but ours is not to reason why. And is it just us, or are these world’s tallest buildings all starting to look the same? Slender and pointy, with a … Continue reading Saudi Kingdom Tower to be the world’s tallest skyscraper – an annotated graphic

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#Hacking top 10 by country, as #cybercrime sweeps the globe – an annotated graphic

E&T magazine

It is with little fanfare or surprise that China should come out on top of a list of most-active computer hacking countries. Maybe the margin of its superiority will raise an intrigued eyebrow or two, however – 41 per cent of the total, compared to the lowly 10 per cent of its nearest rival, the USA. They’re very busy in the peoples’ Republic. Meanwhile, old-school hacking legend Russia has slumped to fourth place, bested by Turkey of all countries. Gobble that nugget down, comrades! Hacking, cybercrime and cyber-security are naturally big news on account of all this activity and E&T … Continue reading #Hacking top 10 by country, as #cybercrime sweeps the globe – an annotated graphic

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#Apple App Store set to tick over to 50 billion downloads – an annotated graphic

E&T magazine

It may seem like pointless timewasting to many of us, but fans of Angry Birds, Doodle Jump, Fruit Ninja and such like have pushed Apple’s App Store to the brink of its 50 billionth download. Whichever way you (fruit) slice it, that is one heck of a lot of downloads. There’s a nify countdown on Apple’s homepage, as that golden figure draws ever nearer (and it’s going at quite a pace), so we present today this infographic detailing download history, market share and revenue generated to date. Who would have imagined this five years ago? Click on the graphic for … Continue reading #Apple App Store set to tick over to 50 billion downloads – an annotated graphic

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#StarTrek #IntoDarkness – what are the chances of that happening?

E&T magazine

So, anyone fancy a go on a real-life holodeck? What are the real-world possibilities of us enjoying the kind of technology tantalisingly dangled before us in Star Trek? As the latest Trek adventure Into Darkness hits cinema screens the world over, E&T magazine offers an intriguing analysis of the engineering potential available to us today, what the immediate future holds – and what currently holds us back. This story is about how the building blocks already at our disposal could ultimately deliver extraordinarily immersive augmented reality environments. They will need to undergo a huge amount of refinement and expansion before we … Continue reading #StarTrek #IntoDarkness – what are the chances of that happening?

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#SolarImpulse coast-to-coast flight across the US – an annotated graphic

E&T magazine

She’s already up, up, up in the air, as the Solar Impulse plane starts her coast-to-coast journey across the USA, so we thought this was – quite literally – “high” time to share this annotated graphic about her journey. Her design form, necessitated by solar-panel function, may look a bit bonkers (part Playmobil glider, part dragonfly), but her ambition is real. God speed you, solar empress! Click on the graphic for an expanded view. Continue reading #SolarImpulse coast-to-coast flight across the US – an annotated graphic