Often the most popular posts on the site, the galleries not only take our readers around the world, but back in time as well. Some galleries even show us the farthest reaching points of the Cosmos and the thriving microscopic world invisible to the human eye.

To walk through an airport with Bruce Schneier is to see how much change a trillion dollars can wreak. So much inconvenience for so little benefit at such a staggering cost. And directed against a threat that, by any objective standard, is quite modest. Since 9/11, Islamic terrorists have killed just 17 people on American soil, all but four of them victims of an army major turned fanatic who shot fellow soldiers in a rampage at Fort Hood. (The other four were killed by lone-wolf assassins.) During that same period, 200 times as many Americans drowned in their bathtubs. Still more were killed by driving their cars into deer. The best memorial to the victims of 9/11, in Schneier’s view, would be to forget most of the “lessons” of 9/11. “It’s infuriating,” he said, waving my fraudulent boarding pass to indicate the mass of waiting passengers, the humming X-ray machines, the piles of unloaded computers and cell phones on the conveyor belts, the uniformed T.S.A. officers instructing people to remove their shoes and take loose change from their pockets. “We’re spending billions upon billions of dollars doing this—and it is almost entirely pointless. Not only is it not done right, but even if it was done right it would be the wrong thing to do.”

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In order not to risk jeopardising citizens’ health and safety, only security scanners which do not use X-ray technology are added to the list of authorised methods for passenger screening at EU airports.

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Coffee should be black as Hell, strong as death, and sweet as love.  -Turkish Proverb

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From the beaches of Mexico to the wilds of Kurdistan, the places on this year’s list take you to the end of the world and back.

Don’t miss the accompanying slideshow.

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Here’s a bunch of photos and the accompanying article. The sheer size of this thing is absolutely incredible.

I asked him if he was looking forward to conducting the full-on pat-downs. “Nobody’s going to do it,” he said, “once they find out that we’re going to do.”

In other words, people, when faced with a choice, will inevitably choose the Dick-Measuring Device over molestation? “That’s what we’re hoping for. We’re trying to get everyone into the machine.” He called over a colleague. “Tell him what you call the back-scatter,” he said. “The Dick-Measuring Device,” I said. “That’s the truth,” the other officer responded.

The pat-down at BWI was fairly vigorous, by the usual tame standards of the TSA, but it was nothing like the one I received the next day at T.F. Green in Providence. Apparently, I was the very first passenger to ask to opt-out of back-scatter imaging. Several TSA officers heard me choose the pat-down, and they reacted in a way meant to make the ordinary passenger feel very badly about his decision. One officer said to a colleague who was obviously going to be assigned to me, “Get new gloves, man, you’re going to need them where you’re going.”

The agent snapped on his blue gloves, and patiently explained exactly where he was going to touch me. I felt like a sophomore at Oberlin.

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Before Benjamin was born, Jude and I decided we were going to travel as much as we could during the first year. There was no doubt about it: we were going to bring Ben to meet his Zimbabwean family. What we didn’t know was that my brother was going to marry the woman of his dreams in New York City just 90 days after Benjamin was born. We also weren’t sure that we’d find ourselves in the California desert, on the cobbled streets of Amsterdam, the beaches of Newport, or in our favorite city on the planet — Cape Town. What a year, indeed.

Thanks to this handy little website, I was able to quickly add up how far the three of us flew the past nine months. Since December 2009, Benjamin, Jude and I have traveled just over 33,000 miles. That’s 3 continents and a total of nearly 70 hours in the air. I can’t begin to guess how many more hours we spent in trains, buses, rental cars — pushing our stroller around carrying 50 pounds of gear. It’s easy to say we’d do it all over again if we had the chance, but it’s even easier saying that we’ve already done it and once is enough. We earned the memories and the photographs we made.

Here are a few tips if you plan on flying across the world with your baby.

1. Be patient and remember you’re having fun.
2. Break the flight up into 15 minute sections. It’s easier to digest 15 minutes at a time instead of thinking about how you’re going to survive the next 7 and a half hours. Also, avoid the Moving Map channel. That little plane and estimated arrival time will drive you insane.
3. If you can, try to book flights which depart around a usual nap. Wheels up = nap time.
4. Take more than you need. More everything. More food. More diapers. More wipes. More clothes. Yeah, it’s true: you’ll be the guy in the airport you always said you would never be, but weather and airline schedules don’t get along too well.
5. Find a dollar store and buy a handful of kitchen utensils, like spatulas and measuring cups, or a rubber ball and a slinky. It’s cheap entertainment and bringing out a new toy every hour makes the world turn.
6. Save yourself a lot of trouble and buy an umbrella stroller. We own the UPPA G-Luxe, and the thing is G. Check it plane side when you board, and pray it comes back with four wheels. Ours didn’t, so have a contingency plan when you arrive in Africa and the grounds crew says “I don’t think the other wheels are coming; you better go.”
7. If you have a nice flight crew, go stand in the galley after the meal is served and they’re not cleaning up. Have you ever seen how many knobs, buttons, lights, switches, cabinets, drawers, and sliding things there are in there? It’s a boy’s paradise. Just watch the coffee pot. That one is usually hot.
8. Do not let other people’s comments or dirty faces bother you. If needed, remind them they are ugly and they were a baby once, too.
9. If you’re crossing time zones, be prepared to be up all night when you arrive. Babies don’t like being on different time zones any more than adults do. And being up all night can be fun (if you can sleep all day).
10. Don’t read too much about flying with a baby before you actually do. You know, like this site that has 20 tips for how to survive a flight. Much like anything else, you just gotta do it.
11. Make lots of photographs. Memory cards are cheap.

36,000 feet

Cape Point, South Africa

Cape Point, South Africa

Table Mountain, Cape Town

The internet is the largest photo gallery in the world. Below are some of our favorite places to find inspiring travel imagery, the best photojournalism in the world, and a whole lot more…

Three US amputee veterans have climbed Mt Kilimanjaro, enduring tumbles and sores to reach Africa’s highest peak with only one good leg among them.

The veterans – of Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq – hiked to the top of the 5,891m (19,330ft) high Tanzanian mountain in six days to show that disability need not lead to inactivity.

An incredible feat. Congratulations!

On Air New Zealand’s new 777:

When the so-called “friendly skies” are mentioned, a few airlines in particular come to mind: Virgin America, Singapore Airlines and Qantas, for starters. Starting today, you can safely include Air New Zealand in that discussion. In a bid to turn long-haul international travel on its head, the outfit has today revealed a freshly outfitted Boeing 777 with a coach cabin that easily puts every coach cabin found in the US to shame. Designed by Recaro, the world-class coach area includes 11 rows of Skycouches that can actually fold flat in order to create (admittedly short) beds for two. The best part? The “third seat” in the row will only cost a couple 50 percent of what it normally would, making it somewhat more affordable to buy a bed without springing for first class. You’ll also find power sockets, USB ports and iPod connectors in every single coach seat, leaving the plane a Gogo-module away from being absolutely perfect.

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WeHeart.co.uk on this one-of-a-kind luxury hotel for 2:

Sauna, jacuzzi, 24/7 hostess, 3 flat screens, Blu-Ray player…… sounds like a hotel suite and half hey? What about the Cold War-era cockpit? Yep, you heard correctly… Cold War-era cockpit! Serving as a restaurant for 15 years following German reunification, this 1960, 120 seater plane, that was once an East German government vehicle serving the likes of Erich Honecker, is now a full-on luxury hotel suite, grounded at Teuge Airport. The clean, modern white interiors and luxury facilities installed by Dutch company Hotelsuites.nl mean that the past can easily be forgotten, however stepping into the untouched cockpit offers a real glint of excitement… if that’s not enough however, parachute jumps or stunt plane rides can also be arranged. In search of something truly unique? This has to be it.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Transportation Security Administration

Aviation Security Directive

Subject: Security Directive
Number: SD 1544-09-06
Date: December 25, 2009

EXPIRATION: 0200Z on December 30, 2009

This Security Directive (SD) must be implemented immediately. The measures contained in this SD are in addition to all other SDs currently in effect for your operations.

INFORMATION: On December 25, 2009, a terrorist attack was attempted against a flight traveling to the United States. TSA has identified security measures to be implemented by airports, aircraft operators, and foreign air carriers to mitigate potential threats to flights.

APPLICABILITY: THIS SD APPLIES TO AIRCRAFT OPERATORS THAT CARRY OUT A SECURITY PROGRAM REGULATED UNDER 49 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR)1544.101(a).

ACTIONS REQUIRED: If you conduct scheduled and/or public charter flight operations under a Full Program under 49 CFR 1544.101(a) departing from any foreign location to the United States (including its territories and possessions), you must immediately implement all measures in this SD for each such flight.

1. BOARDING GATE

1. The aircraft operator or authorized air carrier representative must ensure all passengers are screened at the boarding gate during the boarding process using the following procedures. These procedures are in addition to the screening of all passengers at the screening checkpoint.

1. Perform thorough pat-down of all passengers at boarding gate prior to boarding, concentrating on upper legs and torso.
2. Physically inspect 100 percent of all passenger accessible property at the boarding gate prior to boarding, with focus on syringes being transported along with powders and/or liquids.
3. Ensure the liquids, aerosols, and gels restrictions are strictly adhered to in accordance with SD 1544-06-02E.

2. During the boarding process, the air carrier may exempt passengers who are Heads of State or Heads of Government from the measures outlined in Section I.A. of this SD, including the following who are traveling with the Head of State or Head of Government:

1. Spouse and children, or
2. One other individual (chosen by the Head of State or Head of Government)

3. For the purposes of Section I.B., the following definitions apply:

1. Head of State: An individual serving as the chief public representative of a monarchic or republican nation-state, federation, commonwealth, or any other political state (for example, King, Queen, and President).

2. Head of Government: The chief officer of the executive branch of a government presiding over a cabinet (for example, Prime Minister, Premier, President, and Monarch).

2. IN FLIGHT

1. During flight, the aircraft operator must ensure that the following procedures are followed:

1. Passengers must remain in seats beginning 1 hour prior to arrival at destination.
2. Passenger access to carry-on baggage is prohibited beginning 1 hour prior to arrival at destination.
3. Disable aircraft-integrated passenger communications systems and services (phone, internet access services, live television programming, global positioning systems) prior to boarding and during all phases of flight.
4. While over U.S. airspace, flight crew may not make any announcement to passengers concerning flight path or position over cities or landmarks.
5. Passengers may not have any blankets, pillows, or personal belongings on the lap beginning 1 hour prior to arrival at destination.

AIRCRAFT OPERATOR ACKNOWLEDGMENT: The aircraft operator must immediately provide written confirmation to its assigned PSI indicating receipt of this SD.

AIRCRAFT OPERATOR dissemination required: The aircraft operator must immediately pass the information and directives set forth in this SD to all stations affected, and provide written confirmation to its PSI, indicating that all stations affected have acknowledged receipt of the information and directives set forth in this SD. The aircraft operator must disseminate this information to its senior management personnel, ground security coordinators, and supervisory security personnel at all affected locations. All aircraft operator personnel implementing this SD must be briefed by the aircraft operator on its content and the restrictions governing dissemination. No other dissemination may be made without prior approval of the Assistant Secretary for the Transportation Security Administration. Unauthorized dissemination of this document or information contained herein is prohibited by 49 CFR Part 1520 (see 69 Fed. Reg. 28066 (May 18, 2004).

APPROVAL OF ALTERNATIVE MEASURES: With respect to the provisions of this SD, as stated in 49 CFR 1544.305(d), the aircraft operator may submit in writing to its PSI proposed alternative measures and the basis for submitting the alternative measures for approval by the Assistant Administrator for Transportation Sector Network Management. The aircraft operator must immediately notify its PSI whenever any procedure in this SD cannot be carried out by a government authority charged with performing security procedures.

FOR TSA ACTION ONLY: The TSA must issue this SD immediately to the corporate security element of all affected U.S. aircraft operators.

FOR STATE DEPARTMENT: Retransmittal to appropriate foreign posts is authorized. Post must refer to STATE 162917, 201826Z Sep 01, Subject: FAA Security Directives and Information Circulars: Definitions and Handling, for specific guidance and dissemination.

Gale Rossides
Acting Administrator

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Jean-Paul Troadec, the head of the the Investigation and Analysis Bureau, said that the search for the Air France flight 447 data recorders will resume in February 2010.

As we all know, the Airbus A330 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1 on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. About 1,000 pieces of the plane were recovered and only 51 bodies out of the 228 who were on board. What we don’t know for a fact is why the plane went down. The only way that this question with absolute certainty is if the data recorders are recovered and analyzed.

The search area for this new search will be about 30 miles long.compared to the 90 previous search area. The new search will cost about 10 million euros ($14.2 million) and will be paid by both Air France and Airbus.

The Times reported airlines based in the United States said the TSA sent a memorandum today outlining new security measures due to the recent in-flight activities of two Nigerians en route to Detroit.

International travelers were also told that they could not leave their seats for the last hour of a flight, during which time they also could not use a pillow or blanket. They were also limited to one piece of carry-on baggage, including a purse or briefcase, and that piece had to be stowed in an overhead compartment for the last hour of a flight.

Airlines were ordered to turn off in-flight entertainment systems with maps showing a plane’s location, and pilots and flight crews were told not to make comments about cities or landmarks below the flight path.

• $240,000 Zimbabwean dollars
• $100 Rand
• £83 Pounds
• Owners manual for my Tilley
• A South Carolina detailed coastal expeditions map
• Well-worn street maps of San Francisco and Paris with hand-written notes
• A ferry schedule for the Aran Flyer in northwest Scotland
• Used ticket for Saimsa at the Claddagh in Galway

Fun stuff.

I never minded turbulence, but this is fascinating technology. Boeing’s new 787:

One of the more innovative passenger comfort systems on the 787 is the computer-controlled turbulence-reduction system.

Boeing claims the Smoother Ride Technology will provide an eight-fold reduction in the number of people experiencing motion sickness. Sensors throughout the airplane detect subtle changes in air pressure indicative of turbulence and direct the fly-by-wire flight controls to move flaperons on the wings to counter the vertical motion. It won’t eliminate all the bumps, but Boeing says it will work especially well on the moderate turbulence that causes most airsickness.

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Craig Mod:

The GF1 is a near perfect travel camera.

For 16 days I lived with it strapped to me as I climbed through the valleys of central Nepal up to Annapurna Base Camp at 4,200 meters.

I covered the camera in sweat. I hit it against rocks (unintentionally). The air was often dusty and this dust, by the end of the trip, had worked its way into every nook of the GF1. And yet it performed flawlessly. Never once did it stutter or complain or fail to take an image when I asked it to. And only rarely did it take the wrong image.

The compact combination of Panasonic’s GF1 body and the 20mm f1.7 Lumix pancake lens works with you as a traveler. It’s a light, sturdy, capable, exceptionally well conceived photography kit that demands to be taken on adventures.

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The New York Times:

Heathrow, which first opened in 1946 as a tiny airfield supporting about 9,000 commercial flights a year, has expanded steadily over the past six decades to encompass an area of about five square miles, or 13 square kilometers. The airport now serves more than 180 destinations in more than 90 countries. But that figure is down 20 percent from the 227 destinations served in 1990. Heathrow’s two existing runways now run at 99 percent capacity, handling more than 460,000 takeoffs and landings per year, with nearly 67 million passengers annually passing through its five terminals.

The Royal College of Art’s graduate show has opened, and this year, the show-stopper was a plug. Min-Kyu Choi impressed every passer by with his neat, apparently market-ready plug that folds down to the width of an Apple MacBook Air.

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Fliers nostalgic for the golden era of air travel might want to book a trip to to the garage of Anthony Toth’s Redondo Beach, Calif., condo, where he has built a precise replica of a first-class cabin from a Pan Am World Airways 747.

This is really, really neat. Don’t miss the slideshow accompanying the article.

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Bike lanes are an effective means of improving safety for motorists and cyclists.  However, due to the high cost of installation, bike lanes are not widely available.  Instead of forcing cyclists to adapt their behavior to the existing infrastructure, the bike lane should adapt to the cyclist.

Former CNN anchor Miles O’Brien:

In July 2008, Airbus’ bitter rival Boeing released a “Statistical Summary of Commercial Jet Airplane Accidents” from the dawn of the jet age in 1959 through 2007.

At the time of the study, the A330 still had a flawless record: no fatal accidents in the course of a million departures. A month ago, Air France 447 changed that record – but the airliner remains very safe statistically.

Over the years Airbus A300’s have had three crashes that caused deaths. That equates to a rate of .47 airplanes lost per million departures. The A320 series has had eight fatal crashes – or .23 hulls per million departures. And the A340 has never had a fatal crash.

The record is not as good for the A310 – the model of airplane that plunged into the sea trying to land at the capital of the Comoros Islands – Moroni. It has crashed and killed people eight times now (six times on the event horizon of the Boeing study). That equates to a fatal accident rate of 1.42 airplanes for every million departures.

The infamous – and much maligned – DC-10 crashed with fatalities a dozen times for a rate of 1.36 fatal crashes per million departures.