A Random Pile of Stuff

If you're like most human beings pre ~1960, you probably never considered this question. The sky is pretty fucking big, and planes are comparatively quite small, so it's not like they're going to get into constant fender benders. But probability is a bitch. When we started sending hundreds of the things into the sky at once, following preditable corridors and all congregating around airports, we started rolling the dice a whole lot more. And yes, we rolled snake eyes many times.

Midair collisions, now, are nearly a thing of the past- but as proven by the collision of a regional jet and helicopter in Washington D.C., this is not a safety we can take for granted. The systems in place to stop aircraft from colliding have a fascinating history full of "that's probably good enough"s that reminds us if we don't keep maintaining a high standard, we'll keep rolling those dice.

So what are those systems?

The Human Eyeball

Perhaps the most obvious of all, for the early days of flight, pilots relied exclusively on their own eyes to avoid hitting things. In fact, pilots still do this today- no level of fancy tech excuses you from looking outside when you're flying visually.* The main problem with this method of separation, called "See and Avoid," is that humans are made of meat and we are not capable of maintaining constant 360° vigilance over the whole sky around us.

* most airliners only fly visually on visual approaches to airports, for reasons that will become obvious

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, a series of major collisions in which neither airliner saw each other until it was too late showed us that we needed far better systems for separating planes. Still, even into the 1970s some investigations were doggedly blaming the pilots for not looking hard enough (cough cough the PSA midair was not the pilots' fault cough)

So it was time to implement some more rigorous methods. Sort of.

Star Wars is to be dubbed into Welsh for the first time as the classic film prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year (x)

Set to broadcast on S4C on Christmas Day, the film, Star Wars; Gobaith Newydd, stars some of Wales' most internationally-recognised actors including;

Matthew Rhys as Han Solo, Rhys Ifans as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Aimee-Ffion Edwards as Princess Leia. Star Wars veteran Mark Lewis Jones takes on the role of Darth Vader, while rising talent Osian Morgan voices Luke Skywalker.

A boed i'r Grym fod gyda chi - May the Force be with you!

S4C; Creative Wales; Lucasfilm

happy aikaversary!

For a huge pile of tiny rocks, you live a surprisingly nomadic lifestyle. More than a hundred years of tourism and foot traffic has destroyed much of the native grass that kept you stationary. You are now what they call a “wandering dune”, as wind off the lake slowly but steadily pushes your tremendous bulk a little further inland every year.

As you move, you gradually engulf everything in your path—trees, buildings, rocks, hills, your own parking lot—everything. You are an unstoppable force, like some kind of gigantic gelatinous cube, but you’re still very popular with visitors.

In 2013, you suddenly eat a child. It’s a surprising move on your part—dry quicksand isn’t supposed to be a real natural phenomenon. I mean, what is this, a 1960’s action movie?

One moment, a family from Illinois is cheerfully climbing your slopes. The next, the 6 year old boy suddenly vanishes without warning, leaving no trace. Would-be rescuers dig in the sand where he disappeared until their hands are bleeding. Geologists insist that he must have wandered off, because enormous piles sand physically cannot form hollows or pockets within themselves—but three hours later, he is found, unconscious but alive, buried almost twelve feet deep in the sand.

The following items are demonstrated in the video and described in the voice-over:

1. Assorted bump dots - Various kinds of stickers with protruding dots on them that can be put onto appliances to make them more tactile.

2. Pocket money brailler - A device that allows you to imprint braille onto paper notes, indicating their value.

3. Liquid level indicator - A device hung on the edge of a container with metal prongs that detect when liquid has reached it.

4. Braille Pop-It - A pop-it with the alphabet in braille on each bubble.

5. Tactile Rubik's cube - A rubik's cube with unique textures for each color.

6. Braille color clothing tags - Tags with braille to indicate what colour a piece of clothing is.

7. Signature guide - A card with a rectangular slit in it to guide the user when writing their signature.

8. Low vision playing cards - Cards with very large and colorful numbers on them.

9. Pop-A-Cell - A plastic card with 6 bubbles you can indent to practice braille characters.

10. Talking keychain clock - A clock that says the time aloud when you press a button.

Hilariously funny that they let the guy known for wandering off without warning to look at birds was allowed to do this

Venture outside with your ant buddies to forage scraps from an incomprehensible civilization of alien gods (each one several times larger than the city you've spent most of your life inside) for the glory of your GodMomEmpress

Get attacked by a platoon of soldiers from a rival megacity, they're an offshoot of your species except like twice as big (basically orks) and like 10% of them are genetically modified supersoldiers with wings

Luckily, you've been engineered from birth to spit acid so you and your antfriends successfully defeat the rival ants and their winged miniboss