13 planes vanish from radars over Europe

13 planes vanish from radars over Europe

As many as 13 planes flying over Europe vanish from radar screens in an "unprecedented" series of blackouts that lasted 25 minutes with claims air traffic control could have been hacked

An air-safety investigation has been launched after 13 planes flying over Europe disappeared from radar screens in two "unprecedented" blackouts, leading to reports stating air traffic control systems had been hacked. 

The aircraft went missing from screens across the region in early June, leaving air traffic controllers with no information about their position, direction and height – instead relying on voice communication alone. 

Air traffic control centres in Austria, southern Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia all reported the same problem with each period of interference lasting around 25 minutes but varying from flight to flight. 

Marcus Pohanka, from Austro Control, described the incidents, which occurred on June 5 and June 10 as "unprecedented," although the authorities stressed that all the aircraft involved continued with their flights as normal.

First Let's Kill All the Hackers

I have a stupid question, but having just spent nearly an hour trying to list something on eBay only to have the screen crash yet again, what I would like to know is this: Why do they never find, arrest, and punish people who put viruses on computers? Is it done by little green men on Mars? Is it a First Amendment thing? Are they too busy offering them cushy high-paying jobs? Are they all out in the wilds of China/Nigeria/Finland/Antartica/Fiji or wherever? Are most of them actually software problems?

More to the point, is there any way I can find me one and break all his fingers? It would make me feel so much better, even if it was only a token strike.

OT -- But Is This Your Life Too?

As I await word back from the speed-up-your-computer site as to why the program I just bought won't let me run it unless I buy it again, I am comforted by these words of wisdom from the site of the inimitable Theo Spark :

BILL GATES vs GM.......

For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives, read on. At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated: 'If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon.' In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating: 'If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash........Twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.

3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.

4. Occasionally, executing a manoeuvre such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water temperature and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single 'This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation' warning light.

7. The airbag system would ask 'Are you sure?' before deploying.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

10. You'd have to press the 'Start' button to turn the engine off.