Richard Branson Has Space Tourism Competition

It's hard to imagine commercial competition existing for a service that isn't even a reality yet, but when it comes to Space Tourism, anything goes.

U.S. company XCOR is designing a 'rocket plane' that, unlike Virgin's spaceliners, will only have room for two people; A pilot and a passenger. The finished design will be called The Lynx (artists impression in the picture).

Because of it's small size (The Lynx would be just 8.5 metres in length) and economical nature, XCOR says that The Lynx could operate several times a day. This would mean several people would have the chance of traveling to space, rocket plane style.

I'm still sceptical about the market for space tourism. It all sounds very pleasant, nipping into the stratosphere for an hour over lunch, but how realistic is it? Will your average working Joe really have the money to afford such a trip? And (perhaps more importantly) will he/she actually want to?

Blu-ray Cracked (allegedly)

A company called SlySoft claims to have cracked Blu-rays copyright protection system.

They also say that the development was made a while ago but that they were waiting to see the outcome of the HD-DVD vs Blur-ray war.

Now that the war is over, SlySoft say they have cracked the software that sony said would be uncrackable for at-least ten years. Sony themselves, have not yet commented.

BD+ is supposed to be able to react to attacks on it's system, in some cases locking discs and making them unuseable, but SlySoft say they are ready for this as well. They claim the latest version of their software 'AnyDVD' can now make 'backup security copies' of any DVD.

It remains to be seen if these claims are true.

You Could Soon Be Able To Use Your Mobile Phone On An Aircraft

Recent developments in aviation planning have meant that everyone may soon be able to use their mobile phones on an airplane, once it has reached 30,000 feet.

In the beginning usage will be solely allowed whilst passengers are in European airspace. Legal usage will also depend on the individual carriers; some still may not allow it.

Personally I don't understand the need to be contactable 24 hours a day. I mean, even if you're some sort of crisis management person, what are you going to do about a situation when your at 30,000 feet?

One thing's for sure though, if this legislation comes through there will be a whole lot of 'Guess where I am!' phone calls being made. The networks will be overjoyed!

Ten Funny Things Available On Amazon!

I bet you didn't know they sold these on Amazon:

10. Testicular Self-Examination Model

9. Forbidden LEGO: Build the Models Your Parents Warned You Against!

8. The Orgasm Bible: The Latest Research and Techniques for Reaching More Powerful Climaxes More Often

7. Uranium Ore

6. Pherone Formula W-9 Pheromone Cologne for Women to Attract Men, with Human Copulins

5. History of Shit

4. Warning: I like it sloppy and weird Sweatshirt

3. Kellogg's All-bran Crackers, Muti-grain, 10-Ounce Box (Pack of 12)

2. 40" Giraffe Statue

1. Toilet Seat Lifter

What Exactly Is The Amazon Kindle?

You may have heard of the term but you’re likely still wondering - What exactly is the Amazon Kindle? What does the Amazon Kindle do?

Let me try and answer those questions for you.

The Amazon Kindle is essentially a wireless reading device. I like to think of mine as a portable library or a limitless book, although it’s not just books you can read with the Amazon Kindle, every single one comes with access to over 100,000 books, newspapers, magazines and even blogs.

That’s right, even blogs.

You might wonder what the difference is between reading a newspaper article online and reading one on the Amazon Kindle. Well the biggest difference is that the electronic-paper display actually makes you feel like you’re reading from a real piece of paper. It’s stunningly sharp and the hi-resolution image is immaculate.

Once you actually get your hands on a Kindle, you will be able to purchase and begin reading books in a second. And this is a major advantage. Have you ever sat at home in need of a good book but not keen to head out to the store to buy one? Often, by the time you get back, there’s no time to actually read the book left! But the Amazon Kindle takes away that problem. There’s no more looking for a good book to take on holiday or a magazine for that long flight – all you need is your Kindle and you can have several New York Times best sellers in your hands whenever you need them!

The Kindle itself can hold over 200 titles as well, so if you get bored of one book, you can always switch to another other… without getting up!

When we think of books, we tend to think of weight. Books are heavy and cumbersome to carry around. But not the Kindle! It is lighter and thinner then most paperbacks and an absolute joy to carry with you!

There’s no monthly bills or service plans and you don’t have to tie yourself into a lengthy contract either. It works on the same high-speed data network (EVDO) as advanced cell phones—so you never have to locate a hotspot, like you do with WiFi. And to top it all off, the Amazon Kindle also gives you access to Wikipedia. It’s almost like having an entire encyclopaedia Britannia in your bag!

I love my Amazon Kindle and I can’t recommend it enough! I hope this article has helped you to understand it a little better.

"This is the future of book reading. It will be everywhere." Michael Lewis, author of Moneyball and Liar's Poker.

[Amazon Kindle]

Her Royal Highness - The Queen

Around the world, wherever you go, people always seem to know about the Queen. Or Queen Elizabeth II that is. She is surely the most famous person on earth.

Yesterday the Queen arrived in Northern Ireland for a three day visit. She attended a reception at Hillsborough Castle, her first engagement at the historic landmark. The Queen met with 300 or so territorial army members to mark the the organisations centenary.

Queen Elizabeth will spend the next couple of days at several other royal engagements including the handing out of Maundy Thursday alms purses to people in Armagh, part of an ancient ceremony held each Easter.

The number of purses the queen will hand out signifies how many years she has spent as the monarch - 82. Therefore 82 men and 82 women will be given a traditional Maundy purse.

This is just one of the many duties The Queen will carry out this year. Such is the life of a Monarch!