U2 is an obvious candidate for The Best Rock Band Of All Time. And they’re not even close to being done making music. A new album comes out on Tuesday.

Yet even as other bands mine U2’s catalog, the band defies its past. After two albums of comparatively straightforward guitar-driven rock, “No Line on the Horizon,” U2’s head-spinning 12th studio album, takes new experimental tangents and redefines the band yet again. 

How do you reinvent yourself as U2?

Bono had been invited to the annual ecumenical Festival of Sacred Music in Fez, Morocco. He asked the other band members to join him and perhaps do some recording there during a two-week stay. To his surprise they all agreed, as did Mr. Eno and Mr. Lanois

They rented a house and set up equipment in a courtyard open to the sky and started making music with no deadline or goal. “This was far from back to basics,” the Edge said. “This was exploring the fringes.” While hints of triple-time trance rhythms and Arabic vocal inflections occasionally surface, U2 avoided what band members call “musical tourism.”

(via)

A new prototype from The Times:

Here at The Times, we often hear a common story of usage from our customers: Reading the Sunday Times, spreading out the paper on a table while eating brunch. For many of our customers, this ritual is fundamental to their enjoyment of the weekend, and its absence would be jolting.

With this in mind, we present an as-yet-unnamed article skimmer. Think of it as an attempt to provide the Sunday Times experience anytime. Of course, there are parts we can’t replicate: the satisfying crinkle of the paper; the circular stain of your coffee; the smell of newsprint.

…

Please note: Sunday Browsing is not compatible with Internet Explorer 6, but is compatible with Internet Explorer 7 and 8.

(via)

It seems that since President Obama has taken office there’s a lot more “open” coverage of the presidential methods of transportation. As long as I can remember, the Air Force and Marines — as well as the Pentagon — have kept the details of the presidential aircraft closely guarded. Until now.

Over the weekend, much was made of Obama’s first ride aboard Air Force One. His maiden flight on Marine One last Thursday also made headlines. And a few weeks ago, the National Geographic Channel aired specials titled “On Board Air Force One” followed by “On Board Marine One” which offered exclusive information and insight into the aircraft. Here’s a short preview of “On Board Air Force One” from NatGeo:

A squadron in the Marines called HMX-1 operate and maintain thirty five special helicopters to ferry the president. The Air Force has the Presidential Airlift Group at Andrews Air Force Base and manages two identical (and highly specialized) Boeing 747 jumbo jetliners. These are impressive machines and I highly recommend the NatGeo specials.

But, Obama’s got a big problem.

George W. Bush’s administration pushed to revamp the presidential helicopters, and the U.S. Navy awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin for the new choppers as part of a program popularly know as “VXX.” The current Sikorsky helicopters have been flying for nearly 40 years, and in the post-9/11 world, the president needs something more secure. 

The original contract to Lockheed cost the Navy $6.1 billion but has since ballooned to more than $11 billion. Peter Baker, for The New York Times, wrote: “Divided by 28 helicopters, the overall cost works out to $400 million per aircraft, roughly the same as the $410 million that the government paid in 1990 for the latest two Air Force One jetliners plus a hangar.”

There’s no doubt these new VH-71′s are bad-ass helicopters.

From the Al Jazeera television network:

Aid agencies warn that more people in Zimbabwe people will have to rely on food handouts as an acute shortage of food persists.

I hadn’t any idea the economic situation was this bad in Dubai, UAE.

With Dubai’s economy in free fall, newspapers have reported that more than 3,000 cars sit abandoned in the parking lot at the Dubai Airport, left by fleeing, debt-ridden foreigners (who could in fact be imprisoned if they failed to pay their bills). Some are said to have maxed-out credit cards inside and notes of apology taped to the windshield.

No one knows how bad things have become, though it is clear that tens of thousands have left, real estate prices have crashed and scores of Dubai’s major construction projects have been suspended or canceled. But with the government unwilling to provide data, rumors are bound to flourish, damaging confidence and further undermining the economy.

Instead of moving toward greater transparency, the emirates seem to be moving in the other direction. A new draft media law would make it a crime to damage the country’s reputation or economy, punishable by fines of up to 1 million dirhams (about $272,000). Some say it is already having a chilling effect on reporting about the crisis.