Word: orbit
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April 12-14, 1981 First space shuttle launched into orbit and returns to Earth...
Genius comes at a price, and it's usually those around the genius who pay it. Like a dark star, genius pulls people into its orbit, or sends them spinning off in unpredictable directions, or draws them down and consumes them. We are accustomed to thinking of talent as a creative force, but two new biographies remind us just how shockingly destructive...
...size and power, are more equal than the others? And so Europe is split again. Earlier this year, during the run-up to the Iraq war, it was France and Germany (plus Belgium and Luxembourg) against most of the rest who refused to be drawn into the anti-American orbit organized by the two Continental powers. Now, the lineup is not identical, but similar. As France and Germany cracked their whip, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland and Spain refused to cower, voting against the suspension of the stability pact. Britain is keeping quiet, presumably enjoying a battle of sovereignties in which...
Logitech's QuickCam Orbit ($130), with its unblinking camera eye and ominous red LED, evokes the HAL 9000, though its quirky, jerky movements suggest the work of Jim Henson. The motorized webcam uses facial recognition to stay locked on your mug, even as you move side to side or up and down. It doesn't always get things right--busy backgrounds can confuse the Orbit, and it may stop following you if it spies something of greater interest. (Hint: Keep any giant Tiki-god statues out of sight.) While videoconferencing or taking pictures, you may find it more practical...
...what drink did this panel choose to celebrate the end of the tasting process? A long, cold beer, of course. You could send a case of that stuff into orbit and it would still hit the spot every time...