Swiss Air

This past weekend 51 year-old Swiss adventurer Yves Rossy became the first dude (or dudette) to jet-pack over the Grand Canyon. Apparently the flight, originally scheduled for Friday (the 13th I might add), happened Saturday because Friday was deemed too "risky." Apparently human flight over the Grand Canyon became less risky overnight, and Rossy boarded a chopper from which he launched out of in his jet pack and flew for about 8 minutes. Overly edited Breitling-sponsored video here.

Hipmunk's Pedestrian Guide To US Cities

All looks right to me.

From the Hipmunk blog.

Great travel site too.

All the rage

According to an article in the Personal Journal section of today's Wall Street Journal (side note: has there ever been a publication more obsessed with self-reference? The NY Times doesn't even call their sports section Sports Times.) pedestrian rage - the "road rage" of sidewalk travel - is real and gripping the nation. According to U Hawaii psychologist Leon James, signs of a sidewalk rager include muttering or bumping into others; uncaringly hogging a walking lane; and acting in a hostile manner by staring, giving a "mean face" or approaching others too closely. The full article is available here.

Below, a guide of who to avoid and who to potentially follow if in a hurry or prone to rage whilst walking the streets of NYC. Thanks to NYC's Department of City Planning and their April 2006 study 'Pedestrian Level of Service Study, Phase I' for this invaluable data.



Key: 1. Tourists walk 3.79 feet per second; 2. Smokers: 4.17 feet per second; 3. Cellphone users: 4.20 feet per second; 4. Headphone listeners: 4.64 feet per second; 5. Large pedestrians: 3.74 feet per second; 6. Men: 4.42 feet per second; 7. Women: 4.10 feet per second; 8. People with bags: 4.27 feet per second

Thanks to LtGen Perez, Ret. USMC for the look...

Extreme Walking

Had to snag this off Barstool NYC. Dock me a point.

This dude is a serious triple threat. Hand-eye, balance, acrobatics.