history of boeing 747-400

The 747-400 is the latest, longest ranging and best selling model of the 747 family.

Boeing launched the 747-400 in October 1985 and the first development aircraft first flew on April 29 1988. US certification (with PW-4000s) was awarded in January 1989.

The 747-400 externally resembles the -300, but it is a significantly improved aircraft. Changes include a new, two crew digital flightdeck with six large CRT displays, an increased span wing with winglets (the -400 was the first airliner to introduce winglets), new engines, recontoured wing/fuselage fairing, a new interior, lower basic but increased max takeoff weights, and greater range.

Apart from the basic passenger 747-400 model, a number of variants have been offered including the winglet-less 747-400 Domestic optimised for Japanese short haul domestic sectors, the 747-400M Combi passenger/freight model, and the 747-400F Freighter (which combines the 747-200F's fuselage with the -400's wing).

The latest model is the 747-400ER, which was launched on November 28, 2000 when Qantas placed an order for 6. The -400ER has the same size as the -400, but has more range or payload capability. The MTOW was increased by 15,870kg (35,000lb) to 412,770kg (910,000lb), giving a further range of 805km (435nm) or a 6800kg (15,000lb) greater payload. The -400ER also features a wholly new cabin interior with larger luggage bins, and several flight deck improvements.

The -400ER incorporates the strengthened wing, body, and landing gear of the -400F, plus an auxiliary fuel tank in the forward cargo hold, and an optional second one. Operators who don't need these can remove them both, gaining additional cargo volume.

The first 747-400ER was rolled out in June 2002, and flew for the first time on July 31, 2002, and this was the 1308th 747 to fly.

A cargo version, the 747-400ERF, followed the standard -400ER, and was launched April 30, 2001 on an order by leasing company ILFC for 5. The first -400ERF is the 1315th 747 built. The -ERF has the same MTOW as the -ER, and this will give an extra range of 970km (525nm), or an extra payload of 9980kg (22,000lb) at MTOW compared with the standard -400F.

Shortly before delivery of the first -400ER, Boeing had received orders for 15 ER/ERFs from 5 customers.

Various growth 747 models have been studied. The 747-500X and -600X models were dropped in January 1997. Boeing is currently proposing the 747-400XQLR (Quiet Longer Range) to 747-size customers which will offer more range, more quiet, and more features.

Solar boat sails into record books

  For 585 days, Swiss adventurer Raphael Domjan braved storms, pirates and cloudy skies in an attempt to circumnavigate the globe on a boat propelled by nothing but sun beams.

  

  The boat, christened "Turanor" after a word meaning "power of the sun" in JRR Tolkein's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, is Domjan's brainchild. As heavy as a whale and 30 meters long, it's adorned with enough photovoltaic panels to cover two tennis courts.

  After eight years of fundraising, 64,000 hours of construction, and 19 months at sea, the "Turanor" made history on May 6, when it cruised into Port Hercules, Monaco, completing the first ever round the-world journey by a solar-powered vessel.

  From the coast of Miami to the shores of Mumbai, Domjan and his four-man crew visited 28 countries on a voyage designed to showcase the practical applications of solar energy."The aim of this journey was to show the world that this technology is not science fiction, it is very real and it can help us change how we do things now rather than in the future," said Domjan.

  "Everywhere we went people would flock around the boat. They had never seen such a strange design before," he added.But for the 40-year-old skipper, whose youth was spent wading through pages of adventure books, the voyage was also a fruition of boyhood aspirations.

  "I remember sitting on my grandfather's knee listening to him reading 'Around the world in 80 days' by Jules Verne. It made me want to go out and explore just like Phileas Fogg," recalled Domjan.

  As a young man growing up in Switzerland, Domjan developed his penchant for the unknown by exploring nearby caves. He then trained to become a mountain guide and a rescue specialist in hazardous environments.

  This preparation would prove invaluable during the more perilous parts of his journey. On numerous occasions the boat had to endure winds of up to 100 kilometers an hour as it was rocked by storms off the Australian and Vietnamese coasts.

  "We faced some really rough weather, but the boat always operated well during those times, even better than we expected," he said.

  In fact, Domjan says that the most serious threat came not from Mother Nature, but from fellow man. While crossing the Gulf of Aden -- a waterway in the Arabian Sea notorious for kidnapping and hijacking -- Domjan faced little choice but to recruit six French soldiers for protection.

  "Normally ships speed up to 15 or 20 knots when crossing this area but we couldn't go faster than five knots," said Domjan. Indeed, one of "Turanor's" comparative limitations is its snail-like pace. It has a maximum speed less than that of a large oil-tanker, just 7.5 knots (14 kilometers an hour).

  

  Fortunately for Domjan and his crew, no pirates attempted to confront the muscle-bound French commandos or the unusual looking boat.

  It would have certainly made a rare and impressive bounty. The $16 million vessel not only boasts 536 square-meters of shiny photovoltaic panels, but also the world's largest rechargeable lithium battery -- capable of storing enough power to allow the "Turanor" to travel for five full days without sunlight."Most people think that if the sun doesn't shine the boat wouldn't work, but it is impossible to sail for one year and only have good weather. The beauty is that you never get nothing from the sun, she is always giving us energy. Not once did we run out of power," boasted Domjan.

  The ship's captain has reason to be proud. Having completed the 50,000 kilometer journey, the "Turanor" returns with five Guinness World Records to its name: Longest solar journey; first solar circumnavigation; fastest solar crossing of the South China Sea; fastest solar crossing of the Atlantic and - no surprises here -- a record for the world's largest solar-powered boat.

  Domjan concedes that that the "Turanor" and its crew have little competition in these categories, but hopes this won't be the case for long.

  "I really hope our journey will make people realize the sheer power of solar energy and that it can be used efficiently for long-haul travel," he said.

  Now back in Europe, Domjan is taking some time off to recharge his own batteries, before getting back to work, thinking of new ways to spread the solar power message to the world.

From CNN News

Diablo 3 sets new record for PC games sales

In the first 24 hours of its release Diablo 3 sold more than 3.5 million copies, Blizzard announced this morning. The pace sets a new record for PC games sales, it said.

And that number doesn’t include the 1.2 million people who received the game after signing up for the World of Warcraft annual pass promotion.

As of this week, 6.3 million people are playing Diablo 3.

None of these numbers include the game’s successes in Internet gaming rooms. In Korea, for instance, more than 39 percent of gamers are playing the game.

“We’re definitely thrilled that so many people around the world were excited to pick up their copy of Diablo 3 and jump in the moment it went live,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We also regret that our preparations were not enough to ensure everyone had a seamless experience when they did so. I want to reaffirm our commitment to make sure the millions of Diablo 3 players out there have a great experience with the game moving forward, and I also want to thank them for their ongoing support.”

Not surprising considering the numbers, both Amazon and GameStop said the game was one of their biggest PC game launches ever.

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Moog Music Celebrates 78th Birthday of Founder Bob Moog, Lowers Price on Little Phatty Analog Monosynth

Synthesizer pioneer Robert A. Moog was born in New York City on May 23rd, 1934. Now, 78 years later, Moog Music -- the company founded by Dr. Moog -- continues a fresh celebration of his life and innovative spirit. This week in downtown Asheville, NC, a new mural was unveiled on the building that bears his name. To continue this celebration, today Moog Music ( http://www.moogmusic.com ) announced a special price on Bob Moog's final synthesizer design: the Little Phatty analog monosynth.

"All of our customers and everyone at Moog Music celebrate Bob's genius every day," said Moog Music CEO Michael Adams. "Bob inspired so many others to create, to design, to play, and to dream. It's an honor for all of us here at Moog to carry on that legacy. We do it by honoring his vision, designing products that proudly carry his name, and by supporting the Bob Moog Foundation."

"Before Bob's passing in 2005, he was working on a brand new analog synthesizer design. His goal was to create a more affordable, high quality analog synthesizer. He succeeded, and that synthesizer would eventually become known as the Little Phatty. In honor of Bob's birthday, we have decided to roll back the price on the Little Phatty to its original street price of $1,195. We hope that the many musicians out there who have always dreamed of owning a Moog will take advantage of this opportunity, and begin exploring a world Bob created with this amazing instrument," said Adams.

The Little Phatty Stage II will be available for $1,195 through US authorized dealers until June 30, 2012. International customers will benefit from special pricing as well and should contact their local Moog Authorized dealer ( http://www.moogmusic.com/dealers ).

Additionally, on May 23rd Moog Music is donating 50% of its website clothing and merchandise sales to the Bob Moog Foundation along with a Moog Etherwave Theremin for every $350 in cash donated. Moog Music is encouraging customers to support the BMF and the legacy of Robert A. Moog by making their purchase on May 23rd.

About Moog Music: Moog Music synthesizers and other electronic musical instruments are designed and lovingly handcrafted in the Moog factory in downtown Asheville, N.C. Moog Music and its customers carry on the legacy of Dr. Robert Moog, inventor of the Moog synthesizer and Founder of Moog Music Inc.

From market watch 

for more info : http://www.marketwatch.com

THE DICTATOR COME OUT TONIGHT

The Dictator is an upcoming 2012 comedy filmco-written by and starring Sacha Baron Cohen. His fourth feature film in a leading role "tell(s) the story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed", according to distributorParamount Pictures. Larry Charles, who previously directed Baron Cohen'smockumentaries Borat and Brüno, also directs the film. Cohen, in the role of Admiral General Aladeen, a dictator from the fictional North Africancountry of the Republic of Wadiya, will star alongside Ben Kingsley and Anna Faris. The film has received positive reviews.

Libya mission's final costs reach $347million

Defence Minister Peter MacKay is defending the government's accounting of the costs of Canada's military mission in Libya, following the release of new figures by the Department of National Defence that lay out the final cost of the deployment.

The deparment puts the incremental costs of the mission — costs the military says would not have been incurred if Canadian Forces had not been deployed — at just under $100 million.

And the total cost of the operation — a figure that includes everything from jet fuel to pilot salaries, including the salaries of military personnel — comes in at $347 million.

Last October, MacKay told CBC Radio's The House the Libyan mission had cost taxpayers less than $50 million.

"As of Oct. 13, the figures that I've received have us well below that, somewhere under $50 million," MacKay said.

"And that's the all-up costs of the equipment that we have in the theatre, the transportation to get there, those that have been carrying out this critical mission."

Canada sent six CF-18 fighter jets and a navy frigate to Libya in 2011 to take part in international operations to enforce a United Nations no-fly zone against the forces of Moammar Gadhafi.

Government defends numbers

MacKay faced tough questions in question period Friday over the discrepancy in costs."What is it this time?" demanded NDP Deputy Leader David Christopherson, "That they still can't keep their numbers straight or that they're misleading Canadians?" MacKay faced tough questions in question period Friday over the discrepancy in costs.Mackay insisted his numbers were accurate."What I said was that, as of Oct. 13, the figures that I received from the department were under $50 million," MacKay said in response.The minister continued, "Of course, the mission went on. There were extensions ... there was, in fact, then the cost of bringing equipment and personnel home. This is incremental costing.

"At an event in Edmonston, N.B., on Friday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper noted the total figure of $347 million includes the ongoing costs of operating the Canadian military, and he defended the earlier estimates."We always give the most up-to-date figures and it's important also to know ... that these figures include normal operations of the Canadian military, of those assets over that period," Harper said."All of these numbers, all of the costs of the Libya mission, were accomplished within the budget set by the government for the Department of National Defence, so this is not new money."

FROM CBC NEWS

By Tom Parry, CBC News 

Posted: May 11, 2012 1:07 PM ET

Canadian Mint's last penny produced tomorrow

The Royal Canadian Mint will make Canada's last penny tomorrow at its Winnipeg plant.
Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty will be on hand for Friday's ceremonial coin strike to mark the end of production of the one-cent coin for Canadian circulation.
Flaherty announced in his budget last month that the government is eliminating the penny from Canada's coinage system, citing low purchasing power and rising production costs
The government will phase the penny out starting this fall, when the Mint will stop distributing the coin to financial institutions.
Over time, that will lead to the penny effectively becoming extinct, although the government has noted that one-cent coins will always be accepted in cash transactions for as long as people are holding on to them.
As well, credit, debit and cheque transactions will be unaffected, so one cent will be the base unit of Canadian currency.
The ceremonial last strike of the penny starts at 11 a.m. CT on Friday at the Mint's coin production facility on Lagimodiere Boulevard in Winnipeg.

From CBC NEWS

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