Amazon Drones On the Horizon?

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s a package. Amazon has received FAA approval to use drones to deliver packages:

“Amazon did not say when customers could expect drones to drop packages at their doorsteps. Obtaining the F.A.A. certificate was an ‘important step,’ the company said, adding that it would continue to test the technology, which has been in development for years.” — “Drone Delivery? Amazon Moves Closer With F.A.A. Approval,” Concepción de León, New York Times

Alphabet’s Wing and UPS already have FAA approval for drone delivery.

More:

“Amazon Prime Air lands FAA approval for drone deliveries,” Carrie Mihalcik CNET

“Amazon receives U.S. regulatory approval to start drone delivery trials,” Nilanjana Basu and Neha Malara, Reuters

Update:

“No, Amazon Won’t Deliver You a Burrito by Drone Anytime Soon,” Aarian Marshal, Wired

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Amazon. Airborne!

Press Release:

“Amazon Prime Air is a future service that will deliver packages up to five pounds in 30 minutes or less using small drones. Flying under 400 feet and weighing less than 55 pounds, Prime Air vehicles will take advantage of sophisticated ‘sense and avoid’ technology, as well as a high degree of automation, to safely operate beyond the line of sight to distances of 10 miles or more.”

What could possibly go wrong?

No Drone Zone

Hey kids! The folks at the Federal Aviation Administration remind you that you can’t fly drones in and around Washington, DC.  It’s a No Drone Zone.

More:

“Drone Operator Detained in Front of White House,” Julie Zauzmer and Mark Berman, Washington Post

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Two Nobels

Pakistan’s Malala Yousafzai was awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. Last year, when she was nominated, Malala spoke with the 2009 Peace Prize winner, Baraka Obama. Her account of the meeting:

“I thanked President Obama for the United States’ work in supporting education in Pakistan and Afghanistan and for Syrian refugees. I also expressed my concerns that drone attacks are fueling terrorism. Innocent victims are killed in these acts, and they lead to resentment among the Pakistani people. If we refocus efforts on education it will make a big impact.”

Also awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize: Kailash Satyarthi of India, who has campaigned against child labor. The countries of the two Peace Prize winners are long-time antagonists.

More:

“Nobel Prize winner Malala told Obama U.S. drone attacks fuel terrorism,” Anita Kumar, McClatchy Washington Bureau

“Don’t forget Malala Yousafzai’s appeal to Obama: end the drone war,” Zack Beauchamp, Vox

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EPA Drones Spy on American Farmers! Not.

The Environmental Protection Agency is using killer drone aircraft to spy on innocent farmers in America’s Heartland, according to the Daily Caller, Fox News, and Tea Party congressmen. “Send In The Drones: Obama Spies On America” screamed an Investor’s Business Daily editorial.

Just one thing. It isn’t true.

Drone Aircraft Lands in Salisbury, Maryland

A Northrop Grumman RQ-4A Global Hawk aerial drone crashed in Salisbury, Maryland yesterday. The pilot was unhurt. Oh, wait ….

The U.S. Navy’s $176 million remote-controlled aircraft smacked into the ground just outside town, the largest infusion of government cash in Salisbury since the state plopped down a university there in 1925. This is the biggest thing to happen in Salisbury (“Crossroads of Delmarva”) since last week’s big WWF wrestling match.

A Child’s Garden of Drones

“I can feel it in the air tonight, oh Lord” — Phil Collins

“Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Drones,” Cora Currier, Pro Publica

Almost 1 in 3 U.S. Warplanes is a Robot,” Spencer Ackerman and Noah Schachtman, Wired Danger Room

“Rise of the drone: From Calif. garage to multibillion-dollar defense industry,” Peter Finn, Washington Post

Virginia Is For Big Brother

Virginia’s champion of personal privacy, Governor Bob “Vaginal Probe” McDonnell, has called for the use of remote-controlled unmanned drone aircraft by police in the Old Dominion. This is intruguing since many Virginians don’t even like ticket-issuing traffic cameras.

More:

“McDonnell: If Drones Are Good Enough for Afghanistan, They’re Good Enough for Virginia,” Benjamin R. Freed, DCist

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