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The Future of Military Aviation: Non-Pilot Pilots

Two MQ-1 Predator aircraft in the hangar at Creech AFB, Nevada: March 2009

When I visited Creech Air Force Base, at Indian Springs, Nevada, six months ago, the first class of non-pilot UAV operators was still being trained. That class has now graduated, and the USAF's groundbreaking experiment with reinventing the concept of the military aviator begins in earnest.... more »

posted: 01/10/2009 | comments »

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Time for a Re-Think

Governors Island, New York, September 2009

Somewhat predictably, I'm not posting stuff here as often as I'd like (or had intended). This makes me officially Bad at Web2.0 and cyberspace has noticed: visitor numbers are slipping faster than Las Vegas's and the date of arrival of my first AdSense cheque has gone back to July 2043 (on a Thursday, I think). Something has to change. So here are the new rules I shall try to live by here.... more »

posted: 30/09/2009 | comments »

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OutKast, Pitchfork, and Being Right by Accident

Apologies for the interruption, [Memo to self: Must. Learn. To write. Less. But more. Often.] I've been busy. So have the people at Pitchfork, who've compiled a big list of the best music of the 00s. I dunno - rock mags and their lists, eh? Looks like I'm not the only one struggling to come to terms with the new demands the medium places on the material, if a future-proofed title still needs to resort to such tried-and-tested print-mag-in-a-quiet-week means of drumming up reader interest. Anyway, rather than find fault with their list - that would simply be to fall into their trap, after all - I'd like to applaud it. Or, at least, their Number One selection. Obviously, all such notions are similarly subjective and equally meaningless, but I like the idea of OutKast's Bombs Over Baghdad as the best song of the decade. What I don't like quite so much is that Pitchfork make such a hash of justifying their choice. ... more »

posted: 21/08/2009 | comments »

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Adapting to New Business Realities

You've got to prepare to be versatile - Council Grove, KS, June 2009

It occurs to me that I'd be more Web2.0 and put stuff up here more often if I'd just learn to do shorter, quicker posts. With that in mind, here's three things that occurred to me in the past 24 hours - one tangentially linked to the business of journalism, one about the Ashes, and one about Newcastle. If anyone's desperately disappointed by me not banging on for ages about any of these, please do leave a comment. I'm sure I can be persuaded. Don't all rush at once. ... more »

posted: 18/07/2009 | comments »

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Flying Legends - Duxford

Some photos from this afternoon's air show at Duxford, featuring the other flying B-17 (ironically, the Sally B, based at Duxford, isn't flying at the moment), the Aerostars display team, a replica of the 100-year-old Bleriot XI, and I make the reacquaintance of an old friend... or do I? ... more »

posted: 11/07/2009 | comments »