Can

QinetiQ Group PLC, a British defense technology company, claimed on Sunday, August 24, that its ultra lightweight plane has broken the world record for the longest lasting unmanned flight.

According to QinetiQ, the aircraft, which is called the Zephyr, flew for 83 hours and 37 minutes straight. That is more than twice the official world record set by Northrop Grumman's Global Hawk back in 2001. It is also longer than the Zephyr's accomplishment last year, which was 54 hours of continuous flight.

QinetiQ, however, will not be celebrating anytime soon. The reported flight time of the Zephyr may not get into record books, because it did not meet the criteria laid down by the world's air sports federation, which is the body responsible for measuring and verifying air and space records.

"We were concentrating more on the flight than the record," said QinetiQ spokesman Douglas Millard.

The Zephyr, which has potential in the fields of reconnaissance and communications, is built from carbon fiber and features paper thin solar panels. It weighs 30 kilograms (66 pounds) and was launched by hand on July 28 in the Arizona desert in the United States. The aircraft was flown by autopilot and via satellite to an altitude of over 18,000 meters (60,000 feet), QinetiQ said.

During the day, the ultra lightweight was powered by the sun. At night, it relied on its rechargeable lithium-sulphur batteries.

QinetiQ stated that the Zephyr's more than three-day flight was witnessed by US and British defense officials. Still, it does not change the fact that the record is likely to remain unofficial.

http://community.warplanes.com

E! Online - Team Edward is winning. But for how long?

Until now, the process to copy Wii games was not easy, if it was even possible at all. Most guides required specially modified computers, with hard to find CD burners, and expensive mod chips for the console itself. Even worse, some guides that were sold for upwards of $50 were nothing more than useless information to scam readers out of their hard earned cash. Luckily for the avid Nintendo gamer, technology is making the Wii game backup process as simple as copying an audio CD.

Thanks to cutting edge, new software that has recently been introduced, gamers are now able to duplicate virtually any game disc with nothing more than a few clicks of the mouse. This revolutionary software is constantly updated to work around the latest copy protection measures.

A user simply inserts the original game disc in any PC or Mac computer. The software then filters out the copy protection and re-encodes the data so that the Wii console can read it. In some cases, an inexpensive ($25) and easy to install mod chip may be recommended to be installed in the gaming console. At this point, the user simply clicks the "burn" button as they would when making an audio CD copy and the process is completed.

This software is, of course, intended only to be used to backup and preserve discs that you legally own. Do to the delicate nature of Wii game media, it is always wise to backup your games. Even with the most careful of handling, games can and usually will become defective over time simply do to extensive use.

To read reviews, user testimonials and download the highest rated software to copy Wii games, be sure to visit the Copy Wii Games Guide.

AP - Space shuttle Endeavour and its crew of seven departed the international space station on Friday, ending a 12-day visit that left the orbiting complex with more modern and deluxe living quarters for bigger crews.