I Art You

Another week, another tech round up. Lots to cover, and for once the geographic location of the tech attractions are spread out all over the world without the usual geographic location in Japan.

1) Alhambra Fortress in Granada has finally been read, by a computer at least. A 3D scanner has scanned all 10,000 inscriptions on the fortress.

2) In Britain one mans obsessive James Bond collection has been transformed into the first James Bond Museum.

3) Costa Rica seems to like airplanes transformed into buildings, there is the Costa Verde 727 Fuselage Suit and the El Avion restaurant.

4) More aviation tourism may be on its way to Dubai. Rumor has it that some company in Dubai has made a hefty bid on the last available British Airways Concorde.

5) While in Dubai do a little Sand Boarding, with the Sandviper, the first board dedicated to sand boarding.

6) The Tate is getting an Egyptian style extension, architectural firm Herzog & deMeuron has complete the stunning design.

7) Another aviation themed restaurant in South Korea, apparently the first of its kind to fly commercial. [Source]

Surrey Satellite Technology began in the 1970’s when the commercial space industry was all but non-existant. Co founder and CEO Professor Sir Martin Sweeting partnered with his university to create a company that began developing low cost satelites. The article from the Guardian has a fascinating look at the history of the company as well as the past present and future of micro satelites.

“According to SSTL, a large satellite might weigh more than 1,000kg, cost $500m and take years to develop. One of its micro-satellites, by comparison, would weigh 100kg, cost $10m and take 18 months to put together”.

There is some fear that these micro satelites could clutter the space around the earth, a fear that is more then warrented given the amount of debree already floating about space. With satelites costing a mear $10 million dollars many companies, and even a few wealthy individuals may be reserving their spot on the assembly line in the near future.