During the Roaring '20s just about everybody was convinced that dirigibles were not just the future of luxury travel but that these lumbering airships could also serve as platforms for scientific exploration and adventure. Why slog through malaria-infested jungles, parched deserts and frozen tundra when you could simply float an expedition to its destination? Among the technology's most fervent adherents were famed Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and Italian airship designer General Umberto Nobile. In 1928, Nobile attempted to lead the first expedition to land people at the North Pole aboard Airship Italia. However, a brutal storm forced the vessel to crash land, stranding its survivors with precious few provisions and setting off the largest arctic rescue effort in history. N-4 Down, by journalist and author Mark Piesing chronicles that rescue effort, led by Amundsen himself. In the excerpt below, we get a quick look at just what level of technological prowess the crew of the ill-fated expedition were actually dealing with.Harper Collins PublishersFrom N-4 Down by Mark Piesing. Copyright © 2021 by Mark Piesing. Reprinted by permission of Custom House, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.Amundsen may have dreamed of multiple air bases in the Arctic Circle, but in 1925 his was one of the only ones. It consisted of two flying boats, no hangars, and a rough runway made from ice.For the flight he had a team of six men who would be split between the two planes. Lincoln... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2021-09-18 15:30:21 UTC ]
In the Oct. 21 issue of Advertising Age, you'll find the closely watched annual Magazine A-List, which honors 10 glossies that are doing really, really well. I'm part of the editorial team that, each summer and fall, works on the list (which involves a lot of in-depth research and... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2013-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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SAN FRANCISCO -- Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg is in South Korea officially to promote her book "Lean In." But sources told the Korea Herald that she was also taking the opportunity to lean on Samsung Vice President Shim Soo-ok to form a mobile partnership with the giant... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Tue, 15/02/2011 - 08:53 Publishers' demands for control of pricing in Borders' closing sales are delaying its impending bankruptcy ruling. Reuters reports the retailer is in discussions with liquidators over a plan to close around 20 of its 650... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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