they would have to take five sets of parts,

because that’s how many times they would crash before they came in for supper.

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On December 17 1903 the Wright Brothers took flight.

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Invented and built by Wilbur and Orville Wright
Flown by them at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina December 17, 1903
Check also Charlie Taylor

NICE!

For more visit MacRumors.

The world of energy and entrepreneurship is crackling with electric anticipation this week after an India-born scientist-CEO provided a sneak peek over the weekend at a clean and efficient model of power generation-in-a-box that could eliminate the traditional grid and challenge monopolies.
Supporters are claiming that K R Sridhar’s ‘Bloom Box’, scheduled for a big-splash unveiling in Silicon Valley on Wednesday, could be the Holy Grail of the world’s energy quest; but even sceptics agree that it is a unique “power plant-in-a-box’’. What acres of power grid can generate, Sridhar’s Bloom Box can crank out in a fraction of the footprint—and in a squeaky clean manner.
It is already being done—on the campuses of Google and eBay among others. FedEx, Wal-Mart and Staples are among a score of Fortune 100 companies that have signed up as clients. Former US secretary of state Colin Powell, among those who endorse the technology, is on the board of directors of Sridhar’s Bloom Energy, an eightyear-old stealth start-up that raised more than $400 million from Silicon Valley’s venture capitalists at a time the region’s economy was in a tailspin.
At its heart, Sridhar’s Bloom Box claims to be a game-changing fuel cell device that consists of a stack of ceramic disks coated with secret green and black “inks’’. The disks are separated by cheap metal plates. Stacking the ceramic disks into a bread loaf-sized unit, he says, can produce one kilowatt of electricity, enough to power an American home—or four Indian homes. Bloom boxes could power homes in five years
Washington: The Bloom Box of India-born K R Sridhar which, some say, is a power plant-in-a-box, can be installed anywhere and be connected to an electrical grid. Hydrocarbons such as natural gas or biofuel (stored in an adjacent tank) are pumped into the Bloom Box to produce clean, abundant, reliable electricity.
Sridhar’s Bloom Energy says the unit does not vibrate, emits no sound and has no smell, although he admits to some initial, but minor, glitches at some installations.
The big catch right now is cost. Large-sized Bloom Boxes of the kind installed at some Silicon Valley campuses costs around $700,000 to $800,000. Sridhar estimates that a Bloom Box for the residential market could be out in 5 to 10 years for as little as $3,000 to produce electricity 24/7/365.
But Silicon Valley, whose major venture capitalist Kleiner Perkins bankrolled Bloom Energy, is endorsing the technology. eBay said it has already saved $100,000 in electricity costs since its five boxes were installed nine months ago. It even claims that the Bloom Boxes generate more power than the 3,000 solar panels at its headquarters.
Prior to founding Bloom Energy, Sridhar was a professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at the University of Arizona. He is also, literally, a rocket scientist, having served as an advisor to Nasa in the areas of nanotechnology and planetary missions.

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This way motorcyclists traveling “alone” all the way down through Africa have an entire crew with three cars to follow them for assistance. This way the truck traveling through Groenlandia simply follows the path opened the day before by someone else.

Even though sometimes there’s still someone that wants to play outside the common rules and takes off alone.

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“The perils and rewards of doing it alone are clear cut. On the debit side there’s no one to help you in times of difficulty and no familiar face to share your experiences with. [...] All this make your trip hard and inevitably introspective. [...]

It all sounds miserable until you consider the rewards of solitary travel. Riding solo your social exposure can be more acute; unless you a real hard-richest aspect of your trip; you have to look out at the world instead of being protected by the bubble of companionship. [...]

Be under no illusions that at times it will be utter misery and frustration, but this is all part of the nature of adventure and typically your fortunes will swing the other way before long.”

“Adventure Motorcycling Handbook” by Chris Scott.

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“Michael Martin has become a specialist in photographing and writing about deserts. Born in Munich in 1963, he had already discovered his love of deserts by the age of seventeen. Over two decades he has undertaken eighty journeys through the deserts of Africa, published 15 books of photographs up to now and held over 1,000 slide presentations, including one at the Royal Geographical Society in London. In 1999 he began work on his latest project “Deserts of the Earth”.

Michael Martin studied geography, ethnology and political science in Munich and is a qualified geographer. He is not only an excellent lecturer, but also a brilliant photographer. His pictures can be seen in major exhibitions and are regularly featured in international magazines. His latest book “Deserts of the Earth” consists of nearly 400 pages and is being published worldwide in five languages.”

Source Michael Martin’s website.

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“On this latest project Planet Desert, Michael Martin will stay with his well-proven method: he will travel with a standard BMW R1200 GS Adventure adapted only with a few special features provided by Touratech for extreme use such as a pannier system, ceramic clutch, GPS, long-distance headlamps and oil pan guard. In addition to the travel-tested R 1200 GS Adventure, Martin will also be making use of the BMW Motorrad range of accessories and rider equipment which has proved itself many times over on such extreme projects.

Documentation of Martin’s travels is up to him as he will travel alone to some of the most remote spots on earth.
Michael Martin is traveling without a back-up team or external film team. This guarantees maximum authenticity and genuine adventure. State-of-the-art film and photographic technology and decades of experience ensure professional results.”

Source Bill Muneio’s website.

Planet Desert BMW R1200GS Tour | Bill Muneio