Tag: travel

A Look Inside the Airbus Factory Revolutionizing the World of Airplanes

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This story originally appeared on WIRED Italia and has been translated from Italian.

This is the most important moment in the life of an airliner: when the new owner signs for it and picks it up, much like a driver picking up a new car from a dealer.

The aircraft in question is an Airbus A321neo, and it is parked at Hamburg-Finkenwerder, the German city’s second airport, which Airbus uses for testing, logistics, and delivery of airplanes to customers. Gathered around the plane are pilots and cabin crew, as well as two executives from Wizz Air, the low-cost Hungarian airline that is about to take delivery of it.

Airlines and manufacturers never disclose how much they pay for individual aircraft—partly because prices depend on many factors, including the number of planes purchased and the commercial history of each individual airline—but buying a plane is never cheap. The base price of a single Airbus A321neo is estimated to be around $110 million.

This particular plane, registered by Wizz Air as H9-WNM, was produced in Airbus’s Hamburg factory in just over a year. The site is one of the company’s four production centers, the others being in Toulouse, France; Mobile, Alabama; and Tianjin, China. Known as final assembly lines (FAL), these giant workshops are where a plane’s structural parts, on-board electronics, hydraulic and mechanical components, and other pieces all come together.

The final arming process of an Airbus A320neo in Hamburg.Photograph: Antonio Dini

But before these components reach the FAL, they need to be manufactured. Some are made internally by Airbus, others by third parties, and together making them involves dozens of factories and centers around the globe. Then there is the formidable logistical challenge of bringing them all together. This complex ballet involves shipments by boat, train, road, and air, with a small fleet of special transport planes—known as Belugas—playing a key role. These aircraft, with their prodigious girth that makes them resemble beluga whales, were created by Airbus to move large components such as fuselages from one production center to another.

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August 27, 2024
19 Best Portable Battery Chargers (2024): For Phones, iPads, Laptops, and Apple Watch

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There are a few things worth thinking about when you’re shopping for a portable charger.

Capacity: The capacity of a power bank is measured in milliampere-hours (mAh), but this can be a little misleading because the amount of power you get out depends on the cable you use, the device you’re charging, and the charging method (Qi wireless charging is less efficient). You will never get the maximum capacity. We try to provide an estimate of what you’ll get in terms of charges for devices.

Charging speeds and standards: The charging rate for devices like smartphones is measured in watts (W), but most power banks list the voltage (V) and the amperage (A). Thankfully, you can calculate the wattage yourself simply by multiplying the voltage and amperage. Unfortunately, getting that maximum rate also depends on your device, the standards it supports, and the charging cable you use. Many smartphones, including Apple’s iPhones, support the power delivery standard, meaning you can use higher-power power banks to recharge the device with no issues. A few phones, such as Samsung’s Galaxy S range, support a supplementary PD protocol called PPS (Programmable Power Supply) that goes up to 45 W. Many phones also support Qualcomm’s proprietary Quick Charge (QC) standard. There are also other proprietary fast-charging standards, but you won’t generally find power banks that support them unless they come from the smartphone manufacturer.

Pass-through: If you want to charge your power bank and use it to charge another device simultaneously, it will need pass-through support. The Nimble, GoalZero, Biolite, Mophie, Zendure, and Sharge portable chargers listed support pass-through charging. Anker discontinued support for pass-through in some of its products because it found that differences between the output of the wall charger and the input of the device charging can cause the power bank to cycle on and off rapidly and shorten its lifespan. Monoprice does not support pass-through charging, either. We would advise caution when using pass-through, as it can also cause portable chargers to heat up.

Travel: It’s safe to travel with a power bank, but there are two restrictions to keep in mind when you board a flight: You must have the portable charger in your carry-on luggage (it cannot be checked), and it must not exceed 100 Wh (watt-hours). If your power bank has a larger capacity than 27,000 mAh, you should check with the airline. Below that should not be a problem.

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August 24, 2024
Will the ‘Car-Free’ Los Angeles Olympics Work?

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What’s undisputed is that, starting in the mid-1940s, powerful social forces transformed Los Angeles so that commuters had only two choices: drive or take a public bus. As a result, LA became so choked with traffic that it often took hours to cross the city.

In 1990, the Los Angeles Times reported that people were putting refrigerators, desks, and televisions in their cars to cope with getting stuck in horrendous traffic. A swath of movies, from Falling Down to Clueless to La La Land, have featured the next-level challenge of driving in LA.

Traffic was also a concern when LA hosted the 1984 Summer Games, but the Games went off smoothly. Organizers convinced over 1 million people to ride buses, and they got many trucks to drive during off-peak hours. The 2028 games, however, will have roughly 50 percent more athletes competing, which means thousands more coaches, family, friends, and spectators. So simply dusting off plans from 40 years ago won’t work.

Olympic Transportation Plans

Today, Los Angeles is slowly rebuilding a more robust public transportation system. In addition to buses, it now has four light-rail lines—the new name for electric streetcars—and two subways. Many follow the same routes that electric trolleys once traveled. Rebuilding this network is costing the public billions, since the old system was completely dismantled.

Three key improvements are planned for the Olympics. First, LA’s airport terminals will be connected to the rail system. Second, the Los Angeles organizing committee is planning heavily on using buses to move people. It will do this by reassigning some lanes away from cars and making them available for 3,000 more buses, which will be borrowed from other locales.

Finally, there are plans to permanently increase bicycle lanes around the city. However, one major initiative, a bike path along the Los Angeles River, is still under an environmental review that may not be completed by 2028.

Car-Free for 17 Days

I expect that organizers will pull off a car-free Olympics, simply by making driving and parking conditions so awful during the Games that people are forced to take public transportation to sports venues around the city. After the Games end, however, most of LA is likely to quickly revert to its car-centric ways.

As Casey Wasserman, chair of the LA 2028 organizing committee, recently put it: “The unique thing about Olympic Games is for 17 days you can fix a lot of problems when you can set the rules—for traffic, for fans, for commerce—than you do on a normal day in Los Angeles.”

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August 24, 2024
How Google’s Satellite eSOS Works During Emergencies on the Pixel 9

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You should be sure to keep your personal information up to date. That includes your emergency contacts (which you can configure at Settings > Safety & Emergency > Emergency Contacts) and your Google Account. Your “name, email, phone number, location, device information, and emergency contacts are shared with emergency services and satellite service providers.”

When you tap Start on Satellite SOS, you’ll first be prompted to answer a few questions about your emergency, like whether you’re in a vehicle, and if anyone is in immediate danger. Once you answer these questions, you can then connect to a satellite. You’ll see a giant circle on the screen suggesting directions to point your phone. It’ll need to be flat in your palm, and you’ll need to be outdoors, away from buildings, trees, and mountains (as best as you can). For the best signal, make sure your grip doesn’t interact with the upper half of the Pixel.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Once you point your phone in the right direction, it should connect. Now you’ll get a text message view where you can send messages to emergency services detailing the situation, and hopefully, you’ll have first responders en route soon after.

Now just because you can use smartphones like the Pixel 9 or iPhone 15 to reach emergency responders via satellite doesn’t mean your phone is suddenly the best option for backcountry connectivity. Satellite messengers are more rugged and durable, and since you’re probably not using them all the time like you would be using a smartphone, they have better battery life. They also offer more features, like creating waypoints. All in all, Satellite eSOS is a helpful backup feature, but if you’re regularly going to be in remote areas with limited to no cell connectivity, there’s still a place for dedicated satellite messengers.

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August 24, 2024
Catching a Flight? Here Are 5 Tips to Make Travel Easier

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It’s fairly common to experience some pre-flight jitters, especially if it’s been a while since your last plane trip. What if you forget an important document at home? What if you get lost at the airport and miss the flight? What if you fart while the plane is in the air and everyone turns around to look at you with disgust?

Well, I’m not sure how to help you out with that last concern, but I can pass along some good advice to keep you calm in anticipation of your next trip. As someone who has flown tens of thousands of miles over the past few years, I do feel qualified to share some hard-earned tips that will help you handle long-distance travel.

Keep Your Documents on You and on Your Phone

You already know to carry your photo ID and/or passport and anything else your destination requires. But before you leave, take photos of all your documentation and keep the photos in your phone. Make sure the photos are clear and easy to read, and back them up to the cloud if you can. That way, if something happens to your physical documents, you have a record of them. For even more peace of mind, email the photos of your documents to yourself so there’s yet another place to access them if your phone is damaged or lost. Also, some destinations may require proof of vaccinations, so carry those documents (and photos of them) as well.

Tag and Track Your Bags

AirTags and similar devices are a great way to keep an eye on your luggage when it’s not with you. I put an AirTag in my purse, my backpack, and all of my checked bags, so every time I travel, I can see where my stuff is and how close it is to me.

This was especially helpful when my checked bags were left behind on a flight from the US to Australia; I could see the bags on a map still sitting at my home airport, I could see when they arrived at my airport in Australia, and I could show the baggage agents that my bags were nearby when I went looking for them in the terminal. As panic-inducing as it can be to arrive somewhere without your luggage, it helps so much to be able to at least see where your suitcases are at any given time, even if they are thousands of miles away.

I did eventually get mine returned to me after much back and forth with the airlines, and the AirTags gave me the confidence to keep pushing for action until I had my bags in hand again.

Bring Multiple Adapters That Work in Your Destination

If you’re traveling to another country, there’s a good chance that the plug sockets in that country don’t match the ones you’re used to. Many hotels and airports now have USB charging ports built into their plug sockets, but just in case, research what plugs your destination country uses and get a few adapters. We have some suggestions here.

Yes, a few; bringing just one can mean a lot of frustration as you shuffle your devices back and forth between the one usable plug. I usually travel with three adapters, but even then, I’ve been known to wish for more. You can’t be too prepared to plug things in.

Make Sure You’re Not Carrying Contraband

When I first came to Australia, I learned that this country has some pretty strict requirements for entry, including a ban on many types of food and agricultural products. Even loose dirt left on one’s boots from a trip to a farm can be a source of contaminants to the local flora and fauna.

Make sure that you’re not accidentally bringing things with you that will result in delays and confiscations at customs. This might include seeds, nuts, dairy, meat products, plant life, herbs, and rocks or dirt. Make sure your medications are in prescription bottles with your name on them, and make sure your medication is not banned at your destination. Each country has its own list of prohibited items, and those lists change frequently, so be sure to check the tourism or state department website of the country you’re visiting before you go.

For example, Customs and Border Protection in the United States maintains a list of prohibited and restricted items for anyone entering the US and links to other departments if permits are required. When in doubt, leave it at home; there are few things as frustrating as a lengthy wait at customs after a 15-hour flight.

Pack Your Carry-On for Easy Access

My carry-on backpack has the same things in it almost every time I fly: my laptop, my charging cables and a charging brick, a bottled drink, a change of clothes, a few toiletries, some snacks, tissues, gum, a book, and earphones.

Some of that I will want to access on the plane. Some of it will not be touched for the entire flight. With limited underseat space and a deeply rooted desire to not bother the people around me with my bending and yanking, I’ve developed a method for reaching the things I need the most. The outer pouch of my backpack, which is the easiest to get to, holds the tissues, gum, snacks, and charging cables. The inner part of the backpack is packed with the items I will most likely want at the top, easiest to reach.

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August 21, 2024
How to Go to Burning Man in an Extreme Climate and Feel Good About It

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“Stay away from camps that are providing ‘services’ like stylists, hair and makeup, staff, or anyone bundling housing and tickets,” Feldman says. “These are red flags. The people who will be camping there probably won’t be as much fun, and the whole camp could get shut down mid-burn and you’ll be stuck without shelter, food, water, etc.”

If you want a more sustainable camp, look for one that brings their food scraps to a composting camp, collects cans to bring to Recycle Camp, and has some sort of solar array.

One trick to determine how good a camp is, is to check how the camp did in terms of Leaving No Trace last year. When the Burning Man crew does a sweep of the playa after it’s all over, they note down how much MOOP (matter out of place, or litter) is left on each camp’s site. If the camp is in the red, that’s a bad sign.

Determine Your Shelter

Your options for shelter include a tent, an RV or a trailer. You could also try a Shiftpod, a reflective shelter designed by burners for desert camping.

Hardcore burners will swear up and down that you don’t need air-conditioning to enjoy your burn—just a battery-powered fan for your tent—but that might not be true for much longer. Nearby Reno, Nevada, is heating up faster than any other city due to climate change.

“As much as I hate AC units because they’re bad for the environment, they can be seriously life-saving depending on the heat,” says Collins. She says you can find a used AC unit for between $200 and $500. If your camp doesn’t provide power, you’ll need to bring a small generator—solar panels can’t handle an AC unit.

If you do tent camp, make sure your camp has a quiet, well shaded, or even air-conditioned shared lounge area where you can nap during the day. Or know where your friends with air-conditioning are staying, in case of emergencies.

The hexayurt built from taped insulation panels used to be more popular, but it’s annoying to build and transport, so the Shiftpod, an insulated dome that sleeps two comfortably, has largely taken its place. In fact, both Collins and Rueben Pacheco, who attended his first burn in 2009 and brings a gnome-themed art car to the playa, own a Shiftpod. Feldman bought a trailer many years ago but might get a Shiftpod in the future.

The Shiftpod sells for $1,600, comes in a large duffel, and can be set up in 20 minutes. It keeps dust out pretty well, and folks who stayed in them during last year’s deluge reported that their floors stayed dry. “Seriously, a great investment,” Collins says.

Many burners who fly into a nearby city opt to pick up an RV to complete the journey. With its built-in AC, beds, kitchen, and fridge, it makes for more comfort and lighter packing. It’s also way more comfortable than a car in a 12-hour-long exodus line. The downside is the expense (budget at least $2,000 per person for rental, fees, and gas), and the stress of piloting that lumbering monster around Reno and into and out of Black Rock City, especially since Burning Man’s governing body, the Org, banned RV delivery starting last year. Oh, and RVs are hands-down the most polluting shelter at Burning Man, with a large carbon footprint and a large generator draw, which means more noise and particulate pollution on the playa.

Decide How You’ll Get There

You can get to the burn (in order of cost) by taking the Burner Bus, driving your own car in, driving an RV in, or flying in.

Expect long lines of traffic on the way in and out—unless you arrive by air or by bus.

JULIE JAMMOT/Getty Images

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August 6, 2024
See the Perseids and Southern Delta Aquariids in a Stunning Double Meteor Shower

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Get ready to see a double meteor shower featuring one of the biggest and brightest meteor showers of the year, the Perseids! In addition to the Perseids, the Southern Delta Aquariids continue to be active in August while the Perseids peak, creating a double meteor shower that those in the northern hemisphere will be able to enjoy in all its glory. (It might be difficult, though not impossible, for those in the southern hemisphere to see some Perseids and thus the double shower; the Southern Delta Aquariids, however, will be more prominent in the southern than in the northern hemisphere.) Here’s everything you need to know to watch this stunning display.

How to watch a meteor shower

To see the most meteors, you’ll want to watch with a clear, dark sky, in a place that’s away from sources of light. Moonlight can wash out the light from meteors, so observing conditions are best when there’s very little to no moonlight.

If you need a small amount of light to see where you’re going, use a red light instead of a white light. Unlike red light, white light disrupts your night vision, or your ability to see objects in the dark—including meteors. Using a red light means you won’t have to wait for your vision to readjust to the dark.

You don’t need any special equipment like binoculars or telescopes. Using your naked eye is actually the best way to watch a meteor shower because you need to be able to observe the whole sky to see the most meteors possible—telescopes and binoculars aren’t ideal for observing meteor showers because they limit your field of view, and meteors move too quickly to find them in the lens of your equipment.

Meteor showers are named after their radiant, or the constellation that the meteors appear to radiate from. (Apps like Stellarium or SkyView can be useful in finding these.) To see a meteor shower, you don’t need to look directly at the radiant, but you will want to make sure that the radiant is above the horizon, which usually happens around midnight or later.

You will be able to see the most meteors when the radiant is at its highest point in the sky, but this is not necessary to enjoy a meteor shower.

The Southern Delta Aquariids

The Southern Delta Aquariids produce about 15-20 meteors per hour. These meteors aren’t as bright as the Perseids, but this meteor shower is still an awe-inspiring event that you won’t want to miss.

The Southern Delta Aquariids are active from July 18 to August 21. Unlike many meteor showers, the Southern Delta Aquariids don’t have a sharp peak; in other words, the number of meteors steadily increases while the meteor shower is active. This means that you will be able to see some Southern Delta Aquariids during the peak of the Perseid meteor shower in mid-August!

Fortunately, moonlight won’t be an issue in the first half of August. Until the night of August 11-12, when the Perseids peak, the moon will transition from a waning crescent (12 percent full) to a new moon (0 percent full) to a waxing crescent (35 percent full) to, finally, a first quarter moon (44 percent full). However, from the beginning of August until around August 14, the moon will set before or shortly after midnight local daylight time, creating perfect observing conditions.

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August 4, 2024
How to Control Android Auto or Apple CarPlay With Your Voice While Driving

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A pretty major part of staying safe while driving is keeping your eyes on the road. When you need to take a call, switch playlists, or change the destination you’re navigating to, that’s not always easy. We should all pull over when these jobs need doing (or get a passenger to do them), but that doesn’t always happen.

By using your voice to interact with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, you can get directions, look up information, and control media playback without moving your hands from the wheel or your eyes away from what’s ahead of you. Here’s how it’s done when you’re connected to Android Auto or Apple CarPlay in your vehicle.

Speaking to Android Auto

Enabling hands-free activation on Android Auto via a Pixel phone. (David Nield)

There are a few ways to get Android Auto to listen to you. One is to tap the microphone icon that appears at the side of the interface, alongside the list of recently used apps. Another is to press the voice command button on your car’s steering wheel, if there is one. It looks different in some cars, but it typically shows an illustration of a person’s face in profile, mouth open, with sound waves coming out of their mouth. (Check your vehicle’s documentation if you’re not sure.)

If you want to go completely hands-free and use a “Hey Google” prompt to get Android Auto to listen, you need to make sure voice prompts are enabled on your phone. From Settings, pick Connected devices > Connection preferences (Google Pixel phones) or just Connected devices (Samsung Galaxy phones), then Android Auto.

Choose ‘Hey Google’ detection and you’ll see two toggle switches—so you can either enable hands-free voice activation on your phone all of the time, or only when you’re driving. Note that if you haven’t already done so, enabling this feature will require you to record a few audio speech samples so your phone knows how to recognize you when you’re talking and making requests.

Speaking to Apple CarPlay

Enabling hands-free activation on Apple CarPlay via an iPhone. (David Nield)

As with Android Auto, there may be a voice command button on your car’s steering wheel that you can press before talking to Siri on Apple CarPlay. It depends on the make, model, and age of your vehicle, so if the voice control button doesn’t appear obvious, you may have to check in the manual to find it. (Look for the button with a picture of a person speaking.)

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August 3, 2024
No, the Seine Cleanup Wasn’t a Failure

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Despite the creation of multiple stormwater reservoirs, like the Bassin d’Austerlitz, which collect stormwater and slowly release it after the bad weather has passed, if enough rain is concentrated into a small enough time, not everything that falls from the sky can be captured. In such a situation, runoff water has to be released into the river, driving up bacterial levels.

“[Weather] variability due to climate change is a major issue, and this will only make things more difficult,” says Dan Angelescu, CEO of water-monitoring start-up Fluidion at a July 31 press conference at the company’s office in Alfortville, just outside Paris. The company makes remote water-sampling devices that beam their readings back to a central base, and it has been working with Paris authorities since 2016 providing water analysis at the Bassin de la Villette reservoir, a separate swimming site in the north of Paris that is already open for public swimming.

“If new projects to collect waterway runoff are not carried out in the coming years, it is highly likely that the swimmability of the Seine and the opening of recreational and sports areas will depend on weather events, with swimming bans following rainy days,” says Loïs Mougin, a doctoral researcher in exercise and environmental physiology at the School of Sport, Exercise, and Health Science at Loughborough University.

Even without a rise in extreme weather, keeping the Seine clean enough to swim in in the face of normal weather events—such as regular summer rain—is a big challenge, says Jean-Marie Mouchel, professor of hydrology at the Sorbonne University. “There are also plenty of non-exceptional weather events that have an impact on the water quality. We need to make the system more efficient at improving water quality in the face of these.” Water-quality data from last summer backs up this point. The Seine was unswimmable roughly 30 percent of the time—but Paris wasn’t enduring extreme rainfall a third of the time.

Experts argue that how water-monitoring is done, and what information is shared with the public and when, also has to improve. “It is crucial that bacteriological data be published daily, along with information on the associated risks,” Mougin says. These include the potential for gastrointestinal issues and eye and skin infections.

“Monitoring is going to become critical,” Angelescu says. “Having technology that’s able to monitor the right risk, measure the actual risk coming from all the bacteria, and provide results fast is going to be extremely important.” Conventional monitoring methods, which were used to make decisions for the triathlon (and didn’t involve Fluidon), involve taking samples from the river and sending them to a lab—a process that is far slower than the real-time monitoring.

So separately, Fluidon has been trialing its technology at the triathlon site near the Alexandre III bridge throughout the Games, focusing on levels of the E. coli bacteria, to show how a quicker system that involves on-site processing might perform in the river. It has been publishing its results in near real time on an open data site, and says its technology provides a more accurate and up-to-date picture of water conditions.

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August 2, 2024
The Best Travel Mugs to Keep Drinks Hot or Cold

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One way to quickly ruin a morning is to take a sip from your mug expecting hot coffee or tea only to be met with freezing-cold liquid. Or, on the flip side, desperately wanting ice cold water only to find it warm. For those moments, you need an insulated travel mug. There are tons of stainless steel mugs, bottles, and tumblers on the market. These are our favorites.

We tested each bottle with both cold water and hot coffee, sitting outside in indirect sunlight and inside in the AC. During testing, none of the bottles has failed to roughly match up to their claims of how long they’d keep cold liquids cold and hot liquids hot. It’s rare to run across an insulated bottle that’s a total failure at doing that these days, but it’s also rare to find one that truly stands out. Rather, I’ve noticed the features that tend to make or break a bottle are leak-proofing, exterior coating, and the cap. While all these bottles can keep cold drinks at temperature, you may prefer getting a dedicated insulated water bottle if that’s all you need.

Be sure to check out our guides to the Best Coffee Subscriptions, Best Coffee Grinders, Best Espresso Machines, Best Portable Coffee Makers, Best AeroPress Coffee Makers, and How to Make Better Coffee at Home.

Updated June 2024: We made the Hydro Flask mug a top pick and added Owala’s SmoothSip and W&P’s Porter to the honorable mentions. We’ve also moved all bottles that use lead soldering to the avoid section and updated prices and links throughout.

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A Note on Lead Soldering

Since we first started testing water bottles and coffee tumblers, it’s come to light that some brands use lead soldering to seal their insulated bottles. The lead is on the bottom of the bottles encased in stainless steel. While it’s unlikely it would become exposed, we think it’s an unnecessary risk given that enough of our favorite brands use other methods to seal their bottles. We’ve noted which brands have confirmed they use lead in our “avoid” section below and will keep this guide updated as we hear from the others.

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June 26, 2024