Stratos’ universal credit card lives on with a new owner

Posted on 22/12/2015 by Devindra Hardawar

Like a certain Monty Python Black Knight, the all-in-one credit card company Stratos is still clinging to life. Yesterday we heard that it was going out of business after only six months, but now TechCrunch reports that it was sold at the last minute...

Stratos is going out of business

Posted on 21/12/2015 by Andrew Tarantola

According to TechCrunch, the Stratos Card company is going out of business barely half a year after launching the product. The Stratos, which was meant to replace a customer's various debit, credit and loyalty cards, promised to be "100 percent compa...

Art Thompson, Red Bull Stratos’ technical project director, talks circuit breakers, wind shear and biomedical data

Posted on 16/10/2012 by James Trew

While Felix Baumgartner landed safely on the ground just a matter of hours ago, the internet is still resonating with the sound of tweets, status updates and YouTube clicks, all thanks to what was one of the most spectacular human endeavors in recent history. The mission was simple, to send a man up in a balloon higher than ever before, and have him safely jump to the ground. This kind of "simple" is usually anything but -- if you just look past the well-manicured exterior. Which, as luck would have it is exactly what we did.

With the cheers of success still ringing in his ears, we got some quality time with Art Thompson, the technical project director, and Baumgartner's earliest collaborator on the Stratos mission. We wanted to know a little bit more about what went on behind the scenes, and Thompson was more than happy to oblige. They're understandably proud of what they just achieved.

Continue reading Art Thompson, Red Bull Stratos' technical project director, talks circuit breakers, wind shear and biomedical data

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Art Thompson, Red Bull Stratos' technical project director, talks circuit breakers, wind shear and biomedical data originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch Felix Baumgartner’s space dive live right here at 9:30AM ET (update: more delays)

Posted on 09/10/2012 by James Trew

Weather may have delayed Felix Baumgartner's record-breaking "space dive" by another (no doubt torturous) 24 hours, but all going well, the wait is almost over. In just over an hour, proceedings will kick off, and you can watch them live, right here. The latest reports indicated that conditions remain favorable, with the team sending a weather balloon up into the stratosphere earlier this morning. The fun begins at 8:30am eastern, but all you need to do is grab a coffee then head past the break for the live feed.

Update: Pre-flight checks have postponed the set off. Earliest launch is now set for ~~12:30PM~~ 1:30PM ET.

Update 2: Sorry folks, the launch has been called off due to gusty winds. The team said that tomorrow was a possibility, but until the weather gives way, Felix will remain firmly on the ground.

Continue reading Watch Felix Baumgartner's space dive live right here at 9:30AM ET (update: more delays)

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Watch Felix Baumgartner's space dive live right here at 9:30AM ET (update: more delays) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 07:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leap of faith: Felix Baumgartner’s historic jump from the edge of space

Posted on 05/10/2012 by James Trew

BASE jumping might just be about to enter the mainstream. What has typically been considered a fringe activity, reserved for thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies, could soon be firmly cemented in the public view. For the uninitiated, BASE jumping is like skydiving, without the plane. Participants throw themselves off bridges, antennae, buildings, cliffs, and well, whatever high object they can find. It's not illegal, "in theory", but as many of the chosen launch spots are public or private property -- or pose a risk to public safety -- gaining access to, or jumping from them, can mean stepping over the legal line.

This otherwise obstreperous activity has largely kept to itself, occasionally popping up in magazines, or YouTube videos, but -- all going well -- on Monday that changes. Serial boundary pusher (of wing suit across the English Channel fame) Felix Baumgartner is set to leap, in the most literal sense of the word, from relative obscurity into the history books. How? By jumping to earth from the edge of space, likely breaking the sound barrier as he does so. How does one go from humble Austrian beginnings to a capsule 120,000 feet (about 23 miles) above the Earth's surface? Make a comparatively tiny leap past the break to find out.

Continue reading Leap of faith: Felix Baumgartner's historic jump from the edge of space

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Leap of faith: Felix Baumgartner's historic jump from the edge of space originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.