It is official.  I declare that Air New Zealand is the most fun airline on this planet.  You ask why?  Check this video below and you will agree with me wholeheartedly.  Always known for pushing the envelope, Air New Zealand packaged an important safety message into a well-made hobbit themed video that is not only fun to watch but also compelling enough to get you to pay attention.  For this brand new Hobbit inspired Safety Video, Air NZ partnered with WETA Workshop and it features cameo appearances including Sir Peter Jackson. What’s better?  Visit http://www.airnzcode.com/hobbitmovie to Find and Unlock the Elvish Code for your chance to win one of six double passes to the World Premiere Screening of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in New Zealand on the 28th of November 2012

I’ve not had a chance to fly #airnzhobbit but one of these days I’ll definitely do so to experience the fun. Oh, why can’t the other airlines take a leaf (or two) from #airnz and do such creative infusion into their drab and stale “professional looking” safety briefings. “If you need little more inflation, blow into your mouth piece..” LOL.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBlRbrB_Gnc&hd=1′]

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Saw this beauty on my way out the door to start the weekend..   It is a bit old – Oct 2011- but still awesome to watch the beast fly in and out of the deck of a floating pad.. Description (as shown in the video below): the F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing variant completed ship suitability testing aboard the USS WASP (LHD-1) off the coast of Virginia in October 2011. Combined, F-35B test aircraft BF-2 and BF-4 accomplished 72 short takeoffs and 72 vertical landings during the three-week testing period.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki86x1WKPmE&hd=1′]

On a related note, if you are an aviation/space enthusiast, there is a good reason why you should be up early on Sunday .. This weekend is you get to see the launch of the SpaceX Commercial Resupply Services-1 (CRS-1) mission. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon Capsule is scheduled for 8:35 p.m. EDT on Sunday. Launch coverage will begin at 7 p.m. on NASA Television and http://www.nasa.gov/ntv. On Saturday, NASA TV will air an International Space Station Science Briefing at 3 p.m. and the SpaceX CRS-1 Prelaunch News Conference at 6 p.m. Have fun!

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(via ABC News on YouTube)

You can steal but you can’t hide! Stupid thieves never realize that these days they can be easily tracked down after stealing a digital device. That’s exactly what happened in this case. ABC NEws did an investigation into this allegation that TSA staff are swindling gadgets and other valuables at 10 airports and found out that 9 out of time times their valuables (incl. money and iPads) made it back.  Except at that one airport – Orlando, FL. Too bad the crooked staffer who stole the iPad didn’t realize that he was caught handling it on the surveillance system at the airport.  To make it worse, ABC staff turned on the “Find my iPad” app that does exactly that – homes in on an iPad device – and ended at the front door of this TSA employee’s house.  Too bad for him! His face after getting caught is one that he will never want to see ever in his life!

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLxsLbl16IM&hd=1′]

Note: It is worth adding this bit – TSA says 381 of its officers have been let go for alleged thefts.  For more on this story, click here.

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(via MIT News)

Apart from the aesthetic beauty this dynamic data visualization, the video also offers a lot to think about if you are a person tasked with natioanl security should a contagious disease be detected…  Also, it helped me understand how pandemics can easily spread between far flung places via air travelers. Pretty interesting yet quite scary stuff..  That said, it makes me wonder how ready is our aviation infrastructure to handle a healthcare crisis like the one triggered by SARS or h1n1 virus a few years a back..

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzhKyD19ZEY&hd=1′]

Click here to read the analysis published on MIT News

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• Infographic: Which Airports Are Most Likely To Spread A Pandemic?(fastcodesign.com)

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Shown below is the celebration of an iconic occasion in the history of mankind – This day, July 20, in 1969, three men landed on the moon and kicked off a generation of dreamers and achievers.  Legendary astronaut, Neil Armstrong  said it in one succinct phrase: “One small Step for a Man, one giant leap for mankind”.. Read all about the famous Apollo 11 mission here

Image courtesy: New York Times

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• Happy Moon Day!(boyslife.org)

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• Small step for a man, great get for accountants(smh.com.au)

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• First man on moon gives rare interview to … Australian accountant?(edition.cnn.com)

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Private space venture SpaceX successfully launched its space capsule last week and safely brought back the capsule yesterday. Here are a few pictures sourced from the web (primarily via tweets) that tell you the story as the craft arrived on earth…

http://storify.com/transportgooru/visually-narration-of-a-dragon-s-fiery-plunge-from

Visually Narration of A Dragon’s Fiery Plunge From Space

Private space venture SpaceX successfully launched its space capsule last week and safely brought back the capsule yesterday. Here are a few pictures sourced from the web (primarily via tweets) that tell you the story as the craft arrived on earth…

Storified by Andy Palanisamy · Fri, Jun 01 2012 18:39:17

(via Gizmodo)

Is it actually dangerous to use cell phones or other portable electronics on board an aircraft? NOPE. NOPE. NOPE.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jgs-zawExcQ&hd=1′]

(via National Geographic)

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c48ag_Mnz7M’]

After decades of tireless hardwork and 39 trips, a national icon – NASA’s Space Shuttle Discovery – made its final journey to its resting place in Washington, DC region today.  The shuttle will be permanently retired at the Smithsonian Udvar Hazy Center near Dulles, VA. NASA coordinated with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to navigate through the restricted air space over Washington, D.C. I got a chance to see the shuttle fly-by as it floated majestically perched atop a NASA jet. It was a bitter sweet moment watching it fly-by for not just me but for the entire nation that grew up watching the marvelous machines soar into the space.  Not only did the shuttles ferry supplies to the space station but along the way they inspired a generation of innovators and encouraged many of us to dream big.

Image Courtesy: Washington Post (Photo by Linda Davidson)

On this momentous occasion, the shuttle in one single fly-by also accomplished what usually takes a government billions of dollars and decades of hard work . It left people inspired at what is possible if we put our heads together and encouraged everyone to dream big.  The pic. above, taken by Linda Davidson (courtesy of Washington Post) shows the excitement on the faces of a few from the next generation of dreamers.  Look at the inspiration on the faces of these children as they react to the shuttle Discovery fly-by. Priceless!